For the second installment of positivity week: the future.
You don’t hear very much optimism about the future these days, what with the stock market looking like the Grand Canyon and the Bachelor breaking hearts on national television (except my heart — I loved every minute).
We’re just over the horizon from the digital age of books. It will be a major transition. It is going to cause some heartache and displacement and layoffs, as it is already. We’re seeing old models break and die. And right now in the world of books, the shrinking shelf space due to closing bookstores (not to mention closing wallets) isn’t yet being replenished by the new possibilities that are afforded by the digital marketplace. Right now there are still all sorts of bottlenecks in the system that are resulting in good books not being published (or under-published) and all sorts of stress. Plus, change is scary.
(And yes, I know that paragraph may violate the terms of positivity week. Don’t worry, I’m getting to the good stuff.)
Don’t fret over your beloved paper books: they will always be around in some form. But here’s why we, as lover of books, should embrace the coming eBook future: distribution will no longer hold writers back.
Writers from the beginning of time have been faced with one essential physical challenge: you had to get the books to the people. Thus, you either owned a printing press or you had to find a publisher (who owned you). Without the publishers: there was no way to reach an audience.
This physical barrier has already eroded somewhat with POD and self-publishing, but as anyone who has self-published knows: good luck getting your self-published book into a bookstore. You may be able to print your own book these days, but without a publisher’s backing or pre-existing fame it’s ridiculously hard to find an audience.
In sum: throughout the past two hundred years, someone could write a perfectly good book, but there was one big barrier standing in between the author and their readers: publishers. As much as I’d like to think the publishing industry is always right, well, it’s not.
But here’s what’s going to happen in the digital era: anyone will be able to publish their book, and there will be no distribution barrier. The same eBook stores that stock Stephenie Meyer and Dan Brown will stock, well, you. Readers will be the ones who decide what becomes popular. There will be no intermediary. It will be just as easy to buy a book by you as it will be to buy the HARRY POTTER of the future. Your book will be just a few keystrokes away from everyone with an internet connection (and their tablet/eReader/iPhone/gizmo/whatchamacallit of the future).
Just think about it: no wondering how in the world your book is going to find its way past a publisher into a bookstore. No more print runs! No one will be doomed by a publisher and bookstores underbetting on their success. No more bottleneck. No more que……… well, there will always be queries. Sorry!
Books will finally be able to live and die by, well, themselves, not by the best guesses of the publishing industry.
Now, am I, the agent, writing my own obituary? Nope. I don’t think so. If anything things are getting more complicated, and authors will still need agents to navigate the business and negotiate with the Amazons and Sonys and Apples and whoever else rises up in the future. There will still be subrights to negotiate and distribution deals and all sorts of challenges that authors will be hardpressed to face on their own. We’ll still be here.
Am I writing the major publisher’s obituary? Nope. I don’t think so. Although their business will change a great deal, they’re probably correct to be coalescing around a blockbuster model. They will still be offering an unrivaled package of services: they’ll edit, copyedit, typeset, and promote your book, and better yet, they’ll pay you an advance. For the busy bestseller and celebrity it’s a very, very attractive package.
Am I writing the small publisher’s obituaries? Nope. I don’t think so. Small publishers will thrive around collectives like McSweeney’s, who help each other promote their likeminded books, and serve as tastemakers in the ensuing deluge of books. Readers will gravitate towards the sites on the Internet with books they like, and enterprising small publishers will have a greater opportunity than ever to become major players.
People, the future of books is exciting! Right now it’s scary and chaotic and is making me regularly pound my head on the desk. But when you look at the big picture: greater access will be the best thing that has ever happened to writers in the history of books.
ryan field says
I need my agent now more than ever. Things come up unexpectedly with e-books, and a good agent is really the only one who can help. Especially when you’re crossing between e-books and print books at the same time.
Rick Daley says
Great post. I agree with you that we are at the dawn of the digital publishing era.
I think the virtual bookstores will be stocked with a greater variety than any bookstore, so getting noticed will be even more difficult without the help of a publisher’s marketing muscle.
Just because your book is in a bookstore doesn’t guarantee it will be purchased and read. You want the reader who is entering keywords to find your work when it is relevant to their search.
I encourage all aspiring writers (and agents) to start educating themselves on search engine optimization (SEO) and other tools for Internet marketing.
