Sony partners with smashwords & author solutions

[Misha999 (imported)]

I'm not sure if this is the correct forum for this announcement. If it belongs somewhere else the moderator should move it.

There are some authors here who may pen stories they want to see popularized in e-book markets such as Sony and Kindle.

As the title says Sony has just jumped into bed with two POD companies. Please read below.

"To give its online bookstore a competitive advantage, Sony today is announcing it is throwing the doors open to independent authors to publish electronic books on its site. Sony said it has partnered with two companies, Smashwords and Author Solutions, to help independent writers self-publish digital books on Sony's eBook Store, which currently sells more than 130,000 titles. It also distributes millions of free public domain books via a partnership with Google. Amazon, on the other hand, boasts 350,000 titles for its Kindle readers."

What does this mean? Simply that those scorned by "traditional" publishing houses have the opportunity to see their books in print as e-books and offered on sale to the public.

My guess it won't be cheap. These POD outfits have several layers of options. Some less expensive than others. Still, some here may want to look into it.

Here are two links on the subject.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/technol ... indle-sony.

http://digital.venturebeat.com/2009/09/ ... ook-store/

Not tot knock Sony but if I were going to do this I'd format my own book (MSWord for dummies tells you how.) then send it to BookSurge and have it available on Amazon's Kindle e-book reader. If one does that it costs about $99 bucks and your book is available as a hard copy on amazon.com.

M

p.s. I have no personal stake in any of these companies.

[StefanIsMe (imported)]

Interesting. Company I work for has been doing a sort-of PoD style service for a couple of years now, although we don't do any advertising or anything like that for the writer. However, our prices are way cheaper for a hundred books than most PoD's. It's strictly a sideline for us, but the demand is there; most of what we do is Grandmas' family history that she wants 100 copies for all the family, or quacks who think they can sell 500 copies of "Why Drinking Butane Can Make You Live 200 Years", or such drivel. It is rather entertaining, though, to read some of the crapulence that comes off that production line! Last job I saw run there was 250 copies, 167 page book, real nice cover, and the writer was billed about 5.50 / copy... mind you, we had to do a ton of prepress fixing to make his bogus file work.

[Misha999 (imported)]

I agree that much of what POD technology produces via outfits like Xlibris and Author House is not very good. That said, I see a lot of good writing too. For example The Phoenix by Ruth Sims was first produced by a co-op POD hybrid. It's quite good. After many years of legal wrangling she managed to slip her contract and reissue TP through Lethe Press.

There have been break out POD books that have caught the eye of agents and gone on to fame. Those are one in a million but it does happen and it indicates there are some good writers out there who go ignored but for POD. It's not an easy road, but then no publishing project is.

M

[StefanIsMe (imported)]

Very true, Misha. The company I work for is very fortunate; as cut-throat and low-profit as printing can be, they have always paid cash for new presses and other equipment and the lack of debt (and employee ownership) has saved our asses during this downturn.

The changes in tech in the last 10 years alone are astonishing, and yet, the computer side is only part of it with this industry; the company spends far more on replacing aged bookline equipment yearly than on IT, and that factors in 6 inhouse programmers, developing software to make publishing houses' jobs easier.

China remains our biggest competitor, but the reality is we have barely tapped the USA market, and there are plenty of book jobs that North Americans' wont entrust to the Chinese. Yes, the Chinese have fully modern book manufacturers, but color control is iffy, pressmen there are paid a fraction of what we are here, and there is the biggest problem, delivery time; everything from there has to come by boat. Those are the only factors that save our bacon from the Orientals.

That's why this company is getting into PoD, even though on a small basis (just 2 black-only digital presses and a tiny bookbinder line for it); it is, indeed, a growing part of the business.

[Misha999 (imported)]

SIM, You're fortunate to see the industry from the inside. Most people who approach POD don't realize that it is a technology as well as a publishing tool use to produce and market a product. I think too many people who have books printed (especially novels) are shocked to learn that their books won't be stocked in brick and mortar stores. The sad fact is POD companies like Author House offer such low discounts on their books that B&M stores simply can't make money on them. And that brings me to the other part of the equation that many authors don't think about and that is writing is an art, even if the writing is considered rather poor. Agents, editors, publishers, distributors and bookstores are businesses. They focus on $$$ not art. Even niche stores like those with a gay or religious focus are in business to make money. And like all businesses their object is to separate you from your money. And that goes for the POD outfits such as the ones I've mentioned. Their upfront fees are very high and they do take advantage of eager authors who are frustrated by a seeming endless struggle to be published.

BTW as you may have noticed, I keep away from using the word "writer". That's because I define a writer as one who make his/her living by writing while an author is a person who as penned a work. All writers are authors; not all authors are writers.

M