A lot of buzzing and scoffing these days in the world of independent publishing about the “fact” that ebook sales are down.

Blogger Nate Hoffelder tries to set the facts — the real facts — about ebook sales straight.

Source: Damn the Facts: The “Ebook Sales Are Down” Narrative Must be Maintained at All Costs | The Digital Reader

This is an important issue for independent publishers and authors such as myself. Much of our work and our world is geared toward ebooks.

Traditional publishers would like for the public to believe that ebook reading will fade away and that were are on the path that returns to the halcyon days where publishers controlled everything, including some outrageous pricing practices.

Their willing partners in perpetuating this narrative are some well-placed journalists who don’t take the time to examine the information they are being handed by publisher association and who don’t bother to do a basic act of journalism 101: getting another side of the story.

The journalists should know better.

But, as independent publishers and authors, we can only hope that traditional publishers keep fooling themselves with their own narrative and keep the prices of their books frustratingly high. That will continue to give a golden opportunity for those of us who publish our own work.