WORD VERIFICATION: ulick. A phrase that when tripled gets you to the center of a tootsie pop.
Furious D says
I read about a machine where you can order a book on it, and it will literally print and bind a paperback copy in a matter of minutes.
I think every bookstore should have at least one and advertise it as a lure for people to get books without having to wait for delivery from an on-line retailer, who might be out of stock, because these machines are never out of stock.
Plus, it gets people browsing in the stores while they wait for their books.
Ink says
I believe… Steve Fuller will like this post. Twenty bucks? Any takers? C’mon, what’s a little bet between friends?
🙂
My best,
Bryan
Jamono says
I am truly excited about this new “frontier” in publishing as long as I have the option of reading extended samples of books before purchasing them. I made the mistake of bypassing Amazon’s sample chapter, downloaded a book to my Kindle, and found I couldn’t bear to read past page three. I won’t make that mistake again.
wickerman says
Nathan,
Do you think James Patterson (or whoever) will run for the internet the moment his contract w/ his publisher is up and rake int he superior cut that he and his agent will get by simply bypassing traditional publishers and books stores and the huge piece of overall take they are getting to cover their costs?
(all of this assuming the e-book climate is up and running at the time – I don’t mean to imply that I think bestselling authors will be doing this next week)
My concern is that this could take the cash cows away from the big publishers pretty much making it impossible for them to survive on the bestseller model. IF Barack Obama writes a book about his presidency in 2012 or 2016 and he can sell it and make 60% of the cover by offering it on Amazon in ebook form, why would be agree to accept 12.5% after pushing with Random House (or whoever)?
Wanda B. Ontheshelves says
I like the idea also how, just supposing you’re one of those writers who figures out the “soundtrack to your novel” as you’re going along, writing the thing – people could buy that along with the e-book…or recipes, or maybe clothing from your fashion line…why should music people be the only ones to branch out into fashion?
But now that I think about it…what will happen is, bands and those people known as “musical artists” will probably branch out and have novels (maybe graphic novels) to accompany their new releases…and they’ll be on our turf, instead of us being on theirs…
oh, the way of the world…
Vegas Linda Lou says
I’m happy to hear you say this, Nathan. I think things look GREAT for those of us who’ve opted to self-publish.
You’re right; this hardly heralds the demise of the agent. I’ll still need an agent’s expertise to negotiate film rights to bring “Bastard Husband: A Love Story” to the big screen, and you’ll be the first one I call. (See? I’ve totally forgiven you for passing on my manuscript.) Now if I can only secure Catherine Zeta-Jones to play moi and Phillip Seymour Hoffman as BH… It will be brilliant!
Margaret Yang says
To a certain extent, this has already happened with short stories, especially of the science fiction bent. Almost all of the short stories I’ve published have been with e-zines and I LOVE it. A paper copy of a magazine is on a shelf for weeks. It comes and goes. An e-zine is archived forever.
That is my positive contribution for the week.
Mira says
Wow.
I wholeheartedly agree with every word that you wrote, Nathan.
Amazing post, very powerful and far-sighted.
This is the dawn of a new era for of freedom for authors.
With a nod to MLK: Free at last!!
Dan says
Nathan,
And to keep up with the theme of positivity, even the young Kings players are looking good!
Perhaps one day, they’ll even make it back to the playoffs!
Anonymous says
The publisher is dead! Long live the publisher!
Nathan, I feel like the sun of positivity week slightly blinded your normally clear vision.
The problem before, you said, was that writers needed to get to readers.
The problem REMAINS the same.
It’s only that that the problem now is not logistical, i.e. getting the book physically there. Now it is a problem of marketing.
Imagine a poor, isolated subsaharan village with only one beverage store.
Beverage makers spend money and time trying to get their fluids to this market. Those that get there sell well. And this is very difficult.
Now imagine that a street is built which connects this village to a huge city nearby. They build a HUGE HUGE beverage story. Now EVERY drink in the world becomes available.
Is this really good news for the beverage maker? Not really. It just shifts the problem.
People can not POSSIBLY choose between all these beverage, nor take the time to understand the subtle differences between them.
How will they choose? Whatever beverage is closest, is talked about the most, is advertised the most.
No, publishers will not choose who gets published. But they will still choose who gets read.
Sorry for the rain on positive week.
