Soapbox: Scribbling for Scribd

When I walked into the lobby at Scribd, I noticed an object nailed into the floor: a small plastic ramp. Next to it sat a pile of kick scooters. The ramp was for jumping those scooters into the air. This wasn't going to be the same old publishing experience. The people at Scribd asked if I'd be one of a handful of authors to participate in the new Scribd Store. I jumped in and brought two friends, all of us bestselling authors. No, we're not giving up on printed books. But what's happening with my new novel, The Sower, and Scribd is a sign of how the world of books is changing.

Scribd, which is sometimes called “the YouTube of documents,” was started in 2007 by Harvard students Trip Adler and Jared Friedman. Their idea was to make the written word accessible. Once a document goes on Scribd, it can be bought and read with a click. Anyone can instantly publish. Millions of documents have gone up so far, including backlist titles uploaded by mainstream publishers. And people are reading: Scribd gets more than 60 million unique users per month. That's twice the size of American Idol's audience. So you can see why my friends and I were interested.

Tamim Ansary is a nonfiction writer; Public Affairs published his most recent book, Destiny Disrupted: A History of the World Through Islamic Eyes, in April. But Ansary loves writing fiction, too, and decided to sell his historical novel, The Widow's Husband, on Scribd.

Joe Quirk has written two bestsellers. His new novel, Exult, is set in the world of hang gliding and appeals to men—who happen to be more than 50% of Scribd's users.

For me, it's about timing. A follow-up to my debut novel SoMa (Kensington, 2007), The Sower is a thriller set in the present day. It taps into the current national mood, addressing the backlash against conservative ideologies and corporate greed. If I were publishing it the usual way, I'd have to wait until 2011 for the book to come out. Would the public still feel the same way then? An e-book also allows me to add topical references, making a novel set in the present feel absolutely current. This first edition includes references to swine flu, Susan Boyle and TheDailyBeast.com. That flexibility is exciting. But what makes an e-book such a wonder also causes worry. Isn't it easier to steal?

The company has an ambitious effort underway to set industry standards for preventing book piracy. If you don't own a document, you're not allowed to upload it. Scribd's copyright management system works with publishers and authors to flag copyright violations, remove misappropriated books and prevent future misuse. It's a new technology, and the missteps have gained notoriety in the press. But more documents are protected every day.

The work on copyright protection is reminiscent of when videos and music first hit the Web. Today YouTube has deals with TV networks to split revenues, and Apple offers a path to music profits with iTunes.

I'm not worried about my novel being stolen. There's too much upside to reaching a huge new audience. In fact, Tamim, Joe and I are taking an additional step to entice readers. We're selling our books for the recession-friendly price of $2. And since Scribd pays copyright holders 80% of revenues, a lower price is viable.

There's still a readership for our novels in print, and with Scribd we retain all rights: hardcover, paperback, foreign, audio, film/TV, etc. E-book debuts can create buzz and become a new tool for agents, publishers and booksellers to find titles that warrant further exposure.

And the reading experience is impressive. I think Scribd is best when it's read live online in “book mode.” It has animated page turns and looks lovely on a laptop screen. It even remembers what page you're on. For offline reading, you can download a PDF, which can be encrypted with software that prevents forwarding. An iPhone app is in the works.

That's not the same old publishing experience. You don't need to do scooter jumps in the lobby to realize that.