Do Bound Books, eReaders, iPads Determine Content? Twitter Chat #5

I drew inspiration for this week’s Twitter Chat post from a conversation I followed a while back between my friend, (and one of the most forward thinking about all things bookish) Guy LeCharles Gonzalez, repeat offender Susan Doerr (indeed a smart girl/reader/publisher) and Peter Turner (at the tail end, but with an insightful point of view).

The conversation began with Guy’s assertion that print vs. digital is an irrelevant argument, and implying that digital devices were merely containers for content.  As ever, I both agree and disagree with each participant in the conversation:  my comments appear after the end of the conversation.

@glecharles The container is NOT a business model. The print vs. digital debate is tiresome. Content + Context = Value. #fullstop #dbw

@susanmpls @glecharles Disagree. Content is what people want, yes, but containers can be a biz model, i.e. Amazon & it’s Kindle.

@glecharles @susanmpls The container’s nothing w/o content. Kindle wasn’t first ereader; Amazon’s success was value to readers via content + context.

@susanmpls @glecharles Disagree. Content is what people want, yes, but containers can be a biz model, i.e. Amazon & it’s Kindle.

@glecharles @susanmpls If it were all about containers, Smashwords would be Amazon. Or Apple.

@susanmpls @glecharles I didn’t say it’s all abt containers, just that containers are a biz model, though, as @brianoleary says, not for publishers.

@glecharles @susanmpls If your workflow is container-centric, so is your business model. @brianoleary‘s advocacy of “agile workflows” is where it’s at.

@PeterTurner @glecharles Agree: content+context=value but container can and should shape content. #dbw

@glecharles @peterturner Yes, the container shapes (contextualizes) content but it shouldn’t define it; ideal content flows into multiple containers.

***

So I have to say, it was Guy’s comment that got my attention.  I only follow Guy on Twitter, so it took me a minute to find the conversation that followed.  But I do think that Guy’s statement that Content + Context = Value.

And I do not believe that the “container”, in this case eReaders, iPads or even printed bound books are synonymous with a a business model. Though I think we can agree that the container will influence the business model… Amazon dominates the eBook model not only due to the low cost, high service sales model they champion, but because of it’s strong online presence, and the early introduction of Kindle to the market.  It’s a different model than the traditional publisher to printer to warehouse to distributer to retail store to reader model.

So far, so good.  But here’s where I’d interject my own assertion.  The container not only contextualizes content, but content must be shaped for the unique capabilities of the container.  Because when you’re talking about something like the iPad, or even a smart phone (cell phone novels are big in Japan, for instance), you have a different set of capabilities (and limitations) than you’ll find with the beloved print book which was one of the only devices through which long form content could be delivered.

A bound book requires no power source, it’s easy on the eyes when reading by daylight, and is ideal for engraved illustrations. A backlit screen requires a battery, makes reading long chapters more difficult, but you can incorporate illustrations that move (video, animation).  While a Kindle emulates the functionality of a book (Instapaper and inanimate graphics), it still has enhanced capabilities that might shape the formation of content (annotation for example) in new and interesting ways (book clubs? school based reading initiatives?).

These containers mean nothing without content… but the funny thing is, we’ve never really wanted to pay for content.  We’ve always paid for the container, ro means of distribution: the paper a book is printed on, the cable service that delivers TV, the cinema that allows for a giant screen and a group experience).

So while I agree that content is what gives value to a container, the container will promote the success of different kinds of content.  And content should be created with the method of distribution in mind.  This is how containers and content succeed… in that differentiated, symbiotic way.

New containers allow for new and more varied kinds of content.

Those are my thoughts, anyway.  What do you think?  I’d love to know.

Digital Dickens? Serializing Books on the Internet: Twitter Chat #4

Once again, Twitter lurking pays off: Fran Toolan, founder of Firebrand Technologies (which owns NetGalley), Susan Doerr, Carolyn Jewel, and Jane L had a discussion about what internet reading will do to the print publishing industry, with Fran suggesting that online books will be serialized (something I’ve thought about too: I would have joined in this conversation, but it was already complete when I discovered it).