Brian Buckley says
I’m curious what the balance point ends up being for paper books vs. e-books. Sure, paper books will always be around, but will they be a niche for antique enthsiasts (the way typewriters are today) or will there always be, say, 60% of the population buying paper books?
Personally, here’s what I think the future holds: a physical book with pages of digital paper so you can download any text you want to its pages. That way you still get the physical sensation of having a book and turning pages, plus all the versatility of an e-book reader.
munsesse says
Well, for the record, distribution is already not holding anyone back. You can put a link anywhere, so people could potentially find a path to your novel from literally anywhere on the internet. The distinction is that those novels are free. The question of how to translate a commercial industry from medium to medium is the core of all the ebook hand-wringing. Everything could have been ebooks ten years ago, if nobody wanted to get paid.
(And bless the ones who don’t. I’ve bought the eventual hard copy more times than I can count, and enjoyed hundreds of hours reading in the meantime.)
Dara says
That’s great! And it makes me feel a little less hesitant about the whole digital transition.
It’s nice to know I can still opt to find an agent to help me navigate the waters of the publishing world, rather than self-publishing and having to do everything (printing, promoting, selling) the book myself.
I’m definitely a fan of positivity week, especially since I sometimes tend to lean towards the more pessimistic side of the spectrum.
Thanks again!
Jen says
Hmmm. I think that what will probably happen is that there will be your major e-book stores, the equivalent to physical book stores now, and that is where all the agented and publishing-backed e-books will go. I’m not sure it will be as easy as just everyone putting up their e-books and letting the public decide. Those without backing will have to do the same as they are now, promoting and marketing the heck out of their work to get people to take a chance on it (unless you’re Wil Wheaton or someone equally awesome!).
I think the truth is that people don’t want to wade through crap to find a good book. That is why going to a bookstore is easy – it might not all be to your taste but you know that at least it has gotten through a certain amount of doors to get to that shelf.
It also occurs to me that when things become more focused on the e-book side of things, the major houses will start competing more within this medium. As technology improves, who know what will happen. Someone mentioned music, which I think is a given. But how about interactive features such as film and smell-o-vision (I’m just kidding about the smell-o-vision… or am I?)
So your major agented/publishing house e=books will likely come with all of these amazing new features, which the self-published books will have trouble matching.
In conclusion, I think that there will still be a divide. Which is a GOOD thing. Because if all e-books had equal standing then it would stop people from striving to improve to enter that upper echelon.
Jean says
I wish I could afford a Sony Reader. Right now, that is my barrier to reading/buying ebooks. (Let’s face it, trying to read a book on your computer and not being able to bookmark your spot pretty much blows chunks.) Plus laptops are kind of heavy–compared to a sleek Reader which is gorgeous, handy dandy and has a long battery life. 🙂 [sigh]
Jean
Nikki Hootman says
Great post! I too am looking forward to The Future. I’m excited to see how it will all work out!
Kate H says
As an editor, Nathan, I find your future frankly scary. If anyone can get a book in front of the public without benefit of editing, we’ll be even more deluged with bad books, or books that could have been good with good editing but by themselves aren’t quite there, than we are already. Sure, writers could hire editors on their own, but if they don’t need to do that to get past a gatekeeper, where’s the motivation? With yet more thousands of books flooding the marketplace, it will be harder and harder to find the really good ones.
As a writer who’s having a terrible time getting attention from editors and agents, of course I find the idea of reaching readers without a gatekeeper attractive; but I would also miss the feeling of validation that comes through getting past the gatekeepers. I’m just not sure this future is really going to be the best thing for anyone.
Marilyn Peake says
Nathan –
Wonderful, insightful analysis of where eBooks are at right now! I agree with you that agents will continue to be needed and big publishing houses will continue to thrive, even in the brave new world of eBooks. Due to lack of money, many small eBook publishers can’t afford to invest in major advertising and good editors who are trained in grammar and spelling – two huge reasons why the big publishing houses continue to sell the most eBooks right now. However, the good news for small eBook publishing houses is that, as you mentioned, barriers will eventually come down with digital publishing. Once eBooks become more popular, small publishing houses could potentially sell enough books to hire really good editors and pay for some major advertising.
In celebration of positivity week and Nathan’s post today about electronic publishing, I thought I’d share the link to storySouth’s Million Writers Award for Fiction – open to short stories published on the Internet.
