The Pioneer Spirit - Steve Jordan interview

Steve Jordan is a pioneer, he is blazing a trail across the digital landscape with his successful E-publishing venture, Steve Jordan books. So well known is he becoming that the New York Times recently interviewed him for a feature looking at the biggest revolution in books since the invention of the printing press. His web-site not only features his own work but offers a detailed look into the entire digital publishing industry. Find Steve's website HERE and sit back and enjoy our chat with this 21st century man.

1- You are something of a pioneer in the way that you market your books as E-books. As it says on your site - the book of the 21st century is digital. Did you consider going the traditional printed book route before deciding on digital?

When I first approached publishing, I naturally explored becoming a “traditionally-published author.” The problem was, the publishing industry had (by the 90s) largely insulated itself from new talent… it had fallen into supporting established authors and agents already within the system, and admitting very little else from the outside… what I call a “Castle” mentality, the elite on the inside living it up, and ignoring the “peasants” on the outside asking to get in.

After numerous queries to publishers that were either outright ignored, or responded with “don’t bother us” form-letters, I started exploring other publishing possibilities, and I liked the concept of e-books best. So I went in that direction.

2-It would seem certain that the future of publishing is digital but at the moment the industry is still looking for a standard and the Ebook readers are very expensive. How far away are we from digital books becoming the norm?

Not as far away as it would be if format standards and dedicated readers were the only things to go by. In fact, people have been reading e-books for over a decade, on non-dedicated devices like PCs and laptops, PDAs, cellphones and blackberries. Many people were not aware of e-books previously… but thanks to renewed interest, more people are discovering them, and they’re discovering they have more choices besides one or two dedicated reading devices.

Also, the format standard issue is this close to being decided. The Open E-Book format (OEB), aka ePub, is being adopted by more authors, publishers and reading devices almost every day. Not the Kindle, yet… they are one of the last major holdouts… but many people think even Amazon will have to cave and accept ePub sooner or later, or that other devices that read Amazon and ePub formats, like the iPhone, will eventually replace the Kindle device. Though non-dedicated reading devices and many dedicated devices can read multiple formats (anywhere from 2 to a half-dozen in most cases), standardizing to one or two overriding formats will go a long way towards simplifying the process for consumers, and thereby bringing more of them in. That’s happening now.

And finally, the real wild card is: The kids. Young people are more open to new experiences, including reading on the devices that many of them already have. However slow and resistant adults may be, the kids will accept the new way to read, and lead the rest of us to the new way.

3-Tell us a little about your own writing. What should new readers expect?

I enjoy writing both adventurous, “fun” science-fiction and more intelligent SF stories, and plan to do more of the same. My fans are clamoring for sequels to my last two novels, “Verdant Skies” and “The Lens,” and I will probably oblige them… though it’s too early to say whether one of those will be my next project, or will come after I do something new.

I’m also experimenting with short stories for the web… the “Denial of Service” series. I’m approaching those as I might do a series for television, and so far, I’m getting a great response from readers. I’m not sure yet how far it will go, but the present arc, including the main character’s mysterious firing that forced him to leave town, and the backstory between his new girlfriend and his brother, the girl’s ex, will be closed before I’m done.

Finally, I’m considering writing a text about the e-book industry itself, at the suggestion of other writers, but it’s too early to provide any details on that. It will probably be a take on what has taken the e-book industry so long to develop.

4-One of the worrying things about books going digital is piracy. The book industry would not be able to take the beating the music industry took over MP3. What is the answer, given that DRM is not popular with the end user?

I realize DRM is very unpopular among users… and I know my next statement will be unpopular, too… but I do believe that there are methods of DRM that can be applied to electronic products that will be workable and acceptable to the public, and provide enough security to mitigate theft.

DRM, to be clear, is simply a form of security… like a lock on a door. Security of one form or another is already being used successfully on physical objects, on storefronts, on services, on electronics and on software. So why has it been such a disaster on e-books (and music)? Because the forms of DRM that have been applied on both have been the wrong forms, too cumbersome and filled with usability and longetivity issues… like forcing you to assemble some part of your car’s engine before you can drive it somewhere. No wonder people hate DRM.

I do believe a workable security system can be devised for digital files. Not perfect… but acceptable to enough of the public that breaking it will largely be unpopular, and loss will be kept to an acceptably low level… that measure is the definition of effective security. I also believe that we have yet to see that system, and in the meantime, the public has gotten so soured to the very concept, thanks to bad missteps and worse results, that getting the public to accept even an easy and workable solution will be an uphill battle.

This has got to be tied into acceptable e-book pricing and sales, another problem area. Without getting into all the economics of e-books, a workable price structure or structures need to be devised industry-wide. If the public accepts it, they will be more likely to accept security methods attached to it. But since, at present, neither have been worked out to everyone’s satisfaction, the result is just a commercial mess that needs mopping up and redoing.

