Overdrive and other eBook Library Sites

Besides running a website, I’m also a self published author who has written a few eBook novels in various genres. My first eBook sales actually came from OverDrive. If you’re ever wondering if you could sell eBooks, I’m one of the small examples that you can.

But let me tell you beforehand, OverDrive is very different from eBook book stores. The eBook stores like Amazon, Kobo, Barnes & Noble and the others sell each of your books directly to one reader only.

This means that eBook creators/authors get to sell their eBooks according to the number of readers who are willing to pay for each copy of your eBook. To put it simply, one paying reader means one eBook sale.

This is in direct contrast to Overdrive who buys a limited number of copies of your eBook and makes them available to all library readers on a first come, first served basis. For example, OverDrive was the very first digital eBook service which bought the first of my eBooks.

OverDrive bought three copies of my first eBook. This means that the particular library who bought my first novel have three digital copies of my eBook. The particular library which brought my eBooks can lend three copies of my eBook simultaneously.

If all three copies of my eBook have been loaned out, my eBook would become unavailable in this particular library. Maybe you have realized it by now, but OverDrive and their library and school partners treated my eBooks just like physical books.

This means that although a library or school has a copy of my eBook and can actually make my book available to anyone who uses this library’s facilities, they limit the number of people who can actually access my eBooks at any given time.

Let’s get to the heart of the matter. Yes, I’ve said it. A library brought a few copies of my ebooks which they then would make available to anyone who’s a member of this particular library.

But isn’t this a poor way to sell your eBooks? What you might be thinking would be something like this: I worked hard to make an eBook that I wanted to sell to each individual reader, and now a library would just buy a copy and make it available to anyone who is a member of this library.

The question that may be running in your mind is this: “How would I make good money or even a decent living writing eBooks when I would be paid so little for my efforts in writing an eBook?”

This is perhaps the greatest concern anyone would have if ever they make their books available in eBook library sites like OverDrive. When I first uploaded my eBooks to eBook aggregator Draft2Digital I failed to realize this when I chose OverDrive and the other eBook library sites.

If I had known that this would be how I would generate my income from these sites, then I would have paused and studied well my decision in uploading my eBooks to these sites. I encourage you to do the same.

Amazon, the e-commerce giant and the biggest bookstore of printed books, ebooks and audiobooks have in fact made their catalog of eBooks and audiobooks unavailable to libraries.

Amazon replied that the reason why they did this was because if they made their eBooks available to libraries, it would cannibalize the sales of their individual eBooks and audiobooks for each paying reader.

If Amazon can see the possible financial loss of making their eBooks and audiobooks available to libraries, then what more small and individual eBook creators and authors? As you can see, this issue is not as simple as it would seem.

This is for you to decide. But let me give you one example to help you make up your mind as to whether you should make your eBooks and audiobooks available or not available in eBook library sites.

Don’t you know that world famous horror writer Stephen King have some of his eBooks and audiobooks available in these eBook library sites? If Stephen King can make his eBooks and audiobooks available in these sites, then why don’t you?

You may be thinking that Stephen King must be losing a lot of money by making some of his eBooks and audiobooks available in these eBook library sites, but there is a method to his madness.

It all has to do with his marketing strategy. By making some of his eBooks and audiobooks available at these sites, he extends his marketing reach to readers who otherwise would not have brought his eBooks and audiobooks.

Why do famous authors make their eBooks and audiobooks available to these eBook library sites? The answer has already been said, it has all to do with marketing. But let me explain a bit more why even famous authors do it.

Famous Authors:

Let’s begin with famous authors. There could be a lot of reason why they make their eBooks and audiobooks available to library readers. One of these reason is to do good. Yes, it can be as simple as this.

Famous authors make their usually old novels available to library readers not for the purpose of making money, but for the purpose of sharing their work to anyone, especially those who don’t have money to buy their eBooks and audiobooks.

The second reason is as said before, has all to do with marketing strategy. By making their usually old novels available to library readers, they hope to attract the new generation of eBook readers and audiobook listeners to their more recent books.

People who usually borrow books from the library despite the fact that eBooks are so cheap these days that they are cheaper than a bar of chocolate or a cup of hot coffee are usually young people and those who have financial handicaps.

Famous authors have this idea that if ever these young library readers grow up or these adult people have solved their financial handicaps, they would buy the eBooks and audiobooks and would not borrow from the library anymore where they could wait for a long time before having access to a book, eBook, or audiobook.

Unknown Authors:

For unknown authors like me, it has more to do with marketing strategy. While famous authors just need to keep the new generation of readers and those with financial handicaps aware of them and their work, for unknown authors, it’s almost like a required marketing strategy.

Unknown authors struggle to find people who would read their eBooks and listen to their audiobooks. Some have even resorted to giving away copies of their printed books, eBooks and audiobooks for free, all to reach potential paying readers and listeners of their books.

This is where the marketing strategy of making some or all of your eBooks and audiobooks available for sale in these eBook library sites pay off. Compare this to the usual strategy of giving away free samples of your eBooks and audiobooks just to attract readership.

Not only would you get paid although it is a small amount as compared to individual sales per paying reader, but you also gain widespread exposure for your eBooks and audiobooks. Who knows, these library readers might just make your books go viral.

As I have said, a few of my first eBook sales have been with OverDrive and for an unknown author who is also self-published and not helped at all by traditional publishing companies, this is a big thing.

Today, being an author who just writes books and uploads them to book sellers and eBook library sites is not enough anymore. You must also have business and marketing skills in order to succeed as an author.

It is very clear that you won’t make much money making your eBooks and audiobooks available to eBook library sites. But these sites are an excellent way to market your eBooks and audiobooks especially if you are still an unknown author.

In The Short Term:

If you intend to make your eBooks and audiobooks available in OverDrive for a short period only, because you fear you would lose a lot of money to library readers who only borrow books and not buy them.

Think again, there are many authors who are both new, unknown and famous who have been making their eBooks and audiobooks available for free just to gain some paying readers. This is a harsh reality in the book publishing business.

According to book reading statistics in America at least, it was found out that readers were for the most part reading only books from famous and established authors. This is bad news for unknown and mildly successful authors.

In short, at least in the short term, the preferred book publishing strategy for unknown and mildly successful authors would be to choose exposure over profit in selling their books. These authors stand to benefit from the exposure eBook library sites give them.

In The Long Term:

What if you’re a successful and well known author already who doesn’t need the exposure given by these eBook library sites? What if you were the likes of famous horror writer Stephen King?

As Stephen King exemplifies, you still need the help of eBook library sites to promote your eBooks and audiobooks to the next generation of paying eBook and audiobook readers. I think I don’t need to argue the point already.

The mention of Stephen King having some of his eBooks available in eBook library sites like OverDrive is enough explanation why lesser authors like me need to have our eBooks and audiobooks available to these sites.

While it is true that OverDrive and other eBook Library sites don’t pay as much as Amazon, Kobo, Barnes & Noble, and other eBook and audiobook publishing sites, they give the author exposure to library readers who can turn out to be paying readers in the future.

The book publishing industry is very competitive. It’s so competitive that many authors have been giving away for free and discounting some or many of their books. Making one’s eBooks and audiobooks available to eBook library sites is a better option.

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