What happened to the music industry a few years ago is now happening to publishing.
Have you noticed that there are a lot more people selling e-books these days? As readers get better (like the lightweight
Kindle
from Amazon), and book prices continue to climb, many folks have taken the plunge into digital books.
The flip side of the coin is that many writers are also by-passing the traditional path of publishing. Just recently, I released the first two chapters of my new e-book,
Every Bead Has a Story, on mixed media bead embroidery. After mucking about and trying to figure out how to print such a photo-intensive book at a reasonable price, I decided that the best way to do it was to
not print it at all! As a test, I have made my first chapter available for free. It covers the basic stitches, materials and tools, and a beginner project to get someone going. After 2000 downloads (and counting), I decided to go forward. The second chapter (72 pages long and full of step-by-step photos), I released for just $3.
My plan is for each additional chapter, each one nearly book-length itself, to be only a few dollars. That way anyone can afford it, and I can pack it full of as many pictures and detail as I want. Funny enough,
after I decided to do this and started down the path, I came across these two articles on the current state of publishing and digital media. If you've ever thought you might want to write a book, I urge you to look at these and think through all the possibilities seriously. Oh, and help yourself to a free copy of my first chapter!
Self-publishing turning book world on its ear
'Vanity' press goes digital
Copyright 2010 Cyndi Lavin. Not to be reprinted, resold, or redistributed for profit. May be printed out for personal use or distributed electronically provided that entire file, including this notice, remains intact.
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