Note: I'm not going to bury the lede: If you have $5 and want a non-DRM PDF copy of Sunken Treasure, you can buy it here and have it in just a few minutes.
Now, here's the story behind my decision to offer this format…
I took some time on Saturday afternoon to answer a bunch of e-mail, including a brief interview about my experience with Lulu and the release of Sunken Treasure (short version: it's been awesome. Longer version coming later this week.)
While I did this, I had Twitteriffic open, and was doing my silly Twitter thing, which, as many of you know, was the style at the time.
At 1:38pm, I sent the following message to Twitter: "Hey Twitterverse: how would you feel about a digital version of Sunken Treasure for about $5?"
I expected that a dozen or so people would be interested, but I hoped for more. Within ten minutes, over 100 different people said they were not only interested, but wanted it RIGHT NOW PLZ KTHX.
"Wow," I thought. "That was a more positive and emphatic response than I was expecting!"
I told Twitter: "Wow, so it
appears that quite a lot of you want PDF versions of this book for $5.
I didn't think it would be so many, honestly. Hmmm…"
Responses continued to pour in. I started making hash marks on a note pad.
A lot of people were asking about Kindle versions, Sony eReader versions, and other versions. I made a lot more hash marks on my note pad, and noticed that the page was almost filled.
I looked around the Lulu publishing options and told Twitter: "Many questions
about other formats for digital versions of my books. Short answer: all
I can do at the moment on my own is PDF. Still want?"
Short answer: Yes. A whole lot of people wanted it, even if it was in a PDF format.
I've always wanted to do digital versions of my books, but I've never
had a way to do it that doesn't involve me manually accepting payments
and sending out links or something equally complicated. My POD experience with Lulu has completely changed that. I logged into my Lulu account, clicked a couple of buttons, filled in one box with $5.00, and I was done.
I took a deep breath and told Twitter: "Okay, Twitterverse! You asked for it, so here it is. Sunken Treasure in DRM-free PDF for $5: http://tinyurl.com/sunkenpdf"
I admit that I had a brief flash of doubt. "Did I just screw myself? Did I just sell one and end up giving away a hundred?"
"No," I reminded myself. "People who will steal from me were never going to support my work, anyway. You're doing the right thing. You're making it available to people at a really fair price, in a super portable format. And maybe people will like it and want a paper copy for themselves or to give as gifts."
I hoped that PDF sales would be solid … well, they were solid, for about ten minutes, and then they exploded. In less than an hour, the total PDFs sold exceed 1/5 of the total print copies sold. People were e-mailing positive feedback, people were Twittering positive feedback, and people were starting to talk about it on their blogs.
"Okay, this is awesome," I thought. "I definitely did the right thing."
Over the next 24 hours, I checked sales every hour or so (hey, can you blame me?) and I watched total PDF sales close the gap with print sales, but something really awesome was also happening: the print sales, which had slowed to about 2 a day a month after release, suddenly picked up! It wasn't a ton, and I'm still not getting rich off of this effort, but it was still pretty remarkable. Feedback from buyers suggested that a lot of people read the PDF, liked it, and wanted a physical copy of their own as a result. Any doubts I had about the demand for this format, or the wisdom of trusting my instincts and releasing a DRM-free PDF at a reasonable price point vanished. I started thinking about other work of mine, and how cool it would be to offer digital versions in a similar manner.
I noticed that, coincidentally, Just A Geek had become available on O'Reilly's Safari Bookshelf. I also noticed that Just A Geek and Dancing Barefoot's sales rankings on Amazon had climbed by several thousand points in just a day. Also a coincidence? I'm not sure, but I'd like to believe it wasn't.
I just checked, and as of 10:00 this morning, not quite 48 hours after I announced it, PDF sales of Sunken Treasure have nearly caught 4 weeks of print sales (PDF is 17 sales short of overtaking print sales, so if you get it now, you could be part of, um, history!) Print sales in the last 48 hours have been better than print sales in the last 5 days. I'm not getting rich off of this, but it's certainly answered any questions I had about publishing this way.
The best part of all of this (well, other than the surprisingly enthusiastic response) is how easy it was for me to do it. Because I already had the PDF uploaded for printing, making the PDF itself available was simply a matter of making a choice and investing about 40 seconds of effort to throw the switch.
Let me close by answering a few FAQs (which I'm going to update throughout the day, so check back if I don't answer you in comments):
Q: I have all your other stuff already because I'm awesome like that. Is there enough new stuff in this to justify the purchase?
