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Jan 22
Love4

Kindle Textbook Creator vs. iBooks Author: No contest (yet)

By Blog

I have been dreaming of the day when someone releases a tool that makes it easy to create ebooks that contain video, snazzy layouts, and other interactive features that make for a rich reading and learning experience on a tablet. In my iBooks Author review, I was impressed with the creative possibilities and the ability to include video and high-quality photo layouts. However, I was disappointed with the lack of support for other platforms — there was no way to export a version of the book for the Kindle, the Nook, or Android tablets. So when the book industry press started making Kindle Textbook Creator vs. iBooks Author comparisons, I was very interested in seeing if Amazon’s new tool could fit my needs. I was disappointed in the results, as you will see from my review of Kindle Textbook Creator below.

The first sign of trouble was the landing page for Kindle Textbook Creator. There weren’t any exciting screenshots. Instead, the focus of the beta tool seems to be around converting PDFs to ebooks:

Kindle Textbook Creator is a free tool for authors and educators that makes it fast and easy to convert PDFs of textbooks, course notes, study guides and other educational material into Kindle books. In a few simple steps, you can import your PDF content into Kindle Textbook Creator and then use the built in previewer to see how your book appears on a range of Kindle devices and free Kindle reading apps.

I downloaded the tool and gave it a spin, using the latest editions of Google Drive & Docs In 30 Minutes and Excel Basics In 30 Minutes. These two titles have new, high-quality interior design, and the tool’s preview function showed that the layout was preserved in the ebook. The output file is .kpf, which (unlike .epub and .mobi files) I could not preview on any of the devices I own. It also doesn’t work on the Kindle Previewer app, either. To really test the results, I would have to upload the package to Kindle Direct Publishing, a step I am unwilling to take considering I already have ebook versions of Google Drive & Docs In 30 Minutes and Excel Basics In 30 Minutes in KDP.

Kindle Textbook Creator review

There were other missing features in Kindle Textbook Creator. There’s no way to edit text, replace photos or other images, or edit links. The rich media features of iBooks Author — the ability to insert videos, HTML widgets, photo slideshows, etc. — were completely missing. A Kindle Textbook Creator vs. iBooks Author Creator comparison is simply no contest. It’s not even like comparing apples and oranges, it’s more like melons and plantains (or something like that).

So, at the end of the day, it appears that the beta version of Kindle Textbook Creator is little more than a PDF to ebook conversion tool. Amazon hints in a product FAQ that more is in the works, however:

We decided to launch a Beta of the Kindle Textbook Creator so that we can get more feedback from authors and educators to make improvements before our full launch. Our full launch will include a number of additional features, including support for audio, video, and other interactive features.

But, as is always the case when big companies make vague promises, it’s not clear how well Amazon will deliver on these promises, or when it will happen.

If you’re an author or publisher, what features do you want to see in Amazon’s new book creator tools? Leave comments below.

Dec 03
Love2

Does a free ebook download help extend a book’s longevity?

By Industry

Higher Order PerlProgrammer and author Mark Jason Dominus has written a blog post about an unusual publishing arrangement he has with publisher Morgan Kaufmann. Ten years ago, Morgan Kaufmann published his book Higher Order Perl. The HOP book is still available as a new paperback on Amazon for $67, and as a Kindle download for $47. But Dominus also arranged to have the book available as a free ebook download from his website.

Many authors and publishers would question this arrangement, but it’s worked well for the author, who wanted to get his book out to as wide an audience as possible, as well as the publisher, who the author says has done quite well.

Dominus also talks about why the book has been in print for so long. Remember, this isn’t fiction — this is a technical book in a very fast-moving field. He points out that many computer books disappear after just six months, but his has been around for a decade. He says:

“Part of this is that it’s an unusually good book. But I think the longevity is partly because it is available as a free download. Imagine that person A asks a question on an Internet forum, and person B says that HOP has a section that could help with the question. If B wants to follow up, they now must find a copy of HOP. If the book is out of print, this can be difficult. It may not be in the library; it almost certainly isn’t in the bookstore. Used copies may be available, but you have to order them and have them shipped, and if you don’t like it once it arrives, you are stuck with it.”

The free ebook download certainly helps keep it relevant and alive. In my opinion, there are other factors at work. They include:

  1. A relatively high number of professional reviews and reviews from experts in the field
  2. A moderate number of great reader reviews, including many “Verified Purchases” on Amazon
  3. Availability of new copies of the book, which signals the content is probably still relevant/not obsolete and may also indicate it’s a classic/foundation title considering how long it’s been in print.
  4. A solid online presence, including the product website that Dominus created as well as a Wikipedia page.

