Episode 301 - The Digital Landscape for Ebooks and Audio with Greg Keogh
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Greg Keogh discusses THE DIGITAL LANDSCAPE FOR EBOOKS AND AUDIO, including how independent authors can maintain control over their intellectual property and revenue through direct sales, avoiding subscription fatigue, and leveraging digital content's long lifespan. Greg also discusses how Curios aims to empower authors with tools to sell directly to readers while retaining full profits and gaining invaluable audience data.
Greg is an engineer and one of the founders at Curios. He has spent the last 5 years working in the digital content space, specifically surrounding digital rights management. Prior to Curios he worked at a digital agency that specialized in digital content solutions. Greg is an avid reader and is passionate about changing the way authors can earn in the digital era. Curios is a platform and marketplace where authors can sell their ebooks or audiobooks directly to their readers. They keep 100% of any sale, and they can own the contact information for anyone who purchases or claims their book.
Episode Links
https://www.instagram.com/joincurios/
Summary
In this episode of The Indy Author Podcast, Matty Dalrymple talks with Greg Keogh about the evolving digital landscape for authors and musicians. They explore the significant shifts in how digital content, specifically eBooks and audiobooks, is marketed and consumed.
Greg discusses how his company's origin story is rooted in the digital music space, illustrating parallels between the challenges musicians face and those encountered by indie authors. He reveals that both musicians and authors often deal with inequitable revenue distribution from platforms that deliver their work to audiences. "Authors face similar pressures to produce incessantly to fulfill subscription models," Greg notes. He argues that a focus on subscription models can erode the intrinsic value of individual works since such models push for quantity over quality.
The podcast deep dives into how digital platforms have transformed creative industries, encouraging creators to lean more on subscription models for income. Greg critiques this model, pointing out that it doesn't align well with the workflow of creators like musicians and authors who spend considerable time developing their work. He asserts, "Our aim is to shift the balance back towards ownership over content and away from perpetual content creation to satisfy subscription demands."
Matty supports these sentiments by sharing experiences from indie authors pressured into high output rates, thereby suffering from the expectation of constantly producing new content. This leads to a discussion about restoring the model of purchasing individual works and the potential for sustainable income. Greg presses the idea that a robust back catalog of work should provide long-term revenue streams rather than relying on short-term subscription income.
A significant theme discussed is the comparison between digital and physical sales, highlighting a shift in the marketplace. Data from recent reports suggest a slight decline in print book sales, which poses questions about the return on investment for authors and publishers alike. Greg speaks about how digital content generally offers a better ROI compared to print, due to lower expenses associated with distribution and production.
The discussion then shifts to lasting value—how a piece of work, particularly in the digital space, can persist over time. Greg touches on examples from the music industry, such as songs going platinum decades after release, illustrating how digital platforms have extended the lifespan of content. He argues that the potential for virality and resurgence is a significant advantage of digital content over physical.
Maintaining intellectual property (IP) ownership emerges as another key topic. Greg discusses how retaining rights over one's work is increasingly becoming a priority for creators, citing recent high-profile cases from the music industry that underscore this trend. The conversation drives home the importance of creators considering both immediate and long-term implications of their publishing agreements, especially in terms of IP.
Matty points out that indie authors are increasingly aware of the need to control their intellectual property across different formats and geographies, noting that careful licensing can be financially beneficial. Authors need to be savvy about negotiation, ensuring they do not unknowingly compromise valuable rights.
The podcast turns to Curios, Greg's company, as an example of a platform designed to address these specific issues. Greg outlines how Curios allows creators to sell their digital content directly to consumers, ensuring they receive 100% of the sales revenue while maintaining full IP rights. By functioning as the merchant of record, Curios also alleviates the administrative burden associated with international sales by managing tax obligations and customer transactions, offering a streamlined solution.
Curios also aims to support authors by managing customer service issues and providing deep analytics, which can offer insights into how readers engage with their content. Greg mentions the platform's efforts to allow seamless multidimensional interactions with digital content, enhancing both the creator's control and the audience's user experience.
This episode of The Indy Author Podcast leaves listeners with a clearer understanding of the many factors influencing the current digital content landscape for authors and highlights the importance of strategic decisions around distribution, ownership, and reader engagement. Through this in-depth discussion, Matty Dalrymple and Greg Keogh illuminate opportunities for indie authors to thrive in a digital-first world.