For me, the decision not to offer a Kindle version of a book at the same time as the hardcover does not mean a delayed sale. Rather, it means no sale, as we have an excellent local library from which I can borrow most recent hardcover books of interest to me long before a paperback version is offered.

I also find my recent reading dominated by low cost books, up to a dollar in cost, often offered briefly in the Kindle store to introduce a new author. For that price, if the book sounds at all interesting, I’ll give it a shot. But once its price is the more typical $6-15, it has to be very good indeed to inspire a sale. (A recent case of such a sale is “The Shack”, of which my wife had already bought several copies in paperbook to give away to friends. We decided to buy one more for ourselves, but to make it electronic so as not to take up shelf space.

Note: books I plan to give away will remain purchased on paper. Another recent example is Dave Ramsey’s “Total Money Makeover”, of which we last winter bought 6 copies directly from the author’s Web site to give away to friends in financial difficulty.

As a former author and small-publisher myself, I well recall getting only a dollar of royalties for a book, so do see why buyers expect lower costs for books with no need for printing. Printing never cost me less than a dollar a book, and shipping was also costly, so it makes sens to share the savings of eliminating both with the buyer, especially since they are also giving up the right to resell their used book or pass it on to friends.

The customer viewpoint first: I buy hardcovers in two cases only.
1. I’m just that eager to read the book because it’s part of a series I love, or it’s written by an author I trust to deliver a great reading experience.
2. I have already read the book in another format or via the public library, and I liked it so much that I want a durable copy I can keep in my personal library for years.

In other words, I only buy hardcovers if I’m familiar with the content and/or the author. I’m unwilling to pay $25 for something unfamiliar. I am, however, willing to pay the trade paperback price for an unknown book/author if it sounds like something I’d enjoy. And I know I’m not alone in this practice.

I think that the model of releasing a book in hardcover first should be reserved for series with reliable sales, bestselling authors, easy bets such as celebrity books, and books that are HEAVILY promoted before their release.

Now my perspective as an aspiring author:
I am terrified of launching myself into a field where careers can be tanked if they start out too slowly. If my debut novel comes out in hardcover without sufficient promotion, it is likely to sell poorly because many people won’t want to take a hardcover-price risk on a book by an author they’ve never heard of. If this happens, I may not get a trade paperback and/or ebook release at all, because I won’t have “earned” it via good hardcover sales. Furthermore, I probably won’t be able to get published ever again because of my sales record.

On the other hand, if I debut in trade paperback and ebook (perhaps with a limited hardcover print run for libraries, if they want my book right away), my chances of building an audience are much greater. And if my sales in paperback/ebook are good enough, then it’s time to do a run in hardcover.

On the question of when to release an ebook, I think publishers ought to decide on a case by case basis for the time being. Paper books still make up most of sales; ebooks are still an experiment both for publishers AND for consumers. But I suspect that in most cases, releasing the ebook immediately is the best choice. Not all ebook consumers are also paper book consumers; there is a distinct market for ebooks. Some people buy ONLY ebooks (I would too, if I had invested hundreds of dollars in an ebook reader). By making a portion of your market wait months for the release of their format, publishers risk losing those sales altogether.

1.) I’m used to waiting for a paperback version, and delaying an ebook release for the same reason does seem to fit that model. Good point.

2.) Authors do have a “concert” option not commonly conceived of. As Mike Stackpole (a Star Wars novelist, among other things) has pointed out, side adventures for characters from a novel are perfect for release on an author’s Web site–even under a purchase model. Just a thought.

AND WHY NOT??? It would be so fricken cool to revise the whole ‘live reading’ idea into something closer to the music model. Be a whole lot more fun, too.

What if advances went the way of the dodo and royalty rates were adjusted to higher levels?

Editing, design, marketing are all on the plus side of the equation, then you have advances, which are a negative. They’re speculation, and often they don’t pay out. Then that loss hurts the market, and the reader, who is ultimately paying the price for the publisher’s loss. What does that loss do to the author? The shine wears off the penny and they either get less of an advance, or no second contract.

What if you offered writers the choice of higher royalty vs, advance and then priced the book accordingly?

George Lucas waived his directors fees, negotiated his licensing rights -which the studio thought worthless. We all know how that decision turned out. Not that every author is going to be the next JK Rowling, or such, but I truly think that less speculation would result in less loss and we all benefit from that.

The reader would get a better price. (Maybe saving that few dollars would enable them to buy another book. ) The publisher wouldn’t lose as much $, the author would have a more stable career, and the best of all, publishers would be able to take more chances on books that push the envelope. There would be more diversity for readers.

Personally I buy almost NO hardbacks. Linda Howard is the only one I’ll shell out the geets for (an unashamed romance reader, here). Well, I lie a bit, I just got Stephen Mitchell’s Gilgamesh: A New English Version in hardback today. But, I believe that’s considered a classic. *g*

Just one reader’s opinion.