Ficbot’s tips for publishers: Avoid eBabel muddles, copy successes, simplify pricing—plus others ideas
By Ficbot
Editor’s note: Ficbot is a proud Canadian. See her earlier advice for publishers outside the States and insights into buying behavior. – D.R.
Just how can publishers get e-shoppers to click on the Buy button more often—and also make e-books less of a hassle for them?
I’m not CEO of Amazon or Barnes & Noble, and I won’t vouch that all ideas here are feasible. But maybe they can help. I’d love to get responses from publishers. Perhaps they’ll have their own twists to add.
Idea #1: Settle on a format, commit to it and reduce barriers to its usage and adoption.
Reading as a hobby is on the decline, overall. Publishers can’t afford to alienate any potential readers. Especially among the younger set, we are seeing a rise toward multiuse devices. Publishers need to adjust.
There will always be dedicated readers like me who buy devices like the Sony Reader, but the vast majority of future readers will be sneaking in book breaks on cell phones and netbooks (photo) while waiting for the subway.
So your ticket to profit is going to be in volume—you want to get those books onto as many devices as possible. And that’s where a common format, if presented well on different devices, could help.
One possibility—not the only one—is the ePub standard from the International Digital Publishing Forum. While publishers are moving in this direction, perhaps they can accelerate their efforts if they like ePub. eBabel muddles are the enemy of sales.
Dropping proprietary DRM, of course, would make ePub more of a true standard. Adobe-DRMed ePub will not be compatible with the eReader-DRMed ePub on the way.
Besides, does DRM really reduce piracy enough to justify the hassles for consumers, many of whom want to read the same books on different devices? iTunes ditched the DRM for music, and it worked. eMusic, the second-place digital music seller, never had DRM in the first place. DRM inhibits people from buying. Even Amazon has set up an MP3 store without DRM.
Publishers also need to re-think the use of DRM to reinforce geographical restrictions. I have written to half a dozen authors myself when restrictions prevented me from buying books. When I explained to them how I sat there at the computer, credit card in hand, ready to buy their book—only not—trust me, they were all very concerned!
Idea #2: Study some models that work, and copy them
Amazon has a great feature called “People who bought this book also bought…” Perhaps publishers should try this too. Let’s say the book you are browsing has won an award. How about a link to other books that also won it? Along with an iTunes-style “Click here to buy the whole list” button?
The reality is, there are so many books, people don’t always know what to read and browsing a very large catalogue (like the Google Books catalogue) can be daunting.
Make it easy, in ways that only a limitless, computer-based system can. Remember, you don’t need to worry about stocking copies of everybody’s backlist. It’s all right there on-line.
This technique can be especially beneficial for lesser-known authors. My public library has a series of leaflets for various popular authors which suggest lesser-known alternatives for readers who have exhausted that author’s catalogue already.
Are you a Stephen King fan? The leaflet can suggest several other horror authors you might enjoy. Better yet, include the leaflet as a clickable HTML file at the end of every King novel—and don’t forget the ‘click here to buy the whole list’ button!
Idea #3: Standardize your prices, and consider adding value to the higher-ticket items
This is another “It works for iTunes” idea: standardized or almost-standardized prices.
At least one Web site lets people compare the e-book price at several different stores. Even a loyal patron of Sony, Fictionwise or Books on Board can be tempted to jump ship for lower prices. Special sales and promotions differ at every venue, so it pays to comparison-shop.
Publishers, you can eliminate this time-killer for the customer (because honestly, wouldn’t you rather they spend the time reading, so they can come back and buy more books?) by standardizing prices.
Amazon has done very well with its $9.99 price point, and iTunes has done well with its no-brainer $0.99 songs. The trick is making the price point low enough to snag impulse buyers.
I have heard the argument that e-books really are not that much cheaper to produce than print books. You’re battling public perception on this, regardless of whether it’s true or not, and you’ve got to accept that if you want to move forward with a good plan here.
People simply won’t pay a hardback price for a digital file, especially one for a book for which most of the work in editing, designing. etc. was already done anyway for the print version.
Are you hell-bent on $9.99 being too low? Or do you have an older book for which there is no print edition ready to quickly convert from? As a customer, I would hesitate to buy your item at the wrong price. I can often get a print copy for free at the library. But if it’s something I want to own, and the price is higher, I would consider it if there were some value-added reason to.
Book club guide? Interviews with the author? Critical essays? A special backgrounder section with some of the author’s research? A password-only blog or Web site which requires a code from the e-book in order to be accessed? Think about people who buy or rent DVDs of movies they’ve already seen. They want to see the extra features.
Idea #4: Strategic partnerships can be your friend
The Sony/Google Books collaboration has been interesting, but it’s been hampered in part by poor quality control on Google’s side.
But what about a vetted collection? A smart bookstore could pick some popular titles, do a little proofing (perhaps using some sort of automated system where users can sign up for an account and submit their own corrections?) and sell the resulting e-books for a small sum—for example, $2.
People are willing to pay a small amount for something they know is error-free. The bookstore and Google can split the money between them, and, voila, turn extra profits.
