Book Author Vs. Ebook Author

simple, they are not net savvy. They don't understand internet marketing or have been exposed to this extraordinary niche. I bet if you asked 10 people on the street they will have no idea what the internet marketing scene entails. They would most likely say it consists of banners and spam emails.
Man I love MMO even though im still trying to find my footing lol

Hrmm... this is like asking people if making money
online and seeing lots of numbers on a screen
versus holding the actual dollars on hand or in a
room.

Other than that, I think that people want to publish
a physical book simply because publishing a
digital book hasn't crossed their minds yet. When I
told my friends I was planning to finish a book, they
all assumed it was a physical book.

Asher

ok, here is my take. My ex husband sold an option on a screenplay. He also wrote a NOVEL that he was trying to sell to big publisher houses. E-books are "how-to" books. They are NOT fiction. If you write fiction, you simply cannot sell as an e-book, that's why

There are other reasons for writing a book besides profit, so I think there are several reasons why people would want to go through the herculean effort of publishing a physical book.

1) If you're doing business offline, then you're a much more credible author if you've published a 'real' book (even if it's self-published). There are still lots of marketing reasons for doing this, because I've yet to see e-book authors invited on radio shows, to give appearances at bookstores, or to guest lecture for trade organization meetings, etc. So it depends on the business or academic field you're in. Sometimes a person may simply want the exposure he or she can get from a traditionally published book.

2) As michael_nguyen pointed out, a person may just not be net savvy enough to grasp the profit potential of online publishing. If a person has a good how-to book and their goal is to make money, then they're a fool for ignoring this.

3) activetrader is also right that if you write fiction, it won't fly as strictly an e-book. I'm about as net savvy as you can get, but I still love to curl up with a good book (whether it's fiction or non-fiction) and I always will. BUT, Amazon's Kindle has made me re-think this slightly. I will always enjoy reading a real book, but using Kindle has so many advantages that I don't mind giving up a little of the visceral feel of a book.

I actually am on the process of releasing books out. Its not about the money, but more on the branding that i will acquire.

Thanks, guys.

Well, to tell you honestly, I've been revising/improving my e-book for possible acceptance by a publisher, but I've been procrastinating a little and need a kick in the butt.

I guess the reason is that I can't find a good enough reason "Why" I would spend so much time to perfect a book that earns a few bucks per sale, when I can earn a lot more with e-books.

Anyway, thanks for your feedback.

Michael

Do both! Write e-books and sell them online, and publish them for free in book form at Lulu.com.

Another thought might be what sort of market you are trying to reach. There are certain markets that a physical book would probably do better in than an ebook...and visa-versa. You have to think hard about were your target market it at.

I agree about doing both if you can. Why not get the best of both worlds?

Mrs Sarah Johnson

www.sarahjohnsoncopy.com

I know ebooks have higher profit margins, etc., but there is a certain satisfaction in having a physical book with your name on it. You can see it, feel it, touch it. That's why I would do it.

TomG.

Truths about publishing:

-Writing an ebook does NOT give you the instant
credibility of an author with a book in print. Any
bozo can write an ebook. A real book requires
considerably more discipline - or at least is perceived
that way.

- self-publishing can be highly profitable if done
correctly. Read Gordon Burgett's stuff and Dan
Poynter's stuff if you don't believe me.

- Having a book in print automatically conveys
"expert status" on you in the public eye. After
all, why would you write a whole book about it
if you were not an expert.

- Ebooks are easily pirated, and will be. This in
itself can serve a self-promotional purpose. It
is considerably more work to scan a print book
and upload it for everyone to read for free.
Paper publishing inhibits intellectual-property
theft.

- Publishing a real book gives you something to
talk about on the radio, on TV, at seminars,
and at parties where everyone will be very
impressed that you have a book available.

- Most people secretly aspire to be a published
author and enjoy the social prestige of being
perceived as smarter-than-average and
accomplished as well. There is a tendency
then to put published authors, self-published
or not, on a pedestal.

- Ebooks get forgotten on hard-drives. Paper
books hang-around and remind us of how valuable
the author's information is.

- Publishing with a "real publisher" is not very profitable
unless you get lucky or are already famous so your
book sells a lot of copies. It is however just as
good as self-publishing for lead-generation for back-end
selling, consulting, seminars, other books, courses and
the whole shebang.

- Publishers all do a crappy job of selling your book for
you. You still have to promote and sell the book whether
you self-publish or not. With self-publishing you'll
make a lot more money for that effort and may, if
your book takes off, be wooed by big publishers who
will pay you a meaningful advance.

Hey michael,

Selling a physical book is not difficult. Its actualy even easier, but you must market it online. People are most likely to buy a book that will be shipped to their doorstep, then a simple ebook that they would need to print out theirself. It's proven.

Also a physical book at a price of 10-100 bucks will sell much easier then an ebook worth that price. Can you see the difference in values?

I have a video series, that shows you how to turn any digital book/product into an physical book and let a "secret company" print and send them to the buyers for you. Price you pay per book to be printed and sent out ranges from $0.50 - $2.00.

If you are interested contact me.

If you do any offline stuff, a physical book is nice as well. You can give it away to a potential client, and autograph it if they like. To me, there's no reason to not publish an e-book in physical form, especially when you can get them in a POD fashion.

I would love to turn on of my ebooks into a physical book to sell to local people I meet that are not into the "ebook" thing yet. My problem is I can't find a way to print and simply bind the darn book for under $35.00.. does anyone have a good source?

I think it is the 'pride' of having your 'own' book, i.e., credibility, etc. And plus, it would be kind of cool if you could walk into a book store with your friends, point to a book and say "Hey! That's me! That's MY book!".

Also, people think you must be smarter/better/richer/etc if you have a "real" book published, probably because they figure "anyone" can publish an e-book, but not everyone can get a "real" book published.

Thanks for all feedback.

Isn't it strange how physical books can have a much lower price than ebooks, but those courses in binders or DVDs can command prices 10 times or more than ebooks?

Hard copy books about the internet quickly become
dated. Case in point - I was re-reading Jay Abraham's
"Getting Everything You Can Out Of All You've Got"
and the chapter on the web is so hopeless it's laughable.

The net of today changes so fast print books dealing
with internet marketing and software become obsolete
almost as soon as they get released, with exceptions
of course.

I get bug-eyed from reading off a computer screen -
it's facetious to assume any serious reader will prefer
reading ebooks to reading print books. I don't have
a Kindle yet... apparently it doesn't mess up the eyes.

But the present format of ebooks overcoming readership
with print? No. Not gonna happen. Too wearisome
for most people.