Writing books vs web publishing

Because most of us will go blind reading a book online, and online runs on batteries, while books do not.

 

To my understanding, published books tend to have a little bit more credibility than something instantly shared on the web. Since they are reviewed before they are published and held to some standard.

Not that I'm dissing information or books shared online. I'm not.

 

Many do put their information online/free, just do some snooping around. Bible.org for one, then there are tons of books/commentaries free for e-sword Bible program. Check biblesupport.com out - watch the author as there are all sorts of strains available there.

 

Jacob, what do you do (work) for your living?

 

For the aspiring writer, I believe web publishing is an outstanding alternative to the trap of having to vanity-publish, buying thousands of copies of his/her own book that typically, eventually, get pitched in the recycle bin. Digital publishing and print-on-demand have significantly reduced the cost of producing a book. The amazing growth of e-readers and tablets has vastly expanded the market for e-books, which can be self-published at little or no cost. There is the tremendous advantage for writers who self-publish being far more able to dictate control of the rights to their books, set their books’ sale price and keep a bigger chunk of gross sales.

One thing has not changed, though. Most self-published books sell fewer than 100 or 150 copies, according to the stats available from Amazon, Kindle, etc. There are breakout successes, and some writers can make money simply by selling their e-books at low prices. Some self-published books attract so much attention that a traditional publishing house eventually picks them up. You may have heard of the novel “Fifty Shades of Grey,” -- trash, in my opinion -- which nonetheless began its life as a self-published work.

There are any number of companies out there willing to take advantage of the vanity author, though I won't classify all of them that way. At Lulu, for example, the author pays nothing upfront. Sell a hard-copy book, you receive 80 percent of the proceeds, beyond the cost of manufacturing the book. For $450, Lulu offers an editing package for books longer than 7,500 words -- that's most books. Lulu will design a book cover for $130, and provides groups of services like editing, design and formatting, ranging from $729 to $4,949, depending on how much work the author is willing to admit he/she might need.

At CreateSpace, a division of Amazon, the process for producing a print book is similar. Go to the website, sign up for an account and follow the steps to prepare a print book for publication. If you sell your book through Amazon, you receive 60 percent of the proceeds, minus the cost of printing. Optional services include copy editing, which starts at $120, and converting a print file to an e-book for Kindle, $69. Half a dozen packages, the most expensive of which costs $4,853, provide services like comprehensive editing, cover and interior design, promotion and publicity assistance and a video book trailer.

Relatively similar services can be found at many other Web sites, including Aventine Press; Self Publishing Inc.; Hillcrest Media; and iUniverse, Xlibris and AuthorHouse, which are among the imprints owned by Author Solutions, a company purchased last month by Penguin, a traditional publishing house, for $116 million. So it's possible to write and publish for a lot less than it would have cost 20 years ago. But most vanity-books fail to produce anything but self-satisfaction for the author.

 

Jacob.

Get on the Grace to You Mailing list. Mac mails out lots of books for FREE. Also check out the ministry of RC Sproul and get this book as its FREE.

http://www.ligonier.org/freeresource/

I just got my copy and am reading it. excellent stuff!!

 

Jacob, you say you clean tables? Why don't you do that for free?


The short answer is, many do so when they can afford it. I have an ebook version of my book on my blog for free.

But we have to feed the kids, ya know? Paying for a book isn't about making a profit, it is about supporting an author that you think is making an important contribution to the church.

 

It isn't...

...my only source of income, writing books! However, it is an extension of my ministry, and I have heard from many people who have been blessed beyond what I had hoped for, and that makes it worth more than the small royalty I receive!

The truth is, I give away books when people can't afford them from the publishing company or bookstores, because God gave me the words on those pages, and I am not about to charge those who may benefit from the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, for the sake of a very small royalty!

Thanks for asking your question, and may you one day feel the leading to write too! It is one more avenue to reach folks for the Gospel!

 

Jacob, have you ever considered going to college, perhaps beginning at a Community College? I would also add, when/if you can afford it, you obviously have a computer, purchase ebooks online, such as Barnes and Noble, or Amazon. Much less expensive. Most ebooks are in the $10 range. You can download Nook or other reader software for free.

 

I did, but you miss the point. Writing is hard work (especially writing theology/Biblical writings), and should be compensated. Would you clean tables for free, if you had another job?

Lots of biblical authors write, and make a living off their books, but are more than happy to give their books away to people who cannot afford them (John Macarthur and R.C. Sproul both do this).

 

When I went to community college from 96-2000 online books or ebooks were a rarity and smart phones did not exist. Boy has it been that long?

 

I don't know. I think this is pretty valid. It depends on the book, the author, and the goals and purpose of both. I have a print publisher and write some projects for print and we try to sell books. We sell a few. And when we sell them they go to a broad audience and my local network and church folk I serve.

I also write weekly for free for a local newspaper. This is strictly local but has a broad readership in the area. I also write articles which are free at Christian websites. I also have books I've written, self published, for free at my website (www.chrissurber.com), and I print those as I need them to distribute locally.

I like the idea of giving material away but its difficult to promote it as heavily, i.e. I can't pay a lot for advertising. Were it not for Zondervan and Baker Books marketing muscle most of the well known Christian authors you'd never have heard of. So, there is a need for free resources and resources have a real cost. Truthfully, unless we are talking about a handful of people who've written bestsellers, the vast majority of Christian writers don't make much profit writing, even with books that sell a lot of copies.