Is Self-publishing a Salvation for Authors? The case of Lithuanian printed bestseller in the digital...
-
Upload
arunas-gudinavicius -
Category
Social Media
-
view
69 -
download
0
Transcript of Is Self-publishing a Salvation for Authors? The case of Lithuanian printed bestseller in the digital...
![Page 1: Is Self-publishing a Salvation for Authors? The case of Lithuanian printed bestseller in the digital environment](https://reader030.fdocuments.in/reader030/viewer/2022032513/55d09bebbb61ebb7058b462d/html5/thumbnails/1.jpg)
Is Self-publishing a Salvation for Authors?
The case of Lithuanian printed bestseller in the digital environment
ARŪNAS GUDINAVIČIUS
VILNIUS UNIVERSITY
LITHUANIA
2nd International Conference on Publishing – trends and contexts 2014 Focus: Digital authors and electronic books8-9 December 2014 – Pula, Croatia
![Page 2: Is Self-publishing a Salvation for Authors? The case of Lithuanian printed bestseller in the digital environment](https://reader030.fdocuments.in/reader030/viewer/2022032513/55d09bebbb61ebb7058b462d/html5/thumbnails/2.jpg)
Self-publishing: not a new phenomenon
Ben Franklin (1706-1790) – the pioneer of self-publishing,
William Blake (1757-1827),
Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849),
Charles John Huffam Dickens (1812-1870),
Mark Twain (1835-1910),
Marcel Proust (1871-1922),
Joseph Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936),
James Joyce (1882-1941),
Virginia Adeline Woolf (1882-1941),
George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950),
Edgar Rice Burroughs (1875-1950)
and many others.
![Page 3: Is Self-publishing a Salvation for Authors? The case of Lithuanian printed bestseller in the digital environment](https://reader030.fdocuments.in/reader030/viewer/2022032513/55d09bebbb61ebb7058b462d/html5/thumbnails/3.jpg)
New wave of self-publishing
"My friends, we have the chance to become Big
Publishing's worst nightmare.“Stephen King, 2000
![Page 4: Is Self-publishing a Salvation for Authors? The case of Lithuanian printed bestseller in the digital environment](https://reader030.fdocuments.in/reader030/viewer/2022032513/55d09bebbb61ebb7058b462d/html5/thumbnails/4.jpg)
2007: the new era for self-publishers
In 2007 Amazon.com launched Kindle Direct Publishing
(https://kdp.amazon.com)
![Page 5: Is Self-publishing a Salvation for Authors? The case of Lithuanian printed bestseller in the digital environment](https://reader030.fdocuments.in/reader030/viewer/2022032513/55d09bebbb61ebb7058b462d/html5/thumbnails/5.jpg)
Research questions:
Do really author gets all income to himself?
Can author manage all possible risks of his
investments (time and money)?
What additional skills (besides the writing skills)
author must have to do publisher’s job?
What are small language author’s chances to
success with this self-published book in big market?
What are key factors for success?
![Page 6: Is Self-publishing a Salvation for Authors? The case of Lithuanian printed bestseller in the digital environment](https://reader030.fdocuments.in/reader030/viewer/2022032513/55d09bebbb61ebb7058b462d/html5/thumbnails/6.jpg)
The case study
Interview with the author combined with already published some facts on author’s blog was used.
The research conclusion makes assertions and suggestions for further research activity.
The limitation of this research comes from case study method: one selected case can offer no strong grounds for generality of findings.
![Page 7: Is Self-publishing a Salvation for Authors? The case of Lithuanian printed bestseller in the digital environment](https://reader030.fdocuments.in/reader030/viewer/2022032513/55d09bebbb61ebb7058b462d/html5/thumbnails/7.jpg)
Selecting the case
The case had to be considered typical.
The case had to be from small language market.
The author had to be known in that market.
The eBook must be self-published on large worldwide publishing platform.
![Page 8: Is Self-publishing a Salvation for Authors? The case of Lithuanian printed bestseller in the digital environment](https://reader030.fdocuments.in/reader030/viewer/2022032513/55d09bebbb61ebb7058b462d/html5/thumbnails/8.jpg)
Andrius Tapinas steampunk novel “Hour of the Wolf”
Published by largest Lithuanian publisher “Alma Littera” (in Lithuanian language)
Self-published by Andrius Tapinas (in English language)
![Page 9: Is Self-publishing a Salvation for Authors? The case of Lithuanian printed bestseller in the digital environment](https://reader030.fdocuments.in/reader030/viewer/2022032513/55d09bebbb61ebb7058b462d/html5/thumbnails/9.jpg)
Success of the print version The sales of printed and digital versions (both in Lithuanian)
started on 16th February, 2013.
