The photo to the right is from the Poetry Foundation and their depiction of their mobile site. Preparing content for devices matters. A lot. Google is now ranking websites by their responsive design.
Jane Friedman just published the "State of Publishing in 5 Charts." She asks us to note that "the decline in nonfiction print book sales pre-dates ebooks. Meaning: The Internet has slowly been eating away at the market for information delivered through the print book, particularly reference and travel."
She goes on to say:
"Ebooks have affected the print sales market for all fiction categories. The genres most severely affected: fantasy, general fiction, mystery/detective.
However, Nowell took time to point out that—across three of the biggest bestselling authors from 2008–2014—ebook sales have increased their overall sales, rather than cannibalizing sales."
This serves to remind us it's not all about the eReader. And if you simply must hate some technology, hate the iPhone (which aint goin anywhere, by the way). This Wall Street Journal articles talks about "The Rise of Phone Reading: It’s not the e-reader that will be driving future books sales, it’s the phone; how publishers are rethinking books for the small screen."
My latest frustration is trying to track down ebooks of poetry, the latest being Valerie Bandura's book "Freak Show". Black Lawrence Press has not released an ebook version. This is sadly typical.
I was inspired to buy her book based on excerpts from APR. And this is what usually happens: I read poetry in a journal that I like; I grab my Kindle and I search for the ebook.
There have been great strides made in formatting poetry for ebooks (Billy Collins' statements notwithstanding). Indents and special layouts can be accommodated. Also, an ebook is basically an HTML document. It's so easy, I've done one. I'm a customer ready to buy. I'm a customer that doesn't want piles of poetry books crowding up my house. I'm a poet willing to take many more chances with unknown poets at a lower price point. But 90% of the time, poetry publishers don't issue ebooks. I started a LinkedIn group discussion on this topic. Here were the results:
One publisher said, “I know that our press will never release eBooks. They are a pain to format, and we like print.”
Sylvia said, “I don't know anything about ebook publishing, but I prefer them now because I've no more room in my house for bookshelves, or nightstands, or plastic bins filled with books. However, if I really want the book, I will buy it if it's only available in print.”
Kevin said, “Formatting is indeed a pain. Granted, I don't code, but getting an intended line/stanza to render properly is practically impossible.”
To that, I responded that I’ve loved and have published printed books as well. I’m practically living like a book hoarder. I’ve also paid movers many times to move my books from house to house. A printed book is a work of art at its best and, for this reason, they aren’t going anywhere.
But…I've also formatted indented lines and stanzas for ebook publications. There are books out there now about how to format more complicated poems in simple HTML. Two good examples of existing poetry ebooks: Patricia Smith’s award-winning book Shoulda Been Jimi Savannah works with various formatting that comes across flawlessly in the ebook version and Kenneth Koch’s New Addresses. Copper Canyon is now issuing their back catalog in ebook editions.
You can also find technical help at a similar price to web design (if you don’t like working in markup code). Shortly someone will probably develop WSYWG software just for laying out ebooks. But as publishers, we seem more willing to pay for web page design, (the same HTML work), than for similar assistance with our ebooks, and realistically our books are our most valuable commodity.
When the business of selling poetry seems to be in decline, (due to lack of mainstream interest and poets themselves buying more anthologies, used Amazon copies, or just borrowing library copies), how many people like me are out there willing to buy new poetry books? I agree with Sylvia, if I really, really want it, I’ll buy the printed book. But I’d be willing to buy so many more new books of poetry (that I kinda want but don’t really need) if there were ebook versions.
It takes effort to frustrate a willing customer. Publishing is more than about doing what you love. Like selling any product or service, it’s a negotiation between what you love and what your customers love and need.