RW says
One thing I hope will happen is something you talk about here which is not just the survival of small presses but the actual flourishing of small presses. We’ve seen something similar in music where dozens of small record companies with short catalogs of “small” bands have been started to live off the scraps that the big labels have turned their noses up at. Blockbusters have been rare and it isn’t by any means easy for those bands to make a living that way, but they do get distribution and a chance, which is a better alternative than the block-buster model has offered. I have a hunch that we’ll see more operations like McSweeney’s, like you say. Soft Skull is another. High quality books. High quality publishing. A fair shake for the authors. More choice for readers. It is exciting.
Cara says
I’m so completely in love with Positivity Week. Can we make this a habit? Maybe have a once-monthly Positivity Day?
Anonymous says
O’ the times they are a changing…
Vinyl records
to
8-tracks
to
cassettes
to
CD’s
to
MP3’s
And now the book world…
You know what changed….nothing really, good music still sells and crappy music doesn’t. It will be the same with books and the format or delivery won’t matter. A good story and quality writing will always have an audience.
Morgan
Elissa M says
I don’t want to be “un”positive, but I agree with the posters who have mentioned that if every book that’s written gets published, it will be impossible for readers to find the ones worth reading.
It won’t be readers who decide what sells, it will be the marketing campaigns and the money that funds them. A nobody debut author without the funds for marketing will have even less of a chance to get noticed than they do now.
lettersfromlordship says
I’m enjoying your Positivity Week immensely.
As a happy owner of a Kindle (my honey bought it for me a Christmas ago), I find that it’s great for trips and as a substitute for buying huge, heavy books. Definitely the books are cheaper — though the device itself will take some time to pay off in savings. But I love to have a real book in my hands, and I like to see the cover, the blurbs, the author photo, etc. I don’t think the classic package will go away any time soon.
I agree that cross-over products, such as the soundtrack to the book, photos, travel guide, or even clothing (perfumes? Eau d’Oprah’s Books?) could be available right over the Internets.
As commenters here have asked, how does the tiny brilliant author in a sea of electronically available books get the word out? Just as we do now, with blogging, and commenting, and writing bits about our subject in online ventures, and somehow getting the Buzz going. I’m thinking of the old-fashioned tradition of “hand selling” a book in indie bookstores, where one person gets behind something wonderful and passes the word. There will be online reviewers who will develop a good reputation and persuade their followers to read what they recommend. And there will be groups of people who band together to market their books.
Exciting possibilities abound! Thank you for opening our minds to the positive aspects of the “literar-e” revolution.
Lisa says
I think you’re right, but it is SO scary right now.
(My word verification is “prayin”!)
Natalie says
Things will iron out, they always do. Great reminder.
Stephanie Faris says
I remember in the 90s listening to e-book authors claim e-books were the wave of the future and those who were in it at the beginning would have huge success. My thought then and my thought now is, nope. If e-books overtake the market, all that will happen is the authors we love in print will begin publishing in e-book format AND print format, eventually switching over if that’s what the market calls for. I still don’t know an e-book author who makes more annually than I do writing for magazines. And that’s not saying much at all!
Bane of Anubis says
So, I caught a bit of the bachelor last night in between commercials for 24 and 1st impression is that the guy is a major dillweed (and the chicas aint much better). The New Zealand vistas are amazing – if y’all have never been, I’d highly recommend it to anybody (South Island is better than North, but both are fantastic) – the only bad part’s the flight.
Cass says
Interesting post Nathan. Thanks for giving us your view on The Future of Books.
I’m a big lover of real books, but I have to admit I’ve never even seen a e-reader up close. If this is going to be the way of the future, so be it. I just want people to find what I write interesting enough to get a copy. Paper or digital or audio.
Keep up the positive spin for this week please. I’m loving it.
BTW – no talk of the Bachelor? Is that because you did not view last nights finale as positive?
Kristin Laughtin says
Thank you thank you thank you for this post (and for positivity week in general–I think we all need it). It’s reassuring to see that my “outsider” view (as someone who hasn’t even yet tried to break into the business) is somewhat along the same lines as someone more knowledgeable about the industry.
