Physical books vs Kindle

One of the questions I’ve recently been asked about is whether you should publish a physical book vs a Kindle book.

But before I answer this question, what do you prefer?

Are you the sort of person who likes to hold a book in your hands, smell the ink, and feel the pages between your fingers? You might prefer to keep your book pristine and immaculate, or you might like to get out your highlighter, pen and scribble notes in the margins and fill out every exercise.

Or do you prefer to download your purchases onto your Kindle or iPad, where you can immediately read the book that you fancy, without having to wait for your postie to knock the door?

Maybe you like a bit of both. Sometimes you like to hold a physical book in your hands, and for others a Kindle copy is ideal.

When I did my research for Your Book is the Hook, I found out that according to The Bookseller, e-Book purchases in the UK rose by 20% in 2013, with self-published titles accounting for one-in-five sales (source Nielsen’s Books & Consumers Conference as published on www.thebookseller.com).

Also, not surprisingly, according to an Ofcom study into digital consumption, it was found that Kindle (owned by Amazon) has a dominant 79% share of the e-Book market in the UK.

So when you publish your book, will you produce a physical book or a Kindle e-Book?

For most books, having both options is essential because you’re giving your readers the choice to do what they want and fulfilling both needs. The physical copy which is more tactile, and the Kindle book which satisfies the need for an immediate read.

These days there’s plenty of choice when it comes to publishing your book – traditional, partnership or self-publishing – and if you choose one of the latter two options (and I lay out the pros and cons in Your Book is the Hook), it doesn’t need to be expensive. Although here’s a quick tip, make sure that the list price for your book reflects the actual expense of printing if you’re doing it yourself. With a Kindle book, once you’ve got your manuscript produced in the right format, the profit is all yours!

And one last thing, if you’re using your book as a promotional tool, i.e. you’re speaking, using it to generate leads or giving it away, how effective do you think it will be if you don’t have a physical copy?

What questions do you have about writing, publishing and promoting your book that you’d like me to answer on my blog? 

I’d love to hear from you and what you thought of this post. If you have any other questions that you’d like me to answer on my blog, feel free to post them below and also share this information with anyone else who may find it useful. And if you’d like to find out how I can help you to get write, publish, market and sell your book, please get in touch to arrange a complimentary strategy call.