Interview: Nina Paules, ePublisher!

The Wenches are delighted to welcome Nina Paules today, a familiar presence on the Wench blog as one of our original blog readers (Nina has been with us since we first debuted the blog!) -- and she is now an epublisher in her own right with ePublishing Works! along with its related sites eBook Prep and now a new feature of ePublishing Works ... eBook Discovery!

Nina's ebook publishing business hit the ground running last year, and among its e-publications are some of my own early novels, The Black Thorne's Rose and The Raven's Wish, with more to come. As a client and author, I can personally attest to Nina's creativity, expertise, initiative and energy -- and I'm pleased to introduce her here as an epublisher!

Susan: Hi Nina, welcome to the blog!

Nina: Hi Susan! Thank you for inviting me. As an avid Word Wench follower, I’m thrilled (and admittedly nervous) to be here “up here” with you.

Susan: Your epublishing venture, ePublising Works! got off to a great start, and is growing by leaps and bounds with an expanding list of favorably priced eBooks that can be found around the world. Tell us how you got started.

Nina: Well, I guess you could say I fell into it. ePublising Works! (ePW ) started by accident the day I tripped over a dog toy (the family and I are volunteer puppy raisers for The Seeing Eye), fell down the steps and landed in the emergency room with a badly broken ankle.  Two surgeries, 128 days in a wheel chair and five months of physical therapy later, Mary Jo Putney asked if I’d consider eBooking her contemporary series. Of course I said yes! A month later I had the pleasure of a long conversation with Laura Resnick (thanks to Mary Jo) about how limited the epublishing market was (and still is) for individual authors who want to publish professionally formatted eBooks.

The next day, ePW was born – in my head. When I finally mustered the nerve to unveil my idea to an NYT bestselling author (whom you all know and love) and she put up the investment money without blinking an eye – ePW became a reality. And I was stone-cold terrified. I have never found myself in deeper, darker, uncharted waters. But I had a handful of authors counting on me, so I began to plot the course.

Then, without warning, ePW took off. Our catalog went from zero to 210 in 8 months and we now hold publishing contracts with every major eRetailer out there including Ingram who places and authors’ professionally formatted eBooks (that look good on every eReader and app out there) all over the world, at reasonable prices for readers. Wherever you live, if you can’t find our eBooks at one of the eBook providers for your country, we want to know about it. Soon, we’ll in libraries, too. 

Susan: Recently you’ve introduced some new features for ePublishing Works!, mainly eBook Discovery. What inspired you to take this new direction?

Nina: eBook Discovery was born out of my frustrated desire for affordable quality eBooks that were pleasant to read on my eReader. There are an estimated three million eBooks out there. Three million! That’s a lot of material to wade through to find something you like. I thought there had to be a better way that also allowed our favorite authors to spend more time writing and less time yelling into the social marketing bullhorn.

So, after talking with and listening to a number of authors and readers, we (and I say we, now, because there’s more than me at ePW) launched eBook Discovery.

eBook Discovery is not a store. There are plenty of eBook stores out there already. eBook Discovery is a place where readers can feel safe discovering new authors and eBooks similar to what they like to read while getting reacquainted with tried-and-true favorites. The best part about eBook Discovery is that you can Buy YOUR Way—Amazon, B&N, Sony, iBooks, Kobo—however you like it, you'll find your Buy Link at eBook Discovery. The other best part is that all eBook Discovery eBooks have been vetted and are professionally formatted—just like the "big publishers," minus the higher price, that is. In this fast-paced world of info overload, eBook Discovery believes you deserve to have it all, all in one place.

Of course, the eBook Discovery site isn’t finished. We add, on average, 3-5 new titles every week. And in late Spring 2012, we plan to beta-test a points-base program for readers titled Write a Review Receive a Reward.

Susan: That's fascinating -- what an innovative idea! From your perspective as an epublisher now, what do you see for the future of eBooks?

Nina: Wow. That’s a great (and loaded) question. Here are three predictions that have been rattling around in my head.

