In my other life, I write western novels and short stories. I know several of you have read some of them because I get comments from you in person or online. I wanted to talk about the e-book business (that’s an electronic nonpaper version of a book sold digitally). There are two main models of e-books – Kindle from Amazon and the Nook from Barnes and Noble. But you also can get e-books on a home computer, an iPad or even the iPhone.
One farmer I know who has an e-reader told me my books were cheaper online. That is amazing. You have it electronically sent to you, it costs less than paper, there is no transportation cost or storage to get it on the shelf; so many books that usually costs $6 to $7 are sold for $3 or $4. Big hard covers costing $20 are under $10 online.
I had a collection of short stories published by a small press in Texas a few years ago. The book is called “Waltzing With Tumbleweeds.” No big seller but it did earn me enough money to take mother out for a Big Mac once in a while. Another author asked me two years ago how it was selling. I told him, “Forty percent of my last sales were e-book form, the rest were six printed copies.” We laughed about it.
Dan, my publisher, called me last winter and said he was going to give the book away as an e-book for one weekend in February. I said that was fine. The Tuesday after, he called me sounding amazed – no advertising and they’d given away 4,000 copies. That’s a lot of books. Now some of those people could have been my fans but still 4,000 books is surprising both to him and to me. If they like the book, they may look for my others and most of my commercial books are online.
I couldn’t afford to advertise in USA Today, however, I could afford to give that many copies away in hopes that those folks become followers. Since then we have been selling around 100 copies a month. To this author, that is about a dollar a book, which isn’t bad. Plus some new readers came along.
Why use an e-reader? You don’t need glasses; you can make the print any size to suit your eyes. You can read in any light and see them.
Several of my novels are on the line to be read by some actor. This is cheaper than the cassette business and you can listen to it from any electronic device that can intercept it. Many people with iPads listen to downloadable audiobooks while driving. I didn’t know until recently that the average drive to work for most people is one hour each way. So people are listening to downloadable audiobooks on their journeys. Several of my books are available in that form of book as well.
About 25 years ago someone came out with a reader and everyone said “there goes books.” That did not happen. It failed. We did not have the electronic transfer business we have today; it also was not easy to read and impossible in the sunlight. But I see folks reading on these new ones in the sun beside a swimming pool and now we have electronic transfer. You order and kazaam in an hour you have a new book.
Maybe there is an e-reader in your future – ask your grandson. God bless you all and America.
Western novelist Dusty Richards and his wife Pat live on Beaver Lake in northwest Arkansas. For more information about his books you can email Dusty by visiting ozarksfn.com and clicking on ‘Contact Us’ or call 1-866-532-1960.
