That got you didn’t it!
E-book sales (fiction) rose 42% in 2012 and non fiction e-book sales rose 22%. Hardback and paperback sales were either flat or dropped. Amazon’s e-book sales rose 70% last year, while its physical book sales rose only 5%. And in case you forgot Amazon started life as a physical book seller!
E-book sales have never had it so good.
So why would Stephen King publish his forthcoming book, Joyland, in physical form only? Joyland goes on sale on the 4th of June – ‘We’re going to hold off e-publishing… folks who want to read the book will have to buy the actual book,’ goes the promo.
Does Stephen King see something in the future, those of us firmly entrenched in the e-publishing ecosystem don’t see?
Nah.It’s more likely King wants to lend his weight to the bookshop which is fast disappearing in the Western world.That, and the fact that Joyland with its lurid covers will appeal to readers of pulp fiction in the physical form.
Will King’s decision make a difference to the decline of the bookstore? Not really. The decline of the bookshop started a long time back and is akin to the death of independent retail stores, whatever they sell, across the developed world.
That downward slope started happening because of two things. Something called economy-of-scale and another thing called the internet.
This does not mean that the printed format will necessarily go the way of the T-Rex. According to BookStats, while e-book sales rose 44% last year, print sales were flat. FLAT. They didn’t fall. In fact hardcover sales rose by 1.3%.
So what does all this mean to you and I, dear self-published author? All it means is that title was a contrarian one to get you to read this piece :)
And that with about 350 million sales under his belt, Stephen King can afford to have the odd Print-Only book.
And that’s enough of analysis. Back to writing.
About the Author
Ty discovered reading at an early age and the backs of cereal cartons were frequently part of his reading diet when nothing else was at hand.
Reading has held him in thrall ever since.
Reading takes him to multi-textured worlds and fills his world with visual imagery; all fueled just by the power of the black word on a white page.
He uses his life experiences - of living in a couple of continents, of selling tea to street side stalls, to infuse his writing and to take his readers on the same flights of visual imagination that his favorite authors take him on.
Ty is privileged that his wife and son shape their lives to accommodate his writing. They also humor his ridiculous belief that he is in charge.
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His Book
When Private Military Contractor Zeb Carter witnesses gruesome crimes in the Congo, he can’t just walk away.
Plagued by the scale of the crimes and the helplessness of the victims, he is bent on his own private justice.
What transpires is a fast pace gripping journey that stretches from the Congo to New York, into the world of corrupt politics, influential politicians who want him dead, and government agencies who are against him.
This breakneck paced read is an edge-of-your-seat,exothermic thrill machine, with a plot so full of surprises it will carry your imagination long beyond the final word.
If you enjoy reading thrillers from the likes of Lee Child,James Patterson, Harlan Coben, Robert Crais, you will enjoy The Warrior.
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The Guest Post was originally written for and appears HERE on Ty's Blog
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