Sunday, May 13, 2012

You Don't Need A Kindle Or Nook To Read An Ebook.


Although the idea of ebooks, and a kind of reality, has been around for a decade or more, the recent introduction of ereaders like Kindle and Nook, and tablets like the iPad, has caused them to really take off. For a writer and small publisher like me, ebooks have many advantages in terms of cost and logistics. There is still a place for prints books and probably always will be, but equally there are situations when ebooks are better. I've talked to people who say they love being able to carry just their ereader when they go on vacation, rather than a suitcase full of books.

These ebook thoughts are, of course, inspired by the recent release of my latest ebook, The Best Bourbon You'll Never Taste. The True Story Of A. H. Hirsch Reserve Straight Bourbon Whiskey, now available in either the Amazon Kindle or Barnes & Noble Nook format.

You can't read Kindle books on Nook, nor Nook books on Kindle, but both are compatible with most other platforms, including all Apple and Android devices. You can also read them on any internet-connected computer. Personally, I have neither a Kindle nor a Nook but I do have a small netbook computer that I travel with and I can (and do) read ebooks on it. Both Kindle and Nook have an app for that (it's free) but you can also just use your browser. I recommend the apps, though, for their better functionality.

A couple of writer friends of mine have self-published ebooks that were subsequently picked up by a publisher for a print edition. Print is neither dead nor even dying, but the publishing world is changing rapidly. Self-publishing, once just the refuge of the unpublishable, is not only respectable but a good (as in, more profitable) alternative for many.

The business model is different, of course. Conventional publishers give their books a big push when they come out and will support them for about six months thereafter. Unless the book is a big hit, it's over at that point. The publisher remainders it. Because they send out so many review copies and other comps, the second-hand books pipeline fills up fast. The book remains available, but without any money going to the writer or publisher.

By contrast, my BOURBON, STRAIGHT was published in 2004, several lifetimes ago in conventional publishing terms. It continues to sell very steadily in both print and electronic formats. Here's a point other small publishers will find interesting. The release of an electronic edition did not have a negative effect on print sales.

So, if you haven't tried an ebook yet, here in the perfect opportunity. Click on one of the links that follows to buy The Best Bourbon You'll Never Taste. The True Story Of A. H. Hirsch Reserve Straight Bourbon Whiskey, available in either the Amazon Kindle or Barnes & Noble Nook format, and you can be reading it within minutes.

11 comments:

decatursoap said...

Just finished your new book and enjoyed it immensely. It is interesting and entertaining to hear stories of ordinary folks making a living by creating, buying, and selling product; and to see that "ordinary" products can become legendary. We read all the time about "legends" and people who have shaped the course of history. I enjoy your histories of regular people...that just happened to make a hard-earned living doing something we are sometimes lucky enough to enjoy today.

Steffen said...

I bought this on Amazon and can read on my PC but not on my Galaxy as I am geographical restricted to get the app.

I never really liked Amazon, and this didn't help

Looking forward to read the book, but would have liked to have the smartphone option

Steffen

Steffen said...

After 30 minutes goofing around on my phone I managed to get on what I assume is an european amazon site and get the app so I can read the book laying out in the sun or on the couch :-)

Steffen

Chuck Cowdery said...

Sorry about the inconvenience, Steffen. This is all still very new for everyone. I hope the book is good enough to make up for it.

AnotherSuggestion said...

Hey Chuck,
loved the book, but it may have over-sensitized me - for instance, am I nitpicking or is one of my favorite merchant-blogs playing fast and loose with the relationship between A.H. Hirsch and the current Anchor-owned Hirsch Brand?
http://bit.ly/LAOUdC

Doesn't suggesting a connection between "Hirsch" and "Michters" imply that the current Hirsch is the one that shares its lineage with Michters/Pennco?

We don't know where the current Hirsch comes from, but we know it is not distilled from the same formula, or in the same still, or by the same master distiller, or aged in the same warehouses as the legendary and rare A.H. Hirsch 16 year, right?

Chuck Cowdery said...

The whiskeys don't have any connection but the brand name does. Preiss (now Anchor) bought the Hirsch brand name when it bought the remaining stock of Pennsylvania-made A. H. Hirsch Reserve Straight Bourbon Whiskey. In a sign of respect to that great, one-of-a-kind spirit, Preiss omitted the "A. H." from all subsequent Hirsch-brand products and, as the blog you cited states: "Hirsch had long since lost the Michter's distillery stock, so they relied on other sources to make more of me." So it is the same brand but, as they plainly disclose, not the same whiskey. Let's hope it's a worthy successor, but that's up to the consumer to decide. The price seems fair for what it is. Implying it's the 'return' of something may be a stretch (creative license?) but it's not misrepresentation.

AnotherSuggestion said...

That seems fair.

In my experience, Driscoll's blog for K&L is a reliable source of information on the often secretive and confusing world of American whiskey.

Frankly, I think their representations are done in good faith. Bourbon origins-stories are really tricky.

Steffen said...

Excellent book, I never thought a whiskey book could be a page-turner :-)

Steffen

Chuck Cowdery said...

Thanks. Please tell your friends.

Steffen said...

Done : http://danishwhiskyblog.blogspot.com/2012/05/can-whiskybook-be-page-turner.html

Chuck Cowdery said...

Thanks, Steffen. Glad you liked it.