Why are E-book Sales
Really Stagnate?
Why have e-book sales dropped since 2014? Two issues emerge to answer
this question. One concerns e-books from major publishers and the other those
from independent authors and publishers.
E-books from Major Publishers
In a recent article in the Seattle
Times, business reporter Angel Gonzalez discussed the decline in e-book
sales from major publishers and the fact that purchasers seem to prefer print
books over e-books.
She cites the reason as the contracts the Big 5 publishers have with
Amazon, which allow them to retain price control while Amazon receives a bigger
cut. This results in a sales price that rivals, if not surpasses, that of the hardcover
or paperback versions.
Who wouldn’t prefer the print edition if it is the same price or less
than the e-book version?
E-books from Independent Authors
According to Codex’s Hildick-Smith, says Gonzalez, Indie authors and
publishers published one million e-books on Amazon in 2015. They currently have
45% of the e-book market, largely, no doubt, because their prices have stayed
low.
There is a caveat, however. “Most of those [books] sold only a few
copies,” Gonzalez quotes Hildick-Smith as saying, “though a few sellers are
doing well.”
While many small publishers produce work that looks as professional as
books coming from the major publishers, why do the majority of indie authors
have low sales? Two reasons may be to blame. The first is that many
self-published books have not been professionally edited. Once a buyer
downloads a book full of grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors or
advertised as a “book” when it is only 30 pages long, that buyer probably will
never order any more of the writer’s other work.
Could it be that buyers perceive print books as having the quality they
expect?
This is a good lesson for indie authors. If you want to make a good
impression and have a real career as a writer, your work must be as
professional as a book coming from a major publisher. Taking shortcuts will
only shortcut your career. Spend the money to have your manuscript thoroughly
critiqued and edited before you upload it to Amazon. Don’t rely on your English
teacher aunt or a good friend. Hire a professional editor. Your future sales
rely on it.
The second reason that most indie authors sell only a few copies is
that they don’t market their work because they either don’t know how or don’t
want to. A comment often heard from writers is, “I want to write, not market.”
What good is having your work for sale on the Internet if no one buys it?
For authors who publish traditionally, the days of hiding in their
garrets while the publishers do all the marketing ended decades ago. Unless
they are in the league of Stephen King or John Grisham with a long list of
blockbusters to their credit, authors have to do their own marketing. Their
next books will not be picked up unless they do.
Indie authors have no choice but to market their work themselves if
they hope to make sales. While marketing is definitely a learned skill, the
beauty of it is that most of it can be done for low to no cost.
There are plenty
of free webinars to attend that deal with the how-to’s of selling books online.
Kathleen Gage (www.powerupforprofits.com) and Tom Antion
(www.greatinternetmarketing .com) are two gurus whose advice is invaluable.
Social media, which costs nothing at this point, great copywriting, and
building relationships with your potential buyers are the ways to selling
success. The key is to divide your time between writing and marketing so that
you don’t have to sacrifice either.
The Bottom Line
The future of
e-book sales is in the hands of independent writers and publishers. If they
keep their prices lower than those of print books, e-books should continue to
flourish even if the major publishers lose out on this lucrative market share.