With more than a third of their printed books currently pulped, traditional publishing is a questionable industry.
In a New Zealand first, a writers' co-operative has been formed in the Bay of Plenty to reach readers directly in the digital age.
With more than a third of their printed books currently pulped, traditional publishing is a questionable industry. Such waste is built into the price readers pay. If a local author gets a book into a store via traditional means, selling for say, $25, they're lucky to receive $2.
Small wonder that writers are seeking other publishing options. Some operate individual websites to promote their books, or load them on to Amazon. But individual websites draw too little traffic. And the Amazon option throws one into a sea with several million others.
Oceanbooks.co.nz aims to reach our local market, right here in the Bay of Plenty, by bringing together many talented local writers. Already Oceanbooks has 40 authors, with an initial aim of involving one hundred. When people visit the oceanbooks shop, which is a website, they can sample and purchase a wide range of books with a Bay of Plenty connection.
This buy local strategy benefits both readers and writers. Firstly, via digital media, readers can purchase books for $4.95 or less. This is the price of a cup of coffee. Secondly, Oceanbooks channels 75 per cent of that back to the writer. Even though the item sells for a fifth of the traditional price, its creator is paid more.
Is there a quality issue here? No, there's not. Books still go through the same editorial process as traditional publishers. Local expertise in editing, layout, graphics and marketing, assists the author in the production aspects of the book industry, besides building up regional intellectual assets. Oceanbooks is also aware of consumer pitfalls when purchasing an ereader device.
For example, the Amazon kindle is now sold here. A convenient, easy to use device, it channels the user to purchase books only from Amazon. It's a similar business strategy to the telcos who subsidise your cellphone cost, but earn more off you through their monthly plans.
Fortunately solutions to these impediments exist. The Oceanbooks website contains information on how to get started in the ereader world at zero cost. And don't be alarmed if you prefer good old-style printed books. Oceanbooks also produce hardcopy versions in many cases, and are moving towards the environmentally friendly print-on-demand option. Today's technology permits an almost instant printing of your book after it is ordered.
The Oceanbooks.co.nz website is up, and the co-operative will be launched on March 30th, right here in Tauranga.
(Contact bryan@oceanbooks.co.nz if you would like to attend.)