Paperback Rider: Beyond the Will of God, The Real Thing

Cover of the paperback, due out in July.

I’d originally planned on publishing a paperback version of Beyond the Will of God late in the fall. But within days of getting the word out to friends and family that they could download my book at the Kindle Store, it became astoundingly apparent (like a slap upside the head from my older cousin Danny) that there’s a huge portion of my world who still like to buy and read bound paper books.

Plus, never thought of it, but there’s certain people I want to make this book available to personally. I know even if friends are super iPad users (or whatever), they’re just not going to get to reading it unless Beyond the Will of God is sitting around their bedroom making them feel like it is, in fact, a real thing. I also need to go to the local bookstore in my neighborhood and give a copy to the owner. You don’t give e-books to bookstore owners.

A bound paper edition of Beyond the Will of God is therefore currently in production (under the Flat Branch Press imprint) and should be available for purchase in a week or so. You can see the draft book cover at the top of the page here. The hard copy will cost more than the digital version, but its likely at least some readers will find it a more familiar and cozy reading experience which is certainly worth the expense.

Important Indie Point and Lesson #9: The Paperback Rider
So, yeah, it may seem obvious now, but, if you’re really serious about your books, it probably makes sense to plan on producing both digital and paper versions of them simultaneously. Statistics I’ve read show that roughly 50% of the reading market use e-readers. The other 50% is more or less leery of moving down that road. Print-on-demand costs a bit to set up, and buyers have to pay more, but if half your market is non-virtual, you need to meet their needs…that includes your cousin Danny.

That said, I realize, too, that one of the problems with digital books is that no one can really see what you’re reading. The idea of a book cover is to advertise and create interest everywhere that book travels — the beach, train, picnics, whatever. Makes sense. Never thought of it so definitively until it became an issue that was personal.

I still highly recommend purchasing this book as an e-book now. It’s priced at $2.99. The paperback version will cost considerably more for obvious reasons, plus you will have to pay for shipping.

Also, check out my Amazon Author’s Page for my short story collection Trying to Care. These are straight ahead urban angst stories about mid-life love and confusion. Like life, they’re not about good and evil. They’re about you and me and all the people we know. Another collection called Implosions of America should be out before the end of the summer. When that hits the stores online, I promise it will be in both real and virtual renditions. Trying to Care should be out in paperback as well in a few weeks.

http://www.amazon.com/David-Biddle/e/B007BFDF22

Happy reading. Happy summer 2012.