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Author: Mya Bell
Date: 05-01-05 19:22
I've been assiduously avoiding it, to be honest.
I was one of the first people to join the Internet ebook discussion lists. The two main topics of conversation were: how to copyprotect ebooks (to prevent theft) and how to make more money (because none of the early ebooks adopters were making money except one guy who was selling porn.
People steal. People steal software because it's easy to steal. The trade in ebooks has been somewhat good for a few small niches but overall, the industry is not profitable. Many of the big publishers dumped millions into starting ebook divisions and then closed them a couple of years later.
Eventually ebooks might be profitable--I don't know--but now it's difficult to make money after the "first flush" of sales.
If you have a niche market and a good venue for selling the ebooks, it might be possible to sell a decent number of titles before every person on the Internet "shares" it with his neighbor.
My publisher asked me about making an ebook out of one of my books and I said no and I told them the reasons why. They accepted my reasons and published more of my books in traditional form.
Perhaps things have changed since I frequented the ebooks list and more of them are making money--but go into it with your eyes open. You might consider joining one of the lists and reading the archives.
--- Mya Bell
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