Get Increased Book Sales with a Combined Marketing Package

Summary: Increase your book sales as an upstart or self-published author by strategically diversifying your marketing campaign in order to reach a broader demographic.

Marketing your book as an upstart or self-published author can generate sufficient sales returns if you know how to strategically plan and diversify your campaign to reach a greater number of demographic readers.

To begin with, a book publicity campaign can become effective if it satisfies the following factors: (1) the marketing campaign has a clearly defined business plan as well as a feasible promotion strategy; (2) the marketing campaign has prepared an extensive “what-if’s” marketing decision making process tree to be always prepared and flexible for any contingencies; and (3) the marketing campaign must be practiced and reinforced and reviewed consistently for its effectiveness and success rate.

You can maximize on your campaign more efficiently by employing various marketing tools to improve your chances of connecting with a wider demographic base. These combinable marketing options include owning a customized author’s website; submitting a summary article of your book to free PR sites online; posting a hyperlinked ad of your book in websites with high visitor rates; and hiring the services of an email provider that lets you rent an email list to send  articles and advertisements of your works.

For example, having an official website is a good start for your marketing campaign, because a customized site serves as your very own online bookstore, an important foundation base or support system from which other marketing tools and methods can be interrelated and dynamically linked. These Internet resources include online directory listings and online bookstores which have hyperlinks that reconnect or lead back to your official website, and vice versa.

Another usual recourse for authors after writing a new book is to send mails or emails to friends and acquaintances, aside from sending free press release articles to a print media company or an online organization for multiple reader browsing and even a possible critical journalist review, precisely resorted to because of its inexpensive feature as well as its capability to generate the so-called “word-of-mouth” or “viral vibes” of the new book’s interesting contents.

All in all, you can market effectively by combining these marketing options to connect with more readers with more beneficial results. This is called an optimized marketing strategy: simultaneously utilizing several cost-efficient marketing tools and programs available to reach an expanded demographic market, and ultimately leading to increased customer acquisition.

Just consider, from the marketing examples previously discussed, if, say, you combine any three of these—or more! What could that possibly spell for your book publicity efforts?

Your book has a potential to earn big profits especially if you market it well. Your book is unique, and its particular demographic are found everywhere and can be reached by various means—by email, by snail mail, by sending fax messages, by calling through the telephone, by preparing press kits, by posting online ad placements, and by conducting book signings, to mention just a few marketing methods. These methods can be as diverse as they can get; however, if you tend to take this matter for granted or just gloss it over as something unimportant or insignificant to your book promotion efforts, then you are severely limiting your given potential to earn greater profits from your newly released work.

Thus, getting the means and tools necessary to reach this target demographic need not be that expensive, complicated, and time consuming. For one, you can start simply by looking for book marketing services providers. A book marketing services provider specializes in planning for affordable and effective book marketing campaigns, and can conveniently help you with your marketing needs.

There are plenty of bargain offers from book publishing companies and over the Internet that will suit your marketing needs, and are reasonably-priced enough considering your limited resources. You can set your own selection criteria; just go and proceed with your own careful canvassing to see how well the various offers satisfy your specific marketing requirements and expectations.

Even if you are running on a tight budget or have limited means for the book marketing campaign, you can still get value returns for your precious investment by selecting wisely and keeping an open mind about the optimal prospects of your book marketing campaign.

Considering these, here are a few tried-and-tested techniques in optimizing your marketing campaign: Think “out of the box”, meaning you should be proactive, maverick and shrewd on your book publicity efforts, and never “resting on your laurels” for just a few marketing options relied upon initially. Moreover, find book marketing services providers that offer “package deals” or bundled programs, especially those with the greatest amount of features at a cost-efficient price.

In sum, you can reach more prospective readers and hopefully more book sales, if you carefully consider the highlighted features among the different offers, and finally choose which package combination is just right for you, according to your service preferences.

As a self-published author, you can generate considerable sales returns for your book by resorting to issuing well-written press release campaigns. If your book, regardless of genre, has a newsworthy quality worth posting in various online media organizations, newswire and press-release services websites, then a press release campaign is the right and cost-efficient option to promote your book.

When you finish writing a book, the marketing aspect is similar to a new product offer or launching a new service, with the specific target market still to be informed and identified. Needless to say, publicity plays a crucial role in book marketing, considering that it is the deliberate attempt to manage the public’s perception of your book’s subject.