A: Dude, thank you for supporting my work! That is totally awesome, and so are you. Now, someone who is not me is probably more qualified to answer this, but here's what I think: there are some small excerpts from Just a Geek and Dancing Barefoot, but that only makes up a tiny portion of the book. It's mostly outtakes from Happiest Days (that may or may not make it into the Subterranean Press edition), various things that I've written in my blog, and an unreleased sketch that I wrote for a show at ACME. I also reformatted and rewrote my Criminal Minds production diary.
If I paid five bucks for this, and I'd already read Just a Geek and Dancing Barefoot, I don't think I'd be unhappy about it, but I'm not as objective as I'd like to be. Hopefully, someone will address this in comments, and I can link to it.
Q: I see there's a World and a US edition. What's the difference?
A: The World edition is a slightly larger format, due to legacy printing issues. There is no difference in content.
Q: So why did you make two different digital editions available?
A: So people who use direct links instead of visiting the storefront would see that there's a $5 PDF available.
Q: Oh, that's nice of you.
A: That wasn't a question, but thanks.
Q: Can I even read it on my iPhone?
A: Yeah, it's a regular old PDF file, so it will totally work on your iPhone.
Q:How will it look on my iPhone, though?
A: I don't own an iPhone, so I can't say from firsthand experience, but I've heard from a lot of people who have read it on their iPhones, and they were very happy with the experience.
Q: What about other formats?
A: I'm looking into it. I know lots of people want it for [DEVICE THEY OWN] and I'm working on making those formats available. I can't tell for sure if Lulu makes it possible for me to sell a digital version in a non-PDF format, though, so that may be a non-starter.
Q: Why not just sell it through Amazon for the Kindle?
A: I may eventually do that, but right now I don't know if I can sell enough copies to make up for the massive cut of revenue I'd have to give Amazon. I'm happy as hell to be selling in the hundreds, but if I went that way, I'd have to either increase the price significantly, or hope to sell in the thousands. I'm not sure that there are thousands of people who a) want to read this and b) also own Kindles.
Q: If I buy this, can I convert it to a different format?
A: Sure. You can use calibre to convert it to a ton of different formats. Calibre is free (speech and beer) by the way. Incidentally, if you're one of the Kindle owners, you can use calibre to convert the PDF to a Kindle format. I've seen screenshots from some people who have done that, and it looks cool.
Q: I already bought the print version. Can I get a copy of the digital version?
A: Sure you can. It's just five bucks.
Q: I see what you did there.
A: Again, not a question, but thanks.
Q: Can I give this to my friend/husband/wife/mom/girl or boy I'm trying to impress?
A: Once you have it, I can't stop you from doing whatever you want with it, and I certainly wouldn't expect you to treat it any differently than you would a paper book. However, I hope that we all understand the difference between sharing with our friends/spouses/famies and "sharing" with an entire forum, or hundreds of people simultaneously. I'm not trying to be a dick about this, and I'd rather people read it than not, but it's only $5, you know?
Q: If I buy this, can I make my own print copy?
A: As long as you don't sell it, absolutely. If a print shop doesn't want to print it for you, show them this: I give you permission to make a print copy of this book for personal, non-commercial use.
Q: If I make my own print copy and bring it to a con, will you sign it for me?
A: Hells yes I will. That'd be pretty cool, actually.
Q: So, this is awesome and I want it now, but I'm not interested in scrolling back to the top of this entry. How do I get it again?
A: I'm so glad you asked. If you have $5 and want a non-DRM PDF copy of Sunken Treasure, you can buy it here and have it in just a few minutes.
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great book wil. Read it all in 1 siting on my iPhone in between classes. Genius idea to put it on PDF 🙂
Hi Wil,
I just signed up for a typepad account just so I could post this comment:
THANK YOU!!!!! I get your blog thru your rss feed, and as soon as I got this post I immediately went to Lulu and bought the PDF of Sunken Treasures.
I have been wanting to get your books for some time now, but to be honest I do almost all of my reading on my Sony PRS-505, and also as much as I want to give you shiny gold rocks for your books, I just can’t afford the amount of shiny gold rocks that your physical books cost (sorry).
I was wondering if you plan on making your other books available in PDF (or any “etext” format)? I would happily buy Just A Geek, Dancing Barefoot, and Happiest Days (and any other books you have) right now, this instant, immediately, ASAP, as quick as possible….well you get the idea 😉
Thanks again for at least releasing Sunken Treasure in a format that I can put on my Sony PRS-505. Here’s hoping you will make your other works available.
Future me just phoned from Hell and says to get off his lawn.
wil.audio.woot
I’m so excited to get this today! It’s printing right now. Any chance of offering more on Lulu, Wil? What’s the best way for me to buy your books, where you get the most from it? Right now they’re in my wishlist on Amazon.ca.