At the present time, it would make more sense for the industry to simply remove all existing DRM systems, and get the public used to buying and reading e-books in the first place. Then, when workable and acceptable security systems are devised at some point in the future, phase them into e-books (and other electronic products) together with a well-thought-out marketing campaign that fully explains why the new system is a good one for everyone… and if you can’t do that, the system probably isn’t ready to be used anyway. The good news is, if you do it properly, the security may be so slight as to be barely noticeable to your customers… that’s always the best goal.

5-So when did you first start in digital publishing and has there been an increase in sales over time?

I put my website online and started publishing e-books in 2004. I introduced new novels over the first half-year, one a month: I had written them already, and only had to prep them as e-books to get them out; and I spent a lot of time in websites asking questions of my potential customers, trying to garner attention and being an approachable member of the community. The combination of my output and my positive presence on various e-book reading sites, especially the MobileRead site at the beginning, created a sharp initial increase in sales, which leveled out to a modest sales increase as I released roughly two books a year since then.

This summer has seen a drop-off in sales, even as I’ve introduced my best-reviewed books in just the last year… but everyone is having a tough summer, so I don’t take it personally. And since I leave the books up, someone can always buy them later, when they are ready. It all averages out to a healthy level of sales, enough to generate a modest profit every year.

6-Where do you see yourself regarding your books in the future?

As long as I can think of new stories, I want to keep writing them… I enjoy it. Will they all be science fiction? Maybe not (I’ve written one novel, “Lambs Hide, Tigers Seek,” and the “Denial of Service” series, that are not SF). Will they all be fiction? Well, with the recent interest in my understanding of the e-book industry, I am being pushed to consider articles or texts on the subject. Whichever it is, I plan to continue developing this sideline, because it’s fun, and the more fun I have, the longer I’m likely to want to do it! Time will tell.

7- What advantages do you think digital has over standard paper books?

The advantages are many, and summed up with one word: Flexibility. With e-books, you can select the final form of the reading experience. You can choose the device you’ll use to read, according to your physical preferences: A computer on your desk; a device in your pocket or purse; a text-to-speech device to listen to on the way to work. You can set the font size, type and color to whatever is the most comfortable to you. You can set the background and contrast of your page. With many devices, you can choose different reading programs, each of which offers a slightly different reading experience, and many of which can be customized further.

E-books are truly the superior method of using literature, because it lets each individual user customize the entire reading experience, for the first time in history. Now, that’s progress!

E-books also have a much smaller environmental footprint than the equivalent in printed books, accentuated by the fact that a single reading device can replace hundreds, if not thousands, of printed books. And printed books aren’t as cleanly produced as most people think… it is a very dirty and energy-intensive process, which removes mature trees from our ecosystem. Simply put, we need trees more than we need paper.

8-Do you own a dedicated ereader? And if so which one?

I don’t use a dedicated reader. I enjoy reading on my PDA, an iPaq 111, which also functions as my organizer, media viewer, expenses tracker and occasional word processor. Although I’ve seen a number of the dedicated devices, I actually prefer the illumination, contrast and pocket size of my iPaq’s LCD screen, and have no plans to adopt eInk at this time. Of course, eInk is improving, so are other display technologies, and color has yet to play a big part in e-book displays. So who knows what I’ll be reading on next?

9-Advice for new writers wanting to publish their work digitally?

I’d start by getting online and connecting with your potential audience, to find out directly what they are looking for, how they want it delivered, and what they really hate. If you can give them what they want, they will be your enthusiastic advance agents to the rest of the world, helping to promote you, to steer you at promising opportunities, to make suggestions, and to spur you on. The best part about the web is its outreach and immediacy… you should take advantage of it.

And when you publish… do it right. Make your work look good and read well, get it edited and proofed, and make sure people don’t have reason to question your professionalism.

10-Finally the Tainted Archive is going into western mode in October for the next Wild West Monday. Do you watch westerns? Have you a fave western movie or book?

I don’t watch westerns like I used to… I grew up watching shows like The Rifleman, The Big Valley and Bonanza on TV, but these days, I’m not watching much episodic TV, and there aren’t as many westerns on my local channels as there used to be! My favorite western is John Wayne’s The Cowboys. I like it for its relative realism, and the interesting take on the coming of age story, not to mention the depiction of John Wayne as a strong father-figure, not just another iconic hero. Outside of that, my western tastes are all over the place… High Noon… The Good, the Bad and the Ugly… The Unforgiven… Silverado (cliché-ridden, but fun)… Support Your Local Sheriff… even Blazing Saddles!