Just think of the numerous benefits of a well-planned press release campaign:

A press release campaign can create a new marketing source for the book campaign. As a new author, you always think of connecting to your ideal demographic market, and a press release campaign can help you in opening and connecting with new book readers and fans online. Believe this: Potential readers and buyers of your book can be found easily over the Internet, with just the right, catchy titling and interesting wording of your press release draft copy.

A press release campaign can create an additional marketing source for the book campaign. Sounds redundant? Think again. As a self published author, you are always thinking of adding or increasing your book marketing access channels, if you have already earlier resorted to other book marketing methods, regardless of the sales results. This basically means a promising marketing diversification for your book publicity efforts, broadening your base options to reach a wider market scope accordingly. A press release campaign is just a helpful alternative to this precise need.

A press release campaign is easy and convenient. By all means, it’s easily done: you can send your press release copy thru telefax, email, or even snail mail. And you can be selective enough to discover which online newswire groups or PR websites will post your press release for a discounted fee or entirely for free. If you’re a good online researcher to actually find such free online media sites, then you’re a shrewd book marketer indeed! Now, compare what you have just achieved with other book marketing options. See how beneficial it is?

A press release campaign draws public interest and discussion of your book. Having it posted online would mean that the author is willing to invite public discussion on his book, since it helps the reader formulate or arrive at a more analytical opinion of a news topic of general public interest, and even cynical or negative readers will be impressed by your book, thereby bolstering your credibility. Getting the online reading public to be interested and generate a lively discussion of your book’s contents could spur further discussions, thus enhancing your book’s reputation, which could prove to the start of the so-called “word-of-mouth” phenomenon for increased book sales!

A press release campaign can enhance your reputation as an author. If you are writing an analysis book or have a unique fiction writing-style, a timely-issued press release can enhance your reputation as an author on how well you discuss your perspectives or present the plot lines to your story.

A press release campaign increases the chances of a well-deserved book review. Posting an article about your book online or sending it to reputable media targets via fax increases the chances of a critical review on the substantial merits of your book, and a critical praise will bring you national—even international—acclaim.

A press release campaign is long-lasting. Some online PR websites and newswire companies do have archived files or archival options for your book’s PR title and text to be stored on online databases for future research purposes or relevant book subject queries. This is like posting your PR copy to a local newspaper, and it runs continuously for months without fail, but at a lesser or no cost at all.

A press release campaign can be posted on a demographic-specific or geographic-specific site. You can choose which PR websites and media targets to send your media releases, including those found in your home state, or even those which specialize on a specific genre or geographic distribution (if your book is of geographic interest), aside from local or international news lines of your preference.

However, please do observe the following cautions on the limitations of a media release campaign: Please take note that your media release submissions are still subject for approval according to the respective publication and posting standards set and implemented by each PR newswire services. Also, some of these online PR newswires will still request for a complimentary copy of your book before posting your media release; please consider if you are willing to accommodate such free handouts, your limits Please consider also the media rights, publication schedule, and personal info requirements of some PR websites before you decide on sending your media release copy.

1. How did you come to self-publish? Did you try to get published traditionally?

I did, but after 183 rejection letters, it was clear I was on my own. At the time I had invested over three years of my life researching, writing and working with editors on Sleeper’s Run. I wasn’t about to throw away all that time, money and effort—plus quitting is not really my style—so I rolled up my sleeves and started to learn about self-publishing.

2. What self-publishing service did you use? Happy with the service?

I used Createspace for my paperback and Publish Green for my ebooks. I’m happy with both of them. They have good customer service and are easy to use, but there is room for improvement. Createspace sets the prices for their books too high to be competitive with established authors. Publish Green has a quarterly sales report that has proven too impractical for me. As a self-published author, I need to have that information sooner to be able to allocate my resources accordingly. The good news is Publish Green has told me that they are in the process of changing this for monthly reports.

3. What avenues have you taken to market the book? Have you gotten reviews, interviews, TV, print media coverage?

I’ve done everything I can to promote Sleeper’s Run within my means: press releases, reviews, interviews, social media (Facebook, Twitter, etc.), blogs, Internet and newsletter ads, internet quizzes, giveaways, merchandising, blog tours, book awards and even a pretty cool book trailer. TV, print and radio are just too expensive.