Jan
Welcome to the present. 😛 JK
So are you going to do this with any of your other books?
Ya I have hard copies of all of them but digital versions would be cool too.
Wil, now you just need to get $5 ebooks of your other titles out there for us. Hopefully sooner rater than later!
Bought it and am now reading it on my Kindle. Thank you for the ebook version. Now I may have to get the paper version as well.
Splendid! I can barely contain my anticipation 😀
Wil – Very impressed with the print version – arrived in my mailbox much quicker than expected. (Usually takes at least a week to get from the US to New Zealand). Had an Auckland stamp on the packaging – does Lulu print locally in NZ? If so, very cool…
Awesome book.
Looking forward to longer post on Lulu publishing experience.
Wil,
Just ordered the E-Book of Sunken Treasure. Thanks for putting your faith into this format. This fellow Father and 36 year old gaming geek is looking forward to the read.
Hopefully some of your other works will be made available in this format! 😉
Thank you!! Thank you!! Thank you!! for doing this, and for having it in a format my Reader can handle.
Lulu could teach a few other sites I download from a thing or two about how easy it should be to purchase and download ebooks. And the Thank You note is a really, really nice touch.
i love how people that are so groundbreaking can be so humble and appreciative of those that support them. thanks, wil.
Hey Wil, one of the many who saw your tweet on Saturday night. Got the pdf of “Sunken Trasure” and it was great, so that lead to the audio copy of “Just a Geek” which I have to say I’m thoroughly enjoying. I’ve got a 3 hour road trip tomorrow and it’ll be on the mp3 player for the journey! Digital formats are so great for those of us that live outside the U.S. because shipping costs can sometimes be a bummer. Have to applaud you taking a non-DRM stance, it’s a brave move and I really hope it pays off for you.
Y’know, I was wondering who in hell would have attack midgets dressed up in dice costumes that keep chasing us into the street, and it should have been clear.
I am so rounding up the other Battletech nerds in Hell and coming after you and your ilk, Wheaton. *shakes fist* After. Y’know. Grill cheese sandwich time. Then war. Cheese, then war.
Hi Wil, thanks for the availability of download. I believe all your readers will respect you in not overly sharing the download. I think you’re pretty unique in that way.
Yeah, Lulu totally prints locally because I did a special World edition. It should mean that your book arrives sooner and for less than if it was printed only in the US.
Wil,
Planning on buying a copy tonight, to read on my new Kindle2. Wheee! Thanks for believing in us.
coyote
HOW, i ask, did i miss this Tweet?! *is loyal twittervillian… twitterVILLAIN? no.*
this is great, cuz i am so the kind fo person to read it on PDF then HAVE to have it in front of me to hold and dog-ear, etc. now, lemme kind me credit card….
I just learned about a new site called Smashwords (I am in no way affiliated with them, other than considering using them to distribute my books in electronic form).
Their setup is similar to Lulu, free to use and they give you a home page for your book. But when you upload your manuscript document, they have a program called “Meatgrinder” which will convert to a wide variety of digital formats – Kindle, Sony reader and many others. The upload and listing is free. Any sales are split 85% to the author, and author maintains all rights. They seem like very nice people (I had an issue filling out my profile and they got back to me within 10 minutes!)
There is a free “Style Guide” available (which I’m still plowing through) that explains exactly what to do to your manuscript to make it convert successfully.
It seems like a good deal, so thought I’d suggest it to you. All the best to you!
I confess I got all caught up in your description of sales figures on of different media. I know it’s kinda private but do you think if you published live or nearly live figures broken up by work and media it would generate excitement.
Like a publishing hit counter sort of thing.
Just bought my copy. I think you’re coming on the plane with me to Florida. I’m sure that would make you happy if you didn’t already live in California.
… still looking for my credit card… did i leave it at work?! NO!! this may have to wait til tomorrow. :*(
I’m very happy this went well for you, for so many reasons! Thanks for giving me something to think about (more ideas about POD) and congrats on the sales!
Wil —
First, congrats on the experiment and the subsequent success following it! It’s great to hear that your endeavors are bearing some well deserved fruit.
Second, regarding the wisdom of releasing a low cost PDF while having the book out for sale….you should check out the business model of podcast author Scott Sigler. He writes horror with a sci-fi twist. His business model is to release a podcast version of his book, then a free PDF, and then to sell it via normal book distribution. How well do this business model work? His latest novel, entitled ‘Contagious’ hit #25 on the NYT Bestsellers list. While it’s not top 10, it does give him the right to call himself a “NYT Best Selling Author”.