I think the next wave on the publishing technology side will be multi-media eBooks. As more affordable android-like tablets (Kindle Fire, Kobo Vox, iPad/iPad2, and the Nook tablet just to name a few) gain market share, we’ll start seeing embedded video teasers in our eBooks instead of (or in addition to) the excerpt from the author’s next book. ePW already has four multi-media eBooks scheduled to launch before Christmas (get as sneak peek at eBook Discovery's Teaser page); and eBook Prep (ePW’s sister company) is contracted to create nine more multi-media eBooks.

In the eStores, we’ll soon see eBook teasers next to the eBook’s cover, sales blurb and buy button. Sony and B&N have already asked ePW for the teasers independent of our multi-media eBooks so they can place the teasers on the sales page. Will teasers replace the sales blurb? Perhaps, as readers fall more in love with what the tablet can add to the reading experience.

And speaking of tablets… what do you have to do to enter eBook Discovery’s Kindle Fire giveaway? Simple. Go to eBook Discovery, look around, explore; and while you’re there, enter our giveaway! The winner (chosen at random and notified via email) will be announced on Nov 20.

Thank you, Nina, for telling us about ePublishing Works! and eBook Discovery for readers. 

As part of the launch of eBook Discovery, Nina and her ePW crew produced a video trailer for The Black Thorne's Rose, which you can view here on eBook Discovery! 

eBOOK DRAWING! Nina wants to know what you think is a fair and reasonable price for an ebook. She will be giving away THREE ebook copies of Susan King's THE BLACK THORNE'S ROSE (or THE RAVEN'S WISH, winner's choice) in a drawing from the names of those who answer the question! 

thank you!

Susan and Nina

 

 

Comments

[Nancy]

I have a Sony eReader but haven't yet downloaded any books except free Google books. I haven' bought many new regencies, preferring to fill in the missing ones of old favorites.
I have been carrying non-fiction print books with me on the train. I usually read fiction in the evening.
I think I want more of a computer than a reader,and I would like to be able to use it to write as well as read. Don't know exactly what I want.That is not really important as I don't have any money anyway.
I do think that we will see more and more books out as e-books. I think there will also be a market for non-fiction e-books . non-fiction books could have more illustrations which add significantly to print publishing costs.

[MJ]

I have a Nook and am rapidly filling it up! We regularly make the boring 3-hour journey from Houston to San Antonio on weekends and the Nook allows me to read in the car while my husband is driving. Thank heavens!

I am buying more ebooks and that brings up a sore point with me. At B&N, the ebooks are priced the same as the physical books, yet I would think the cost of producing an ebook would be much less. B&N says the price is set by the publisher, not them. Can Nina shed any light on production costs?

[NinaP]

From Nina:

Hi Susan! Hello Everyone! It's wonderful to be here with you today. I am so looking forward to giving away this Amazon Kindle Fire. It's been burning a whole in my desk, begging me to play. Many thanks to everyone who has already entered our giveaway at www.ebookdiscovery, this morning.

Wow, Susan. You did a great job pulling my meandering thoughts together. Thank you!

More in a minute.

:-)
Nina

[NinaP]

Good Morning, MJ -- Thanks for stopping by. If you have a laptop, Adobe Digital Editions (ADE) is a free eBook viewer that will turn your laptop (or desktop) into an eReader, giving you the best of both worlds. If memory serves, you can load your Google books into ADE, as well. Here's the download link for ADE: http://www.adobe.com/products/digitaleditions/

Good luck in the Fire giveaway!
:-)
Nina

[NinaP]

From Nina:

Goodness. I've already flubbed up. The previous message was to Nancy. MJ, yours is next. :-) Nina, in need of more coffee.

[Shirley]

Hi Nina,
What do you think of the current pricing of ebooks in general? It seems v. silly to me that the "hard cover" edition of the ebook is 2x the cost of the actual paperback edition, and there really is no difference once the digital copy is made. I'm willing to pay for e-content but not when the disparity is illogical. Also, wouldn't ebooks be more likely to transform into something like what Neal Stephenson's Diamond Age was? where it's multimedia content that flowed with the story, some animated, some audible to coalesce into the best form of storytelling?

[NinaP]

From Nina:

Hi Shirley – Another great question! Thanks for stopping by.

eBook Pricing, in general, is in flux. eBooks are a huge unknown in terms of ROI (return on investment) and sales life for the publisher. Yes, eBooks are "forever", but are the sales?

