Why were authors attracted to eBooks? Because there were many advantages.
There was no need for soliciting agents and publishers. There was no need for
printing vast numbers of printed books, or finding a warehouse to store those books.
There were no fees associated with packing and shipping.The customer could also
avoid a trip to the store, and instead select a book they see online and start reading it in
moments.
But there were some problems.
Customers either had to read the book on the computer, which could strain the eyes, or
print the book out themselves, which was time-consuming and difficult for an entire
novel.
Fast forward to today and those barriers no longer exist.
The world’s largest online retailer and online bookstore, Amazon.com, brought about
the eBook revolution with their book-size Kindle reader. The Kindle brings benefits to
both the customer and the author.
The customer benefits from the convenience of being able to curl up and read their
eBook anywhere, no longer being forced to read at a computer or print out hundreds of
pages.
And the author benefits even more:
The convenience that a Kindle customer experiences will leave them more likely to
purchase eBooks in the future (one of the many reasons why eBook sales overtook
Amazon’s conventional book sales in June 2010).
The convenience of the Kindle format means that all book types are in high demand,
from the ‘How To’ guides to traditional fiction.
A customer base of millions that can be reached instantly, something which authors
could only dream of a little more than 20 years ago.
But there is yet another important advantage for an aspiring eBook author— there is no
need to jump through hoops to sell your novel internationally.