The model works for the very same reasons you’ve mentioned…it gives a person the chance to give the product a whirl and if it’s is good enough, consumers are willing to pay for paper copy. Mainstream book publishers just haven’t figured out that this method does work.
Best of luck on your future writing endeavors!
@CJWellman
Yeah, Scott is awesome, and I actually owe him an e-mail because he told me I could bug him with questions about character development and point of view in sprawling novels like his.
I really liked Infected, and can’t wait to read his newest. I didn’t know he had made it to the top 25; that’s super awesome!
Wil,
I’m glad the experiment worked out!
Have you considered, for the selling of formats non-PDF, Webscriptions, which is famously full of DRM-free SF/F ebooks in all formats, from publishers such as Baen, Night Shade, Subterranean Press, and more?
It would seem a match made in Heaven. Or at least, ebook Heaven.
Enjoying Sunken Treasure on the Kindle—I did a more involved conversion than Calibre’s.
You e-mailed me, didn’t you? I read your notes and looked at the links you sent. Holy crap did you do something awesome with it! I’ve been meaning to e-mail you back, but I’ve been damn busy.
Obviously, with this, you kind of “get it.” In the Doctorow sense. When you make your stuff available at a really low cost, or let it out for free in the wild, the people who dig it and you will start buying your other stuff.
The ebook looks good? Pick up the hardcover. Like the single? Then pick up the CD or dl the full album from iTunes for the cool cover art and to have the extras and all the things you like to own. Read a cool comic/cbr file? You’ll pick up the trade paperback.
People who share files buy more stuff. They’re fans, not thieves. Or maybe fans and thieves. Or more accurately fans and copyright infringers. But if they get your stuff for free, and they find the experience of your art worthwhile, the vast majority want to pay you back. Because they dig it and they’re your fans now.
Yup, I did email you—and no worries, I know you’re busy bringing cool to the world. 🙂
I’ve been reading your writing before Sunken Treasure—when Just a Geek came out. I think I ended up reading it all in one night.
Yo, just bought the book. It is good so far. You have a great idea. Otherwise you would not have my (whatever part you get of) five bucks since my wife works at a library. I just get her to ILL your stuff since we are.. well… fairly broke.
Heya Wil!
Take a look at the Amazon Shorts program. You qualify to join this program, and I think the ebooks are also formatted for the Kindle. Then those looking for your other books can also see this listed on Amazon. A number of other authors with whom I’m acquainted have used this to their advantage. Just sayin’. 😉
(oh, and I’d like to take a moment to just gush idiotically about how awed I am to be commenting on your blog, blahblahblah… Put it this way – I’m 3 years younger than you, so you were a very bright spot in my life weekly during a *very* dull time in TV. TNG rawks! And so do you! That is all.)
http://jennaswrinkles.blogspot.com
http://southernersguidetola.blogspot.com
Just bought the digital copy and saw that it was Creative Commons. That is AWESOME dude! Have you seen this video about the Creative Commons business model (using NIN as an example):
It’s very similar to the stuff you mention in this post.
If you think this POD stuff is gonna pan out long term hows about doing a version for us people who like (and will buy) the physical books but have no patience whatsover for that whole “shipping” deal… perhaps offer the print version, the electronic version AND (for, say, a couple of dollars more than the print version) a combo plate print-version-with-instant-gratification-electronic version? Cos that’s how we like our gratification these days. INSTANT!
Perhaps it seems a tad excessive, but I’ve been reading through that young Doctorow chap’s work by having the print version at home and the ebook on the phone and just switching between the two depending on where I am… 🙂
I think you need to rework that line. 🙂 . I do not think it mean what you think it mean.
Well, yeah, obviously it means what you think it means but still…
(on preview) How do I make small text? None of the html tags “small”, “sub”, or “sup” work
I wish that when I opened my wallet, moths didn’t fly out of it.
Will this be available on a permanent basis? I’d love to get it when my bills aren’t trying to drown me.
Not sure if you consider them mainstream or not, but Baen books has had their baenfreelibrary for a while, and Eric Flint has done an amazing job of converting other authours contributions into a positive revenue maker. They offer one or two books from various series or stand-alones in the library. It used to be a text format. Now they offer it in multiple formats.
I personally have bought 90% of the books they had for free in hardcopy format, as I plan to do with Wil’s book here once the bills stop growling at me.
I find your digital distribution intriguing. I recently attended a talk by wild technorati Richard Stallman (founder of the Free Software Foundation) and he spoke at length about this very issue. Specifically how print media is changing into more digital forms; just like music in the last few decades.
He advised that society needs to be weary of things like Kindle and the Sony Reader where your purchases on those devices are like rentals that are only as good as the device and lack the freedom a paper book allows.