There are other ways to use strategic partnerships to one’s marketing advantage. For example, I read a mystery series where the main character was a pharmacist. How about advertising those books in a drugstore chain? Or perhaps offering a promotion in those stores where customers who spend a certain sum get a discount code they can use on the e-book? Or even get the e-book for free if they buy a certain product or spend a certain sum?
Idea #5: Consider integrating a print-on-demand infrastructure into your e-book empire
How about this? People can browse your e-book Web site, order the e-book on the spot, and send it to their nearest bookstore for printing and subsequent pick-up.
Or they can browse in-store and do it all on the spot. Or they can buy the latest series novel by a popular author, and not have to worry about whether Book 1 is in stock or not for them to get caught up on.
All they have to do is take the new book to the print-on-demand machine, scan it in, and have the option to get the other books immediately, in print or in e-book version (or both, in a bundle!). If you integrate your e-book storefront into this, any content they buy in-store will be ready for download once they get home, via their regular account. Or they can view the recommendations for “People who enjoyed this book also bought…” and see if there’s anything else they might like to read with the book.
Or how about this? They buy Book 1 in the store, finish it at home at midnight, and decide they want book 2. Buy it now, on the Web site. Or use the POD integration to send it to the bookstore for pick-up tomorrow. When it’s this easy, who wouldn’t buy books?
It’s all about making it easy for customers to find, buy and read books of all types. The more you sell, the happier everyone will be. Your customers can find and enjoy your product, and you can remain profitable in this changing—but growing—market
Image: Creative Common-licensed art from edkohler.
September 24th, 2009 at 10:09 am
For point 3: I’ve been saying this for awhile. All e-book readers and e-books have done so far is recreate the traditional reading experience. I know some don’t agree with me (and I’m one of the people that doesn’t agree with me, if that makes sense), but publishers need to enhance the reading experience with extra features.
This isn’t to sell it to heavy-readers, but to the one-book-a-year crowd. That crowd is more likely to pick up a second book a year if there is extra content, or interactivity, or a linked discussion, or even (god forbid) – a multimedia package that let’s consumers buy every version of “The Da Vinci Code” – book, film, and audiobook, for one price. Not every book is a movie, but many are, and I don’t understand why book publishers and movie publishers don’t link up to sell their stuff in a package. Buy the book? Get the movie cheaper. Buy the movie? Get the book cheaper, etc.
September 24th, 2009 at 11:11 am
Or how about this – include a digital version with the paper one? Baen’s been doing this and adding other books from their catalog as well.
September 24th, 2009 at 11:55 pm
I wish I could provide a single format. Unfortunately, I’ve added formats as users have requested them.
One thought on pricing…publishers set list prices. Retailers/distributors may choose to discount them. Thus, for example, Amazon offers some of my books at a discount to list. Fictionwise sometimes offers books for list price, but other times runs specials or micropay rebates. So, it’s not really the publisher who can determine whether the books are available for a common price.
Of course, the publisher can set suggested retail. BooksForABuck.com sets a highly affordable suggested retail which, I think we both agree, is an attractive feature for eBooks.
Rob Preece
Publisher
September 25th, 2009 at 9:21 am
—People simply won’t pay a hardback price for a digital file, especially one for a book for which most of the work in editing, designing. etc. was already done anyway for the print version.—
This is the misperception that’s going to be difficult to overcome, that e-books are additional items with no costs involved, throw-ins after the money has been spent to produce the print version. Why don’t e-books count toward the cost of production? If you make an e-only book, are the editing and design costs free? Maybe e-books should be much more expensive, and cover all the costs of editing and design, etc., then the paper versions can be cheaper….
September 25th, 2009 at 1:13 pm
You’re kidding, right? You can’t honestly think that the ebook, which can’t be loaned or sold second-hand or even read when and where one wants to read it, should be sold for a higher cost than the tangible, loan-able, sell-able paper copy?
September 27th, 2009 at 9:52 am
I hope you’re kidding, David [Crotty]. The ebook inherently has less value because it cannot be loaned, sold in the second-hand market, displayed as a decor item etc. like paper can. And it uses no paper or ink or glue or and it requires no shipping/distributing infrastructure the way print books do. This is why people perceive it should be cheaper and balk at paying hardback prices.
September 28th, 2009 at 7:47 am
The very idea that literature has less “inherent value” because it does not exist in a tangible physical form is somewhat abhorrent to me. Literature is for reading… not reselling or displaying! But I do agree that the economics of e-book production and selling demand a different pricing structure than that of printed books. Ironically, the proper structure could turn out to be higher prices… but I’m pretty sure they should be lower. We’ll know when the market finally stabilizes, and we see what works across the board.
I personally also don’t have much interest in POD, because I believe we need trees more than we need paper… but that’s me. At any rate, I’ve had very little call for printed versions of my books, so for now, I consider it a non-issue. Anyone with access to a computer, a cellphone, or a number of other electronic devices, can read an e-book. If you don’t want to print your material… you don’t have to. Consider calling it “exclusive” content, if it bothers people, and maybe they’ll come around.