In the print world, if a book didn't make expected sales numbers 2-3 weeks after hitting bookstores, it probably never would and the publisher lost money. Sure, promotions could be done and the book might sell a few more copies, but its life was essentially over.

Is the same cycle true for an eBook? Publishers aren't sure, so they price their eBooks according to the only sales cycle data they have.

Self Publishing authors don't have near the overhead, so they can price their ebooks for less.

The 3D Diamond Age: Yes, advancing eReader technology will propel (and in some cases already has) storytelling into a new world. Imagine Jo Beverly's Rogues or Mary Jo's Fallen Angels coming alive like Harry Potter, with video, apps, games and specially designed soundtracks, all aimed at bringing their adventures into a 3D reality. I've already read/seen/experienced ebooks with movie-quality soundtracks (including sound effects) that moved with me at my reading speed. It was an amazing all-encompassing experience that felt more real than watching a movie.

But of course, all that will affect price.

:-)
Nina

P.S. If you want to learn about how eBook soundtracks work visit the booktrack website.

[John Clark]

Great interview. I am constantly fascinated by how what initially looks like misfortune can have an incredible outcome. I am certainly not happy you broke your ankle, but, as a newly published eBook author, I'm thrilled by all the neat things that came about as a result. Love the eBook discovery site!

[Patricia Rice]

Hi, Nina, glad you had time to stop by!

The ebook price question is a constant and will be for some time because there are enough factors involved to fill a book. I know I'm utterly annoyed by publisher "agency" pricing even though I understand the reason for it. I can't help thinking it wouldn't kill them to discount the ebook price by 5-10% just as an acknowledgement of the market.

On the other hand, it's now possible to read about a new book in a continuing series, think it sounds interesting, and go back to the first book and purchase it for next to nothing to see if you like it. With luck, by the time you've read all the books in the series, the new one will be marked down.

We just have to adjust our way of thinking--as Nina did by switching gears after a broken ankle!

[Gail]

Nina -
After reading your interview, I went to your website and thought it was brilliant. I love that you can order your favorite format right there with the click of a button. I've bookmarked you in my Favorites.

As for the eReader question, I don't have one yet. I'm reading on my laptop. Bulky, but it gets the job done. I've downloaded the Kindle App, and some others. I wish there was a single App that could translate any format. Alas....

Like Shirley, I am a bit put off when the price of an ebook is the same as print. So far I've only bought discounted ebooks. Oh, but I am thrilled to find some of my favorite authors' backlists. That alone is going to keep me going for at least a year.

[NinaP]

From Nina:

Hi John! Good to see you here. Welcome to Word Wenches. Glad you liked the eBook Discovery website.

Someday I plan to write an ebook titled "When life gives you lemons... the story of eBook Prep" (eBook Prep came before the others) But I need the time, first. :-)

Have been hearing some good things about your YA, WIZARD OF SIMONTON POND from my 17-year-old-daughter. Seems you're being talked up among the younger set. Congrats!

:-) Nina
Oh, and you did enter the Kindle Fire drawling, right?

[NinaP]

From Nina:

Professor Pat! Thank you for taking time way from your writing to comment. (To those wondering, Pat (whom I lovingly call Professor) was the first to pound the concept of POV through my thick head, way back, when Word Wenches was new and so was I.)

Anyway, I agree with you, Pat, 5%-10% discount would be a nice gesture.

On the flip side... do you think higher "Big House" pricing drives more readers to the lower-priced ebooks like your WAYWARD ANGEL and Susan's THE BLACK THORNE'S ROSE?

(both of which can be discovered by readers at eBook Discovery)

[SumnerTracy]

What an interesting post! Nina, one of your authors shouting out here! The pricing question is one I struggle with as an author publishing my backlist.

[NinaP]

From Nina:

Hi Gail! Thanks for bookmarking eBook Discovery. There are lots of affordable (and beautifully formatted) eBook Discovery ebooks there to love, and we add 15-20 new titles every month. We have several Word Wench books, too, including Mary Jo, Pat Rice and Susan King. If you entered our Kindle Fire drawing and gave us your reading preferences, we'll let you know when a possible "Gail" favorite has become available.

