E-Books and Amazons!

[JackLuis]

The 2010s were supposed to bring the ebook revolution. It never quite came.

Publishing spent the 2010s fighting tooth and nail against ebooks. There were unintended consequences.

Have you tried to self-publish your porn? I mean you spread it for free here but has anyone tried self-publishing and made any money?

 

[Blind_Justice]

Yes, a whopping 3 Euros 75 cents. I'm obviously doing it wrong.

 

[KeithD]

Yes I make money from e-publishing (I don't self-publish, though), and I disagree with you on the effect of the e-book revolution. I was publishing even before the print-on-demand revolution, which opened up the "what's on offer" gates, which were further opened up (even more extensively) by the e-book revolution. In the publishers and print only days, there were only narrow channels for both writers and readers and they were closely controlled by highly subjective power centers. That has gone away, with the biggest payoff being the existence of accessible and populated genres that never were available before.

I don't self-publish, but I publish in newly available niches with small publishers who could not function and survive in the publisher/print only world. I made money by writing in this older world, but I make far more with far wider freedom in what I write to be published in the e-book world (and still make money from books long enough to be put out in both e and print form).

And that's not from conjecture--that's from being around in publishing for several decades and doing it.

 

[MadameSarcasm]

I don't self-publish, but I publish in newly available niches with small publishers who could not function and survive in the publisher/print only world. I made money by writing in this older world, but I make far more with far wider freedom in what I write to be published in the e-book world (and still make money from books long enough to be put out in both e and print form).

And that's not from conjecture--that's from being around in publishing for several decades and doing it.

KeithD, I'm curious whether you use an agent or negotiate yourself. You always seem to have so many active stories, it's hard to imagine how you do it all!

 

[ElectricBlue]

The 2010s were supposed to bring the ebook revolution. It never quite came.

Have you tried to self-publish your porn? I mean you spread it for free here but has anyone tried self-publishing and made any money?

Made a hundred bucks in sales but paid far too much for my first cover, which means I'm still behind by a hundred or so. I did later covers myself for $0 (and prefer my own aesthetic), so if I do more, I'll only be paying for the ISBN.

It's called vanity publishing for a reason, but it IS nice to have your own words in a book on the shelf, even if nobody knows but me.

 

[KeithD]

KeithD, I'm curious whether you use an agent or negotiate yourself. You always seem to have so many active stories, it's hard to imagine how you do it all!

Agents don't handle erotica typically. I also am beyond negotiating with publishers. I just don't do it. I don't need money and don't like the hassle of negotiating with anyone. I came up with a few publishers in erotica who were trying to get started and needed material to publish and I just stuck with a couple of them who survived. I don't have to go through any submission process with them. I just send off whatever I've finished and they do the rest (which is why I don't self-publish) and send me royalties (not much per work, but I have nearly 200 works in the marketplace, so it adds up).

What I've done--evolved with the evolution of the industry--doesn't really apply to what someone would need to do now. Also, we're beyond the crest of the wave in publishing erotica. Those with established reputations do well enough, but those just beginning are faced with a glut on the market. So much is available now, and readers already have their Kindles and Nooks stuffed with works they now realize is more than they can ever read. Sales are tough for anyone putting up a first work--and not having new works to put up every couple of weeks to get their names in front of readers.

 

[UsuallyPresent]

Yes I make money from e-publishing (I don't self-publish, though), and I disagree with you on the effect of the e-book revolution. I was publishing even before the print-on-demand revolution, which opened up the "what's on offer" gates, which were further opened up (even more extensively) by the e-book revolution. In the publishers and print only days, there were only narrow channels for both writers and readers and they were closely controlled by highly subjective power centers. That has gone away, with the biggest payoff being the existence of accessible and populated genres that never were available before.

I don't self-publish, but I publish in newly available niches with small publishers who could not function and survive in the publisher/print only world. I made money by writing in this older world, but I make far more with far wider freedom in what I write to be published in the e-book world (and still make money from books long enough to be put out in both e and print form).

And that's not from conjecture--that's from being around in publishing for several decades and doing it.

Might it also be said that while some of the gates have ceased to exist, others have changed hands & emphasis - thinking primarily about the Amazon market dominance.

 

[KeithD]

Might it also be said that while some of the gates have ceased to exist, others have changed hands & emphasis - thinking primarily about the Amazon market dominance.

There are far more distributors than Amazon. Some months I make more from Smashwords sales than Amazon. Kobo sales also are nearly as high as Amazon. My primary publisher puts the works up on as many as seven different platforms. (I've lost count, but not having to do this myself gives me the luxury of not trying to keep track).

From my perspective, I make more with no hassle with print publishers (and I've worked inside mainstream publishing houses myself) and less control over what I choose to write today than I could do in 1995.

 

[Zeb_Carter]

Back in 2010 - 2011 I made quite a bit from both Amazon and Smashwords. After about 2014 things have gone down hill. I still make enough to go out and buy a pizza and wings once a month.

 

[Zeb_Carter]

There are far more distributors than Amazon. Some months I make more from Smashwords sales than Amazon. Kobo sales also are nearly as high as Amazon. My primary publisher puts the works up on as many as seven different platforms. (I've lost count, but not having to do this myself gives me the luxury of not trying to keep track).

From my perspective, I make more with no hassle with print publishers (and I've worked inside mainstream publishing houses myself) and less control over what I choose to write today than I could do in 1995.

Smashwords along publishes to about 10 - 15 other outlets alone.