July 2010 Archives

Many of you may have noticed the news that Amazon marked a milestone in the last three months: For the first time, sales of e-books for its Kindle device outpaced sales of hardcovers. Choices in e-reading devices are expanding, too: Kindle, Nook, iPad, Sony E-Reader, Kobo, and many more to come.

Lots of readers are asking me at book events: What does the e-book trend mean for authors? Good question. The answer is: No one really knows yet. Even so, the trend is unstoppable, and e-books are poised to play a larger and larger role in the publishing marketplace in coming years. Some analysts think e-books could constitute a third or more of book sales in just a few years. That's a massive change that will turn the publishing and bookselling worlds upside down.

Why does this matter to authors? Well, first some numbers. Authors generally rely on hardcover sales today to make a living. However, authors make a lot less on such sales than most people think. If you pay $25 for a hardcover book, the author generally earns less than three dollars from that sale. Paperback sales pay the author less than a dollar per book (a little more for the larger format trade paperbacks). Oh, and remember: This is for new books only. Authors earn nothing on used book sales.

Where do e-books fit into this equation? The compensation to the author on an e-book sale is generally about half of what the author would receive on a hardcover sale, depending on the selling price. Unfortunately, as the Amazon experience demonstrates, e-books are probably cannibalizing hardcover sales right now, because the early adopters of e-books tend to be the most passionate readers - the ones who would otherwise rush to the store to buy new hardcovers.

On the other hand, e-books can't be shared with friends as readily as hardcovers. So publishers are hoping that, in the long run, more sales of e-books will make up for smaller hardcover sales, because more readers will choose to buy their own e-copy. We'll have to wait and see if that proves true. More e-reader devices are now providing ways to share books with others, and if that trend continues, it may make it harder to achieve the larger sales that authors and publishers are counting on.

Libraries are now getting into the e-book trend, which may also have an impact on book sales. Currently, library patrons make a trade-off: You can enjoy a print book for free, but you may have to wait to read a specific book you want. For example, one reader recently wrote to me that she was number 88 on the reserve list for one copy of THE BURYING PLACE at her local library, so she went out and bought the book instead. (I like that!) However, if numerous patrons can check out an e-book from a library simultaneously - without waiting - that may mean fewer readers buying books.

The bottom line? Right now, you probably won't find too many authors who are enthusiastic about the e-book trend. That's no surprise. The current recession has been particularly brutal for authors for a simple reason: Consumers have cut way back on their new book purchases. The result is that publishers are dropping many great writers because of declining sales, and other authors may be forced to get out of the business because they simply can't make a living anymore. Given this situation, authors are nervous that e-books will cut their shrinking compensation even further.

However, e-books are here to stay, and complaining about it won't change the reality of that trend. Authors will still rely on their readers to support them, just as they've done for years. Hopefully, as the economy improves, book sales will improve, too...whether it's books on paper or books on your Kindle, Nook, or iPad.

I have several events scheduled in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, in July. If you're in the area, I hope you and your reader friends will join me in lake country to say hello and chat about my books.

On Tuesday, July 27, at 5:30 pm, I'll be joining the KAXE book club for a casual wine-and-cheese gathering to discuss my newest book, THE BURYING PLACE. Heidi Holtan of KAXE is the host, and you can get details about joining the event by calling Heidi at KAXE at 218-326-1234.

On Wednesday, July 28, I have two more events in Grand Rapids. I'll be at the Village Bookstore at 1:00 pm, and then that evening, I'll be visiting with the Grand Rapids Men's Reading Group at the Grand Rapids Library at 7:00 pm. You can stop by either event, and no, you don't have to be a man to participate in the men's reading group! For more information about the men's group, you can contact Randy McCarty at 218-326-4268.

All the events are free and open to all, so we'd love to have you participate. Feel free to bring copies of your books for signing! I'll also have books and bookmarks at all the events - and I'll even be selling special "I Love Brian Freeman Books" mugs for the first time ever!

In the meantime, you can also visit my new merchandise shop, www.cafepress.com/bfreemanbooks, for "Stride wear," "IMMORAL" t-shirts, and other fun clothes and gifts. Be sure to wear your clothes from the "House of Freeman" at our Grand Rapids events and get your picture taken!

See you in July!

I spent several days in southwestern Minnesota last week as I scouted locations for my seventh book. I'll be starting in on the actual writing this week and hope to finish the draft by the end of the year.

Readers of my books will notice that I like to create a "you are there" feel to my settings. I want you to read each scene as if you've been dropped in the middle of it, so that you can see, hear, feel, taste, smell, and touch what's going on around you. The best way I can do that is to identify actual locations for each chapter the way a movie director would -- and then record my impressions so that I can capture it on the page.

So you would have seen me patrolling the back roads last week with my camera and voice recorder. Abandoned main streets, dilapidated buildings, river dams, deserted parks...well, you can imagine what I can conjure with some of those settings to inspire me!

But there's also an interesting phenomenon that takes place as I visit the locales for a new book. At some point, the characters start to come to life there. I can feel them and hear them in these places. They start materializing like ghosts and slowly become more and more real. I haven't written the chapters yet -- but it's as if the action and emotions are playing out before me. That's when I know I'm ready to begin.

Now I'm back home...time to start writing!