4. What drove you to write this particular book?

I love thrillers. It’s my favorite genre. I’ve wanted to do a story dealing with interventionist politics for a long time and I’ve been playing with a few ideas in my head that I thought would make a compelling thriller. Yet, it wasn’t until I melded those ideas with the current political situation in Venezuela that it sparked the inspiration I needed to write the book.

5. Is the book in any one particular genre? Is it a genre that’s familiar to you?

Sleeper’s Run is a political thriller with elements of action. Like I said before, thrillers are my favorite genre. However, Sleeper’s Run was based on non-fiction sources, of which I’m also very familiar. It was these sources that compelled me to write the book. At the time, I wasn’t too familiar with what has been called “the tough-guy genre.” But interestingly enough, the book began to develop in that vein. It became clear early on that it was going to take a certain type of character to make the story plausible.

6. Who are your greatest writing influences?

James Clavell’s Shogun was a great influence to me as a kid. Arturo Pérez-Reverte, Frederick Forsyth, John le Carré, Junot Díaz and Carlos Ruiz Zafón have also been great influences.

7. What’s your writing regimen? Any tips for keeping focused?

Depends on what I’m doing. For Sleeper’s Run I went through a lengthy research process: books, documentaries, articles and interviews. As well as going through urban survival training, flying lessons, knife and gun handling, first aid and other relevant training to supplement my knowledge in martial arts, traveling, etc. I’m self-employed, so when I had a project, I would work eight hours and write at least six (including weekends). Between jobs, I would put in at least ten hours during the week and six to eight on weekends. Sleeper’s Run was a very demanding book; there was a lot of re-writes.

I’m very focused and disciplined by nature. I would sit down in front of my computer and write even if I had no desire to do so, or very little to go by in a particular chapter. I approached it like I would any job. There were times I would trash a whole day’s work. Regardless of the outcome, I will always write. As much as I like the story, it was my love for the characters that kept me engaged.

8. Would you self-publish again?

I’m of two minds about self-publishing. On one hand, all I want to do is tell stories. Being an independent author means I have to run my own publishing house and essentially do everything: Hire editors, proofreaders, layout the different book formats, deal with marketing, advertising, distribution, etc.  It takes a lot of time and resources away from researching and writing. On the other hand, there’s an undeniable freedom to self-publishing. I can write whatever I want regardless of the current trends, get to change and design my own covers, offer my work faster than through a publisher, and basically present my work as I see fit. I would definitely self-publish again, but I can’t deny it would be nice to only have to worry about writing and promoting my work.

9. Any final words of advice for those looking to self-publish?

The Internet has made self-publishing relatively simple and accessible. What nobody tells you is that the real challenge lies in selling your book. Competition with both regular and independent authors is fierce. Getting any sort of attention to your work is a monumental task and the minute you give up, that’s the moment your book is dead. Your work won’t sell itself. Writing is probably the most underrated of the arts. After all, a large portion of the world’s population can put sentences together and everyone has plot ideas. Add to that the romanticized notion of  writing the next great American novel, and you can begin to see how people could get the wrong idea of what it is to be an author. Writing is a tough vocation and demands a lot of work. My advice to any aspiring self-published writer is to do some research before jumping into the independent market and contemplate if it’s really worth the effort. Your love and belief in your work is what ultimately will sustain you throughout the process.

With hundreds of thousands of books getting published everyday, the competition level of the book-selling industry is currently at an all-time high. Consider this: In 2008, over 200,000 books were published last year in the United States alone, 80 percent of which are self-published and, not surprisingly, a large chunk of these books are for sale. What’s more, the number is expected to experience a significant rise this year.

With this kind of competition, an upstart author with limited financial resources (and can’t afford a book publicist) and limited time (and can’t go on a nationwide book-marketing tour) would do well by marketing a self-published work through the Internet. But just how does a published author wage a low-cost, yet efficient book marketing campaign in the Internet?

One of the sure-fire ways to do just that is through the opt-in email advertisement campaign, a unique book marketing method that reaches a massive, yet viable, target audience through electronic mail (email) advertisements.

