tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7436915084701775452.post1655223440769864400..comments2024-03-18T02:11:40.154-07:00Comments on <b>Smashwords</b>: 2016 Book Publishing Industry Predictions: Myriad Opportunities amid a Slow Growth EnvironmentDovetail Public Relationshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05039664167177159146noreply@blogger.comBlogger27125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7436915084701775452.post-46156756422226726422018-08-21T09:25:25.608-07:002018-08-21T09:25:25.608-07:00Thanks for posting this info. I just want to let y...Thanks for posting this info. I just want to let you know that I just check out your site and I find it very interesting and informative. I can't wait to read lots of your posts. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Ronald-Destra/e/B009QQBL48" rel="nofollow">Children fiction picture book</a><br />charlos johnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07585675035630507255noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7436915084701775452.post-87991484877921376462016-04-01T09:18:00.854-07:002016-04-01T09:18:00.854-07:00I don't offer my books for free and I'll b...I don't offer my books for free and I'll be damned if I'll pay someone to read them. If they don't sell so be it. My integrity remains in tact.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10090949804410896024noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7436915084701775452.post-60033717717221931032016-03-11T20:41:44.549-08:002016-03-11T20:41:44.549-08:00on cuba -
Government Subsidies
Despite the avera...on cuba -<br /><br />Government Subsidies<br /><br />Despite the average wage in Cuba looking like it is extremely low by western standards, we must now factor in the actual cost of living in Cuba. As most people know, Cuba does not have a capitalist economic system. The fact is that the country is communist/socialist, meaning that most workers work for the state and they receive low monetary salaries, but the state provides for them in different ways. We can take a look at some of these economic subsidies to see how they influence buying power for the average Cuban.<br /><br /> <br /><br /> Cubans get free food allowances and are allowed to purchase additional rations of staple foods at cost price from government run bodegas and depots.<br /> Cuban utility bills are all highly subsidized. The monthly phone, electricity, and gaz bill is only about $2, which is basically nothing when compared to western bills.<br /> All medical coverage is provided free by the government.<br /> Gasoline is sold as subsidized costs.<br /> Education is completely free, even for older people wanting to return to school just for a few classes.<br /> Beer, alcohol, food is all sold by the state at cost or near cost. <br /> Rental rates for properties are controlled and most Cubans own their own homes.<br /> Property taxes and goods and service taxes are zero.<br /><br />Conclusion<br /><br />Bottom line, Cuba is not nearly as poor as you think. It has large, developed cities. The population in general is happy with their lives and the economic system. This would not be the case is there was rampant starvation and economic unrest. It is not enough to simple dismiss the lack of upheaval as being attributed to a communist hard line regime which would crack down on opposition. History has shown that opposition to the government has been low since the Cuban revolution and even when there was dissent, the government was not particularly harsh and actual jail time is low. Things were generally worked out peacefully. If the Cuban government was really simply a dictatorship, it would not still be around and thriving after 60 years of reform.<br /><br /> <br /><br />And in Cuba, it’s not all about money. We can look at some of the other benefits that the average Cuban enjoys. The World Health Organization rates Cuba’s water quality as among the best in the world and ranks its citizens nutrition levels, health and life expectancy as among the best. Despite the average Cuban salary being about $30 per month, it is just enough for the average person to cover all their expenses and to enjoy a few outings with their friends once a month. The lifestyle is not that different from the average westerner. There are less comforts and fewer high end products (no large screen TVs or deluxe computers), but overall, Cubans are far better off than some of the poor African countries where people starve to death daily.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12977999906783196700noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7436915084701775452.post-48710130515577801832016-02-22T14:24:48.129-08:002016-02-22T14:24:48.129-08:00Actually, the advance for a Kindle Scout campaign ...Actually, the advance for a Kindle Scout campaign is even less than 2,000. They're offering 1,500. I know it sounds like a crappy deal, but there are so many authors out there, that the draw for a chance to self-promote and perhaps get a contract of any sort can be too much to pass up. For readers, it's a good deal though. Any novel you nominate that is chosen for publication gets you a free eBook copy. However, this is a double-edged sword, because for the author, all of that promoting they did to interest readers won't amount to profits.KitKatKaityhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00199231809798961121noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7436915084701775452.post-29649075604653189892016-01-21T14:44:32.745-08:002016-01-21T14:44:32.745-08:00Excellent blog post again! Thank you for sharing y...Excellent blog post again! Thank you for sharing your views. It is interesting to note that since I priced the first book in my series and stopped giving it away for permafree my sales via Smashwords via B&N, Apple, and Kobo have increased! Amazon has dropped, but I am advertising less so other factors may play in that one. Time will tell whether this is a temporary "perk" but at the moment I see no reason at all give away the first book in the series. I think many readers have given up on "free" (because they can be so hit & miss) and prefer to pay $0.99 for a book with decent reviews.