March 12, 2012
How Are Your Sales With Google Ebooks?
A year ago, I was very excited about the launch of the Google Ebookstore. It was long-awaited and hopefully a viable outlet for ebooks of all kinds including Androids, iPhone, iPad, Nook, Sony and the Web. All in one place. Doesn’t that sound scintillating? I found one of my books there…
Google Books Version of my Book
Here’s what I wrote:
Google ebooks has millions of books in every imaginable category including nearly 3 million free ebooks available in the US (Google is expected to expand service to Europe in March 2011 and, later next year, to Japan). Books are stored in the cloud with unlimited storage for each customer. They’re compatible with Android phones, iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, web browsers (as pdfs even) and an estimated 85 ebook devices. You can view a portion, buy it right away, or save it for later viewing. Interesting, but Google ebooks are not compatible with Amazon Kindle yet. I wonder why.
Authors can sell their books through Google Ebookstore by joining Google Partners (used to be Google Editions). I’m thrilled to say I’ve sold one book.
On the other hand, I’m surprised. Google should do to ebooks what Amazon did to online book sales. I’m well-expecting them to double or triple (or more) my Scribd ebook sales. Scribd’s reputation is for free viewing of online books and manuscripts. Their store is an add-on. Google ebookstore is the Real Deal.
The next step is when they sell the hard copy and the ebook bundled. Then, you get the ebook for 20% of the hard copy price. I wonder when that’s coming on line?
Much of it is still true, but not the shiver of anticipation for a market that could offset my almost total reliance on Amazon for sales. In fact, Google ebooks (now called Google Play) sales are less than:
- Scribd
- Teachers Pay Teachers
- BarnesandNoble.com
I don’t get it. True, they aren’t as professional as Amazon. It’s more difficult to get a run-down on my sales, categories, spreadsheets than on Amazon, but the Amazon folks are stunning in their efficiency. I wouldn’t use them as the barometer because every other sales outlet would fail.
But my monthly sales are 5% of Amazon. That’s not even in the same virtual universe as Amazon.
What’s Google eBooks doing wrong?
Jacqui Murray is the editor of a technology curriculum for K-fifth grade and author of two technology training books for middle school. She wrote Building a Midshipman, the story of her daughter’s journey from high school to United States Naval Academy midshipman. She is webmaster for five blogs, an Amazon Vine Voice book reviewer, a columnist for Examiner.com, Editorial Review Board member for ISTE’s Journal for Computing Teachers, IMS tech expert, and a bi-monthly contributor to Write Anything. Currently, she’s editing a techno-thriller for her agent that should be out to publishers this summer. Contact Jacqui at her writing office, WordDreams, or her tech lab, Ask a Tech Teacher.
