“I read more because I have an e-reader”, says a 14 year-old girl from Georgia. She speaks for a generation of children who are turning to e-books, in an increasingly digital age.
A recent report reveals that 46% of children have read an e-book (twice the number from 2010). 75% of the kids who have read an e-book are reading e-books at home. As for parents, 72% would be happy to have their children read e-books.
All of this can only be a cause for celebration for children’s writers.
E-Book Revolution
Industry watchers have been predicting a move to digital books for a while now. And if the numbers are to be believed, the tide is turning, right under our feet. E-books are now selling better than other editions; with e-books for the Kindle platform often selling more copies than hardcover books in the Amazon store. Publishers are rapidly abandoning print to embrace digital technology; the change being affected by an industry hit by both technology and recession in the last couple of years.
Self-Publishing in the Digital Age
“There is no future for e-books, because they are not books. E-books smell like burned fuel.” Said Ray Bradbury.
While many book lovers may mourn the passing away of the print era, the explosive growth of e-books has been a great boon to indie writers, including children’s writers. Access to online marketing through social media networks has meant that a novice self-publisher can build a readership platform from scratch. Many of the pioneering writers in the field of self-publishing have made it big by bypassing the traditional publishing infrastructure.
The big names in publishing no longer hold all the aces vis-à-vis the writer; the playing field has been leveled like never before. Writers of all kinds of books, including children’s writers, now have the opportunity to target their own readership. This effort is made even more efficient and direct by the rise of the e-books. As long as the self-publishers plan for digitization in the different formats compatible with different equipment, e-book sales and distribution remains hassle-free.
E-Readers, E-Book Formats etc.
With the number of e-book formats and e-readers on the market, a self-publishing author needs to know all she can about what’s out there in the brave new world of digital publishing. Fortunately, there is a sea of information out there from experts and users on everything related to getting an e-book out in the market, including typography, fonts, and overall design.
So, if you are a children’s writer, you can bet your future on this fast- growing area in publishing and self-publishing right now. E-books look all set to be the future of the publishing industry. And this can only be good news for children’s writers looking to self-publishing.
