Even if you only following publishing news casually, you know the industry is in the midst of a digital revolution. Maybe it’s not the change we once imagined, but that’s because instead of “ebooks are the next big thing”, the revolution is affecting how the publishing ecosystem does business.
Everyone is impacted. Authors. Agents. Editors. Marketers. Booksellers. Readers. I cannot tell you how exciting it is to hear booksellers talk about how they are positioning themselves for a future where readers have greater choice of format and selection. Just as exciting are the opportunities for authors, especially as reader behavior evolves.
Case in point: my husband, who, compared to me, is a casual fiction reader, finds himself increasingly engaged in novels because the convenience of books on his iPhone provide him more opportunity. Goal One of the digital revolution must be to make it easy for people to buy and read books. Anything less is bad for everyone.
It won’t surprise many of us to learn that the romance genre has been a leader in the digital revolution. From authors to readers, we’ve been willing to explore new media and test new ideas. But we, particularly within the Romance Writers of America sub-system, have also developed a huge sore spot when it comes to digital.
That’s a shame because as the publishing world changes, authors need to understand the impact on them. Big publishing houses are looking at digital-first strategies. Small publishers are building reputations for quality, both when it comes to story and when it comes to quality. Distribution rights are changing – do territorial restrictions make sense in an on-demand world? – and financial models will, either by sheer will of Amazon or the marketplace (author, publisher, and reader) change.
Some for the better, some for the worse, some to reflect reality good and bad. I’ve attended many publishing industry conferences over the past few years, and the ins and outs of digital publishing are Topic One. Think about it: every week brings a half dozen stories about new technology, new initiatives, and new processes. Authors need to understand and react to how the digital market is evolving – it is your career, you know.
This is why I thought a friend was joking when she noted there wasn’t a single panel devoted to digital publishing on the upcoming RWA Annual Conference schedule. How could that be when it’s the most important, high-profile topic in the industry? I don’t begrudge anyone a workshop on alpha heroes, but, given the breadth and impact of what’s happening, I’d expect four or five sessions.
Where are the sessions on distribution, on royalties, on what digital publishing means? What are the differences between going digital only with a big house versus small? How do the deep discounts demanded by Amazon – especially in light of the fact that Kindle sales equal 35% of all sales for books available in both Kindle and print format – impact author compensation? What does the alphabet soup of formats mean to readers. DRM? Can it be less evil?
(Heck: does DRM do anything beyond frustrating readers? Is there a better way to protect copyrighted work while making sure Goal One is achieved? There is.)
Do today’s published authors realize that their choices are creating a template for the next generation? Worth considering or not?
It’s a bit frustrating for me to see the lack of educational programming on the schedule because I have believed in this market since 1998. Digital publishing isn’t an either/or choice – it’s the embodiment of either/and. For authors, publishers, and readers. With such freedom comes great opportunity.
A wise person recently said to me “If you’re paying attention, you’re getting into digital publishing Right Now.” Confidentially, that’s exactly what I’m doing – well, me and three incredible business partners. We’re still in the infrastructure-building phase (trust me: we’re not your mother’s epublisher!), and will be opening the doors for business very soon. To keep up with our progress, follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/quartetpress. While the website is in development, we’ll be taking submissions at submissions@quartetpress.com (email with questions).
It’s a brave new world, and I’m excited to be part of it.
In the meantime, I hope every author out there focuses her (or his!) industry study time on the myriad issues relating to digital publishing. We have seen the future, and it is happening right now.
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I hear that there might be a rogue seminar on digipub at RWA this summer….Congratulations on your new venture. Can’t wait to hear more about it.
Great post. Congrats on the new venture. I’ll be following you.
I hear that there might be a rogue seminar on digipub at RWA this summer….Congratulations on your new venture. Can’t wait to hear more about it.
Rogue seminars for the win!
Congrats to all four of you on your new business. You know I’m excited for and believe in all of you!
If there’s a rogue session, does that possibly also invite pirates and rakes?
This is so incredibly awesome, and I’m twitchy excited for you. Congratulations and may you rock the casbah!
Kassia — Workshops at RWA are (mostly) chosen from proposals submitted by the members and others who want to present. Did you propose a workshop on these topics? Did the friend who mentioned the lack of such workshops? Did either of you approach the board, the office staff, or the PAN Liaison with a suggestion for such a workshop or panel? You are the closest thing to an expert I know, and I’d love to see you doing a big PAN session, at the very least. I’ll be sending a suggestion and a link to this post to Dorien Kelly as soon as I hit submit here.
