So it looks like the Nook has succumbed to overwhelming competition from the Kindle. Most readers buy for the Kindle, as I have learned from personal experience. I think Apple ibooks has a chance because it is bundled with the iPad, but I’m not sure about Kobo and such. I believe one day, print books will be obsolete. The cost of paper will keep going up and then there’s the problem of paying for shipping. For me being in a bookstore is my dream, but alas Walking with Elephants is shelved in a indie bookstore and that store gets hardly any traffic. I only put three copies there and sold one. Forget Barnes and Noble. If you don’t use a vanity press and have a print run so they can stock the book in inventory, well, forget it. This is so old school. Why pay the inventory cost when the store can order POD books whenever they sell out and get replenished inventory almost as fast as sending it from a storage facility? But old habits die hard I guess, and these mega bookstores are paying the price.
Another changing dynamic for indie authors are book reviews. With trolls infecting sites, it is becoming harder to get an honest review. Revenge and animosity rule the day, and once respected sites are becoming a joke. I have no clue as to how to stop this onslaught. The sites themselves seem to tolerate abhorrent behavior on the part of supposed reviewers, who don’t even read the book they are reviewing.
So what will the future be for the indie author, who had enjoyed all the distribution channels available for possible sales, and counted on certain sites to help spread the word about the quality of their books through the review process? My guess, is the best we can hope for is the “see inside” feature on Amazon and advertising with sites that have a huge email subscriber list. All we indie authors need is a “sponsor” who will help us out financially. Good luck with that.
