So many people in the church talk about ebooks being the dagger in the heart of our church's literature outreach. Why is MESSAGE magazine struggling? Because people want it electronically. Why are our publishing houses struggling? Because people want the books electronically. Why are conferences closing ABCs and publishing departments? Because people don't want printed material anymore, obviously!
NOT.
"Adult fiction accounts for two thirds of all ebook sales in the US." ** The last time I checked, the ABCs and other Christian book outlets don't major in adult fiction. We major in religious non-fiction and minor in religious fiction--and both are miniscule blips on the ebook sales chart. Religious books don't weight heavily in ebook sales and ebook sales haven't greatly impacted religious book sales.
So what might be a better explanation for the decline of our publishing entities (which DO carry ebooks, by the way)?
"Our publishing houses should show marked prosperity. Our people can sustain them if they will show a decided interest to work our publications into the market. . . . There are many who are seeking for light in the darkness. If our papers, tracts, and books, expressing the truth in plain Bible language, could be widely circulated, many would find that they are just what they want. But many of our brethren act as though the people were to come to them or send to our offices to obtain publications, when thousands do not know that they exist." ~Colporteur Ministry, p. 85
Like my friend, Pastor Robert Norwood, likes to preach, "It works if you work it!" If we spent as much energy working it, as we do searching for excuses not to work it, then publishing would actually work!
** http://www.publishingtechnology.com/2015/01/what-nielsen-bookscan-data-tells-us-about-ebook-sales-cycles-the-ebook-plateau/
NOT.
"Adult fiction accounts for two thirds of all ebook sales in the US." ** The last time I checked, the ABCs and other Christian book outlets don't major in adult fiction. We major in religious non-fiction and minor in religious fiction--and both are miniscule blips on the ebook sales chart. Religious books don't weight heavily in ebook sales and ebook sales haven't greatly impacted religious book sales.
So what might be a better explanation for the decline of our publishing entities (which DO carry ebooks, by the way)?
"Our publishing houses should show marked prosperity. Our people can sustain them if they will show a decided interest to work our publications into the market. . . . There are many who are seeking for light in the darkness. If our papers, tracts, and books, expressing the truth in plain Bible language, could be widely circulated, many would find that they are just what they want. But many of our brethren act as though the people were to come to them or send to our offices to obtain publications, when thousands do not know that they exist." ~Colporteur Ministry, p. 85
Like my friend, Pastor Robert Norwood, likes to preach, "It works if you work it!" If we spent as much energy working it, as we do searching for excuses not to work it, then publishing would actually work!
** http://www.publishingtechnology.com/2015/01/what-nielsen-bookscan-data-tells-us-about-ebook-sales-cycles-the-ebook-plateau/
Thank you for sharing this, Pastor.
ReplyDeleteI do believe that younger people want electronic books. But there is a problem when you can put millions of publications in the palm of your hand... in a device that also has video (and music, podcasts, email, games, etc.) vying for our most precious time & attention.
From the quick search I just did, it seems that, in the United States, the top selling category in the print world is romance novels. I just looked this up because I wanted confirmation of what I see at my local public library. It has a room set aside for used book sales and half of that room is stuffed with these corrupting paperbacks.
My point is that the format is less important than the priorities of individuals. Why not do both? Sell the printed book and provide an electronic option for the buyer. (If this is already being done, I would not know. I'm not familiar with the LE work.)