I think the Long Tail concept is, actually, a boon for that author who only sells one copy of his or her book a quarter, because the fact of the matter is that the book is available. You, of course, know that once your book is off the shelves, that consumers start looking for the next big thing. This is the big head model — the hit model. It works in all industries. Using the Harlequin distribution model as an example, the “mega-hits” are the titles released in a particular month. They garner the largest portion of sales that month. The Long Tail is the stuff that we acquire through Amazon or order through the bookstore or buy second-hand. The final option doesn’t directly feed the author, but it’s part of the Long Tail distribution system.

As long as your book is in print, then you have the potential for sales. The problem comes when your book is no longer available or — and this is going to be the bigger bugaboo in the future — in distribution limbo. That is, your publisher still has the right to distribute, but chooses not to make additional copies available due to minimal demand. Or makes just enough available to satisfy contractual requirements. Or the rights ownership chain is murky. There are so many ways to keep books from consumers.

Again, another rant for another day.

I believe that considering the Long Tail model when it comes to distribution can lead to increased opportunities for artists, rather than penalizing them. The first key is to consider what the mega-hit really means (and it’s very much market, media, genre, sub-genre, sub-sub…well you get the point..specific). And what the Long Tail means. If you’re a motion picture studio (where I have more experience), then there are many years where catalog pays the bills. Because if those potential mega-hits pull a Poseiden Adventure, well, that’s a lot of money to lose.

In the meantime, however, (and I’m mixing studios rather liberally here), the Friends of the world continue to make money, long after their network runs have ended. The Star Treks and Gilligan’s Islands and I Love Lucys of the world may not top the cash flow charts, but they remain solid performers. And will continue to do so as long as they’re available. It’s all the little chips that make up the bulk of the tree. Hmm, lousy analogy, no?

Thus, I think that creative thinking artists can find creative ways to extend the lifespan of their work.

Yes, I’m totally going to be there!

So many thoughts, so little caffeine.

Lauren -while authors don’t set price, price is a factor weighed by consumers. When certain authors move from paperback to hardcover, a portion of their “gotta get it now” audience is lost. For some, that’s too high a barrier for entry; these consumers will wait for the paperback version or acquire the book in other ways. On the flip side, I have a friend who *only* reads hardcover. She does not read paperback. So, if the book isn’t available in that format, she’s a reader lost. Granted, her situation is probably rarer than the converse, but it does speak to my (oft-repeated) point that consumers want to interact with their entertainment media in their own way.

There are thieves — I don’t like thieves. I don’t like piracy. Heck, I don’t even buy used books because I want my dollars to go to the artist (even as I, sigh, fully understand that the portion that ends up in an author’s pocket is very small; of course, I also believe that every author who signs a contract with a publishing house should be wholly informed about what they receive from each sale — publishing decisions should be made with all information…a rant for another day!).

I would rather that efforts be made to stop true piracy than to stop readers from reading. So often, the decision is made to make books more restrictive through DRM (digital rights management). This simply doesn’t work. I am fascinated by your thoughts on sharing physical versus electronic editions of your work — I get it, but, being me, wonder if you’re sending mixed signals? Are you interested in expanding on this for another post? I think it’s a really compelling thought that many authors face.

I was using price as the reason I don’t buy ebooks. If I have to pay as much for the ebook as a “real” book, then thanks so much, I’d rather (FAR rather!) have the real book.

I watched one pirate on ensips try to excuse her behavior by saying the publishing companies make so much money. And this person claimed to also be a writer. Hey, go write your own stuff and give it away then. Keep your hands off MY stuff.

Anybody read Chris Anderson’s The Long Tail? I’m working my way through it now (I’ll be hearing him speak mid-March.) and it’s very interesting reading — but one of the points seems to be that with this Long Tail model, there are more and more people who create content for reasons other than money. (The old “I just want to be read!” reasoning. And while I said earlier that there are moments when I consider just giving it away, I’ve also said before, “Call me a ho, but I want to get paid for my work!” LOL.)

To me, that didn’t bode well for the mid-listers.