The new obstacle writers will have to tackle will be securing visibility. We’ll all be able to publish anything we want, but all it will do is make it harder to find the gems among the sea of never-ending muck. We’ll be able to distribute freely, but who will find us? This is why many of us will need publishers–to help promote our titles and give them an air of legitimacy so that they will be noticed (along with the other services you mentioned: editing, copy-editing, etc., as well as the nice draw of getting an advance). And as long as we have publishers, we’ll need agents to serve as intermediaries.
Given that it’s positivity week, it’s a bit ironic that my word verification for today is “stress”.
David says
Buzz. It will all come down to that. Of course, it does now.
Instead of cover blurbs from established writers, we’ll try to get them to link to our books from their sites. That route will be available to a small number of unknown writers.
You’ll still be able to sell – or give – copies to a certain number of friends and relatives, but for those books that aren’t being pushed by a recognized publishing name, the trick will be selling more than that.
For most of us, we’ll have to stop thinking – or hoping – in terms of big numbers when a book first comes out. The biggest change, I think, will be the book’s staying “in print.” That will give it a chance to establish a readership and for the writer to build a fan base.
Vancouver Dame says
This is an encouraging post that paints a bright future; we just have to wait out the current storm.
The idea of the small publishing collectives, and more equal distribution methods for all writers is appealing.
I definitely believe that agents will still be needed to help navigate the publishing waters, as most of us need that expertise to guide us through the legalities of contracts, and other publishing mysteries.
The world keeps changing as technology evolves, and if we want to succeed and survive we have to change our ways of viewing it.
Thanks for a peek into the future, according to Nathan. (now if you could do something about stocks and tv programs. . .)
Mark Terry says
I’ve been writing a series of blog posts about various aspect of publishing and today I wrote about royalties. And I commented that terms like “sell-through” and “remainder” and “reserve against returns” are probably going to become non-existent in the future as e-books become the dominant form of publishing.
I suspect that publishers will still be gatekeepers of sorts, but maybe not. Look at the record industry.
I also wonder what will happen to book-and-mortar bookstores. Only time will tell.
Scott says
Nathan – Great Post.
With the Internet, countless blogs, web sites, and all that jazz – marketing is as simple as a link on a page. So, a writer writes a book about events that occur at the local bar. The novel gets published. The bar puts a link on their web site. Ta-da!
Okay, not so simple, but there is a bar where I live that constantly promotes local artists – from bands, singers, painters, and writers. At least once a month they showcase some artist. It is marketing in a simple form, and that is available on the internet as well.
Now, for some specific comments:
To Jen – ‘people don’t want to wade through crap . . . why going to a bookstore is easy . . . gotten through a certain amount of doors to get to that shelf’. Well, I’ve – unfortunately – bought some crap at the bookstore and thought “WTH??? How’d this get published?” While I agree, somewhat, with you, I must disagree on some level. I also know that on many of the books for Amazon Kindle, a person can download the first chapter. I can normally tell whether I’ll like a book or not by reading the first chapter. If I like the first chapter, I buy, if not, I don’t.
To Elissa M – ‘it won’t be readers who decide what sells, it will be the marketing campaigns and the money that funds them . . . a nobody debut author without the funds . . .” Well, read my entry to this comment. A good portion of the books I read are because a friend has recommended them. I’ve also read quite a few books that I’ve seen mentioned in comments on the writing blogs, or within the blogs themselves. The world is changing, and marketing is changing as well. An author with limited funds, and Internet access can create a blog to promote their book. I guess that’s a bit of ‘positive’ as well.
Nathan Bransford says
anon, jen, kate h and others-
Yes, definitely the new world will result in some chaos as people have to find new ways of sorting through the bad to get to the good, and marketing will become even more important. I actually think traditional publishers will continue to have an advantage in this area even in the era of eBooks. But everyone else will have a much better shot than before.
Steve Fuller says
I love this post!
Collect your winnings, Bryan. 🙂
Marilyn Peake says
The successful publishing house, Tor, has started giving away some of its short stories for free in newsletters that people can sign up for, and posting other free material right on their website: Tor website. Nothing says positivity like freebies. 🙂
Martin Willoughby says
As digital music takes off, smaller bands can get noticed if they’re good enough, but they need one of two things:
1 – a local following that translates into sales
2 – lots of marketing
Option 1 may be the way for small presses and unknown authors. But how do you get the local following?
Musicians and Comedians can perform live to an audience. What can a writer do to gain a local following?