Apps: I agree that a single cross-platform app would be awesome! Most novels look great on the Kindle (.mobi) platform. But many ebooks (like cookbooks, magazines, text books, poetry books) look better on the nook/Sony/Kobo/iPad eReader (aka .epub) platform, and (due to the limitations of the .mobi) look terrible on a Kindle. This, as your comment suggested, creates a frustrating divide for the consumer, a frustration which is unfairly blamed on DRM (a whole other topic)

Unfortunately, Amazon is holding the tech specs for display a .mobi format ebook very close to the vest. Only their handhelds, apps and software viewers can display .mobi ebooks. Which means that they will probably be the first to come out with a Crossover eReader capable of displaying both the .mobi and .epub eBook formats.

:-)
Nina

P.S. LOVE your website. The opening image/music is downright gripping. I need to go find your books.

[NinaP]

What is a fair and reasonable price is for an eBook?

Announcement:
Giving away three copies of Susan King's THE BLACK THORNE'S ROSE in a drawing to anyone who will answer. Sherrie Holmes, our ever-faithful Word Wench Whip, will be in charge of selecting three winners.

From Nina:

Tracy Sumner said "...the pricing question is one I struggle with..."

Pricing your ebook is a though one. Speaking as a reader (and for myself), what I don't like is buying an eBook for 4.99, only to find it at .99 a week later. Price reduction is a standard tactic that works well for Sears, Wal-Mart and grocery stores. But eBooks are not like other merchandise. They aren't taking up valuable space in a storage room or threatening to expire/spoil.

So... what is a fair and reasonable price for an eBook?

Word Wenches.... Commenters... anybody willing to answer?

What do you think is a fair and reasonable price is for an eBook?

eBook Discovery is putting up three copies of Susan King's THE BLACK THORNE'S ROSE (or maybe you'd prefer Susan's THE RAVEN'S WISH) in a drawing to anyone willing to answer.

Nina, always starting trouble.

[Mary Jo Putney]

Hi, Nina!

Thanks so much for visiting us here at Word Wenches. It's been quite a journey for the Wenches and for you, hasn't it? It's truly amazing how far you've come in less than a year.

As for e-book pricing from the big companies being the same as the print cost: I understand that the publishers do that so as no to undermine the bricks and mortar bookstores. (Which I, for one, would hate to see disappear.) But I also understand how irritating it is to pay the same price for an e-edition as for a print version which has been produced, shipped, stocked, et al.

The business has been in such flux it's kind of scary. But the options for writers and readers both are greatly increased. We'll just have to see how it all rolls. *G*

[NinaP]

From Nina:

Hi Mary Jo! Thank you for taking time from your "gerbil wheel" to stop in. Hope the running is going well. (I am fresh out of MJP reads)

Great point about pricing and brick and mortar stores. I too will hate to see them go and the unemployment lines lengthen as a result. Technology is a rather sizeable velvet rock (or should that be boulder?)

:-) Nina

[Laura Resnick]

It's been amazing to see the way your business has taken off, Nina. To think that just 10 months ago, none of this was even on the horizon--and look where it is NOW!

[NinaP]

Thank you, Laura! It has been (and remains) an amazing journey. Without doubt, it is safe to say that none of it would be without you and Mary Jo.

Hugs,
Nina

[EC Sheedy]

Nina, I'm always glad when I find you talking epubbing, because you always have such an interesting--innovative!--approach to this new and crazy business we all find ourselves in.

Now I'm going over to ebook Discovery and see what you've got going on over there. (I get tired just thinking about your days! LOL)

[NinaP]

EC! So glad to see you here. Hope you like the eBook Discovery site.

Yes, my days are long, but I love what I do. And working with great authors like you make it that much better.

:-) Nina, with 7 hours to go until the Kindle Fire giveaway.

I really do need to get this thing off my desk before I start playing with it. :-)

[LILinda]

I'm a new tablet owner (sony galaxy) and I use the apps for Amazon, Nook , Overdrive and occasionally Kobo. I love having the perfect 'reading light' all the time and always something ready to read. I have not yet paid more than $5 for an e-book, and don't see myself doing so. As stated-I'm not paying book prices for a file when the book is often discounted anyway.

