3 Comments
User's avatar
Sujan Sundareswaran's avatar

Fuck, this was eye-opening.

I was trying to get out of this whole book publishing experience—I’m a massive introvert—by self-publishing an ebook, but these data points here advice differently.

Looks like the old way is still the best way.

Expand full comment
Erica Drayton's avatar

Nothing beats a print book. I'll buy multiple copies of a print book because I can give them away. You can't give away (at least not with as much meaning) an ebook.

If (and this is a HUGE if) print books were to ever start to disappear, I believe we're looking at another 50 years at least before it would even seem that way.

Plus, if you can set your book up on amazon to be in all formats and it costs you NOTHING (except your time to set it up and all the stuff that goes into getting it to the finish line, of course) to do, why not? Even if I'm the only person who buys my own book so I can have it on my shelf, that's a win for me! How many people can say they have their book on their shelf that they wrote? Can't do that with an ebook...

Expand full comment
Sujan Sundareswaran's avatar

That’s true.

I’m struggling to read on my Kindle/phone/laptop, and physical books just feel right.

Hopefully they never die!

Expand full comment