An email advertisement campaign, essentially, is a massive email broadcast of “book ads” sent to hundreds of thousands—and even millions—of “profiled” email subscribers. An “email book ad” consists of a visually appealing and enticing graphic advertisement of a book, replete with the book description, the book details, and if any, the positive reviews of the book. These “book ads” also come with a unique Web address or URL (uniform resource locator) links that direct the “clicker” to the book author’s official Website or online bookstore, or even both, where the consumer can read more about the book and learn how to purchase it.

As previously stated, these ads are specifically designed to hit e-mail subscribers who have “opted” to receive commercial marketing messages, according to their specific areas of interest.  For instance, an email book marketing ad for a book about, say, French cinema will be delivered to a customized mailing list of e-mail subscribers who have indicated their interest for “movies”, “books,” or “literature” in their email profiles.

Opt-in email book marketing advertisements reach a vast, specific target market, making it a favorite marketing tool for authors for its precise demographic targeting, massive reach, and reasonable cost. But perhaps the best thing about this program is its traceability: email marketing service providers routinely furnish clients with detailed reports of the email advertisement’s “open” and “click” rates. An “open” rate is the statistical data of the number of ads that are “opened” by a target email subscriber, while the “click” rate is a statistical tracker of the number of times the ad is “clicked” by a target email subscriber.

As such, opt-in email marketing ads not only boost the marketing punch of a book but it also serves as a terrific reference guide for future marketing campaigns, making it a highly effective, multi-dimensional book marketing tool in today’s competitive book-selling landscape.

Author Resource Box
Read the latest self-publishing news, articles, and tidbits through the newest blog site of BookWhirl. Learn more about the dynamics of marketing self-published books, Author Marketing Services, and Book Marketing Services.

And besides my book – The Boston 395 – is out now as ebook. Started for the dot.bust and completed in response to the economic downturn.

Writing SHOULD be easy.

But two years of writers block tells me otherwise. Two years of economic downturn, no-to-little employment have left me dry in the well of my soul. Six months of a day job that at “full-time” (tell me, employer, how is 28 hours full time?) still can’t cover my bills and my energy for narrative, story and language is almost tapped out.

So I am starting something new – I am setting a date with the muse and showing up to see if she bothers to meet me. I arrive, coffee in hand, The New Pornographers playing on my Spotify and if I am really lucky the muse is there to greet me, like a wayward lover.

Some days the muse and I pick away at my young adult novel, or we prep/edit/promote The Boston 395. Some days we just play with a few lines, shifting words and tenses to see what is possible.

Some days the muse does not arrive and I grief, push at some words and turn off The New Pornographers and turn to Sarah Kirland Sniders ‘Penelope’ song cycle instead.

The muse has yet to be honest with my about why she hesitates to commit to our relationship. We used to be so close, spending hours a day pounding out a story, editing in a deep sweat and the retiring to a good book. We have become estranged. But all epic romances – and, my Muse, have we not been epic in our time together – have their ups and downs. So I will commit to showing up, coffee in hand and file open and I know in time I will woo her back and our union will be magical!

Barbara Rayne is the author of – 21 Erased – future dystopian society novel.

1. How did you come to self-publish? Did you try to get published traditionally?

I am used to doing everything I can from my home, so first I wanted to see if I could publish my book without ever leaving my home, and when I saw I could, I most certainly did. Traditional publishing was out of the question.

2. What self-publishing service did you use? Happy with the service?

Createspace was my service of choice and, so far, I’m very pleased. Those services where I just click-and-go are always on top of my list.

3. What avenues have you taken to market the book? Have you gotten reviews, interviews, TV, print media coverage?

Marketing the book isn’t easy. So far I made a website, blog, Facebook fan page, Twitter account, submitted e-book versions to Amazon and Smashwords while I wait for my paperback edition, joined some book author blogs and communities. This is my first interview and I applied for a review here. I plan on getting some more reviews as soon as I get my head out of the opening of blogs and social media profiles. Also, I plan to advertize my book via Facebook an Google adds.

4. What drove you to write this particular book?

The world we live in and what it could easily become made me put some of my projections into this book. Any reader should be able to draw some parallels from the book and apply them to the world around him. It’s a dire sight once you do. The main goal of this book, and probably some future books, is to make the reader stop for a moment and think about the message in the book and how easily it could become his/her reality if we keep living with our heads in the sand pretending nothing is our business.

