E-Book Distribution Update

The e-book distribution system is up and running. Our FRP Publishing imprint loaded its first two titles, Recipes Worth Sharing and More Recipes Worth Sharing. Both are now available in the major e-book providers such as Apple, Amazon and Kobo.  We are also launching our first customer title this week and hope to have it active within the next two weeks.  An announcement will follow when it is active. (hint: only 1 of 10 titles in its category in the Apple Store)

While we feel that this e-distribution is a secondary strategy it remains important in an author's publishing plans.  As more electronic devices hit the market it will be a critical component in every book marketing and selling plan. My friend, Tim Creehan, who is a well known chef and restaurateur in the Destin, FL area told me last week that he definitely wants to give his customers the option of buying a physical book or loading it onto their reading device.

What are your thoughts about e-books?

What is the Downside of E-Books?

The statistics overwhelmingly support the fact that consumers are buying e-books. This past Christmas season saw a record number of e-readers sold with the introduction of the new Kindle Fire as well as other e-reading devices. And we know that there is now a Chef Stand and Stylus on the market that allows us take our readers into the kitchen and use an e-book without ever touching the tablet.

But you might be thinking, I have a lot of inventory of printed books that I need to sell first. My response is the two are not connected. People that don't have e-readers are not going to buy an e-book but those with e-readers are looking for content to use on their devices. The right strategy is to offer both formats.

There is no downside. It is too early in the game to quote any accurate statistics (even if you can find any; I haven't been able to) regarding how many cookbooks have been purchased in an e-format but that doesn't mean consumers won't buy if they are available. Plus, if your book is on Amazon.com and clearly marked as available in an e-format you target both demographics--those with an e-reader and those without or who just prefer a printed cookbook.

The way I see it you can't go wrong with promoting and offering both formats.

Get Creative and Don't Forget Marketing

Happy Thanksgiving! I do hope you'll be enjoying good food and fellowship this holiday.

Book opportunitites abound. The opportunities are not determinded by the format--printed or electronic but rather on whether there is a market for the content. It is simply not true that a new book cannot be successful in today's world.

This was recently confirmed by our new Meet Me At imprint which was launched last year and is currently being expanded.  Our Meet Me At Opryland Hotel just placed a rush order for 2,000 more copies after going through an initial order of 5,000 books earlier in the year. And this re-order is just to get them through their immediate needs.

Another beautiful book in this series is Meet Me on Jekyll Island and projections say it will be in a reprint mode by May of 2012. 

Now, there are many books already on the market about Opryland Hotel and Jekyll Island. So why would someone publish another title? Because the Meet Me At books are in a creative format and design which also provides interesting information that appeals to consumers. These books are currently in a printed version but I can see a day in the not too distant future where there will be a niche for an electronic version as well.

Book selling is about creative content and a strong marketing effort. More books have failed due to a poor marketing plan than vice versa. If you decide that you have a good book idea by all means pursue it; just don't forget that if you want it to sell well you cannot scrimp on the marketing efforts.

E-Book Format Now Available

Southwestern Publishing Group and its imprints are happy to announce that we are now offering both print and e-book formats for our customers. Ebooks sales have soared and the book industry reports that e-books now outsell printed books in some categories. For the cooking category, e-books are just now making their entry and we have seen a very limited number of regional cookbooks available in this format so far.


Moving forward we see this as a growing segment of the publishing industry and therefore are making it available as a publishing strategy for our clients. For existing books that were originally produced using digital files rather than film the conversion cost and set up is inexpensive and fairly simple. We will convert the digital files to the various formats necessary for the different e-reader devices. The books will then be promoted on Apple, Amazon (Kindle) and B&N (Nook) as well as other major sellers of e-books.
For older titles that were developed and printed using film rather than digital files there is another step necessary that makes the conversion a bit more expensive. A solid marketing plan should be developed to justify the expense and create sales. This could include repackaging the book to include updated material, additional recipes and any other ideas that might bring additional value to an older book.

In terms of marketing it will be imperative that all steps in a promotional plan include the e-format availability. Neither time nor technological advances stand still. Even though today approximately 94% of consumers say they prefer a printed cookbook we can predict that the percentages will change as time moves on.

What are your thoughts on cookbooks in an e-format?

Real Books VS E-Books

In today's technological society we are witnessing change faster than the speed of light. One huge area of change has been brought about by the advances in e-readers. The Kindle, the Nook and the IPad are revolutionizing the way that avid readers enjoy their books.

Being in the community cookbook business I am often asked, "should I also sell my cookbook via e-reader devices?" The answer to this question is a bit trickier than it might seem. Sure there are now millions of e-readers out in the hands of consumers, but when you think about why people buy community cookbooks and how they use them, the proclivity for offering them in electronic format diminishes.

Personally, I am a messy cook. I would hate to think that I just splashed an expensive e-reader with olive oil or salt--not to mention flour, raw eggs or Worcestershire sauce. It's bad enough keeping my laptop keyboard free of dust and other normal atmospheric junk but to take it or a similar device into the kitchen is a scary thought.

In addition, most of us don't purchase a community cookbook simply to cook out of. We want the stories and the memories all together in a printed volume to recall our visit to a place and a culture where we enjoyed the people and their food. Somehow this just doesn't translate into electronic files.

The other obvious drawback for community cookbook publishers is the business end of the equation. Where will readers buy my electronic version? How will they find it? Will I make any money from the sale? The business end of this industry has a long way to go before any of us understand exactly how the model works.

Am I putting e-readers and their fans down? Absolutely not. Both my wife and one of my daughters enjoy their Kindles. I am planning on buying an IPad when the next generation comes out later this year. Most likely I will download trade biographies or non-fiction to my reader to use when traveling. That said, I never foresee using an IPad in the kitchen--for my money, a community cookbook should be the printed volume.

Of course my thoughts are exactly that, mine. However, read the attached article by Nichole Aksamit of The Omaha World-Herald and you will see that others agree.

http://www.omaha.com/article/20110119/LIVING/701199957