Wednesday 18 November 2015

“Why are Authors and Publishers Struggling Globally for Selling their Books Currently?” ―Professor M.S.Rao











“There are three difficulties in authorship: to write anything worth publishing, to find honest men to publish it, and to find sensible men to read it.” ― Charles Caleb Colton


Presently publishers and authors are struggling for their survival globally. Publishers are concerned about the declining sale of books, and authors are worried for not getting royalty for their published books. Some of the eminent authors are struggling to publish their books. The situation is worse for the upcoming and ambitious authors who are passionate about authoring books. What are the reasons for the present scenario? Is it due to the declining interest in reading books? Is it due to the availability of free online content? Let us look at the present global scenario objectively and analytically.

First of all, the reading habit in people has not declined as opined by a few section of people. People read books due to various reasons including to acquire knowledge. Some people read books as a pastime activity. For some people, reading is a passion.

One of the main reasons for decline in sales is the rapid changes in technologies. The digital era has changed the face of the publishing industry. People prefer reading books online. There is a shift from physical books to e-books globally. Secondly, too much of information is available through online resources. Hence, people read free content available online. There are many blogs sharing knowledge apart from LinkedIn offering their members to post their ideas and insights through articles.  People also share their knowledge on Facebook and Google+ and other free websites including various forums. Therefore, when information is available free, readers don’t spend money on buying books. Readers have become very choosy in selection of topics and content. However, the authors who have credibility and visibility need not to worry about the availability of free knowledge online since they have a fan following globally. They must strive hard to write books that are innovative and relevant in the present context. They must reinvent as per the expectations and aspirations of the readers. They must write simple and short books rather than bulky books as the readers don’t have time and patience.  The readers want the essence in a distilled format. They can read it while travelling or during their leisure time.

The upcoming authors must be more careful while writing books as they don’t have any fan following. They must build their brands gradually by posting articles on their blogs and sharing them on social media. Over a period of time, they can enhance their visibility and build their fan base.

The publishers must reinvent in the digital era. They must emphasize more on publication of e-books. They must change the means and methods of marketing. 

Remember, only when the publishers survive, authors can survive in this world. Hence, both authors and publishers must work together to ensure quality content to the readers to ensure sales successfully. They must trust each other and promote and market together to provide value for money and time to the readers. There must be synergy between the authors and the publishers.  Marketing is not the sole task of publishers. Authors must also take keen interest in promoting their work and books on social media and various forums to help publishers achieve the desired objectives.


Conclusion

To conclude, there is no death for reading and no dearth of readers globally.  People enjoy reading books. Only thing, the present condition is only a correction for both authors and publishers to reinvent with changing times and technologies to add value to the readers who invest their precious time and money.


“To read a book, to think it over, and to write out notes is a useful exercise; a book which will not repay some hard thought is not worth publishing.” ― Maria Mitchell



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Professor M.S.Rao, India
Founder of MSR Leadership Consultants India
Listed in Marquis Who's Who in the World in 2013
Vision 2030 Webinar: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBCO-gWmTRk
Twitter: @professormsrao  
21 Success Sutras for Leaders: Top 10 Leadership Books of the Year (San Diego University) Amazon URL: http://www.amazon.com/21-Success-Sutras-Leaders-ebook/dp/B00AK98ELI




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1 comment:

  1. Good Article! Still there are so many readers who loves book reading rather than e-book reading.

    ReplyDelete