Higher profits with unlimited print-runs - E-books publishing expects development in Serbia

(Photo: Ivana Vuksa)

They used to be on stone and papyrus. They have been read on paper for centuries. Although for many, nothing can change the sound of turning the pages and the scent of print, the number of those who like reading in electronic format – e-books, increases.

During the couple of previous years, electronic books dominate in developed countries and we in this process, due to real economic limits and misunderstanding of the adtantages IT era offers, significantly leg behind, Milan Tasic, an editor at NM libris, specialized e-books publisher, says for eKapija.

According to Tasic, the fact that, although we live in technologically developed world, we are at the very beginning – in the stone age of the informatics era should not be neglecetd. Therefore, it will take time until a book gets its final electronic suit and we have to be ready for it.

Electronic book must comply with the basic publishing standards - it must have an editor, to be processed, technically and paint-managed, must have browser and linked content and a reader cannot change text and layout. Therefore, numerous electronic books we find on internet, in fact, cannot be called books but digital writing. This is for every literate person huge difference, our collocutor says.

Private electronic library

E-books published by NM libris are not bought separately but they can be read based on membership principle and the price is EUR 12 per year.

NM libris sells books on site separately and Tasic says that price and option of reading a book from any device which a user already owns, are the basic advantages between that kind of shopping compared to shopping via Amazon or some other distributor.

As a basic advantage of this publishing company, Tasic points out the concept because NM libris, is in fact a project with an ambitious and therefore time-unbound publishing plan – to place all those books which are part of general culture at the electronic library shelves.

- We started with Serbian literature but soon we will start publishing the most valuable world literature books, both in translations and in source languages. By the end of 2014, according to our plan, we should publish some 700 books – our collocutor announces and adds that also, one of the ideas of NM Libris is that young authors publish their first book in e-format on their site.

- But, those books must have positive reviews be published. If they own a talent, young people will find it much easier to step into the world of literature this way.

Digital school reading

Electronic book publishing is an opportunity for many encyclopedia to become cheaper and books of poetry to become available for everybody, a collocutor of eKapija says.

Serbian Amazon

New Look Entertainment is the company operating since 2009 in new technology field and is among the first in Serbia which started dealing with digital publishing which implies pubising of electronic books, magazines, articles as well as development of digital libraries and catalogues. As Ivan Kosutic, company manager, says for eKapija, they first published a kids’ book and placed it on Apple iBooks store, and then on Google Play store.

E-bookstore provides distribution of e-books via digital markets whose owners are world giants such as Apple, Google, Amazon, Samsung, etc. and as our collocutor says, it is not an easy thing to start cooperation with these companies especially if you are from a small country such as Serbia is.

- The problem is that we do not have well-developed payment cards system and because we were the first to publish books in our language which is completely unknown for them. Later, we succeed in introducing Cyrillic letter as well. It took us time and patience but in the end it paid off.

Digital book publishing in three steps

The procedure of electronic book publishing on e-bookstore is simplified in three steps.

- Firstly, we sign contract. Then, a client delivers us a book in a kind of electronic format (word, pdf, InDesign, quark...), we process it and control. The third step at the end is publishing, i.e. distribute worldwide. The entire process lasts for two weeks and it costs EUR 49 – Kosutic explains.

The possibility of generating profit through digital book is higher than printing option because potential buyers are worldwide and the print-run is unlimited.

Sales of E-bookstore constantly increase because it is a new thing and people are getting familiar with it.

- We used to sell a book per month then one a week and now the figure reached tenths daily. It happens sometimes that we sell hundred a day. Of course, a sale is on the constant increase.

Self-publishing underway

E-bookstore currently cooperates with 70% domestic traditional publishers.

Apart from classical books, E-bookstore will soon include books for primary and secondary school and contracts with some publishers have already been signed.

- Great news we are currently on will be the self-publishing portal which will enable to informal writers to publish books. It is a popular trend in the world and I hope in our parts as well. We will appear at the book fair with it this year – Ivan Kosutic announces.

In Serbia, in 2013, 12.000 books were published and only one hundred in e-format. In the years to come, the number will definitely increase although for many, traditional book cannot be replaced.

- The important task is popularization of both reading in general and e-books reading. In the future which is not that distant it might be the only way of reading – Milan Tasic concludes.

Irina Milosevic