5. Is the book in any one particular genre? Is it a genre that’s familiar to you?

It is mainly political science fiction because it deals with future fascist dystopian society. I like that genre so it is rather familiar to me.

6. Who are your greatest writing influences?

Oh, George Orwell, most certainly.

7. What’s your writing regimen? Any tips for keeping focused?

Once I get the inspiration, the whole world opens up in my mind, I open up my Word and start writing. I get rather fanatical about it so there is no procedure and I have no problem with being focused. I do have problems, though, with remembering to eat and drink.

8. Would you self-publish again?

As a matter of fact, I already plan to, with my second book.

9. Any final words of advice for those looking to self-publish?

Just go for it! You get nothing out of holding yourself back, but the regret. What have you got to lose?

There are hundreds of thousands of sites that have products and services to enhance your SEO (search engine optimization), in the attempt to make you more noticeable in your particular area of expertise.  Some of these SEO services are helpful, and many are not.  Regardless of the success (or lack of success) of these services, SEO is very important– and mandatory to become noticed!  Even with the best SEO strategies, tools and methods, you still have to KEEP THE ATTENTION of people that like, and want, your products and services.  If you are fortunate to be in the top 10 listings of all the search engines, you most likely understand that IS NOT THE ONLY VARIABLE  that will help your business.

Even if you are successful at SEO optimization, you still need to have people like your website, and the way that your message is conveyed– to establish a high quality reputation.  Even if someone finds your site in the search engines, and they notice that your site is poorly written, they are not likely to  stay on your site, or recommend you to a friend that may need your product or service.  I have seen many different types of sites, in all different types of categories, that are doing well in the search engines, but the owner of the site is still wondering why they cannot consistently, over time, keep their homepage bounce rate under 30%.  Bounce rates are not the only variable to look at when evaluating your website, however, if the bounce rate on your home page is consistently high, you definitely need to re-evaluate how it is written.

You may be talking over your audience, writing with bad grammar and punctuation, getting off on tangents that do not serve your intended audience well, and/or a multitude of other writing variables.  In any case, you can help lower your homepage bounce rates by having a professional edit your writing. No one should edit their own writing, and even editors need editing. Take the extra time and professionalism to get it right, so that your bottom line matches your total SEO success!

1. How did you come to self-publish? Did you try to get published traditionally?

At the time that I was editing the first book of my series, I was querying agents for a good year. I’ve gotten good feedback, but not one agent had ever said, “Send me the rest of the manuscript.” And it had gotten to where I had, at the time, two and a half manuscripts, and about two rejections per chapter.

I gave myself a promise that if by my birthday I wouldn’t secure an agent, I would do it myself. I had a free proof copy code from CreateSpace, and when my birthday had come and gone, I decided to go ahead and see the self-publishing route through. I didn’t look back since.

2. What self-publishing service did you use? Happy with the service?

I used CreateSpace for hard-copy printing, and I went through Amazon & PubIt for e-publication for Kindle and Nook, respectively. I’ve had no complaints whatsoever, the templates are fantastic, and the staff had been most helpful when I asked them for assistance. I plan on staying with them for as long as I can. Same goes for Amazon & PubIt for e-pub.

3. What avenues have you taken to market the book? Have you gotten reviews, interviews, TV, print media coverage?

I’ve advertised by business-car-size flyers in the past, and have been interviewed by a local TV show in Queens, NY, Talents Unlimited. The TV interview was great fun, but the best marketing avenue I found was social media. Facebook and Twitter are excellent for exposure.

4. What drove you to write this particular book?

It was a combination of my love of mysteries and fantasy, combined with wanting to write a story that grows with its readers. At the time that I was laying out the story in the back of my mind, I asked myself constantly, “How would I feel if I’m reading this?” “How do I want people to feel when they’re reading this?” It helped shape the overall tone of the series, and how the characters interacted with one another. The main thing I wanted was to always leave room for them to grow: make errors, fix them, and (eventually!) learn from them. It’s important for me to write that sort of a story, and in this sort of a setting.

5. Is the book in any one particular genre? Is it a genre that’s familiar to you?

The Index Series is best classified as urban fantasy, but it’s not a genre I read often. I love my history, mystery, and thrillers, and I’m known to pick up a fellow fantasy story, but it has to find space between Stephen King and the social structures of the Tudor court!