<br /><br />All the best, Vanessa :)Vanessahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16607673377543904060noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7436915084701775452.post-87835403716520079092016-01-05T08:05:13.352-08:002016-01-05T08:05:13.352-08:00An excellent post, as always. Thanks for your comm...An excellent post, as always. Thanks for your commitment to support indie authors! Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08791599588253220218noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7436915084701775452.post-56722273463247660492016-01-05T06:58:38.033-08:002016-01-05T06:58:38.033-08:00Thanks for such an enlightening post. It must have...Thanks for such an enlightening post. It must have taken hours, maybe days, to write. Much appreciated!Verna Clayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03750533488439747283noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7436915084701775452.post-65457528609385909812016-01-04T12:18:38.525-08:002016-01-04T12:18:38.525-08:00I really hope Amazon does not acquire Wattpad. I really hope Amazon does not acquire Wattpad. Ruth Ann Nordinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15277679843442868070noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7436915084701775452.post-51897860486994841392016-01-01T17:31:21.545-08:002016-01-01T17:31:21.545-08:00Thank you, Mark. I'm a new author encouraged b...Thank you, Mark. I'm a new author encouraged by your predictions and putting my book out into the world. It's interesting how social media continues to find new ways to recommend your book whether it's a review or a tweet or a Facebook mention.<br /><br /><br />Richard Tattonihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17307408582413596443noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7436915084701775452.post-7990293820381077832016-01-01T07:56:39.629-08:002016-01-01T07:56:39.629-08:00thanks, Mark,
happy new year
JBthanks, Mark,<br />happy new year<br />JBAnna B. Goodehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17508121978987186236noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7436915084701775452.post-19727793899756651042015-12-30T12:38:47.124-08:002015-12-30T12:38:47.124-08:00Not sure about the pre-order one--I've been an...Not sure about the pre-order one--I've been an associate for several retailers for years and I have seen a marked decline in pre-orders over the last year. <br /><br />Yes, to indies no longer writing full time. I am one of them who began that shift in 2015.<br /><br />Happy New Year, Everyone!<br /><br />Maria Schneider<br />BearMountainBooksMariahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11234907275906877802noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7436915084701775452.post-83540857693054671772015-12-30T04:15:38.015-08:002015-12-30T04:15:38.015-08:00Thanks so much Mark - so full of useful informatio...Thanks so much Mark - so full of useful information. Hugely appreciated. Have pinned, tweeted and linked to you in my blog....very best wishes Angela Clarence.Angela's Actionshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16119092778454808196noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7436915084701775452.post-75307358817294976352015-12-29T14:46:59.074-08:002015-12-29T14:46:59.074-08:00I also think Apple has backed off supporting iBook...I also think Apple has backed off supporting iBooks. They stopped expanding into other countries. Sales have decreased. I talked to an old friend recently that lives on the East Coast now - she's a former librarian, so book lover - and she doesn't know anyone that reads books the Apple way. It's all Kindle and Nook.<br /><br />Obviously, Apple can make more money off the iTunes music and TV/movie stuff than books, and therefore they've decided to promote in that direction. But it's yet another notch for Amazon continuing to reign. The whole you have to have an iTunes account to browse the bookstore is so stupid! You might as well post a big sign that says "Book readers go away! We don't want your money!"K.C. Taylorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12365890309717446305noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7436915084701775452.post-70412744583940366372015-12-29T00:20:20.686-08:002015-12-29T00:20:20.686-08:00Post-Christmas 2014 was the first time we didn'...Post-Christmas 2014 was the first time we didn't see a sales boost like had been the normal trend, with Jan-March the peak of the year. It hasn't happened after Christmas 2015, either, so 2013 was really the last of the good ol' days.