This is just a snippet of a longer conversation which happened on May 2, 2011.  My comments follow.

jane_l: RT @ftoolan: after reading @brianoleary ‘s http://bit.ly/j6yU9a, wondering how long it will be b4 all novels are released in serial form

cjewel: @jane_l @ftoolan @brianoleary The midlist author will have moved on , , ,

ftoolan: @cjewel @jane_l @brianoleary thought process was a bit non-linear, but pubs need to keep readers attn in an age of exponential content avail

susanmpls: @ftoolan serialization comment makes me wonder (present company excepted) will readers read more just b/c it’s avail? @cjewel @jane_l

ftoolan: @susanmpls @cjewel @jane_l don’t think so, but keeping them wanting more, from a trusted source should lead to buying more

jane_l: @susanmpls I can’t envision paying a lot of money for many serialized books. Who knows how badly it may turn out? @cjewel @ftoolan

I think everyone in this conversation is right.  Sort of.

As I mentioned, I’ve thought a lot about delivering ebooks in serialized form. I don’t know that all ebooks will be sold this way, but I do think it’s a smart idea, and here’s why:

1.) When people read on a backlit screen (smart phone, computer monitor, or currently available tablets), they read in shorter chunks.  Short chapters of 2 or 3 pages would be ideal for this format.

2.) Tablets, phones and other reading devices are often used on the go, in the spaces we used to reserve for being bored as we rode trains or waited for doctors appointments.  A serialized format requires little time per chapter, allowing the reader to consume the story in spurts, while maintaining suspense and long term interest (if it’s a good story, that is).

3.) The afore mentioned devices are all perfect for integrating visual enhancements… illustrations, animations (or moving illustrations), and video (when appropriate to the source material).

4.) Finally, the revenue model can be very attractive on both sides: cheap automatic system for the publisher, and reasonable, staggered cost for the reader.

Consider this model: serialized delivery is a low cost of method of delivery by the publisher.  If the publisher sells the serialized material 30 short chapters at a time for say, $3.00 a run, and then provides an easy pay button to purchase the next 30 chapters (let’s call it Act Two), and again for the final 30 chapters (Act Three), then the reader will ulitmately have paid about $9.00 for a standard length novel (250 to 300 pages or so).

Upon completion of the serialization cycle, the  novel could then be offered as a full ebook, and a print book as well.  The longer, staggered delivery of the story could allow the book to gain an audience over time, initial free chapters would have the possibility of spreading virally. This would also give publishers an idea of what sort of success the book might achieve in print, as internet popularity increases the sale of books across all formats.

The success of serialized cell phone novels in Japan would point to the likely success of such a delivery method… and iPad sales seem to suggest that a whole new kind of reader is buying books that suit the tablet’s format.  It seems an inevitable evolution (though it takes us back to the very root of the Victorian novel… serialized in newspapers and periodicals).

That’s our story.  And we’re working to create a serialized format for books as I’ve described above.

I’d love to hear what you think.

Twitter Chat #3: Do Book Trailers Sell Books?

A short time ago, Susan Orlean (one of my favorite authors, and really, if you read her, she’ll be one of yours too) asked the question, “Does anyone think book trailers sell books?”  As is usually the case, an interesting twitter chat ensued.

@susanorlean concluded:
The rough tally on the book trailer question: Most people don’t think they sell books except in rare instances….
Also: many, many people have never seen a book trailer. There’s no good, easy place to go to view them en masse.

Of course, the interesting part was the stuff people said in between. I thought the conversation revealed why most book trailers DON’T work, as well as some fundamental understandings about why they don’t, and perhaps most importantly, how they COULD work to effectively build an audience for a book. But first, I’ve recorded the conversation below, taking the liberty of editing it for relevance and continuity.

@susanorlean Susan Orlean
Just curious: Does anyone think book trailers sell books?

@R_Nash
Nope but if some1 uses video 2 express their relationship to ur book & it’s compelling, it could help. Ditto if they use words.@mllecheree
Bk trailers have potential 2 sell more books if they’d b shown n bookstores, theaters.

@susanorlean
Totally agree. Where would anyone SEE one otherwise? Browsing Youtube? Seems unlikely.

@kathrynth
I’m sure they do help—a little bit. But I think most trailers, by most authors, don’t yet reach enough people.

@susanorlean
Totally agree with that. I think someone should start the book equivalent of MTV (back when MTV was all music videos).