But he also makes excellent points that relate to publising — like consumers want variety that they’re not getting from the “normal” channels. (I believe BookSquare has mentioned that, oh, a million times or two.)

The fact that we’re changing from the “mega-hit” model to this Long Tail model is really fascinating. I’m not done with the book, but it’s providing some interesting thinking material.

But it does seem to me that Long Tail means places that distribute/provide this massive amount of varied content (Amazon, iTunes, eBay, NetFlix, etc.) will rake in the moola, but the content creators (particularly those towards the end of the tail), not so much.

I mean, it’s great news for Amazon if they have a gazillion books that only sell one copy a quarter, but not so great for the author of that book.

I’m looking forward to exploring all this stuff more, especially since I’ll be given the opportunity to ask Mr. Anderson questions directly.

Couldn’t agree more.

Libraries delight me, used book stores are fine by me. And stealing is stealing.

Nor do I find it a powerful motivator to hear that if my books weren’t repeatedly stolen online those thieves wouldn’t have bought them anyway. I don’t care, that’s not the point. It’s not a choice between stealing from me and not buying, they’re not buying at all to begin with.

I don’t mind used bookstores. I don’t mind when my readers trade copies of my paper books either. That’s a single book by single book issue and yes, I believe it’s great promotion for me because people listen to their friends’ recommendations (I do). I love libraries too (and use them all the time).

But an ebook can be downloaded an infinite number of times. It becomes ridiculously easy to steal in high volume. And frankly, I can’t blame Rowling when that’s what I deal with. If I have to deal with dozens of these types of loops and thievery rings every month, I cannot imagine what someone of Rowling’s popularity would have to deal with.

I give away copies of my books on a monthly basis, and I believe quite strongly (and with some evidence) that this is a wonderful way to gain readers who come back for your next book (or your backlist) but the difference is that *I* (the copyright holder) make the choice to give the book away. It’s not stolen from me.

I’m sorry, this is long but this is a topic that drives me crazy. I had a person tell me angrily that she’d never read one of my books again after I sent her a cease and desist for putting my books up for free download. One of the titles there had been downloaded 250 times. If she never reads me again, hopefully she’ll never steal from me again either.

Gillian, I love libraries. Spent loads and loads of time in them growing up, still make use of them somewhat. I do love having my own personal library even more. (g) My hubby came into my office about a week ago, took a look at the shelves in here, and just shook his head.

Truthfully, I’m a book addict. (sigh) As vices go, though, it’s not such a bad one. (g)

Anyone who thinks free libraries are a hindrance to book sales is not thinking very clearly. They play a huge part in forming and encouraging the reading habit.

Getting back to the lost sales thing — maybe I didn’t make my point very well. Various industries cite numbers relating to “lost sales” due to piracy. They throw around big numbers, and it seems like piracy is a huge boogeyman. But the question that remains unanswered is how many sales are really lost? I do not ask this question idly, and I have a pretty clear grasp of the ramifications of piracy — the lost dollars run up and down the distribution and production food chain; pirates who get into the mindset that they’re only hurting big corporations really don’t understand that those big corporations feed a lot of mouths.

Yeah, I’ve spent a lot of mental energy thinking about piracy (and I’m not ashamed to admit that I used to collect articles about the issue to support my position that dollars spent on anti-piracy enforcement are good things — this was in my former career, naturally).

However, I think a key aspect in fighting piracy comes from making it pirated goods harder and more expensive to obtain than legitimate goods. You and I have talked about how expensive ebooks are, especially when you consider what you’re getting. Charging a hardcover price for an ebook sends a negative message to consumers. People have shown that they’re willing to pay for electronic media — case in point is the wholehearted embrace of iTunes. Yes, there are still people who work hard to get their music for free; if you listen to their reasons, you’d discover that the price is just one driver. But when iTunes launched, underground sources like BitTorrent didn’t go away. iTunes won customers through pricing and ease-of-use and selection. The customers see a benefit, and I think they use the service for this reason. Digital music downloads still haven’t surpassed physical media, but iTunes has sold, what?, a billion units?