<br /><br />I edit for a micro-publisher and we sold less than half of 2014's numbers despite putting out several more books. Not that 2014's sales were anything to write home about! Thanks to Amazon, our authors are really struggling to even break even despite all the increases in marketing/promotion we've done. If 2016 isn't an improvement, I expect our authors to quit and move on to something more rewarding. <br /><br />Another trend we've noticed - readers don't review anymore. Not on Amazon, and not nearly as much at Goodreads. A couple years ago, it was easy to see lots of reviews on free books, but not in 2015. I have a feeling most "readers" are actually collectors of free books and not opening them. And because they aren't reading that free Book 1, Books 2, 3, etc. perpetually suffer.<br /><br />Dark days.....<br /><br />BTW, Wattpad isn't the only place an author can post free fiction. FictionPress.com existed for years before Wattpad was a dream of whomever created it. It's a huge archive of original writing of all kinds, and way easier to get reads than Wattpad has ever been. K.C. Taylorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12365890309717446305noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7436915084701775452.post-67575737164597827362015-12-27T18:04:31.555-08:002015-12-27T18:04:31.555-08:00At some point it must become possible for most aut...At some point it must become possible for most authors to exclude Amazon as a publishing option. Maybe this is the future of Smashwords through net gains in distribution channels. The Gardners and Tolino distribution deals announced in 2015 are major opportunities for authors. In addition to the future library channels mentioned by Mark, there are other significant retail pickups possible in America (such as Books-A-Million) and Britain (Waterstones) and elsewhere internationally. It takes time to create a slate of distribution channels large and diverse enough that most authors would want to exclude Amazon from their publishing plans. Time, plus patience. As Mark advises, keep on writing.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01407847691004279530noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7436915084701775452.post-78116433903822032352015-12-26T22:23:52.083-08:002015-12-26T22:23:52.083-08:00I always enjoy reading your year end predictions, ...I always enjoy reading your year end predictions, Mark, always very insightful and interesting. I wanted to comment on your view about subscription services--I think you are being a little too pessimistic. The reason is, books are not songs. The music subscription services seems to be the main business model everyone fears will take over the book market, but books and music are completely different products. The "power readers" can benefit from such a service, but the average reader who takes in 5 books per year (most of my readers) do not benefit from a $120 per year package--they might spend that much on five hardbacks but they would have five hardbacks at the end. Music is something people listen to continuously, in the background, while they do something else. Hence the term "streaming services." Books require concentration. Audiobooks are closer, but they still require concentration. So I am not convinced this is big problem yet, at least for certain segments of the market.Mike Wellshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14201237076057603217noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7436915084701775452.post-85288943451236576952015-12-24T23:17:07.602-08:002015-12-24T23:17:07.602-08:00Holy wall of text… looks like your HTML is broken....Holy wall of text… looks like your HTML is broken.Joe Vasicekhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16099097853081854176noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7436915084701775452.post-57316983505486255702015-12-24T21:36:34.121-08:002015-12-24T21:36:34.121-08:00An excellent read as always Mark. I'll be taki...An excellent read as always Mark. I'll be taking much of this into consideration coming into the 2016 year. I actually had pretty decent 2015 sales, though it went flat a couple of months ago but something was telling me 2016 was going to be a hard year. And now I know why!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01888603533005518961noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7436915084701775452.post-85148901259557695842015-12-24T21:16:57.797-08:002015-12-24T21:16:57.797-08:00Oh, and one more thing: I think iBooks is going to...Oh, and one more thing: I think iBooks is going to become a major force to be reckoned with. I'm one of the authors who refuses to publish anywhere exclusively, and it has been paying off BIG TIME for me at iBooks. I think every teen in America owns an iPhone and a big chunk of those teens are reading iBooks on their phones (I know my kids do). My young adult titles are beginning to see almost as many sales at iBooks as they are seeing at Amazon.Evahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15019769814132397985noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7436915084701775452.post-52647365290076342142015-12-24T21:07:24.693-08:002015-12-24T21:07:24.693-08:00I'd like to add my own prediction to yours, Ma...I'd like to add my own prediction to yours, Mark: In 2016, we will begin to see changes in paperback distribution for indie authors, especially those who write children's, middle grade, and young adult titles. I have been surprised in recent months by consistent orders from suppliers like Follett School Solutions and Midwest Library Services for my paperbacks. I'm thrilled that these companies aren't afraid to do business with an independent author, even though I only allow returns for defective or damaged books. I established my own return policy, which goes against the industry standard, and I believe that if brick and mortar stores want paperbacks by indie authors on their shelves, their return policies will need to evolve as well.Evahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15019769814132397985noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7436915084701775452.post-83102906127967082522015-12-24T18:10:30.124-08:002015-12-24T18:10:30.124-08:00Hi Mark,