I can’t explain why I’ve read so few westerns, and I keep meaning to check some out, but reading and writing SF takes up just about all of my literary time. If you think it counts: Firefly is one of my favorite TV series…

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The following readers are the most popular on sale at the moment:

Kindle 2
Amazon launched the international version of its popular portable reading device, the Kindle 2 on October 7. The Kindle 2 with U.S. and International Wireless will enable people in over 100 countries to purchase, download and read English books on the Amazon Kindle 2 eReader when they are in the US and overseas. Along with the introduction of the international version, Amazon reduced the price of its bestselling eReader, the Kindle 2 to $259 (available now). The International device can be pre-ordered from the Amazon website for $279. The international version of the Kindle 2 eReader will start shipping on October 19.

Kindle DX
The Kindle DX eReader has been designed for larger-format reading and is suited to reading digital versions of newspapers and magazines or for storing and viewing PDF documents. The device comes with a 9.7" diagonal E Ink screen and can hold up to 3,500 books. Users in the US can download digital content using the device's wireless 3G coverage. The DX can also read to you with its text-to-speech feature. The Kindle DX is priced at $489.00 in the US.

Sony eReader Daily Edition
The Daily Edition eReader from Sony comes equipped with a seven-inch wide touchscreen display and 16 levels of grayscale for easy reading. Readers can store over 1000 standard eBooks on the device with the option of expanding the onboard memory using the extra memory card expansion slots. The 3G connection facilitates downloads on the go, and enables Daily Edition-equipped eBook readers in the US to download newspapers and books over the air while they are away from their computers. The Daily Edition is due out in the US in December, just in time for the holiday shopping period. The device will be priced at $399.

Sony Reader Touch Edition
The Sony Reader Touch Edition has a six-inch touchscreen electronic paper panel that functions with the touch of a finger or with the included stylus pen - which can also be used to jot down handwritten notes on the device. The Reader has an integrated Oxford American English Dictionary that gives users quick access to word definitions and comes with the option to format the text into five different font sizes for easy reading. Users can store up to 350 books on the device with the option of increasing this number with the onboard memory expansion card slots. The device retails for $299 in the US in red black or silver.

Sony Pocket Edition
On August 5, Sony announced two editions to their family of eBook Readers, The Sony Reader Pocket Edition and the Sony Reader Touch Edition. The Pocket Edition's electronic paper display measures five inches and has been designed to be small enough to easily fit into your pocket. It stores about 350 standard eBooks and can last up to two weeks on one charge. The Sony Reader Pocket Edition is currently the cheapest electronic reading device on the market and is priced at $199 in the US.

Elonex eBook Reader
UK-based book store Borders launched the Elonex eReader on June 30 in the UK in partnership with Elonex International, an UK-based IT solutions company. The Elonex eBook reader was designed to target consumers wanting an affordable eReader. The six-inch eBook reader enables readers to store up to 8000 eBooks (provided users have the optional eBook Accessory Pack). Users can also store pictures and files on the eReader for on-the-go viewing. The device weighs in at 180g and measures 9mm thick. The Elonex eBook comes preloaded with digital versions of 100 classic books preloaded for instant reading gratification. The device is priced at £189 (€222, $300) and is available for purchase in the UK.

IREX DR800SG eReader
The IREX DR800SG is the latest competitor in the growing eReader market. The device is equipped with a 3G wireless connection and a touchscreen. Over 750,000 books will be available for the device thanks to a partnership with book chain Barnes and Noble. The 8.1 inch screen makes it slightly larger than the competing Sony Reader Touch and Amazon Kindle 2. The IREX eReader will cost $400 and will be released in the US in October. The device should be available in Europe in the first half of 2010.

Polymer Vision's Readius with roll-out screen
Polymer Vision's Readius is an eReader that could revolutionize the electronic book reading market. So far, it is the only eReader to be truly pocket sized. The device is pioneering rollable display technology in ebooks with its 5" (12.7 cm) display that rolls out with a press of a button. The Readius will come with the greatest coverage of any eReader yet, including Tri Band, 3.5G global wireless connectivity and the ability to connect and communicate with accessories and other devices via Bluetooth 2.0. It will allow you to read emails and listen to MP3s as well as view images. The eReader also supports ActiveSync and USB mass storage and currently will store up to 8GB on a High Capacity Micro SD. Polymer Vision previously reported to Relaxnews that the Readius ebook will be out in 2009, estimating the release date to be sometime in the fourth quarter of the year. As yet, they have not set a price for the Readius.

Iphone & iPod Touch eReaders
For those not yet ready to dip their feet into the eReader market, there is also the option of purchasing an iPod Touch or an iPhone and downloading one of many free "eReader" applications. Free iPhone applications that enable you to download and read digital books on your iPhone include Fictionwise, Inc.'s "eReader", Barnes & Noble's "B&N eReader", Lexcycle's "Stanza" and Amazon's "e-book reader" software.