Digital Romance

Romance readers are leading the adoption of e-books, and publishers are happy to follow. “Early adopters of e-books have not been techno-junkies but avid readers,” says Malle Vallik, director of digital content and social media for Harlequin Enterprises. “They like e-books for their portability, accessibility, immediacy, and lack of shelf space. Women have embraced e-books because they will seize anything that makes their life simpler.” That is, they read around.

Capitalizing on this trend, Harlequin recently announced the summer 2010 launch of the digital-only imprint Carina Press, which will focus on romance and erotic romance. “The voracious reading appetite of romance readers has allowed a number of digital-first companies to start and grow and become solvent,” says digital publishing consultant Angela James, who will be the executive editor at Carina. “Many readers came to digital reading because it offered erotic romance, which wasn't something they could get from traditional venues. Now traditional publishers are looking at digital-first lines.”

Romance readers and publishers remain sharply divided on the question of encryption and digital rights management (DRM), however, and many consumers continue to hold out for a low-priced e-reader and a single standardized format. “Sadly, the reader is often the missing element in the development of books and devices,” says Sarah Wendell, a romance blogger at Smart Bitches, Trashy Books. “Whether it's DRM security on the books themselves, or devices that have some but not all of the features we prefer, time and again manufacturers and publishers are standing between the reader and her book.”

Carina will be offering DRM-free e-books, delighting readers who want content to be immediately and perpetually available and easily shared. Other publishers are concerned that infinitely replicable books will destroy their bottom line. “Kensington will only deal with retailers that use DRM,” says Steve Zacharius, president and CEO of Kensington Publishing. “The authors have dedicated their lives to writing a book and deserve to earn a royalty from every copy that is downloaded. The slight inconvenience that might exist to the reader in having to put up with DRM is worth the effort to make sure that the e-publishing business is a viable model.” Wendell says that inconvenience not only discourages readers but reduces valuable word-of-mouth promotion: “We can't say to a friend, 'Oh, my gosh, you have to read this—here, borrow my copy.' [Readers and bloggers] are the newest marketing and promotional team for an author, but our ability to share the very thing we love most is hobbled because we are seen as potential thieves and pirates.”

Readers are voting against DRM with their dollars. Lori James (no relation to Angela), co-owner and COO of the online bookstore All Romance eBooks, says that in 2008 the “vast majority” of its sales were of unencrypted files, mostly PDFs. “Customers who are new to reading books digitally have often experienced reading a PDF document and already have Adobe Acrobat Reader on their computer,” she says. “I understand why some publishers elect to employ DRM, but there are many readers who find navigating the DRM files daunting. Some customers are cautious when it comes to downloading new software, and others don't want to commit to a registration process and reveal their personal information. Piracy is an issue and it's bad for the industry, but we need to remember that on the whole, romance readers are honest, loyal people who are extremely supportive of their favorite authors.”

While trade publishers are frustrated by market demand for cheap e-books, mass market publishers know how to make a profit off a three-digit price tag. “We're in a unique position at Harlequin, as almost everything we publish is mass market,” Vallik says, “so we have not felt the pressure that other publishers have. Most people expect a digital edition to be less than the print version and that is how we price our e-books.” Zacharius reports that Kensington's e-books are discounted about 20% from the cover prices: “I feel the lower cost of bringing this type of format to market should be passed along to the reader.”

Another cost being passed along to readers is the steep price of reading devices, a deterrent to romance fans used to purchasing mass market paperbacks for $7.99 a pop. Vallik opines that romance readers reluctant to try e-books are waiting for a low-priced, simple e-reader—“Women have no desire to connect the doohickey to the whatchamacallit”—but blogger Jane Litte of the romance reviews site Dear Author disagrees. “Even the iPod nano now comes with the ability to take video and photos, show video, and play music,” Litte says. “My feeling is that women will adopt a multifunction device sooner rather than adopting e-reader devices.” Regardless, she adds, publishers, booksellers, and device manufacturers have to keep ease and speed of use in mind. “If other forms of entertainment provide more value or are easier to obtain,” she says, “books will lose.”

Looking ahead, Litte suggests that digital technology will open the door to entirely new pricing schemes. “We may see lower-priced subscriptions and licenses instead of sales,” she says, “because of the reduction of the onerous burden of returns and resales.” Meanwhile, Angela James is considering the implications for international rights and other contract terms. “I think the next few years are going to see some negotiating among agents, authors, and publishers around world digital rights,” she says. “Digital publishing has the potential to eliminate the barriers of international customs and shipping, and gain a whole new audience for authors and publishers—but lifetime world availability has implications for authors with contracts that are binding as long as the book is in print. What will 'in print' mean now that digital copies live forever?”