[Laurie Schnebly Campbell]

It's always so intriguing to see what you can DO with e-publishing...thanks, Nina and Susan, for the inspiration!

[Sherrie Holmes]

Sherrie, here.
Hi, Nina! *waving madly* You asked commenters to weigh in on what we consider a fair and reasonable price for an e-book. I'm afraid I can't answer that question. I've yet to buy an e-book reader, nor have I read any e-books. It's not that I have anything against readers or e-books per se, only that I'm a wait-and-see person. I'll admit they have their benefits, one of them being they come with their own source of light, so you can read in bed with the lights off! *g* And you can store lots of books on them for vacations.

I well remember when e-book readers first came out, and there was a stampede for them. Since then, the readers have been greatly improved and are more sophisticated. As well, the e-book industry has improved and is finally accepted as a legitimate enterprise that isn't going away.

Nina, I'm so glad to hear your e-book business is taking off. You bring enthusiasm and integrity to anything you do, so it's only natural that authors are breaking down your doors. In the writing world word of mouth goes a long way, and all the referrals you're getting from customers who send their friends to you, is a good indication you're doing it right! May you continue in your success and be a shining light to those will follow.

[NinaP]

Sherrie! Thank you. Your words mean so much to me. Yes indeed, the eBook business has taken off. I've never worked harder in my life, or loved it more.

Reading in bed with the lights off is a very nice feature of the Kindle Fire. :-)

[Dee Feagin]

As a reader of books in any form, I welcome your website as another way to find books that I will like without the hours I could spend locked in front of my computer browsing the ebook sites. As for the price of books, I think that above $4.00 is unreasonable. Why pay $6.99 (a price I saw just yesterday) for a book that I can't trade or give away if I don't like it? Once the production costs of creating an ebook are satisfied, are there significant costs to justify the same price as a paperback? Personally, I look for books in the free to $2.99 range.

[NinaP]

Hi Dee --

Thank you for stopping by and for your positive comment about eBook Discovery. You nailed our mission - making good, quality ebooks easier to find.

There are a few on-going "costs" to publishers with regards to ebooks. Author royalties is one, howbeit small. Still, it's important to keep our authors fed and clothed so they can keep writing the stories we love. It's hard to work for free.

As to the eBook sale price remaining the same as print: in this economy, it's important not to undermine our brick-and-morter book stores. There is alot of jobs and need filled there. Could publishers offer a 5%-10% discount on ebook versions without causing too much harm. IMHO, yes.

:-)
Nina

[Diane]

Other than the problems of pricing (which cause me to grit my teeth), I wonder about the problems of inadequate editing which I have seen so often with new authors. The misspelled words, awkward phrases, improper grammar, among many others, I simply do not buy ebooksl no matter the 99cent selling price. I end up wanting to through the book at the wall which I can't do, of course, because it is a Kindle. So what about this problem with beginning writers who so badly need to be edited. Does that fall in your purview?
Diane

[Diane]

that is, throw the book at the wall. Sorry.

[NinaP]

Hi Diane --

Great question about editing. ePublishing has brought much change. Now anyone who can put words together can publish themselves on Amazon and B&N. No editing required. This can be very frustrating to folks like you (and me) who appreciate proper grammar and spelling.

That's another reason why I started eBook Discovery. At eBook Discovery, it's super-easy to tell the difference between good reads and hazardous wall-bangers because eBook Discovery doesn't carry poorly edited wall-bangers.

Hope to see you at eBook Discovery.

:-)
Nina

:-)
Nina

[Naomi]

Indeed, ePublishing will take an absolute beginner and transform him into a competent or even expert ebook publisher. Will keep watching the issue. Thanks.

[Julie]

I think an ebook should be $5 or less. It's easy to spend a lot of money quickly on ebooks. I would love to win the ebooks by Susan Fraser King. I enjoy her books and haven't been able to find those which are out of print. Thank you for making these available again!

[Suzy R.]

I rarely spend over 4.99 for an ebook. I look for free reads and books between .99 and 2.99. I have a kindle and it's loaded with books yet to read...