Jeannie Campbell says
love the amazon link reiterating that publishers are not always right. what an understated way to make a valid point on positivity week!
Just_Me says
Tell you what, make an e-reader that is about the size of a standard paperback, folds open like a book, is water resistant, shock resistant, toddler proof and costs less than $20 and I will consider moving into the future with you.
I’m not so positive that readers will be able to find any small-name, self-published, e-book next to the big name authors. I think you’ll find the unknowns buried at the bottom of the list, theoretically available to everyone but not selling because no one knows the author and they aren’t getting the advertising from the e-book seller.
Amazon says they’ll give you a spot to sell your self-published work, I’ve never found one there. Ever. When I go to Amazon to shop I have a list of titles, I type those in and buy. I never see anything besides my requested titles that would tempt me into an impulse buy.
I might browse second-hand book seller’s sites because it’s cheaper to buy books from one seller and when I can pick up a book I want for under a dollar with shipping I’m happy. The author is not.
Which brings up the whole question of piracy of books. It took a teenager less than 48 hours to sit down and write the code for Napster, just goofing off. Now file sharing for music is becoming the standard. What happens when someone hacks the e-book seller’s code? Suddenly you can get the PDF of the e-book for a penny with no money going to the author at any point. I see that being a problem that needs to be dealt with before we all march happily into the future.
as meredith says
I wanted to say that you have consistently been making the most progressive and probably correct statements about the future of publishing, of the publishing and agent blogs I watch. And I follow new media for a living, y’know. Good insights.
Anonymous says
Nathan’s quote:
“…Books will finally be able to live and die by, well, themselves, not by the best guesses of the publishing industry…”
This isn’t really a plus. With no distribution, books NOT having to be on bookshelves, there will be an even greater need for publishers to promote books for anyone to know they exist. Since publishers only promote lead titles to begin with, this only leads to even fewer sales for midlist whose only saving grace is that perhaps someone will pick them off a shelf.
Brian Buckley says
In response to “Just_Me”:
Book piracy might not be as big of a problem as you think. Quite a few big-name authors make their books available for free download because it increases sales.
Makes sense, in my opinion. Not too many traditional authors feel threatened by libraries.
Marilyn Peake says
I looked more closely at the Tor website – turns out they have free short stories right on their website: Tor website.
Kylie says
I guess that makes sense. But digital books are so cheap. Who would make money off them? Maybe more and more books will be e-books, but I just can’t see them washing away paper books. My imagination just doesn’t stretch quite so far, I guess. I don’t know. I’m not so optimistic in that sense. If there’s less money, less of the better writers would be able to spend time devoted to writing. My favorite authors would take years between the books in their series! The torture!
Dawn says
After reading your post, I’m feeling conflicted. I’m feeling the stirrings of excitement AND terror over the future of publishing. I echo Kat H.’s feelings about that sense of validation that comes from “getting past the gatekeepers.” This is my first book; I haven’t been at this for years, and I don’t know enough about the standard publishing business yet to understand how different things will be.
Anonymous says
I don’t wanna decide what’s “popular” by having to sort through thousands of titles of publishable books AND self-published crap. If it wasn’t good enough for a book deal (yes, I’m including my own unpublished books in this) then it shouldn’t be next to a published book.
Sorry if that offends.
DebraLSchubert says
Being a singer/songwriter as well as a novelist, I hope the publishing industry will NOT do what the music industry has done, and that is fight new technology and progress. I interviewed Roy Elkins, the founder and CEO of Broadjam today (a music community website) for my column at https://www.examiner.com/x-3690-Philadelphia-Songwriting-Examiner and found the interview fascinating. He illustrated how the music industry first fought vinyl recordings for fear sheet music would no longer be sold, then cassettes/8-tracks for fear records would no longer we sold, then CD’s and so on. The truth of the matter is, we need to embrace technology and progress. Great art is great art and we need marketing, agents, editors, and publishers to make it “visible.” I like your visionary approach to moving the industry forward as opposed to watching it die a slow, agonizing death. I hope the industry is smart enough to follow suit.
Nathan Bransford says
Come on now, it’s positivity week. Buck up! The future will be different. There will be changes. But it will also be, on the whole, better for authors. They’ll have more control over their own destiny than ever before. Yeah, it might take some elbow grease to make your work stand out from the crowd, but most writers I know just want a shot. In the e-book world everyone will have a good one.