No. 6 in adult fiction category of bestselling books in Pegasas bookstores chain (No. 1 between Lithuanian authors) in 2013
No. 6 (No. 2 between Lithuanian authors) in Vaga bookstores chain in 2013
Book of the Year 2013 Award in Lithuania (by readers; adult fiction)
Lithuanian Literature and Folklore Institute included Hour of the Wolf into his TOP-12 list of The Most Creative Books of 2013 in Lithuanian Literature
Patriots Prize (by Ministry of National Defence Republic of Lithuania and Lithuanian Publishers Association) for best book for young generation
Sales of Lithuanian version (November 2014 data): 14 000 (printed hardcover, 7th edition on sale, 12,5 EUR)
500 (digital, EPUB, 9,5 EUR)All data here and forward comes from A. Tapinas blog (http://www.tapinas.lt/knygos/) and from A. Gudinavičius interview with him.
![Page 10: Is Self-publishing a Salvation for Authors? The case of Lithuanian printed bestseller in the digital environment](https://reader030.fdocuments.in/reader030/viewer/2022032513/55d09bebbb61ebb7058b462d/html5/thumbnails/10.jpg)
Preparation for self-publishing on Amazon.com
Translation
Conversion
Right cover for eBook
Purchase an ISBN
Submit title information (18 items: keywords, category, etc.)
Decision on Digital Rights Management preference
Uploading and previewing eBook content
Confirming publishing rights and selecting the territories
Selecting royalty option (35% or 70%) and setting eBook price
Create Amazon Author Page
US Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) or EIN
“1 per cent of all self-publishing work are done”, A. Tapinas
![Page 11: Is Self-publishing a Salvation for Authors? The case of Lithuanian printed bestseller in the digital environment](https://reader030.fdocuments.in/reader030/viewer/2022032513/55d09bebbb61ebb7058b462d/html5/thumbnails/11.jpg)
Done? Or buried under 3.4 million eBooks?
On September 3rd 2013 was introduced English language digital version Kindle Edition of Hour of the Wolf (Steam and Stone Saga 1) on Amazon.
The price for US citizens was set to $3.99 and $7.25 for non-US.
In Europe Amazon version the price is 2,99 EUR.
Author’s royalty is 70%.
Lithuanian digital version costs 9,5 EUR.
“One new title every five minutes an Amazon”, Claude Nougat, writer, economist, painter and poet (August 2014)
![Page 12: Is Self-publishing a Salvation for Authors? The case of Lithuanian printed bestseller in the digital environment](https://reader030.fdocuments.in/reader030/viewer/2022032513/55d09bebbb61ebb7058b462d/html5/thumbnails/12.jpg)
Pushing eBook forward
Social networks (Goodreads, Facebook, Twitter, LibraryThing, Shelfari, BookDaily, Wattpad)
Reviews social network followers
StoryCartel system
Advertising campaigns (BookBub, Book Blast, Frugal Reader, Digital Ink Today, Kindle Fire Department, Free-booksy, YouTube)
Kindle Direct Publishing Select program
Amazon 99 cents (USD) campaign
Results: No. 23000 in Kindle chart and No. 22 in Steampunk category
![Page 13: Is Self-publishing a Salvation for Authors? The case of Lithuanian printed bestseller in the digital environment](https://reader030.fdocuments.in/reader030/viewer/2022032513/55d09bebbb61ebb7058b462d/html5/thumbnails/13.jpg)
Results after 14 months2 first months with very intensive company, 12 following months without any special marketing
In total about 500 copies sold (price 3,99-7,25 USD)
Last months sales in average of 5-10 ebooks per month
“Better spend more time on writing books then on marketing”, A. Tapinas
![Page 14: Is Self-publishing a Salvation for Authors? The case of Lithuanian printed bestseller in the digital environment](https://reader030.fdocuments.in/reader030/viewer/2022032513/55d09bebbb61ebb7058b462d/html5/thumbnails/14.jpg)
Conclusions (with A. Tapinas)or some key factors for self-publishing success
Yes, in some cases, the author can get up to 70-80 % to him, but in exchange author need to spend a lot of hours in keeping his readers engaged,
you have to do marketing constantly, without loosening your efforts and do not expect fast results (snowball effect)
author need to organize (or do it by himself) translations, editing, converting, design a cover, get ISBN, deal with taxes, create accounts on many social networks (and keep them active), take care about reviews, do advertising campaigns and have time for writing
the fact you are not Anglo-Saxon native do not helps author might be known in small market, but it not helps in big
market (the small fish in the big pond [Carolan & Evain, 2013])
you have to have more than one book on sale to keep sales up
try to find literature agent (or publisher?)
![Page 15: Is Self-publishing a Salvation for Authors? The case of Lithuanian printed bestseller in the digital environment](https://reader030.fdocuments.in/reader030/viewer/2022032513/55d09bebbb61ebb7058b462d/html5/thumbnails/15.jpg)
Is Self-publishing a Salvation for Authors? The case of Lithuanian printed bestseller in the digital environment
Thank you.
Arūnas Gudinavičius
VILNIUS UNIVERSITY
LITHUANIA
2nd International Conference on Publishing – trends and contexts 2014 Focus: Digital authors and electronic books8-9 December 2014 – Pula, Croatia