6. Who are your greatest writing influences?

I won’t lie, Stephen King is definitely an influence, but I was a Caroline B. Cooney fan as a kid, and I enjoyed the way that she was able to keep then-15-year-old me focused on the story as well as dissecting the purpose behind each scene. Stephen King is just plain masterful with his imagery.

7. What’s your writing regimen? Any tips for keeping focused?

I write whenever the mood strikes, which is quite often, and my focus usually comes in a cup with milk and sugar! I kid you not; coffee is one of the best focusing agents to a writer. I usually commute with a notebook or my mini-Netbook, so I can just write whatever comes into my head.

8. Would you self-publish again?

Yes. I’ve done so with the sequels to my first book, and have every intention to continue.

9. Any final words of advice for those looking to self-publish?

First things first, and I will make no bones of this, self-publishing is not easy. Unlike a trad-pub medium, you do not have a marketing team, a cover designer, or an editor. It’s you and your manuscript against the world. It takes a lot of work to get it from first draft to perfect proof, and if my first book (of total 3 published and 5 completed) is any indication, you’re in for several years’ worth of revisions. You’re also in for a metric ton of marketing work as well. But the reward is the knowledge that you have written and released a book on your own is incomparable. It’s a wild ride, but the euphoria is amazing.

——

Katherine Gilraine is the author of The Index Series. She resides in NYC, and has been working on the series since 2006.

I also hate books; old yellow brittle pages on a book barely 10 years old, peeling laminate on paperback covers or dust jackets that can’t handle use and rip easily. Dust on library shelves that, once disturbed, can send you into a coughing seizure. The “snap” of a binding that breaks on a paperback and a few months later the pages are falling out of the book. And the typeface in paperbacks seems to be getting smaller every ear.

All of my classic Sci-Fi novels from when I was a teen that I stored and that traveled with me as I moved from the city to the country are now so much fire starter. Yellowed, cracking pages, cracked bindings … they are now lost to me. A flood ruined a cardboard box of my books, so I transferred them to plastic which the mice thought were choice digs.

So, while I love books, surround myself with them, read compulsively and have a collection that I never dreamed possible, I hate them and have been slowly culling them, getting down to a level where they might be manageable.

Enter the Kindle. Ok, besides books, I also collect tech toys, gadgets and all sorts of technology. I have an IPod which goes great with a comfortable chair and a good book. But the Kindle, well, I pondered this for a long time. It is a reading tool. It houses electronic books, or eBooks.

I was originally not impressed with the tool. It didn’t hold many books, it was expensive, I didn’t have a wireless connection for a while (didn’t need one) and I am in love with real books.

So, it was a while before I finally decided to give the Kindle a shot. Eyes are not what they used to be, and the feature of being able to adjust the type size was attractive. But it’s black and white. No color. Magazines would be lost but books… I can see that books would benefit from this medium. No yellowing of pages, Amazon will keep your list of purchases forever (so they say) so you can’t lose any of them, and my library. Kindle holds 3,500 books! That is more than I can store in my little library. You can search the books. Big bonus!!! Books are cheaper and there is no shipping fee! Yea, I got wireless (laptops need wireless). So, Kindle easily hooked into my wireless and downloads are fast!

Larger typeface is a big bonus. The Kindle reads PDF’s. OK, this is their weak point. While the PDF’s are readable, they are not format able. They are stuck in their PDF state, and if you enlarge, you have to move the screen back and forth (in page format) to read. I can read the PDF’s better on my laptop.

But searchable! OK, take a geek text book, load it in Kindle and you can find your hardware or software issue without having to reference index. Every reference comes up. Big time saver!

We also have text to speech. Kindle reads to you! If the book is formatted for text to speech, those long drives to work locations are now filled with your favorite book! BTW, Audible books also work in the Kindle, and they are cool!!! Books read to you, and the readings are very well done in the books I’ve tried.

The battery life is also very good, does not need to be recharged as often as some of my other toys and the charger will plug into my car charger should it start to run low on juice.

Finally: acquiring books. I thought, oh, geez, I’m going to have to buy lots of my books over again to have them stored in my Kindle. Well, surprise, surprise, Amazon Kindle store has FREE BOOKS for Kindle download. And there are $.99 and $1.99 books. Not junk!!! Lots of early classics! Weathering Heights, lots of Jules Verne, H.G. Wells, Edgar Allen Poe – older classics, pre-copyright. But have you actually sat down and READ these books? I am going thru the original Dracula, which I never actually read. Way cool, better than the movie. I’ve gotten to read the latest installment of a Yasmine Galenorn series, and just downloaded M. R. Sellars latest book to read. And even if I do end up purchasing my “can’t live without” books again, it will be the last time.

