Cutting cost with e-books
LOCAL publishers aren’t shying away from the transition to digital.
If they did, they would be missing out on reducing operational expenses, while electronic books make it easier for the content to be put to market.
Book-length publication in digital form also helps to cut operating and marketing costs, said Kellie Magnus, author of children’s book Little Lion.
Local publishers such as Ian Randle Publishers have willingly embraced the technology.
“Digitisation has allowed us to take more books to market, and has helped with conversion to take it across platforms,” said Christine Randle, managing director of the local publishing company.
Of note in the digital landscape is the emergence of the e-reader globally. A single e-reader can store large collection of books, and dozens of the portable devices designed for reading digital publications are available on the world market.
Currently, textbooks dominate the book market, according to Magnus, but readers have taken a liking for Jamaican general interest books.
The scope for marketing and distribution of Jamaican books also expands exponentially with e-books.
Books by Caribbean authors get disproportionately positive attention from the New York Times, according to New York-based publisher, Johnny Temple.
Digitisation has also given rise to self-publishing.
“It was said you really only did this when no one wanted to publish your work, or when there’s no one to publish your work,” said Tanya Batson-Savage, promotions director, BIAJ.
Now, a lot of self-publishers have come out because of this platforms for them.
“So, as opposed to one publisher, you find that people are offering different jobs, they’ll be your editor or work on your graphics,” she said.
Best-seller Fifty Shades of Grey started as selfpublished work, which was posted on the author’s website, before it was picked up by other people and then a traditional publisher, Batson-Savage said.
Randle doesn’t believe the perception that people aren’t reading holds true nowadays.
“One thing I’ve noticed, is the importance of social media,” she said. “People are reading more, they are just choosing what they read.”
Sometimes it takes that one book to get people to read.
How much sales are generated from e-book is totally dependent on the number of readers who are interested in the content, added Magnus.
