How Will Ebooks Change the Author Experience?

Jason Pinter (best selling thriller writer) on Huff Post Media

I'm a huge supporter of ebooks. Ironically when I speak about them online or at conferences, and caution aspiring authors on the perils of e-publishing their works, they take that as an attack on the format or on the entrepreneurial spirit. That couldn't be further from the truth. I caution people on ePublishing because having an Amazon page doesn't equate to sales, and unless your goal is simply to have your book available for download, you need an actual plan in order to sell your books. When I released my first ebook-exclusive novel Faking Life, I did it to present the prologue to my career, a book I wrote as a younger man, a book that, despite the flaws of youth and inexperience, I felt still had some merit. (Especially since the book is about a man whose life is unknowingly manipulated in order to sell more copies of his memoir -- and in the age of Greg Mortenson and James Frey, it seems more relevant than ever.)

But the ePublishing boom has me thinking about other ways that ePublishing will affect the landscape, and not from a reader or publisher perspective, but from the author's perspective. Now, if an author can make a living, or at least achieve their unique goals through ePublishing, these changes might not matter. But looking back at my career, there are certain events or moments that still live with me. And I wonder if down the road, if/when ebooks become the dominant format, how the loss of these moments might affect authors.

Book Signings: Now, the sad truth is that unless you're a mega bestselling author, you're likely not to get more than 20-30 people at any given book signing. And every author, for certain, has had events with far less (I know I have). However, bookstores are far less likely (and likely not at all) to host events for authors who are ePublished. And though my first few book signings were about as relatively well-attended as the average Pittsburgh Pirates game, they meant the world to me. I remember friends and family standing outside stores imploring strangers to come inside. The first strangers came to my events with worn and tattered copies of my books asking for a signature. I had my very first book signing at a terrific independent store called the Black Orchid, where my father shopped for years. I had later events at the legendary Mysterious Bookshop, where I'd long dreamed of signing, as well as a well-attended event at my local Borders at Kips Bay.
Today, both the Black Orchid and Borders Kips Bay have closed their doors. As writing is such a solitary endeavor, experiencing these bittersweet moments made it all seem worthwhile.

Full piece.