Regarding the convenience issue that he brought up: These days, it’s possible to buy a new book online and return it or resell it later (as 63 other owners are doing right now on the Amazon U.S. site). It’s a pain to list it and handle the packing, but so is driving to a bookstore to bring back a return.

But I would also like to talk about the effectiveness of having a free book download. Free titles are indeed very convenient for those who are unable/unwilling to purchase the print edition, but in my experience they are less likely to be read. I currently have a free download on Amazon — Personal Finance for Beginners In 30 Minutes, Volume 1. It’s been downloaded thousands of times, but through various mechanisms (including reviews, follow-on sales of the 2nd volume, clicks to the website from the ebook edition, etc.) I have determined it’s seldom read. I think many free ebooks and PDFs end up on people’s devices and are never opened because of a lack of time and all of the other free content that’s available out there.

As an author or publisher, what’s your take on having a free ebook download? As a reader, do you read all of the free ebooks available on Amazon and elsewhere? Comments are welcome.

Jul 20
Love3

Amazon’s Kindle Unlimited subscription plan screws self-published authors

By Blog, Industry

Amazon just announced its Kindle Unlimited subscription plan for ebooks, and boy, does it look great for readers and traditionally published authors. Readers get access to hundreds of thousands of titles for a low monthly price of $10. If you’re a big-name publisher, traditionally published author, or an author published through an Amazon imprint, the terms are great for you, too, according to Publisher’s Marketplace. As long as a reader reads just 10% of your book, you get 100% of what you would get as if the book were a standalone download . Competing subscription plans, such as the one offered by Scribd, don’t come close.

Sounds great, doesn’t it?

Wait a minute. What’s the payout for authors and publishers who are using Amazon’s exclusive self-publishing platform, KDP Select?

Well, you are out of luck, because Amazon’s terms aren’t nearly as generous. I quote from the email Amazon out to KDP members last week:

KDP authors and publishers who enroll their books with U.S. rights in KDP Select are automatically enrolled in Kindle Unlimited. Inclusion in Kindle Unlimited can help drive discovery of your book, and when your book is accessed and read past 10% you will earn a share of the KDP Select global fund. For the month of July we have added $800,000 to the KDP Select global fund bringing the total to $2 million.

In other words, self-published authors in KDP Select are getting paid … who knows? It’s certainly not the 100% enjoyed by traditional publishers and authors on Amazon imprints. It can’t even come close to the 70% that all KDP authors (including those who are not in KDP Select) normally get for a single digital purchase of their book, because the “global fund” simply isn’t big enough to cover subscription reads and the free reads that are part of other KDP Select promotions.

So we have a situation in which one group of authors is getting the gold standard — 100% of what they would get as if they sold the book individually. And then there are the self-published authors in KDP Select, who are providing the bulk of the current Kindle Unlimited catalogue. They are getting some lesser fraction and cannibalizing full-priced digital downloads to boot. On Kboards, some of them have begun to mildly object to this unfair treatment, which surprises me. Self-published authors are getting screwed and they should be vociferously protesting the second-class treatment and terrible terms offered by Amazon.

KDP Select has other issues, too. As described in “Is KDP Select worth it?”, I dropped out of KDP Select after running some experiments and finding paltry sales and reimbursements, and a negligible rankings boost. I also object to the monopolistic exclusivity requirements — authors in KDP Select cannot publish their book on any other platform thereby limiting the ability of their books to reach audiences on those other platforms. The new subscription plan and its lopsided reimbursement plan gives me another reason to steer clear of the plan — and warn other self-published authors to consider doing the same.

Image: The email I received from Amazon about the Kindle Unlimited subscription program:

Kindle Unlimited terms for authors

May 26
Love0

Apple deserves some blame for the Amazon monopoly

By Blog, Industry

For 15 years, people inside and outside the publishing industry have been warning of an Amazon monopoly. I won’t get into the ancient history here, but lately the buzz has returned with evidence of Amazon screwing one of the larger publishers, Hachette. As I’ve followed the latest news, I’ve been surprised that no one has mentioned how the platform competition — Apple, B&N, and more recently, Google — has contributed to Amazon’s monopoly position. All of these companies could have been strong contenders, which would make Amazon tread far more carefully to avoid pissing off publishers (and some readers). And one of them in particular had a lot of momentum going for it.

The iBooks experience on the iPadWhen I first began testing different ebook formats in 2012 for the first In 30 Minutes guide to Dropbox, not only was the iPad hardware superior to the Kindles and Nook, the ePub reading experience in iBooks was vastly better than the same ePub on the Nook or the .mobi equivalent in the Kindles. The ebooks opened quickly and transitioned smoothly from page to page, images were properly rendered, and the ereader toolset was solid.