Then Richard said, “Well, it may be convenient when on a trip or vacation to have a reader. But, to me, nothing like a book in hand. Have more often than not been highly unhappy with ebook formatting, changing lines around if they don't fit their format page. Even was included in an anthology by the Kansas Writers Association and about had a fit when ALL the poems were screwed in some way or another; nobody could bother to "edit" it correctly, or question each poet with "proofs" before being published, just to be sure. Nice to have the publishing credit, but then you never want to refer people to the book, if it ends up NOT what you wrote in the first place…"
I replied to Richard that it does take knowledge of HTML to format ebooks. It's not simply a dump-it-in and publish affair, which unfortunately some publishers try to get away with. You wouldn't want to buy a printed book that was simply a photocopy of someone's handwritten novel. Different formats need different tasks to be applied. But plenty of poetry houses are doing it: Copper Canyon, Coffeehouse, Farrar, Straus and Giroux. It's just a matter of the publisher committing itself to learning how to do it.
Here's a New York Times article on the issue from 2014, "Line by Line, E-Books Turn Poet-Friendly."
Luke said, “Mary I understand your frustration. I too, wish there were more poetry offered in an e format. I'm old fashioned (no smart phone, etc) but have grown fond of the kindle. I'm a believer. I just read a great article about how the kindle and the tablet has encouraged reading and as a result more people are keen to try out things like poetry. Poetry sales are up as a result, bettering publishing houses and authors!"
Marie said, “Two presses that release ebooks simultaneously with print versions:
And yet it seems there are many publishers who just aren’t interested in listening to their customers. Imagine if Apple or your local restaurant felt this way. Experts estimate that about 80 percent of new products fail upon introduction and another 10 percent disappear within five years. See “Organization Theory and Design” by Richard Daft (a book available in eBook, by the way) and this article from Forbes: http://www.forbes.com/sites/ericwagner/2013/09/12/five-reasons-8-out-of-10-businesses-fail/ !
Writers need to come to terms with a few things: one, that they are not their work and two, that their writing is not necessarily its format. Also, they need to come to terms with a new generation and their very different needs. Although I don’t agree with newness for it’s own sake, I like this comment by Seth Godin, a marketing and business guru:
"Change is the point. It's what we seek to do to the world around us. Change, actual change, is hard work. And changing our own minds is the most difficult place to start. It's also the only place to start. It's hard to find the leverage to change the way you see the world, hard to pull on your thought-straps. But it's urgent."
Another great quote:
"A great many people think they are thinking when they are merely rearranging their prejudices." William James
If you think outside the box, if you use poetry as research, if you read poetry explanatorily and don’t purchase every book of poems as collectibles, eBooks are the clear choice for format.
More Conversation
Here is a great conversation explaining why Amazon may not be the predictor of doom.
In a Jane Friendman's interview with Bo Sacks, he says, “print used to be the least expensive, easiest way to reach a mass audience. It was easy to print, and many people did. And there was lots of junk printed.”
Jane asks, "There’s all this conversation about print versus digital in publishing. How much is that a distraction?" He responds, "It’s a terrible distraction. Everything is as it was; only the substrate has changed. And I believe the substrate is irrelevant to the message. We as publishers are agnostic or should be agnostic to the substrate. We just want to sell you good words. I’m indifferent to how you choose to read those words. And that’s what’s happening, despite our fears and worries. Reading is not going to go away. And we should be respectful of the individual’s right to read on whatever substrate she wants."
Bo Sacks says we’re in the “Information Distribution Industry" (formerly known as "Publishing").
In other related news, here is an article on Self publishing scams: http://theworldsgreatestbook.com/self-publishing-scams-2/
And peaking of Amazon, strangely I see many questionable copies of my book for sale on Amazon from independent sellers, possibly more books than I’ve actually sold or given out. And one seller from Arizona claims that the dust cover is missing. The only problem being my book didn’t have one.
Which reminds me that my two Goodreads giveaways (resulting in 10 books given away) produced zero reviews so I wouldn’t recommend bothering with those. I think they end up on Amazon! 🙂
How exciting it is to be sending out poems! No matter how often you receive rejections, keep focusing on the fun of researching, organizing and sending poems out into the universe.
