When Will E-Books REALLY Take Over?

There's been a lot of talk about Amazon's announcement that Kindle e-books are outselling paper books at their Web site. Many uninformed folks have taken Amazon's claim and started spreading a loud rumor that E-BOOKS HAVE TAKEN OVER PUBLISHING.

They haven't.

E-books in general account for around $69M of the market, while adult paperback and adult hardcover combine for about $212.5M, according to the Association of American Publishers (AAP). March 2011 sales figures showed that print books as a whole equal somewhere around $338M while e-books (as mentioned previously) are at $69M.

When will e-books really take over?

There are a lot of guesses, of course, but no one knows for sure. If the transition from print to e-books compares at all to CDs and MP3s in the music industry, it could be only a couple years until e-books really take over. On March 2, 1983, CD players and discs were released in the US and other markets. Audio Highway released the first MP3 player in 1997. Certain studies show that digital music will finally overtake CDs by 2012, which means consumers will have taken roughly 15 years since the introduction of the first MP3 player to "switch over" to digital music.

The first e-reader, the Rocketbook, released in 1998.

Is 2013 the magic date for the e-book takeover, then? I don't think so, but it's fun to create an educated guess, isn't it? When do you think e-books will rule the world?

On a side note, I don't believe paper books will ever disappear. People are too attached to that format to let it go entirely. I think e-books and paper books will coexist for many, many years to come! Both are incredibly important to the publishing world.

Twitter Tips

Having a great, relaxing weekend but wanted to stop by and share a post ... 5 Twitter Tips For Authors And Publishers by Cindy Ratzlaff. Some good food for thought for every tweeting author ... Click here to read.

Reminder: Twitter Kindle contest from MindStir Media: Win a Kindle Wi-Fi, along with some bestselling paperbacks, and a valuable coupon. Get the details here and please spread the word.

Exceptional Customer Service from Authors

Whether you want to believe it or not, writing is a business. It's lots of fun but you should remember in the back of your mind that you need to make a profit in order to stay in business. What do all successful businesses have in common? Exceptional customer service. Great customer service creates happy and loyal customers. Make them happy and they'll keep coming back for more of your books. These sales generate profits. Treat your customers badly and you'll ultimately go out of business. 

Here are some ways to provide quality customer service as an author:

1. Use social media, e.g. Facebook and Twitter, to communicate with current and potential customers. Be polite, always. The key word there is "communicate." Don't talk to them; talk with them.
2. Take Gary Vaynerchuk's approach and respond to negative reviews (on Amazon.com, for example) with an apology and offer to refund. I know this may sound crazy, but you'd be surprised how much respect you will earn. Read this.
3. Throw in a bookmark or some complimentary item with every book sold at your website. Sign the book, obviously, and also the bookmark. Include a short note with your email address. Sign the note as well. Ask the customer to get in touch with you after they're done reading. Let them know you'd love to hear from them. When they email you, make sure to respond. This type of personal customer service will gain you many repeat customers!

Any other ideas? 

Get A Free Kindle Wi-Fi

I've mentioned the Kindle here on my blog several times and wanted to let you know that you can win a Kindle Wi-Fi, along with some bestselling paperbacks, and a valuable coupon. Get the details here and please spread the word.