Your take on the issue was exactly what Stallman proclaims. In that an author offers a DRM free non-editable (to protect the work from modification) version and trust that the value of his or her work would inspire more sales and income than offering the same product with the shackles of the electronic ‘protection’ of a large corporate middle-man. At the same time understanding that people who want to steal your work are going to find a way anyway; so there is no reason to punish the people who do LIKE you. And we do like you.
I applaud your actions and am very keen to buy more books this year at PAX. You are going, aren’t you?
I just recently purchased “Just a Geek” and “Dancing Barefoot” and my friend, who I do my weekly podcast with, was over last night and he picked up “Dancing Barefoot” and wouldn’t put the fucking thing down until he had consumed at least ten pages of it. This might not seem like a big deal, but from him, who wants to get to work RIGHT FUCKING NOW! It was a big deal. He isn’t normally like that, so I know he loved it. He’s not easily impressed either; he’s got a Master Degree in Rhetoric/Applied writing. High praise from a couple of fans in Minnesota. I would bet he’s going to go out in the next few days and look for a copy himself. Two sales in one evening, not bad.
I am going to get a copy of “Sunken Treasures” once I consume these two books. Thanks for publishing some great books to read.
Michael
I was once again saddened by the fact that I do not own a signed copy of any of your work as I feel like somehow buying it signed is cheating. I get to see most of my favorite authors over the last years at the National Book Festival (I live in DC). I brilliantly decided you should come to the book festival and they should have a tent for independent writers/publishers.
I’m emailing them but I can’t say it will go very far. Anyone else here want to email them: [email protected]
Also, please release things in .pdf in the future. I want to support you b/c I read your blog but can’t get past the crazy shipping fees. I would just send you five bucks on a monthly basis if i could.
Wow, how in the world did something so glaring get past my internal editor? I proofed this post several times before I published it.
Sigh. I’ve corrected the error. Thanks for pointing it out.
I just bought “Just a Geek” and “Dancing Barefoot” online and since I haven’t gotten “Just a Geek” in the mail yet, I plowed through “Dancing” this morning. What a great book. I teared up a few times during the story about your aunt and also a few times when you talked about being fortunate to give a fan a good experience. I can’t wait to read “Just a Geek” and I know I will be getting “Sunken Treasure” as soon as I can. I am glad there is someone out there, with fame and fortune, that is like myself in so many ways. A lot of times, *cough*William Shatner*cough*, celebrities can be such dicks it’s really impossible to admire them. In you we get a celebrity that knows what it’s like to be a fan and someone famous. A lot of these actors, Bill included, weren’t able to be fans of anything before celebrity was thrust upon them. I think that’s a shame actually. Bill could be a nice guy if he wasn’t there from the ground floor having his ego massaged his whole life. He was the pinnacle, the first star, the main man for so many years, all he has left now is jealousy and his love of money to get him through conventions. I’m sure you don’t mind the money, but you get what it truly means to be humble and grateful for what, we the fans, have to give. We thank you for being you and for being a total, unrelentingly honest GEEK. I can’t wait to read “Just a Geek”. I think I am going to get it for my friend for his birthday. He’s a huge ST:TNG fan. I have to to be honest with you, since you are honest with us always, I always liked DS9 better and I didn’t mind Voyager. Let’s put it this way, my wife gave me permission to buy one series on DVD, since they are so fucking expensive, and I went out and purchased DS9. Does this make me a bad guy, well that’s up to you and your fans to decide. Bottom line is that I am a GEEK and I love this site, I only wish I would have known about it sooner. Thank Chris Hardwick for pointing it out to me.
Michael
That’s part of what your posse is for dude 😀
“Okay, this is awesome,” I thought.
Just wanted to say, I think so, too. It’s not all that easy getting your books here in good old Germany (yes, there’s Amazon marketplace, but shipping is rather expensive, unreliable, and takes ages, plus going to customs which is at the other end of the city), so seeing your Sunken Treasures World Edition was pretty awesome already. Being able to download it and get to read it minutes later, all for five bucks, made my day. Would be really cool to get your other books just as easily…? *g*
Thank you for offering as a PDf. Just purchased, will read tonight. Other than your blog and Suicidegirls I haven’t read your other work but I am definitely interested in PDFs of your books! Although a couple of years older than you (this year is my 25th high school reunion, groan) and not quite a geek, love the blog, love the 70’s era childhood references (space invaders, yes) – my local ‘arty’ theatre is planning a showing of Star Trek – the Motion Picture show next month and I am so there!
This is a great story. It heartens me to know that I am living in a time when artists have never had so much control over their work and it’s distribution. I heart technology!