So who is your mother’s epublisher?
Lisa — I’m going to protect the innocent, but will say that I know of one proposal that was rejected and have heard about others. I didn’t submit because I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to attend the conference this year. However (you know me…have to argue!), given the magnitude of this issue and the impact digital publishing will have on authors of all stripes (man, I’m at BEA right now, and even this rather traditional conference is talking long and hard about digital), it seems to me there would be concerted effort to ensure this programming on the program. There is so much to learn; it’s going to take a lot of education and discussion to make sure authors, in particular, fully grasp how this impacts their business.
And, frankly, how they can make good decisions now and in the future — one thing we know for sure is that there will be many changes to come.
If the opportunity to speak arises, it looks I will be at the conference this year….
Jane, Sarah, Angela — Once again, I thank you for everything. You are the best Trust Network on the planet!
Kwana — thanks so much.
Jody — I have been schooled on this over the years. While we often mark the start of epublishing as we know it as approximately 1996, wiser, more experienced souls than I have pointed out that experiments in digital publishing have been going on 10 (or 20 or 30, depending on the person) years longer than that.
Project Gutenberg is the oldest digital library in the world. Founded in 1971 the focus is public domain books preserved in digital format. A friend of mine recently sent a few snaps of some old Sony digital book readers from the 80’s that he purchased during a trip to Japan (they were available only in Japan).
Given that music, movies and photography (when was the last time you dropped off a roll of film to be developed?) have gone digital in big ways how much longer do we really think it will be before e-reading will be the rule and not the exception?
So Kassia, what kinds of books will you all be accepting and publishing?
Also, I would welcome acceptance of e-pubs and e-publishing by RWA. I would really enjoy some sessions which talk about e-publishing.
Thanks for a great post!
Francesca
Kassia — They turned down something on this subject? Not cool, unless the proposals themselves either lacked expertise in presenters or weren’t clear as to topic. [It's possible the person(s) in charge misread the proposal and assumed it might be yet another ode to why alternative/small press epublishing is the one true road to author nirvana--that's not meant to put down epublishers, btw, because some are great, but rather is a theory on the sort of workshop that the conference folks might have mistakenly *thought* they were avoiding.]
I did email National to ask why there’s no panel on digital publishing this year and suggested they snap you up quick-like. Requests from other RWA members would certainly go a long way toward making this happen. (That’s a hint, folks.)
Lack of proposals as an excuse is just that, an excuse.
A good conference organizer (in any industry) ensures that a cross section of topics are covered.
If they didn’t, you could possibly have a conference with 100 great workshops on vampire heroes.
Me thinks the topic was left out intentionally.
Kassia — They turned down something on this subject? Not cool, unless the proposals themselves either lacked expertise in presenters or weren’t clear as to topic. [It's possible the person(s) in charge misread the proposal and assumed it might be yet another ode to why alternative/small press epublishing is the one true road to author nirvana--that's not meant to put down epublishers, btw, because some are great, but rather is a theory on the sort of workshop that the conference folks might have mistakenly *thought* they were avoiding.]
I submitted a proposal. My proposal was detailed and I don’t think anyone would ever suggest that the workshops I give, or how I present my views on epublishing in public, including on the internet, are of the rah-rah, everything about epublishing is AWESOME type. Not an “ode to epublishing” but a fair and knowledgeable report on digital publishing. I assumed, since it was rejected, that they must have received better proposals from more qualified people than I.
I was disappointed on a number of levels to find no digital content of any kind included on the panels. There are a number of different issues regarding digital, as Kassia said, not just digital only publishing, and not just digital rights for print, DRM, and royalties, but also things as simple as understanding how digital books work, formats, devices, etc.
However, as Jane said, there will be a “rogue” workshop on these issues offered at RWA separate from the regular workshops because we feel that the topics are so important to authors, the info should be provided somehow. Anyone who would like more info on that can email me, Jane or SB Sarah.
Good for you, Angela!
You are so awesome about
‘being the change you wish to see’.
That’s how people change the world!
Kassia,
I eagerly await more information on your venture into epub! When can we know more???
Angela — I’m stunned that your workshop was the one (or one of the ones) turned down. I cannot imagine what the conference workshop chair was thinking.
I hope someone gets smart and makes room for you all in either the regular schedule or the PAN retreat. But if you do have to stay rogue, please consider having the session recorded and offering it as a podcast or mp3 file so that those of us who can’t make conference this year can download it. (Maybe you could even arrange for Bill Stephens Productions to do it…)
Kassia, congratulations on your new venture!