I’d also love to see one format used, but like Rob, I provide multiple formats based on the demands of customers. I also evaluate those format sales each year, and can remove or replace formats as time goes by. I’d suggest every multi-format publisher do at least this, and maybe they’ll find they can winnow down their multiple formats to one or two in time.
September 28th, 2009 at 11:27 am
I agree with Steve here. Paper and glue add cost, but they don’t add value. In fact, they add cost throughout the value chain including costs for the user who has to transport, store, and handle them. The value is in the content. The notion of value through resale should be quantified rather than stated as if it were significant. While recent textbooks have a non-trivial resale value, you’re lucky to get a few pennies on the dollar for a used best-seller (and countless mass market paperbacks sell for a penny each at Amazon).
In contrast, eBooks don’t need to be stored. They’re always available from your Fictionwise, Amazon, Omnibook, or whatever account. You don’t need to worry about leaving them behind on the airplane when you fly. You don’t need to buy extra real estate to create libraries when entire libraries will fit on a flash card.
I’m not saying eBooks should cost more. I’m saying that the value proposition is unclear. In some ways, eBooks provide greater value. In others, paper does (if you’re the kind who lends books a lot, who resells, who decorates, or who gets caught in a blizzard and needs something to burn to keep warm).
Rob Preece
Publisher
September 28th, 2009 at 9:54 pm
I think this is key: Instead of talking about e-books as if they are lesser creations compared to print, we should be emphasizing their portability, transportability, energy-saving, space-saving, reading versatility and flexibility, as what they are: Assets that print books cannot match.
Compared to print books in that way, it might be reasonable to say that printed books are the inferior product, and should cost less…
September 28th, 2009 at 10:52 pm
I don’t buy it, Steve. There are lots of things which are lesser value, but cheap (for example, fast food, which costs the healthcare system millions and costs its customers in health problems if over-consumed, cost less than organic strawberries, which have health benefits fast food cannot match). No matter what its ‘value’ it’s the perceived PRODUCTION COST that has customers unwilling to pay more. I have yet to find a single publisher or author come up with a good counter to the ‘no paper, no ink, no shipping boxes/warehouses/trucks’ argument customers make when they talk about lower costs. All I hear is rhetoric about how anyone who mentions these issues wants to steal bread from the mouths of starving authors, that piracy is bad, that it’s not up to the authors anyway etc. Nobody has ever given hard numbers on the costs unique to ebooks and how they may or may not add up to more/less than the costs I mention above.
Two ‘objects’ for lack of a better word. Both have costs associated with the writing, editing, layout etc. One has: computer/server storage cost. The other has: paper, ink, shipping boxes, people to load the shipping boxes, more shipping when a store runs out of stock, people to re-pack and send back the shipping boxes when a store does not sell all the copies, trucks to drive the shipping boxes to and fro on both ends, etc. It seems clear, to rational, average people, which costs more to make and why ebook fans resent the high, high prices for an object which costs more to produce and requires more work (e.g. format shifting) to read, and which cannot be lent, re-sold etc.
September 29th, 2009 at 7:34 am
I’m not saying that e-books should be priced higher. I’m simply saying that, the “perceived production costs,” as you pointed out, actually have little to do with the real reason you charge for a book.
The sooner everyone in the biz addresses that, and makes the consumer understand that they are paying to support authors, not to buzz-saw trees and take up shelf space, the sooner we can get e-book pricing on-track at whatever point it should be.
September 29th, 2009 at 9:02 am
But we’re *not* paying the price we pay to support authors. We’re paying it to support distributors and the other middlemen who drive up the cost of books. If we were paying for the book only what the author gets, we’d be paying about 75 cents per copy.
September 29th, 2009 at 11:15 am
And now that e-books are creating a new distribution model, all that should change. Yes, I get that. My point is, the customer only knows what the business tells them. How many of them know that authors only get 75 cents per copy of a book?
Whatever the production costs are, if the consumer does not understand why they’re paying it, it doesn’t matter how fair your price is.
September 29th, 2009 at 1:47 pm
I think everyone who knows the BooksForABuck business model knows that I believe in affordable pricing for eBooks. Although I don’t agree that glue and paper automatically or necessarily add value, it’s certainly the case that there are cost savings from the eBook model and that these savings can be passed to the consumer (and back to the authors).
A couple of points, though. (1) Consider the difference between paperback and hardback. Hardbacks come with a bit of cardboard on the sides. Production cost difference, trivial. Price difference, 5X (2) Consider the difference between mass market and trade paperback. I’m seeing a lot of trade paperback with pulp paper (not mine, of course, but a lot). Cost difference. Trivial or zero. Price difference 2X. So, cost is not really a driving factor in book pricing at the moment.
There are a lot of inefficiencies in the traditional book distribution market (don’t even get me started talking about returns). But here, too, the cost savings are easier to imagine than to capture. Consider the Kindle. At least for small publishers, Amazon’s pricing seems to capture most of the savings for them, leaving less to pass back to authors.
Bottom line, I agree that eBooks can be affordably priced although we face many of the same issues with distribution as do our paper brothers. But it really irks me when I hear people talk as if eBooks are an inferior product. They are not inferior, they are different. For some applications, they’re superior. For others, perhaps paper is superior.
Rob Preece
Publisher