Session EB2 - Ebook Production and Distribution Panel: Options and Answers (Saturday, April 27, 8:00-8:55 AM)
Don’t miss this chance to get up-close and personal with major players in e-book production and distribution. What’s the best alternative for turning print into e-books? Should you publish in e-book format only? Where will your book be distributed? How much will it cost? Get the answers to these questions and more in this must-attend session open to all Publishing University attendees.
2. “I’ve heard this song before!”
When CD Baby started:
Record stores going out of business
Piracy was rampant
Labels consolidating
Traditional model of distribution was crumbling
(Just like publishing!)
3. Similarities to the music industry
Gatekeepers were adding little value
Records were becoming easier to produce
Bands still had to tour to promote to fans -
stores were only promoting to buyers
(Just like publishing!)
Some of my friends were million-selling waiters
4. Curation was failing
No loyalty to labels
Most label releases flopped
Slow time to market
Under-served smaller niches
(Just like publishing!)
5. The industry radically changed
My A&R friends are out of work
Last 3 Grammy winner albums of year were
independent releases
Some of the biggest hits were ours – and the
artists refuse major record deals
CD Baby has 280K artists and 4.8MM tracks
So what can writers learn that musicians already have
experienced?
6. 1. Anonymity is a bigger threat
than piracy.
Don’t sweat the DRM – and, happily, the ease of
buying experience is built into the tablets
Being in the watering holes is more important
than a boutique retail store.
Distribution worldwide is increasingly important
Added libraries, e-Sentral, Scribd – now in over 200 countries
8. 2. Doing It all Yourself is overrated.
It’s already challenging and time-consuming to
write, promote, and monetize
Writers’ strengths are not always formatting,
cover design, or website creation.
Even in a DIY world, don’t try to do it all yourself
It’s like changing the oil in your car
Many different formats and flavors of ePUB, .mobi, .azw
ePUB check, unmanifest file check
Accounting with multiple retailers
Retailers who won’t accept individual authors
9.
10. Some formatting tips
Proofread your file
Read an eBook in your genre (for formatting, publisher/copyright info, ToC)
Use standard fonts and sizes
Images:
Don’t use tables, inserts, or sidebars – extract as text or images
Do all resizing FIRST, outside of the document, and then reinsert them
Don’t wrap text around images, set them in-line with text
Don’t use tabs or space bar to format
Audio and video can be more inexpensive than fixed layout
11.
12. 3. Stop chasing the gatekeepers
Don’t compromise or wait for The Wizard of Oz
Like the music industry, content creators
chasing the old model have been easy prey for
PR “packages” – we’d rather provide advice
CD Baby's Macklemore -> 50 Shades
It’s not either/or for traditional/self-publishing
13. 4. “Old” technology is not dead.
CD Baby’s CD sales up over 25% YoY
Outside of Amazon, print still outsells eBooks –
e will grow, but don’t forget print!
Right size
Not outsourced
Guarantees
G7 certified color
Forest Stewardship Council certified paper
14. 5. There are people who can help
Our mission is to empower writers, but
sometimes the best way to help is to really help.
“Reach out and touch someone!”
Sometimes, there’s no substitute for the phone
(877-961-6878)
15. Follow us for interviews, blogs,
and advice:
Brian Felsen, President, BookBaby
Twitter:
@bookbaby
@brianfelsen
http://blog.bookbaby.com
