I think that when you say the word “e-book” that the assumption is the major consumer is a male, probably one who is a tech aficionado.
The reality, though, is that the most successful e-publishing company is one that caters to women.
The majority of bestselling e-books are romances. And this week, Harlequin is leading the charge toward an e-book-full future by announcing that it is the first major publisher to make its entire front list catalog available in e-book forumat.
All Harlequin titles—120+ per month—to be in E
Each month, Harlequin releases more than 120 titles per month, and starting in October, all of the titles will be in e-book format. One reason why? A press release says plenty:
“‘Women have embraced eBooks,’ says Malle Vallik, Director Digital Content & Interactivity. ‘They demand portability, immediacy, availability, depth, breadth and convenience and, by making our entire front list and exclusive digital editorial available to them, we are meeting that challenge. We are meeting the needs of our current audience and reaching a new and diverse base of readers. Seeking innovative new ways to serve our audience continues to be a Harlequin tradition.'”
All I can say is Huzzah Harlequin!
Reminder: You can visit Jane and her colleague Jayne at DearAuthor.com.
After those past few stories I assumed all publishers were female-orientated.
“Women have embraced eBooks” even though the ebook was such a jerk to begin with, but now, when it really mattered, the ebook revealed itself to be a troubled genius with a heart of gold…
Harlequin has dedicated a couple of its most senior editors to pursue new opportunities for revenue beyond paper. Clearly those two, at least, agree with many of us that eBooks are the logical next step for books. I think it’s intriguing and positive that Harlequin offers their eBooks at a slight discount to paper. As I’ve noted in the past, they’re risking the wrath of their distributors (in their case this means Walmart and Target as much as the traditional bookstores), but this doesn’t seem to have stopped them.
I believe there is room in this market both for the big established players and smaller and more nimble companies like http://www.BooksForABuck.com. I hope so, at any rate. Over the decades, Harlequin has shown itself to be a ferocious competitor.
Rob Preece
Publisher, http://www.BooksForABuck.com