I was reading a book this morning, Publicize your Book!, which has some really great information in it. It teaches authors how to make and use connections, how to be proactive in the publicizing side of publishing, and more. However, when I read one of the last chapters of the book–the chapter dedicated to internet publicizing–I came to a screeching halt. The author, Jacqueline Deval, professes that ebook publishing had a brief golden year, and that the market is too immature and people can’t expect to make a living off ebooks. I was shocked, until I checked the publishing information and realized this book was released in 2003.
To me, Deval’s remarks highlight how much the ebook industry has changed. All authors–mainstream and self published–are working to harness the power of ebooks. Most of my favorite published authors have ebook only novellas available on Amazon. I found an article in the Huffington Post that was published in 2012. It says that for the first time ever online adult fiction ebooks outsold hardcover adult fiction books. It also tabulated that in 2011 30% of the publishing industry’s sales were from ebooks, which is WAY up from 2010 when ebooks made up a mere 13%.
Personally I don’t think publishing houses and actual hard/paperback books will ever totally go away. I love ebooks, but I still love hardcovers too. But, it’s been 10 years since Deval published her book, and the ebook industry has arrived. Why am I talking about this in my blog? Because it directly influences me. It’s only because the ebook industry is thriving that I can communicate with you, Champions. Thank you for making that possible. Thank you for buying ebooks, and thank you for supporting indie authors.