When discussing Kindle Unlimited I think...Hi Mark,<br /><br />When discussing Kindle Unlimited I think it's important to consider what happened when Kindle Normalized pages, the new payment model for KU, debuted in August. Most Smashwords authors are also publishing on Amazon. We have to in order to make a living with our writing, and you've never begrudged us that. Us Smashwords Authors are competing with many KU exclusive authors who remain permanently exclusive with Amazon. <br /><br />In August I had my last mega-hit on all channels. This was the first month Kindle Normalized Pages rolled out and every thing was still status quo because no one had any idea what the Normalized page amount was going to equate to in terms of per unit sales. In September everyone knew: less than half a cent per page. What does this mean? Amazon used to be glutted with very short works that were in the KU program because whether the book was 14 pages or 140 pages you made the same significant dollar amount per sale with KU subscribers. In September and onward shorter works were no longer viable whether you were in KU or if you distributed elsewhere. <br /><br />Prior to September the $.99 ebooks that flooded Amazon that were only 24 pages used to make my 110 page ebooks look like a greater value. And I had no trouble competing without being exclusive to Amazon. My big fat ebooks looked like they were worth $2.99 or $3.99 compared to the $.99 Kindle Singles.<br /><br />Starting in September my Amazon sales dropped like a stone because now all the $.99 books were compilations or padded out stories that prioritized page counts. I could no longer compete with these bargain megabooks on the basis of page counts. I used to be able to put out 7,000 word quick short stories and make $150/mo in additional sales (while not being exclusive) just something to give my monthly base amount a little boost until my next large novella came out. There is no way to move these short stories anymore. The $.99 megabooks are king now as these exclusive authors scramble to up their page counts.<br /><br />I'm keeping my head above water with a new market strategy, but Kindle Normalized Pages has changed the game and will continue to do so. An added prediction you should have for 2016: Much longer ebooks from now on.Cheap Meals for the Big Eaterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14184080391596165960noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7436915084701775452.post-50379600354281517152015-12-24T15:26:11.735-08:002015-12-24T15:26:11.735-08:00This comment has been removed by the author.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02149578153342793854noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7436915084701775452.post-49997287620871516642015-12-24T14:33:16.758-08:002015-12-24T14:33:16.758-08:00Wow.. such a thoughtful and thorough analysis. You...Wow.. such a thoughtful and thorough analysis. Your commitment to helping indie authors forge a successful, self-directed path shines brightly. Thanks so much, Mark!Clare Sailinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08365269711542225010noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7436915084701775452.post-64272299705779696442015-12-24T11:25:56.482-08:002015-12-24T11:25:56.482-08:00I think you are right on the money that Amazon is ...I think you are right on the money that Amazon is training customers to want *all* ebooks for free. I also believe authors who stay in KU are hurting their future sales, IF they don't capture the email addy of their future customer. One change and—poof! Amazon can target readers away from any author to any author. More than one author has watched sales dry up over-night as their books slowly fall off the visibility scale.<br />I've seen many authors whose incomes were in the mid-six figure range fall in half this last year. I've seen my sales decrease significantly, even though I have much more product available.<br />Target marketing, building loyal customers, notifying them personally, is more important than ever before.<br /><br /> <br />Lisa Gracehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11644935187230421509noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7436915084701775452.post-37318280465752863512015-12-24T08:38:06.911-08:002015-12-24T08:38:06.911-08:00Mark, thank you for this blog. My intuition tells ...Mark, thank you for this blog. My intuition tells me that many of these predictions will come to pass. My gut never felt good about going into the select program and it will be interesting to see how it plays out. I will miss my Oyster subscription. My man teases me,I will have to go over to the “Dark Side” (Amazon) and join their subscription program. I would rather get my eBooks where authors are fully compensated. I also wanted to be paid for my eBooks not by the pages read. May everybody have a wonderful 2016 and write on…Pamela Cumminshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02105901384292644277noreply@blogger.com