Has This Happened To Anyone Else?

[Beau]

This happened to me a few days ago, and I was wondering how common it was.

I published my book about six months ago, and let everyone know it was available. As well as the various eBook formats, I also opted for physical copies to be available from the publisher (unfortunately, postage to Australia is very expensive).

Anyway; I've had requests from people to order copies for them, because they:
* don't have a credit card
* don't have access to the internet
* don't have an eReader
* have trouble finding their way around the internet.

Ok, I placed the order and several weeks later the order arrives. In typical Santa Claus fashion, I've personally delivered the books. Along the way, several of my nosy colleagues have picked up one of the physical copies and said "Oh, you've actually written a real book".

This got me thinking; do people still look down on eBooks?

[Theresa]

I only have e books, its very expensive for the printed versions, It might be possible that some people look down on them. It is also possible that people cannot afford to buy a nook or kindle. E books can make the print larger and turn papers better. In time it will be all e books. My pen name is Emma Sydney Brooks an my e book is .99 cents

[Rachel]

I don't think tech savvy people or avid readers look down on ebooks these days but unfortunately the majority of people out there are neither. I often get the same reaction from co-workers. I keep a few copies in my locker at work and smile indulgently when I give them out. ;-) I guess maybe if you've never read on a kindle or a tablet you don't realize those are the same titles you can buy in a bookstore.

[sonya]

I love my kindle and ebooks

[Beau]

I was a little surprised that they thought a book was only a book if it was a physical object.

I wonder what that makes the music on their MP3 players?

[Jim]

I don't believe that many readers today denigrate e-Books per se; however, some still refuse to purchase a self-published or independently published book and automatically presume that a work that is only available in electronic download format falls into one of those categories.

[Shaun]

I've found a huge portion of people I know in the real world, friends, family, colleagues, will only buy a physical book. It's odd as most own tablets but most people prefer physically printed books. I must admit, I'm the same, I love owning a real book.

I found it very odd however when my book launched in ebook format and none of my friends or family bought it, they all waited for the physical book to become available and ordered it then.

[G.G.]

@Shaun I think it's because it's easier to display and show to people. You don't go around and show an eBook but you may very well do it with a printed version.

[Shaun]

True. I think people still like having a physical attachment to something they can hold.

[[deleted user]]

It isn't that expensive to get a printed version of your book with CreateSpace and other similar POD publishing companies. Createspace also allows you to do everything yourself for free. And it isn't that difficult to do, either. I have twelve ebooks and ten of those I have also published as trade paperbacks through CreateSpace. It's worth doing it just so you can put a copy on your own bookshelf!

[Jim]

For whatever reason, the consensus of this thread's participants seems to be that the majority of readers prefer traditional print books.

With that in mind, an author should not underestimate the quality and potential commercial viability of his/her work.

It costs nothing to send a query letter to a mainline publisher, whose acquisition staff will then either send a rejection response or request a copy of the manuscript for evaluation - the stage where the author will recieve either a rejection notice or contract offer.

If no contract offer materializes, nothing has been gained; however, nothing has been lost either. There is no stigma attached to having a work rejected; according to current data, 97% of submissions are rejected by mainline publishers.

If a contract is offered and accepted, a mainline publisher will produce and distribute the author's work in all of the popular formats simultaneously - paperback, e-Book downloads, audio book on CD and audio downloads.

Nothing ventured; nothing gained. Go for it!

[Beau]

David wrote: ".....I have also published as trade paperbacks through CreateSpace. It's worth doing it just so you can put a copy on your own bookshelf!"

That was one of the first things I did, just to remind me of what I'd achieved.

[E.G.]

As lame as it sounds, my e-book sales picked up when I made a physical copy available through Createspace. Something about a physical book seems to 'legitimize' the work.

[John]

It's the most convenient litmus test about whether an author is "serious" or not. A writer can, theoretically, cut corners by doing a shamefully sloppy job throughout the manuscript and then press "publish" a few hours later, maybe even Photoshop a plain, mediocre cover in the same night, but doing a print run takes longer and costs a little money.

Of course, it's not a very accurate indication of author commitment(even as litmus tests go), and even authors sincerely and wholeheartedly committed to their creations often fail to please. But there's no immediate way to reliably indicate quality for most members of the reading public, so they go with what they've got. While the test isn't perfectly reliable, it does have some logic to it and it works sometimes.

[Cheri]

Yes, this has happened to me. Many times. I also get looked down upon because I self-publish. As though my work isn't worthy of them reading because it hasn't been published by a big-house publisher. I've explained to people why I chose to self-publish and that the romance market is actually very difficult to break into. But it is to no avail. People with those opinions are difficult to sway. I have learned to shrug my shoulders and let it roll off of me.

[John]

Well, I suppose you get that in any profession; you're always going to get some people who'll dismiss it as too easy, unimportant, or just for lightweights.

The important thing is not to let it get to you, which you certainly seem to have mastered.

[Judy]

I have also been kidded about e-books not being "real" but I usually mention that it's the content that is the real book, and to give each format a try. I love a physical book in the hand, but have 5 or 6 e-books on my Nook and love reading, regardless of the format. Good luck.

[Tracey]

I'm new to ebooks. My son give me his kindle last year and i have started to add books. It's nice to use right before I go to sleep.