Count me in as someone who is very disappointed to hear about the lack of a workshop on digital publishing.
@Angela James Will there be online updates about the rogue workshop? I’m planning a special online event to coincide with RWA and I’d like to link to that if possible.
We’ll be promoting it on our respective blogs as soon as we’ve finally worked out final details. We’ve got the basic ideas outlined but haven’t formalized a time and date yet (thanks to life and travel getting in the way!)
Thanks!
Kassia
Best of luck to you and to Quartet Press in your new venture. Intelligent digital publishing is sorely needed in this industry, and I can think of no one better suited to spearhead this.
And I know of Angela James workshop on epublishing. It is comprehensive, smart, informative, listing both the pros and cons of digital publishing, loaded with more information than you could ever want to know about epublishing, not at all a rah rah type of program. I’m saddened that it wasn’t accepted, or for that matter, that any program on digital publishing isn’t included in the RWA program for this year.
And Yay for the rogue workshop! Wish I was going to the conference this year.
Congratulations on your new partnership and a huge thank you for posting The Digital Revolution!
Best wishes,
Natalie Acres
[...]In a post at Romancing the Blog, Kassia Krozser shared her discovery that “…there wasn’t a single panel devoted to digital publishing on the upcoming RWA Annual Conference schedule.”[...]
Brimming with happiness, pride and excitement to see that Kassia has stepped out on the proverbial limb and others are encouraging us (I’m one of the aforementioned partners) in our venture. You have no idea how much we want to bring good work to the world of romance readers. And knowing you are all so supportive and ready to join us on this journey–i would cry if i weren’t smiling so hard. thank you, Kassia. And thank you RTB’ers. I can not wait to bring good work to your attention.
~ Kat Meyer
I believe epublishing, as a venture, is future-focused, has incredible potential, and probably will be fabulous.
What I don’t get it the reason it has to become some sort of social crusade.
Primarily b/c it seems rather inevitable, doesn’t it? So just relax and let it be.
Rogue seminars? Whatever. Talk about what you want to talk about. Where you want to talk about it. What’s with the drama?
RWA is what it is. Don’t like it? I get it. Change it, or leave. Everyone doesn’t have to be everything you want it to be. If RWA isn’t, move on.
if you want to be epubbed, go for it.
if you want to start an epublishing business, good for you.
If you want to buy ebooks (barring illegal file-sharing), awesome.
If everyone else doesn’t jump on board, *so what?*
I just don’t get why it’s becomes so divisive. Why it has becomes some sort of ‘us’ vs ‘them,’ with some ‘laughing all the way to the bank.’ Just go the bank, already. I personally am happy for you. I LOVE when people make a living selling HEAs. We ALL benefit when romance is well-loved.
Let’s all stop making it into a fight. Stop encouraging ‘them’ and ‘us’ talk. Our new president isn’t, and if anyone had a excuse, he did.
What’s most likely is that *everyone* wants to make money doing something they love. Therefore, if someone is ‘against’ epublishing (whatever that means), maybe they have a reason. Maybe if we listened to the concerns, with respect, we could find a way through. Together.
Kris — If I may, you are missing the point. This isn’t about epublishing. Frankly, that’s the least of the issue.
The entire industry is changing. In a massive way. This seriously impacts authors. If you’re traditionally published or native digital, it doesn’t matter. How you sell your books and how you are compensated is changing. If you, author, do not comprehend these changes, well, you are screwed. Sorry to be so blunt, but if you don’t get how this impacts your career, you lose.
Like those who are suggesting the rogue session, I’m attending every major publishing conference, and I’m part of the mix. We know what’s being said, what the publishers (counting me) are saying, and how the economics work. If authors don’t understand where the business is going, how do they make smart decisions?
This is happening right now. Choices made today have long term repercussions. At least be informed.
I agree 100%, Kassia, that we need to educate ourselves, and that we’re headed into a new world of publishing. I hope that was clear in my message.
And perhaps I ought not have posted about my concerns with the devisiveness of the ‘digital’ issue. I am sensitized, perhaps, b/c of the intensity of how people have spoken about these type of issues when discussing related topics re: the digital publishing world.
I suppose I get confused when people talk about ’support’ and the like, b/c it starts to feel as though digital publishing becomes a social group mechanism.
I am wary of vehement ‘in groups,’ b/c they require a vehement ‘out group.’ This is about money, and where the money will flow, and I, as you, believe the future of publishing is shared quite lucratively with the digital world. And in 50 years, maybe no print at all. That seems quite possible.