Where Apple failed was in the purchasing experience (the iBookstore/iTunes mess) and some of the back-end tools for publishing. Fast forward two years, and I have only seen two semi-major improvements to the Apple ereader platform:

  1. An update to the iTunes Producer interface for submitting new titles.
  2. An update to iBooks Author (see my iBooks Author 3.0 review)

These improvements are helpful for authors and publishers. For readers, iBooks/iBookstore/iTunes is still largely unchanged except for some cosmetic changes (e.g., for iOS 7) as well as the release of the iPad mini. Meanwhile, the Kindle Fire has brought Amazon customers a slick alternative to the iPad at a much lower price point. And the Nook platform looks to be fading.

I don’t like having an Amazon monopoly, but some of the blame should be assigned to the erstwhile competitors who can’t seem to get it together. Apple, which has a great hardware platform (iPad/iPad mini), buckets of cash, and huge marketing muscle, doesn’t seem to be forging ahead in the ebooks space. It’s almost as if Cook et al don’t know what to do.

It’s too bad, because this industry clearly needs competitors who can give alternatives to readers, authors, publishers, and other players in the ecosystem. I’d like to think that Google could be up for the task, but it has its own issues to work through.

May 01
Love0

What’s missing from Mark Coker’s Indie Author Manifesto

By Blog

Last week, Mark Coker of Smashwords published a 10-point manifesto, celebrating indie authors and the values we hold dear. It’s a great document that has moved many writers who use self-publishing platforms. The manifesto is quoted below, but there’s something missing. Can you spot it?

Mark Coker’s Indie Author Manifesto

We indie authors believe all writers are created equal, that all writers are endowed with natural creative potential, and that writers have an unalienable right to exercise, explore and realize their potential through the freedom of publication. I hold these truths to be self-evident:

  1. I am an indie author
  2. I have experienced the pleasure and satisfaction that comes from self-publishing
  3. I have a right to publish
  4. My creative control is important to me. I decide when, where and how my writing graduates to become a published book.
  5. Indie does not mean “alone.” I choose my partners.
  6. I shall not bow beholden or subservient to any publisher. In my business relationships, I seek partnership, fairness, equity and mutually aligned interests.
  7. We indie authors comprise diverse writers unified by a common purpose to advance, empower and celebrate writers everywhere.
  8. I am a professional. I take pride in my work, and I strive to improve my craft to better serve my readers, myself, my fellow indie authors and the culture of books
  9. My writing is valuable and important. This value and importance cannot be measured by commercial sales alone.
  10. I celebrate the success of my fellow indie authors, for their success is mine, and mine theirs. Together we are pioneering a better future for books marked by greater quality, creativity, diversity, choice, availability, affordability and accessibility.

The missing element is in #6. I’ve added it below, in caps:

6. I shall not bow beholden or subservient to any publisher OR PUBLISHING PLATFORM. In my business relationships, I seek partnership, fairness, equity and mutually aligned interests.

When promoting the rights and interests of indie authors, the hardware and software publishing platforms operated by Amazon, Apple, Google, B&N, Smashwords, and others must be addressed. They have not only made it possible for writers to bypass the old publishing gatekeepers, they wield enourmous power over what we do now and in the future.

Mark surely recognizes this. He regularly (and rightly) questions the power that Amazon has over the marketplace. But he has other interests at stake in the world of platforms. Coker also leads a small (but important) publishing platform. I know he respects and understands indie authors, and the interests of Smashwords is generally aligned with that of the authors it serves. However, I am skeptical of some of the other platforms in the marketplace. They include Bowker and its predatory ISBN monopoly, iUniverse’s self-publishing paperback service, and more recently, the subscription book services Scribd and Oyster (see Scribd’s ebook subscription service: Why authors should be skeptical).

These last two platforms’ interests are not aligned with those of indie authors — instead, it’s all about building market share (and the profits of their VC investors), sidelining Amazon’s digital downloads model and cutting deals with big publishers and ebook distributors (including Smashwords). As I noted in Authors as an afterthought in the ebook subscription marketplace:

I find it very telling that Scribd.com heavily promotes unlimited books for readers, and offers resources for publishers and partners, yet there isn’t a single page in their support section that explains to authors what they will be getting from the service. Clearly, authors are not a priority.

I just checked the Scribd FAQ, and three months after I wrote that post there is still no information about the benefits for indie authors, the size of the cut they’ll receive, etc. Indie authors are clearly an afterthought.

So, in summary, I welcome Coker’s Indie Author Manifesto. But by adding three simple words — “or publishing platform” — the manifesto would be so much stronger.

I welcome your comments below.