Posted on 2013-Apr-10
Vast Availability
The world is changing fast and so will the core of eBook technology. Everywhere sellers are storming to the market claiming that they will deliver readers from a limited ecosystem promising and there will be a brighter day for authors to conveniently distribute and earn higher profits. It seems from time to time the relationship between authors, the most attractive choice-Amazon and their digital imprints-and other favorable multiple retailers needs to be refreshed and investigated. Because at the end of the day, no matter how many distributors authors have courted to get their works published, only the ones that sell will be cherished and respected by them. Lindsay Buroker and many other eBook evangelists keep dicuss how to promote your books in as many places as you can. The market lies open for anybody who decides that traditional route will not give them enough exposure to digital book reader’s consensus.
Distributing Channels to Keep Your Eyes On
Apart from your typical you-know-who distributing channel, there are other equally vast outlets you may want to keep an eye on: independent bookstores, Kobo, and Barnes and Noble’s newly introduced Nook Press. According to the American Booksellers Association (ABA), independent bookstores have recently joined forces with Kobo to replace the discontinued effort from Google. With Kobo’s integration into the physical store, it is much easier for consumers to actually see the books and have incentive to further shop online. Inside the bookstore, apart from showcasing books, eReaders are added to raise awareness about the presence of eBooks online and offline. Offline buyers can shop for any tangible books within their eyesight whereas the online experience can further establish the connection between the massive catalogue presented by Kobo and avid readers who are not shy from exploring new books.
Kobo in Partnership with Indie Bookstores
460 indie bookstores are nodding in approval to invite Kobo Partnership to revolutionize their in-shop experience so far. According to Digital Book World, Kobo has their marketing support up their sleeve to provide training and in-store displays for the bookstores as stated in their website. Regardless of the modest 3% of market share in the eBook business in the U.S., Kobo expansively works worldwide in more than 190 countries and has about 10 million registered users at the time when the article was written in August 2012.
The Boomerang Effect of B&N
Barnes & Noble returns with a boom effect and becomes the talk of town. The Digital reader is quick to note how their newly introduced Nook Press as the official successor of PubIt which was originally established way back three years ago to compete with Amazon KDP. Regardless of the extensive support PubIt had offered, the failed system was merely remembered for being “clunky” and “awkward.” The refurbished platform for self-publishing seems to fix the self-generated error its predecessor used to make and come up with a solution that help authors produce a better looking eBook for Nook Store. The basic features of EPUB are all available, despite the lack of EPUB3. Yet, authors living outside the U.S. territory are not eligible to testing the new system this time unfortunately. Also, it seems that EPUB eBooks created at Nook Press are only available to be used in the Nook ecosystem.
The Return of PubIt V2.0
Towards the end of the article, the writer includes the quick update from VP of Nook Media-Theresa Horner-that there is a remedy for the bugs to improve Nook Press’ stability as opposed to the previous complaint-ridden system. Unfortunately, the praise does not last long when actual user’s experience sinks in. Barnes & Noble execs may want to turn away their face to see the very iconic image appearing on the blog to mock the earlier praise. Being able to edit their writing online is such a massive plus for authors to work conveniently on their manuscript but more complaints arise when instability comes back and haunt the revamped effort. One of several major problems is that authors are not allowed to edit their book after they have published on Nook Press. Meaning: once your book is published and sold on their store, it is too late to correct or change anything in case typos are later found.
Unrecognizable Mysteries Unsolved
If you are an experienced self-publisher, you know that online realms blends real user’s experience into the blogosphere format so you can research and make a decision on which direction you are heading. Passive Guy quoting The Digital Reader’s blog had commenters voicing their feedback and concerns. Leafing through the webpage, I believe the three top commenters best describe the situation where B&N must improve. R.E. McDermott, Christopher B. Wright, and Phoebe Matthews were unsuccessful in creating the new Nook Press account, and they were accused of trying to access an “unrecognized account.” Although they were promised an email with instructions, the said email never arrived. Those comments were respectively posted at 12:56 PM, 1:02 PM, and 3:01 PM as of today.
Keep Studying
Beyond the world of Amazon, the opportunity in the emerging market and buyers are gradually flourishing alongside with the rise of eBook reading adoption. Although the unprecedented presence of online retailers has the buyers (readers) virtually sitting on their couch purchasing books conveniently, adventuring to the independent bookstores nearby can still be a fun activity for many who favor the look and feel of tangible decoration and promotion in order to engage themselves in live interaction with other booklovers and salesperson. Onto the virtual world of mass distribution, it seems Amazon’s competitors are stepping up their game to provide value-added service for authors to produce the kind of content that will be exclusively featured on their showroom. All in all, authors have every reason to sell and promote their products on all channels available; however, they must study the terms and conditions to observe the user’s feedback that lies hidden underneath the sugar-coated advertisement.
Label: Self-Publishing
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