Sunday, July 25, 2010

Battle for Ebook Supremacy Rages On


Amazon founder, Jeff Bezos, recently announced that sales figures for Kindle ebooks passed those figures for hardcovers. He commented for every 100 hardcover books sold, 143 Kindle ebooks were sold for a three-month period and 180 Kindle ebooks last month alone. He also said three times as many Kindles were sold in the first half of this year than for that of 2009. Some people question these numbers but it’s clear that ebook sales are accelerating much faster than paper sales.
It's also true that the iPad is selling by the hundreds of thousands. Steve Jobs has a hit with Apple fans as the iPad is capable of doing many things. Web-browsing, watching movies, checking email, playing games and other activities make the iPad the choice for people who want to do much more than just read.
Barnes & Noble slashed the price of its WiFi only Nook to $149 and the WiFi plus 3G Nook to $199. These prices are lower than the Kindle at $189 and Kindle DX for $379. Barnes & Noble may be forced to take drastic measures now that they’ve fully entered this battle. They are the largest physical space bookseller and may have finally recognized their survival depends on selling ebooks en masse.
Besides that, Borders has the Kobo, Sony's got the Reader, Google Editions unveils itself soon and many other devices like one from Sharp are in contention to sell ebooks. So with all these providers and gadgets in an ebook market, is there room for everyone?
Probably not. But at least some things are evident:
1. Apple has no real competition. Because the iPad does infinitely more than just read books and because their fans are loyal until death, that product is a guaranteed winner. I wonder whether Indie authors will do better by selling ebooks through their iBookstore or if it's necessary to create an App.
2. Amazon has been in this game for a long time. The Kindle is highly preferred by people who just want to read. One problem with the Kindle is its .mobi format, primarily unique to Amazon and not compatible with most other devices. Though Bezos is firmly committed to lowered costs for ebooks and since Amazon does much more than just sell ebooks; it seems that Amazon will surely be around for many years.
3. Barnes & Noble could easily lose the most as it must stay afloat in this ebook battle. Since they didn’t take charge early on, I’m curious if that hesitancy will cost them. Enormous physical stores are expensive to operate, and all B&N does is sell books. Perhaps they can stay afloat but it will more likely happen if the Nook is simply perfect and they continue to drop prices for ebooks. To me, theirs is the most precarious position.
4. As for everyone else, there may or may not be room for a dozen other sellers and devices. Google Editions will be a winner because… well, because they’re Google and they’ve got gillions to cushion any mistakes. For the others it may come down to who can make the best device that sells for the least amount of money. We saw Sony die in a battle with Betamax versus VHS many years ago, but we also know that Macintosh can comfortably exist next to the domination of the PC. Mergers and acquisitions also loom large here, so who might get in bed together? Google and Barnes & Noble? Seems possible.
5. The only absolute certainty… it’s never been a better time to be a writer, Indie author or a self-publisher. Of course the odds are against success, but with persistence and a good product the chances improve dramatically now that there are so many means of making a writing career into a reality.
To learn more about How to Make, Market and Sell Ebooks All for FREE, please visit ebooksuccess4free.

Thursday, July 15, 2010

You Can Make Free Websites with Webs.com


Not long ago I didn't realize one could have free websites with free hosting. While waiting for a design outfit to build a site for me, I started surfing online and searching terms like “free websites.” Soon I found Webs.com and began playing around with a design to sell my novels.

While expensive professionals were building my site thelittleuniverse.com, I started building a free version called thelittleuniverse.webs.com. I couldn’t believe how easy it came together and that it accomplished what I needed it to do, plus it was about as nice as the site the pros built.

Since then I’ve tried other free website hosting companies. I believe webs.com is the best and still recommend it to people looking to create their own site for both personal use and business use. There’s another free site of mine at ebooksuccess4free.webs.com.

For any questions, contact me.
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Click here for the home page of Jason Matthews, spiritual fiction author.

add me to your Google Plus circles.

+Jason Matthews

Tuesday, July 06, 2010

The Little Universe Published with CreateSpace


CreateSpace is really terrific. I still can't believe it’s free to create a book with them. It's a do-it-yourself format, but if you're comfortable with that then it's the way to go. There's only one thing I have to pay for, one proof copy must be made and shipped to me. Then I have to approve that before it's live (for sale), and that’s it. Surprisingly, the proof just costs $9 to make and ship, which is less than going to my local printing store and making a copy of my manuscript. Crazy! Publishing a book is less than copying the manuscript?

CreateSpace makes a webpage for my physical book and also Amazon makes a webpage for sales, and much of the profits go to me. It's the best option for POD (print on demand) publishing (as long as you're okay with the DIY format).

Of course both of the ebooks are still available at Amazon. That's free as well. I really can't believe all these options are out there for free.

Any questions? Just leave a comment or contact me at one of my websites.
--
Click here for the home page of Jason Matthews, spiritual fiction author.

add me to your Google Plus circles.

+Jason Matthews

Thursday, July 01, 2010

Toying with the Idea of a hosting a Writing Contest


A friend suggested I should host a writing contest based on the teachings in my book, How to Make, Market and Sell Ebooks - All for FREE. I thought, "Hey, maybe yeah."

The first thought was prize money. I'm not sure how much actual cash I could give away, but there are a lot of benefits to winning this. Besides cash, what would the winner get for prizes?
- A free website with free hosting.
- A free blog with free hosting.
- Your manuscript published as ebooks.
- eBook cover design.
- eBook interior formatting.
- Amazon, Barnes&Noble, Apple iBookstore and other major retailers selling your ebooks.
- A completely automated system that sells your ebooks and puts money in your PayPal account.
 - publicity/advertising/marketing complements of Ebooksuccess4free.

What are the contest rules?
- Contestants must follow the advice within the book, How to Make, Market and Sell Ebooks - All for FREE. They must make, market and sell ebooks by only using free methods and especially those outlined in the book. Methods that are not included in the book are only allowed if they are also free of cost.
- Contestants must be 13 years of age or more or have signed parental consent.
- Writing for ebooks and websites must be available in English.

This is just the first thought ramblings. I'd love to hear from anyone interested.