The really cool thing about epublishing is that a reader can purchase and download a book at any time from almost everywhere in the world. There is no need to be without something to read ever again.
It sounds terrific, but the more I think about the business of selling books, the more surprised I am that bookstores made it as long as they have.
Here's what I know about selling books:
There is always a library in every neighborhood full of free books (so as a book seller, I want to sell to libraries);
Just because a reader buys a book, it doesn't mean they will read it. Books can sit around on coffee tables for decades before anyone bothers to read them. It happens! (Ebooks can languish away on hard drives world wide, but no one knows...)
It's hard to know exactly why anyone even wants to buy a book. Readers buy books based on the covers or the placement in the store or just because it looks better than anything else they happened on as they browsed the shelves. People who love to read have their likes and dislikes in reading material and those who don't really like to read, but buy books in case they suddenly want to read (which is not really very likely) will probably regift the book or start it and then donate it or sell it;
A lot of people don't read very often (or for fun). A lot of people read 1-2 books a year and one of those books was actually a movie based on a book (that counts, right?);
A lot of people who do like to read don't have e-readers but prefer to buy hard copy books; and
Some people go to bookstores to drink coffee and look at books there (without buying them). The last time I was at a big bookstore at the North Shore Mall, there were a few people browsing for books and the coffee shop was completely full of people looking at books!
It was a wonderful scene (and probably explains why the coffee there is so expensive).
For e-book writers, it's really impossible to give away a free copy of your book and expect anyone to talk about it after they read it.
There are some groups that solicit reviews online. You can ask your colleagues and friends to read the book and help you out with a review, but honestly, even if you hand out a large number of books for free, it might not make much of an impression.
Ok, OK, so why is it so great to have a book out there that no one cares about 24/7?
All I can say is that writing a book is a positive experience. Selling the book sucks, but knowing it's out there for that 1 random reader who loves to read your books on an e-reader and might just possibly tell a friend or two they loved your book, makes it worthwhile.
The one truly amazing thing about epublishing is that the writer decides when to sell a book and when to withdraw it. The writer also sets the book's price (with the understanding that the retail site takes its cut).
When writers get their works out into the world, society changes. Think about what happened when the printing press was invented. The internet and webpages changed the way human beings communicate with each other.
Being able to upload your writing to several retail sites instantaneously is a power very few writers have imagined. Savor this artistic explosion, but don't forget to take a vacation here and there.
Your books will keep on working even if you're relaxing on the couch.
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