It will be easier to get readers, and harder to make a living. We saw it with comics. Right before the black and white self-publishing revolution, a black and white independent book put out with decent art could pull in a respectable supplemental income. Maybe even support a person living a very frugal life.

When I decided to self publish, everybody was doing it. Our numbers were nothing like the numbers of books I’d been a part of; they were nothing like the numbers you sold. Even still, I found out what I thought were low numbers were actually good given how many books were published.

I definitely think we’ll see that with e-books. It really is inevitable. A lot of poorly produced work is already out there, and much more is on its way.

But just like the people who still made it during the comic books self-publishing craze of the 90s, I think some people will make a name for themselves with e-books.

We may never hear of them; they may only have 5,000 fans buying their e-books for a few bucks, which comes out to more than what the average author of a physical book makes.

I don’t know if I’d say I’m excited by the future of digital publishing, but I’m definitely interested in seeing what happens.

I’m much more excited about this summer’s writing conference in Austin than I am about e-books.

I definitely hope to hold a physical book or two that I’ve written in my hands before e-books become the norm.

In music and video it should work well, because those mediums are very widely consumed, taking a huge portion of the entertainment dollar. With fiction, we’re talking about roughly the same number of entertainment dollars being spread out across hundreds of thousands of new writers who no longer have to get over any sort of quality bar to get their work out in front of people. In short, everyone gets readers and even less writers make enough money to focus on their writing.

I just want to say that I think all of this is basically inevitable, by the way. No point in fighting the change, because it’s here, but I have a very difficult time getting excited about a change that seems likely to make it even more difficult for writers to quit their day jobs.

The only real upside I see, from my perspective, is that it just might spawn a new golden age of magazine publishing, and re-create the already dead market for short stories.

I’ll willingly admit that the Bezos figures may be skewed. But I’m guessing that the ratio of growth is similar, and probably not too far off. Even 25% of sales being Kindle sales would be substantial.

I think digital publishing benefits unknown writers like myself. I think it will one day benefit bestselling novelists who may break away and do it themselves. I think mid-list writers are hurt most by e-books, but some mid-list writers may find a new way to gain a larger following with digital publishing.

For all the hype of digital publishing, I think most writers — if given the choice between having their work appear as an e-book or a physical book, they’d take the physical book. I still want to crack open a book I’ve written. But if digital publishing puts my story in the hands of more people than books, that’s what I’m after.

I think you’re right: textbooks are going to be something else. When I was a biology major, hauling around science textbooks was a workout. Even when I changed my major to English, hauling books around campus was an effort. To have all those textbooks on a device that is smaller than your average small textbook will be big. Being able to bookmark and make notes in the book and go straight to them will be great. And, hopefully, textbooks will finally be cheaper.

I also hope as digital textbooks become the norm that students just might consider downloading a novel or two.

You bring up the biggest issue that writers face, regardless of whether they are publishing digital or physical books: readership.

Whether real or perceived, so many people have convinced themselves that there’s not even enough time during the day to do the things they have to do, let alone plopping down with a book.

Television is an easier way to take in stories. Videogames can be a meditative break. Social networking is great, but many people would rather take care of their Facebook farm than read a book. While kids are a huge market for books, they eventually grow up and find other distractions; so many stop reading.

I’ve come to realize that the likely reality for me is working a day job in order to pay the bills, and doing all I can to share the stories I’d write regardless of an audience, because I enjoy writing. The likelihood of telling stories becoming full time work for me is even less likely than it would have been a couple decades ago.

The fiction I’ve put online has been seen by more people than the non-existent novels of mine not sitting on shelves.

For me, it’s worth looking into digital publishing.

One of the drawbacks of e-books: you don’t buy them, wrap them, and give them as gifts.

Another drawback I’ve experienced as a writer are the formats. While there are several leading formats for e-books, there are so many formats and no one format that’s the format (like MP3, with music).

I can format for epub and Kindle readers, but now Barnes and Noble has the Nook, and I have no idea how — or if — I can format for that reader. I’m not a fan of proprietary formats, but at the same time, without the Kindle, I’m not sure we’d be where we are with the acceptance of digital publishing.

Thanks for reading and replying, Mary.

Frankly, trusting Bezos’s figures is somewhat akin to asking P.T. Barnum for hard figures on how often people view the freakshow. Bezos has a serious financial stake involved in the success of e-books.

That said, I think textbooks are going to be killer applications on the various reading devices. I personally think that the “e-book revolution” is going to be bad for those who would like to make a living off writing, but I also think it’s inevitable. The tiny fraction of people who read fiction on a regular basis just isn’t enough to support the overhead of a massive publishing industry, unfortunately.

I’d prefer we spend our time and money teaching reading and encouraging fiction as entertainment, but I’m part of a tiny minority.

(Also, if someone wants to change my mind by buying me an iTablet, I’d be okay with that.)

Nice blog and a great picture!