posted
I've been doing a lot of research on e-book publishing. I think for many of us, it may be the way we get published. However, it's not just getting your work written, converted and placed on Amazon and the iBook store.
I think that novellas will make a comeback because an e-book isn't constricted by the column inches available to a magazine. A novella can be priced lower and still get downloaded. A 25K or 30K word story is just as easily distributed as a 110K novel.
Conversely, the word requirement for a novel will also blur and for some genres move downward or upward depending on the story. If you've got a 200K word fanstasy behemoth, converting it into an ebook is just about as easy as a 60,000 word MG novel.
posted
I have to agree. I think novellas are going to be very popular in coming years. They offer a similar depth to full-length novels, but for some people that aren't big readers, the length may be more appealing. And most people who love to read I think are happy to read something they enjoy at any length. Sometimes smaller bites are nice.
I hope the same freedom of length applies to novelettes as well. That's a personal wish though as it seems to be a writing length that I fall into easily.
Generally, I think all length standards are going to shift. How long until people are looking at the number of kb instead of the number of pages when they're buying a book?
posted
Well, the internet has made flash fiction proliferate. And it has invented twitterfiction. So these are the effect of edevelopments on short fiction. So I would agree with the above, it makes the in-between lengths more accessible, and shortening the novel will likely produce more novellas and novellettes. I think that those lengths have been artificially restricted, anyway, by what looks good on the shelf or in a magazine. Both of these restrictions don't mean much for an ebook.
However, how much do you groan when faced with a 15000 word story to critique?
Will pages remain as a key guide? I don't know, but kb is deceptive, particularly with the potential of a single picture dominating the memory size.
posted
You have a point about kb size - I hadn't thought about pictures. I do know that different formats can drastically change the kb for a doc. But I thought that if you had say a Kindle and used it regularly, you'd get used to the kb numbers for telling how long things are. Maybe they don't even give that information though.
You mention the groan of a 15,000 word story to crit. But that is for crit and not reading for pleasure. There is still the faith that something you pay for should have at least a minimum quality standard. People won't be downloading our first drafts -thank goodness we have helpful fellow Hatrackers that are willing to suffer through that.
posted
Novella is the right length for movie conversion too. Look at PK Dick. Er, don't look at him, he's under ground.
Anyway - as soon as Hollywood starts a trend, novellas will explode. I think the e-reader has to saturate a little more and I think it will do that when the price comes down.
posted
I was always fond of the old Ace Doubles...two books for the price of one, and these mostly well under the standard length of a novel, that being in that era sixty to seventy thosand words.
Of course it might be possible for writers to put together something much longer than even a lengthy multi-book series...all in one e-reader.
My iPod says it'll hold ten thousand songs (I'm just under four thousand there). Anybody know the maximum amount in words that the various e-readers will hold?
posted
Maybe I'm old fashion, but I love the feel of a book. I really don't like the Ipad and kindel, plus I like getting something physical for what I pay for. That saying holds true for me - A room without books is like a body without a soul. I can see it's a useful tool for people who are really on the go all the time, but lack of wanting to go to a bookstore and pick up a book because that takes to much time just kind of seems like how everything else is going in this world just another tool for the lazy people that think their always busy.
I could also see how it would be useful for people who had eye sight issues and needed larger font, or people who can't get out of the house because of health issues.
But what can I say. It will probably happen when all the trees are gone. Will need the books to be recycled to make our triple ply toilet paper more fluffy.
I like my Ipod a lot when on the go, but touch my record collection and you got real trouble. Same goes for my personal library. They can have my records and books when they pry them from my cold dead hands.
If I ever get published I want to see it in print. I want hold my book, feel its weight and sign that first one with 'Dreams can be achieved.' or 'Scr*w you doubters!!!'
Wouldn't have the same feel as an e-book.
W.
[This message has been edited by walexander (edited October 31, 2010).]
quote:I can see it's a useful tool for people who are really on the go all the time, but lack of wanting to go to a bookstore and pick up a book because that takes to much time just kind of seems like how everything else is going in this world just another tool for the lazy people that think their always busy.
I would generally agree with this statement - I don't even own a cell phone, but it definitely isn't laziness that keeps me away from bookstores. Big box bookstores generally stock only what's on the Oprah or NYT bestseller lists. It is very frustrating not to find the book you want - in my case, older fantasy and sci-fi books. Generally they seem to only stock something written in the last 5 years before they clear shelves to make room for something new. I do own an ebook and I feel they have a much wider selection.
[This message has been edited by redux (edited October 31, 2010).]
posted
As stated, many more novellas. But also many more behemoths. Right now publishers feel $ pressure to keep books smaller. It costs less and the shelves on the book store can carry more copies when they're smaller. Based on JA Konrath's numbers, however, I don't think that short stories will take off.
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posted
ebook readers have a great position in the marketplace right now. I think this will be the Holiday Season of the eBook Reader, personally. The price points are coming down so that the idea is approaching reachable for people who are able to already shell out $80-125 on a new cell phone. It was smart of Kindle and Nook to bring their prices down, and Nook has just announced a new color version of their ereader that is going to change the game yet again (Kindle has several different sizes - one large enough for textbook-style images.)