So, that leaves us with that age old question – if you were going to be left on a deserted island, what three books/records would you take with you? Well, ok, we now have to ask – what three things would you take with you? I would take my iPod, my Kindle, and I need for these laptop manufacturers to make a solar laptop. Replace the cover with a solar panel and a battery that recharges on solar. Recharging it on a deserted island would be a snap. Palm trees and bright sun? How come no one has thought of this yet? Sorry, I’m off on a tangent.

Kindle – yes, I am very happy with my Kindle. I read, therefore I Kindle.

Boudica Foster

The Jungle

The Inhabitants
In the ebook jungle, the traditional publishers are indeed the king of beasts. They control the prices and the access to the ebooks. Even the authors who create the content have little say. If publishers don’t want you to borrow one of their titles, you can’t. If they want you to wait for a title, you wait.

The next level of control is Amazon. They play the leopard’s role in this habitat. No matter how you look at the lending program, all paths out lead to their sales pages. I don’t see them changing their spots, ever.

Then there is Overdrive. They are the facilitator in this process. They feed you directly into the lion’s den.

The hunters in this jungle are the readers. They get to borrow what is put on the table. It is not their choice what is available. The decisions are made by the control groups.

The Problems
For something that was highly sought, library ebook lending has some major problems. I guess we thought that the ebook library process would mirror the decades-old tradition of libraries and their lending practices. You know the days when the library purchased a book from any source and placed it on the shelf.

For sure, problems with the new process are swirling around the blogosphere like a down pour in the rain forest. Let’s check in on a couple of the more popular discussions.

Privacy of Information
There is a lot of discussion about Amazon using the library lending process to more accurately profile our wants and habits and using that information to sell more products. I think it is the penalty we have to pay to get a free copy to read. Amazon’s incentive is to get you to buy something but this concept is everywhere? If I am not going to buy a $14.99 ebook, all the marketing in the world is not going to change my mind. There are some great discussions on this topic and I see merit in both sides of the argument. (Check references listed below.)

Of all the bantering and opinions about how to solve the privacy problem, the most absurd is to just pirate the ebook file, put it on the Internet and let everybody share in the free copy. Didn’t this happen in the music business? I wonder if those folks are out of jail yet?

Or I could pay cash for a hardcover book and avoid security cameras.

All I know is when I go to the grocery store and start shopping, I have a list of needs but I am also looking for discounted items I can buy with my shopper’s card. Today I found some hotdogs on sale. Because I am a hotdog kind of guy, I purchased a couple extra packages.

Then I headed to the checkout. I have several alternatives. I can give the checker my shopper’s card, get my discount but give up my personal information and buying habits. Or I can have the checker process my order without my card, lose the discount and save my privacy.

And I have another alternative. I could use the pirates’ method and walk straight out the door, saving my privacy and getting my groceries free.

Checkout limits
This is an old business concept called a ‘click charge’. That is the payment for incremental usage of an item. In the Libraries’ version, the ‘clicks’ or checkouts are paid for in advance.

The ‘click charge’ concept in the digital world was tried in the 1990’s when businesses started converting their paper forms to electronic forms. Several software development companies created e-forms design software to assist companies in the conversion.

Once the process started and the software companies saw how popular digital forms were going to be and how much money businesses were saving on the e-forms, they decided they wanted more than just the money for the design software. They wanted a fee for each form designed. This was called a ‘click charge’. They sold a license for blocks of forms (usually 50 or 100 at a time). Once a company surpassed their block, they had to pay for a new batch.

Companies didn’t go for this very long. They looked for other alternatives. Eventually application software companies added e-forms to their systems. Now e-forms design software, with no extra fee, is everywhere.

By the way, the original e-form design companies are no longer in business. New ideas and competition drove them somewhere else.

Expansion of the Audience
With the low price point of the new Kindles there is a potential of three times as many patrons demanding to checkout ebooks. And it will get worse. In November, there will be a ‘Kindle Fire’ in the jungle. Because of the expanded audience and the way copy access is handled, Nook will take a direct hit on this one. Once free to roam the collections, Nook users will now compete with the Kindle users. This should deeply impact the library budgets, their collections and availability.

