The Book Business
By James L. King, Publisher of BOOK COVER Magazine
I live in NYC and riding the subway is as part of your daily lifestyle like eating. When I am on a train, I notice two things: First,
everybody has on a pair of ear plugs listening to music or an audio book and second, people reading books on their tablets.
As an author, it makes me smile to see people reading books. It is a good thing for any author and who knows, they could be
reading one of mine!
I ask myself: “What is the next step in the book business?” “What will people be doing on the train in 2025?” “Will they still be
reading books from a tablet?” “What will technology be like for books?”
When I searched the internet about the future of books, these three topics kept popping up:
1.
Self publishing is the way to go
2.
Cheaper tablets to reach more readers
3.
Adding audio to eBooks…hearing the author talk about the book
Therefore, it seemed to me that the book business was not clear what they wanted, but they knew they had to change to keep
up with the demand of the readers.
I read a quote by the new CEO of Barnes and Nobles that the changing and very challenging book sales market has forced BN to
really take a serious look at how they can stay in the book business. So, it seems they are going back to the drawing table to
come up with new ways to keep current and new customers happy with the reading process.
If we look over the past 10 years, we will see a major loss of bookstores that use to be open. As authors, we have to follow the
trends and make sure that we stay up with what is going on. If you are self publishing your book, understand what that truly
means. Do your homework. If you are lucky enough to get a book deal with a major publisher, understand what that means as
well. Research each method and educate yourself on the processes.
The changing book business impacts everything from publishing, distribution and who makes it on to the bestseller lists.
In the meantime…keep writing and stay on top of your
book business!
Connect With James:
Twitter: @AuthorJLKing
Facebook: JL King