@annleary
I really don’t think anybody who’s not in publishing even knows book trailers exist, so no.

@susanorlean
Do you have any idea of how many people thought I meant big trucks filled with books? I’m cracking up over here.

@ericsmithrocks
I like to think they do. When we (@quirkbooks) release a book trailer, Amazon rankings tend to skyrocket.

@susanorlean
Really? That’s very interesting. And surprising!The best part of the conversation continues below, so if my marketing talk bores you, just skip to the end… But if you’re still with me, I wanted to comment on the conversation, and talk about Book Trailers in general.  I’m qualified to do this, having taken part in making a number of successful trailers, but perhaps even more importantly, having been the number of viewers to some degree.

That said, I don’t believe Book Trailers work.  Usually.

And that’s an important point.  Because I believe that book trailers CAN work. They actually do in some cases.  But I’ll get to that in a minute.First, I’d like to address some misconceptions.Here they are, in order of appearance:

1. Book trailers don’t have the potential to reach enough people unless they are shown in book stores, on TV or in the movie theatre.
2. That in order to find them, they would need to be aggregated and located in one place for convenient viewing.
3. Only people involved with publishing even know what a book trailer is.
4. That book trailers are big trucks filled with books traveling from community to community selling books along the way…

Starting with our last point, a book trailer is a kind of commercial made to market a book.  They are usually shown on the internet, and are meant to represent a book the way a film trailer represents a movie.

Now, working in reverse order, I’ll address the other concerns.  We’re on number three now… and I can say without a shadow of a doubt that many people who are not involved in publishing have seen book trailers, even if they don’t know to call them that.  My company participated in a trailer that played to a large audience, and you can see it here.

Number two implies that the best place for book trailers to live would be a trailer library of sorts, or a literary equivalent to MTV (when they played music videos all the time).  Again, not a bad idea, but beside the main point.  The point of a book trailer is not to be found.  It’s supposed to find you.

And yes, while showing these videos in public space, book stores, on TV and in the movies are great ways to create more interest in the book (and will), this is not how book trailers are intended to work.

Book trailers are successful when they are so cool they stand alone as little gems of entertainment and engagement. In other words, they should to be viral, meaning that they spread from user to user.  It doesn’t matter where they live or originate… they are passed along online via link in Twitter, Facebook, Blog, Tumblr, etc.  The link is replicated and passed on… voluntarily  (this is my definition of viral: something that gets tens of millions of hits overnight is an epidemic, i.e. Rebecca Black).

In some cases book trailers are doing this.  Quirk Books does a great job playing off of this, and making quirky, off beat, humorous trailers that are worth watching, even if you never read the books.

In most, book trailers fail to become viral at all.  Why don’t they?  There are a few reasons.  Mostly, they are poorly made, misleading, and are not strategically implemented.   Most book trailers currently function like snazzy business cards, lending a small amount of media presence to a book.  At best, they might help cement a sale when posted as “additional media” on Amazon.

The sad truth is, if you have to go looking for a book trailer, it has already failed to be viral, which is (in my opinion) the whole point.

But back to the conversation with Susan Orlean and her Twitter friends…

Another user responds to the question “Does anyone think that book trailers really sell books?”

@CherylStrayed
I’m curious about that too. Is it worth it? When does it end, this stuff we must do besides write the damn books?

@susanorlean
It is endless, I’m afraid. I plan to visit each prospective buyer and personally read the book to them, for instance.

@USelaine
I’m looking forward to that, btw.

@quinncy
Will you act it out with puppets? Please?

@susanorlean
Oh yes. Puppets and marionettes. Very cunning.@quinncy
I liked Ulysses so much better once I saw the Punch and Judy version.

@susanorlean
Couldn’t agree more. The cute costumes!!

@CherylStrayed
My next book is called WILD, so I thought I’d give people the whole “wild look” thing… I was also going to cut their hair. I bought one of those buzz cut clipper thingies.

@amitavakumar
As a prospective buyer I’d like with the new book an egg that will later hatch into a book of my own. #ifimay

So there you have it.  In lieu of a successful media campaign, authors may travel from reader to reader, narrating their stories with the use of marionettes with funny haircuts.  Or deliver the book inside an egg that will hatch at the readers command.

Not bad ideas… though perhaps a bit labor intensive.