A quick look at my libraries’ James Patterson’s collection shows 718 access copies with only 36 copies available or 5 percent. Only one title is available that was published since 2009. With these stats many people move on to something else. They either select something else in the library catalog or because they have their Kindle in their hands, they just buy it. Amazon’s motive, I am sure.

Survival
As long as we have unlimited checkouts, the library must encourage early RETURNS.

The Principle of Maximizing Library Returns states that in the library lending process, returning one book earlier than the loan expiration date, while keeping the titles available constant and with no checkout limit, will at some point yield a monetary return to the library.

Of course, all ebooks will never be checked out at one time but popular ebook titles will almost always create a waiting list. On hold, if you will.

So does the library buy access to more copies of the popular title or do they let their patrons wait for the title to be available? Trust me the wait can be very long.

So what happens when the reader is done with the title and returns it early? The next reader in the hold line has the opportunity to check the ebook out. If this happens often enough, the need for the library to purchase access to another copy of the ebook diminishes.

Let’s take a quick look at one title to illustrate the point.

Don’t Blink x James Patterson
There are Only 4 ebook access copies in my library’s collection.

There are 71 patrons on the waiting list. At the rate of a full 14 day checkout, it will take 248.5 days to meet the demand. If the ebook was returned early, let’s say 5 days, the wait decreases to 88.75 days. (Still a three month wait.)

A better scenario would be to purchase 6 more copies (about $60.00) and encourage early returns. A 5 day return would bring the demand down to a 35 day wait.

Click Charge Strategy
If the publishers elect to impose a checkout limit, then the libraries must modify their strategy. In a way it makes the process simpler. Just buy short and adjust up.

Maybe you could test this now with HarperCollins. Only buy one copy of a title. If you see a hold list developing, buy another. With this strategy at least you won’t get caught holding 10 copies of a title with no activity.

Managing your digital collection will be the key to handling ‘click charges’ and reordering.

I wouldn’t boycott but I would not embrace the limit system either. Just adjust your buying model and limit the bad apples. Libraries do have the final say on which ebooks they purchase access too.

Living in Harmony
So what does this mean to the ebook ecosystem? I do know the natives are getting restless. As new technology and software enter the ecosystem, the pressure on libraries to keep up will grow dramatically.

I believe that ‘Returns’ are a key for libraries to maximize their investment in their collections. The less days an ebook is on loan, the greater the opportunity for the library to not buy access to an additional copy. The patrons need an incentive to return the ebooks early.

In the end we need a new animal in the ecosystem. Competition could solve some of the problems. Whether it comes from Google or 3M or another player we need more choices. Maybe we are looking at Smashwords entering the lending business or Amazon themselves. They have access to the content and their selection should be much greater.

Library access to a source of self-published authors and their works at discounted pricing could help patrons get exposure to new writers and relieve some of the pressure from the Overdrive lending system we are seeing currently.

What are your thoughts?
What can we do to encourage patrons to return ebooks early?
Will libraries have to change the way they manage their collections?
Is the ebook lending privacy issue a major problem or our current way of life?
Will libraries ever be able to purchase a copy of an ebook, place it on their server and have unlimited distribution to their patrons, like they do hardcovers?

References
eBook Authors: Is the New Kindle Library Lending Program a New Opportunity for Self-Publishers? by James Moushon

Publishing Industry Forces OverDrive and Other Library eBook Vendors to Take a Giant Step Back from the blog Librarian by Day by Bobbi Newman

Libraries Got Screwed by Amazon and Overdrive from the blog Librarian in Black by Sarah Houghton

Lessons For the eBook Industry – Study the E-Forms Industry Beginning by James Moushon

A Helping Hand
I need to thank Brenda Brown from the Chandler, Arizona Public Library. She helped me to be able to ‘see the forest for the trees’. Sometimes I get involved in the details and I don’t see the whole picture.

View my website: HBSystems Publications
Specializing in the ebook experience

Or EMAIL at: jrm@hbspub.com
Or go to my blog: The eBook Author’s Corner

LinkedIn Profile: James Moushon
Author: Call Off The Dogs, a rendered eBook

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