What I get bothered by, confused by–and perhaps distracted by–is the us-them that happens. But your post did not necessarily invoke that, so perhaps I oughtn’t have mentioned it. Sorry if I’ve distracted.
Kris Kennedy
I think the worst misinformation out there is the idea that epublishing and digi pub are one and the same. To me, epublishing is one model of business wherein the author is put out in e format first and offered higher royalty rates in exchange for little or no advance. (There are also marketing differences).
Digital publishing is an overarcing umbrella that encompasses every aspect of publishing and how the publishing world is changing (or not) to compete in an increasingly technological world.
If an author is a business person and she has to make decisions as to the entity best suited to produce her product and market and sell that product, then an understanding of digital publishing is vital. For example, what houses will be moving to an XML workflow that will reduce costs, increase efficiencies and assist smaller, independent bookstores to compete against larger entities?
What amount of money is the publisher willing to invest in the author in terms of marketing either in the form of coop or online. If they don’t have those types of plans, why or why not? Does it behoove an author to take a slightly lower advance and go with a mid or small print publisher or even an epublisher who has a better understanding of the evolving market?
What understanding do the publishers have of social media and other online marketing venues which are the number 2 way to create book awareness?
As online retailing grows and brick and mortar sales decline, what do publishers have in place to replace or address coop?
What publishers are poised to take advantage of emerging global markets?
What do publishers (or agents) understand about the growing digital market and how to leverage that to the best of their ability? Does your publisher have a presence on iPhone? Does your publisher have a planned presence on Blackberry, Android or Palm Pre?
What Amazon or Google partnerships exist and how does the publisher plan to exploit those platforms to push new sales?
Those are just some of the topics that I believe fall under the digital publishing umbrella. In 2008, online retail sales exceeded retails sales for the first time. There’s a chart out there that shows the skyrocketing increase of sales by Amazon and the flat and declining sales of specific retail and general retail as it pertains to books.
Jane~Excellent questions and areas to watch, and appreciate the discussion of how epublishing fits into the larger realm of digital publishing.
In my post, I was speaking more to how we treat one another as writers/readers/lovers of books, but I did adopt the phrase ‘digital’ from the blog title, and I see that it communicates something different.
From the other side of the pond – I’m a member of the RNA, the UK’s Romantic Novelists’ Association, and last year we celebrated our 50th anniversary, so we’re not exactly the newest kid on the block.
I’ve been involved in epublishing for the last ten years or so, seen my royalties go from pocketmoney to tax bracket.
When I joined the RNA, they accepted me as an epubbed author, but I was a bit of a novelty. This year I’ve given one talk on epublishing to one chapter of the organisation and later this month I’m travelling to London to give another. The members are very interested in epublishing and the organisation is responding. They want to educate authors on the epublishing revolution, and how, when and where it will impact on them. (The RNA differs in that it is primarily for published authors – unpublished and self published may join as Associates). With Harlequin’s projected ebook sales last year of 1% being an actual 3%, it’s obvious epublishing is becoming a viable alternative for all authors and if agents and authors don’t educate themselves, they’re going to lose out. Epubbed authors should expect significantly higher royalties on their books, for instance. It means that although I sell in much lower numbers than a print pubbed author, I make a comparable income. Or publishers will be using the increased margins on epubbed sales to prop up the transition and the faltering print side of the business, instead of passing some of the profits on.
Angie – everyone in the industry should be aware of your excellent classes and profile in the business. If you offered a class and they failed to snap it up – idiots.
Kassia – your new publishing house is the only one of two of the new startups I’d consider submitting work to, because you are truly savvy and you’ve been a strong advocate of education and a realistic outlook on the industry for years.
Jane – the voice of reason. Another commenter who has no particular axe to grind. Your comment on digital v e-pub is worth taking on board. I used to be a print buyer, mainly in litho, a technique that kept businesses overflowing with work and provided jobs for highly skilled workers. Now it’s all changed, thanks to digital design and manufacture.
I have learned that the bigger the publisher, the higher the sales, even if you do nothing (and I don’t ‘do nothing’), so publisher promotion is vital to the success of an author. My title which was a bestseller at Triskelion, “Wildfire,” went to Ellora’s Cave as “Sunfire.” More rigorous editing and rewriting, plus it coming out under the EC umbrella, made it, and its three successors, my bestselling titles to date.
And the backlist sales are terrific. Something print-only authors don’t usually get much of, so there’s another example of the way the model is changing.