Take the E-book, Turn It on Its End, and Shake Vigorously

I originally wrote this article for my friends at Digital Book World.  You can see it there, as well as a bunch of other useful information about what happens at the intersection of publishing and the digital revolution by clicking here.

Market an ebook with its enhancements

I market new books through social media channels, and I’m going to tell you why I think ebooks should be produced very differently from the current model.

Right now, an author writes a book and secures an agent, after which an editor negotiates the rights and purchases that book, after which revisions and edits are made, after which fonts are chosen and a cover design created, after which an ebook is fashioned (most likely text only) and a release date determined….

Then after all of these things are finished, someone like me might or might not be brought in the help market the book online.

As we market a book on the internet, my company will almost certainly create video segments designed to create interest in the book: videos are more likely to show up early in search pages and more likely to be clicked on when they do.

But, these video segments are created after all the previous production steps have been accomplished and the book is on its way to market.

And that’s the problem.

Any additional media created, which might include websites, animation, video, games and contests, will be built on top of already secured rights.

This limits what can be done to market the book, especially if the film rights have been secured. Also, when creating video content to advertise a book, we are very conscious that the visual aspects, the actors, costumes, sets, etc., are not directly representative of the book they promote. They are not a part of the book and may not even relate to the cover design.

Creating content like this, after the novel is fully realized, is like making a movie and then hiring a new set of actors, dressing them in similar costumes and placing them in a different setting to create the trailer, and then telling the audience that the trailer looks something like the movie being promoted, rather than parsing the trailer from elements of the film itself.

Of course, the reason we love movie trailers is that they give us a taste of what we will actually experience in the movie itself. Trailers are great ways to generate interest.

And that’s why I think we’ve got the whole ebook thing backwards.

I’ve always maintained that marketing strategy is most important in the product development stage. That means the marketing should be built into the product itself. For books, we need to reverse the order by which books are currently created, negotiated and sold.

We should produce an enhanced ebook first.

Ideally, these multimedia pieces inform the actual writing of the book. The book would be written into existing media capabilities, the way a screenplay is written to capitalize on the visual and sound capabilities of film or TV. With enhanced ebooks, it would help if some forethought was given to potential interactive capabilities, but for the sake of this article, I’ll limit myself to the video/animation elements.

That means that dynamic multimedia ebook content would be created before the physical book. In the months before the physical book is released, this dynamic content could be parsed and re-edited for distribution over the web, as well as through TV and even film. This newly edited content would be representative of the actual experience a user will have with the enhanced ebook. That makes better marketing, which means better findability.

In a best case scenario, the content is created at the same time as the book is written. While in most cases that may not be possible, I believe that the agent should package both the content creator and the author when bringing the book to market, supplying a demo of the intended ebook.

Of course, this would require a new rights model: literary agents would negotiate digital rights to include paying the content creators, much as illustrators are paid out of the advance and later through royalties.

I believe that the ebook will eventually lead the market, rather than the hardcover book: it’s easier and cheaper to sell and distribute. Edited ebook content can be used for marketing through social media. If this content is unique and interesting in and of itself, it is innately viral. By “viral,” I mean that the content is voluntarily passed on by a user to her network (not that the content will be viewed millions of times overnight; that would be more like a pandemic than a simple virus).

Ebooks have gained a significant share of the overall market in a very short time. While some of those sales may cannibalize the traditional print market, numbers suggest that the availability of ebooks Is creating whole new markets.

Ebook sales could actually undergird and support sales of print books. This would allow for more effective and authentic marketing, where the marketing is actually an extension of the product itself (the ebook, in this case). It also gives users the option to purchase the book at their preferred price point; the inexpensive ebook, the more expensive paperback, or the high-end elite hard cover.

Most customers are going to buy in their preferred format anyway. Why not create more interest upfront with ebook content?

Of course, I’m talking about specific types of books—the books that are suitable for enhanced viewing on a tablet like the iPad. Children’s picture books are a natural choice for this kind of model. While nonfiction offerings like cookbooks and home improvement books are also obvious choices, here at Diabolical Toy, we work mostly with fiction, especially paranormal, speculative and historical narratives.

I’m betting that turning the model on its end would not only allow for more effective integration of traditional and ebook marketing efforts, which is a cost saver in itself, but sell more books in both formats.