The iPad is able to be used to read books but I differentiate it because it's more like a computer than it is a dedicated reader. But still, it plays in the game in terms of market penetration. At my current client (I do tech consulting) they commented that about 10% of the people who attend their educational events are coming with iPads. That's *just since April* when the iPad was released. Imagine what the scene might look like in another 6 months?
Contrary to popular fears, I believe the ebook market is creating more opportunities for publishing. I have a Nook and I still buy as many hardback books as I used to (lots) while now also having the additional expense of Nook books to buy. I prefer the Nook because it lets me read .pdf file formats on my device (so I can move my own WIP over to the nook for reading, or read friends' stuff) and it also has a lending model - a girlfriend loaned me a copy of Mockingjay recently so I could read it. (you get a 2 week window once you download the book, and during that time it is NOT available on your friend's device.)
As for the length of fiction, I think it won't matter as much to readers. So long as the price points are reasonable (meaning: lower for shorter works) - I think there will be markets for those shorter novels. I read mostly YA and middle-grade, though, which tends toward shorter works already. They're great to read on the Nook, though we do sometimes miss out on nifty illustrations and maps (sometimes the maps come through but aren't readable.) But we miss out on that when listening to audio books, too. Ah, well, happens. I can always pick up the book in a store or at the library and look at the pictures there.
quote:I don't even own a cell phone, but it definitely isn't laziness that keeps me away from bookstores. Big box bookstores generally stock only what's on the Oprah or NYT bestseller lists. It is very frustrating not to find the book you want - in my case, older fantasy and sci-fi books. Generally they seem to only stock something written in the last 5 years before they clear shelves to make room for something new.
I don't own a cell phone either. I thought I was the only one.
I sure agree with you on the bookstore thing. They often have non-fiction books I'd want, but there are many scifi/fantasy books that are no longer carried by Barnes and Noble or Borders--at least in the actual stores. I can't find them at the library either as the library uses the same approach--"we'll only stock what there's a large demand for". So I end up using bookfinder.com for the ones I really want to read and can't find at the library. Personally, I don't like to buy a book unless I think it's good enough to put on my bookshelves at home, and since I have limited space, I like to try and read the book before buying it, whenever possible.
What will book signings be like if all the books are e-books?
What do you sign--and how?
I was curious about this for a long time myself. I read recently on D.W. Smith's site that he brings cards with book cover images printed on them and signs those for people with e-books. As an extra bonus he has codes on the back that let the readers download extra short stories for free. I thought this was a wonderful idea and hope that it gains popularity.
posted
I think it might make the previously unpublished range between shorts and novels more popular, but not replace either to any extent.
People will always want print copies. I couldn't imagine risking reading a Kindle in the bath, but I wouldn't pay novel prices for a printed novelette either.
Incidentally, probably not entirely on topic, but is anyone else who is planning to enter WOTF keying their word count to what would be publishable elsewhere in the (highly unlikely ) event that they don't win? Or is everyone writing a 15k e-book?
[This message has been edited by pdblake (edited November 01, 2010).]
quote:I was curious about this for a long time myself. I read recently on D.W. Smith's site that he brings cards with book cover images printed on them and signs those for people with e-books. As an extra bonus he has codes on the back that let the readers download extra short stories for free. I thought this was a wonderful idea and hope that it gains popularity.
So we're moving toward signed writer playing cards? uuugg.
quote:Big box bookstores generally stock only what's on the Oprah or NYT bestseller lists. It is very frustrating not to find the book you want - in my case, older fantasy and sci-fi books. Generally they seem to only stock something written in the last 5 years before they clear shelves to make room for something new.
I know everyone isn't this lucky but I still have pretty good recycled book stores around me. I also tend to browse places like goodwill and salvation army and other thrift stores where half the time there are ment condition books that someone didn't want because it was a gift or something. I always keep an eye open at any garage sale I pass for books, coins, and certain antiques. I pay top dollar to the chain stores for authors I know I will enjoy, and I usually learn that first from used books or the library. lastly, I'll pay top dollar for a signed copy. The card thing sounds a little lame, but somethings better than nothing. I would still want to buy a hard cover and stick the card in it.
quote:I know everyone isn't this lucky but I still have pretty good recycled book stores around me. I also tend to browse places like goodwill and salvation army and other thrift stores where half the time there are ment condition books that someone didn't want because it was a gift or something.
I do this, too, but it bears mentioning that when you buy a book used, the author of the book gets *nothing* from your purchase. As a potential book-writer over here, that thought has changed my book-buying habits a bit. I'm much more willing to buy books now that I'm writing, isn't that funny? Now I need to get published to pay for my book-buying habit so I can continue to support the authors I like.
In a related note per previous posts - the Nook Facebook page (the Barnes/Noble e-reader) had a picture of Rick Riordan signing someone's Nook (cover) today.
I've also seen a photograph/heard a news report about someone at an event with the president who got the president to sign his iPad.
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) event that they don't win? Or is everyone writing a 15k e-book? 
