Is an eBook Enough? - podcast

The e-book is here to stay. As an author, you might be wondering, should I just publish an e-book? Is e-book format enough? Co-authors Sam Barry and Kathi Kamen Goldmark discuss whether authors should publish only in e-book format or if they should still consider print versions. They say that publishing only an e-book make sense in some instances, such when you are acting quickly to release your book after a current event occurs. However, you may also want to publish your book as a print on demand book in this case, which does allow you to move quickly. Print books are still a relevant and popular reading format. It's best to let the audience choose the format. Publishing in e-book-only format may limit your book's reach.
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  • The comments were very helpful, my two books that are being turned into E-books, will get-out to the public quicker, than the way of a printed book. However just like Sam Barry mentions in the video, doing it both ways is the best way to get your work out there.
  • Former Member
    Former Member
    That is true Keith. While the ebook market is growing much faster than the print market, the print versions still make up the bulk of book sales (not sure how long that will last, though). I think it's important to know all of our potential markets and then evaluate which ones we should be in based on the our budget, the book's topic, audience, life cycle, and its intended use. For instance, fiction is one of the fastest growing ebook segments. But fiction writers can get away with having no physical copy (sort of) more than, say, a speaker and workshop teacher who wants to sell her book in the back of her paid workshop sessions. ShE need a physical book for sure. It isn't that folks won't buy an ebook version of a non fiction book... but if she doesn't have a print copy on hand then she is losing sales to a captive audience.
  • Very helpful comments. i appreciate ebooks are good for quick publishing but a lot of people still prefer to read the paperback copies.