Savvy Saturday: Print vs. Ebook by DJ Davis

Print or Ebook? That’s a lot like asking chocolate or vanilla. Fortunately, there’s an easy answer. “Yes, please!” There are obvious pros and cons to each, which vary depending on your point of view as a reader or a writer—or both.

I love my Kindle. I can hold a couple hundred novels in the palm of my hand at one time. It fits in my purse. It’s lightweight, a nice feature when I’m reading in bed, fall asleep, and drop it. Ever drop one of Mr. King’s 800 page whoopers on your nose? I appreciate the price of most ebooks, not to mention the plethora of free ebooks that are available. I can load my Kindle to the max and pay nothing. Everything from old classics to new writers trying to garner fans by giving their words away. Pretty nice for a reader. Different case when I think about it as an author.

For a writer, ebooks can reach a wider market, especially among the younger generation, gadget lovers, and those denizens of the digital world. Publication is less expensive and saves trees. It’s easier to email a PDF for reviews rather than mailing a book. Saves on gas, too (especially if your post office is as far away as mine is). There’s no denying the ebook’s ability to draw in new readers through convenience and low cost.

However, pirating of ebooks is an ongoing issue. It’s hard to get an ebook into stores and gift shops. And book signings? Probably not going to happen. I haven’t tried signing an ebook. I suppose I could sign business cards or coupons for an ebook, but as reader, a signed copy that means a book. Ebooks can certainly boost the sales of print editions. When I find an ebook that means something to me, something worthy of shelf space, I’ll buy a print edition.

I was over the top when my first novel, Courageous Cain, was published by Champagne Books as an ebook. My friends and family were thrilled for me. But many of the older ones, those who balk at the thought of a Kindle, not so much. Sure, they were happy about it, but they had to wait a year for the print edition to come out. Then they started calling me ‘author’ instead of ‘writer.’ This may not be a big deal to some authors and I understand that. But it was to me because these people are some of the most important ones in my life.

From a writer’s perspective, reading my own book on my Kindle was a trip and so much fun. But when I held that first print copy in my hands—the slick covers, the smell of the pages, its weight and dimension—I felt like an author, more than I did with the ebook.

The people closest to the writer, those who stood with them through the trials of writing and editing, the lows of rejection, and the highs of that first contract, will want signed copies to cherish and show off at every opportunity. Try that with an ebook. A Kindle sitting on a shelf doesn’t quite measure up to the unequalled thrill of seeing your own book on the shelf, sharing the living room like one of the family.

Now that my second novel with Champagne Books, Summer Star, is coming out in print, I have that high all over again. It’s been nearly a year since the ebook came out. My print-only fans are excited to have their chance to read it. My eighty-three year old mother recently said, “I can’t wait to read your book.” I can’t wait to give her a copy. Signed, of course.

Ebook or print? Yes, please! There’s a definite place for both and both is what it takes to reach all of your readers and gain new ones.

About DJ Davis

DJ Davis is a Colorado native and the rugged high country sets the scene for her stories. When she's not writing, she can be found hiking with her dogs, photographing the wildlife, or camping with her husband. A Great Dane runs her life.

A portion of each sale of her novel "Courageous Cain" will be donated to Big Bones Canine Rescue in Windsor, Colorado. Help us help big dogs in need.

Visit DJ's website for more info!

Visibility is Everything

I’ve always heard that the most important way to sell books is to write a great story. When it’s done, write another great story. And so on, and so forth. But there are other factors that affect book sales. Today, I’d like to talk about one of them: Visibility.

Recently, I browsed titles on the Champagne website, looking for something new to read, and went looking for more information on a few author’s websites. I was surprised when I couldn’t find websites for some authors. As well, on other sites, there were no links to buy the books.

So here’s my question: How visible are you? For a quick check, go out and google your author name.  How many of the hits on the first page are yours? My personal gauge, especially if the author name is unusual, is that 75-90% of the hits on that first page should be you. If they’re not, you’re not easy to find. And if I go searching for an author and don’t find a website link on the first page of hits, I don’t look further, to be quite honest.

Visibility is everything in this business. If you aren’t seen, you aren’t selling books. Social media is a good way to be visible, but it’s also easy to get lost in all the tweets and Facebook invites.

One of the best ways to make certain you are visible is to have a website. Do you have one? If so, I applaud you. Every author should have a professional looking website. Let me say that again. EVERY author should have one. And every website should have information about your stories and LINKS to the major markets where your books can be purchased. The first rule of marketing is to make it easy for the buyer to buy. So make certain you’ve made it as easy as possible for readers to find and buy your books.

A website is also a great way to put a stamp on your brand, as Graeme recently discussed on this blog. If you know your brand, showcase it here. Let the world know who you are. Your website should have a place for news (hopefully front and center), a short biography about you, a books page (with LINKS), and links to your social media and email. That’s a minimum. Beyond that, I say have fun. Devote a page to the world you’ve created for your stories, or to a hobby you love. Or to your dog or cat.

That being said, not everyone can afford a professionally designed website. It’s not cheap. But there are options. Wordpress.com, for instance. You can design a free website there, with multiple pages. You can do the same thing on Blogger. And I’m sure there are other free venues out there. You don’t have to be a website designer to do this, but you do need to have a vision (your brand).  And if you need ideas, google your genre of writing, like “author, science fiction.” Start looking at other websites to figure out what you like. 

I’m not going to go in depth into domain names here, but as an author, I do suggest you purchase your domain name as soon as possible and tie it to your website so people can find you. Here’s where I strongly suggest you chat with other authors or entrepreneurs to determine where they bought their domain names. And if you can’t get the name you want, play around with it a bit. Add something like “author” or “books” to the end of it. Graeme’s website is graemebrownart.com. That’s a great way to individualize it, and if I search for “Graeme Brown”, it shows up on the first page.

A website isn’t the only thing needed to be “visible” on the web, but it’s where every author needs to start. I’ll try to talk about more things you can do to increase your visibility in future blogs.

Laurie Temple is an editor at Champagne Books