The Bookseller.com

7th September 2008

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How Scott Sigler is changing the way we read

16.07.08

Sci-Fi author Scott Sigler is "plotting a revolution in the world of books", according to the Independent in a feature on the "podcast author".

What makes Sigler groundbreaking is that most of his novels have never appeared in print, reports the newspaper. They are broadcast via a small cubicle containing an Apple Macintosh and some recording equipment.

Sigler's novels were all first released as audio books, free for online subscribers to download, one episode at a time, over a few months. His first, Earthcore, notched up 10,000 listeners. Its sequel, Ancestor, managed 30,000. A third, The Rookie, cemented his status as "a Dickens for the digital age".

This week, he will try to reach the traditional book-buying public with Infected, a physical book, published in the UK by Hodder as part of a five-book deal.

"The book's progress will be closely watched," writes the Independent. "Most aspects of its marketing turn publishing wisdom on its head. Publishers tend to guard copyright jealously, but Sigler has released a free audio version online, and has let fans download a PDF version via his website.

"Sigler's thinking – and this is the revolutionary bit – is that it's worth making commercial sacrifices to secure a fan base, because fans will always want physical copies of the books, even if they've already heard an audio version for free.

"Last year, a book version of Ancestor was published by a tiny firm that sells only via mail-order. Sigler made it to No 7 on the Amazon bestseller list (No 1 in sci-fi) by asking all his fans to buy a copy on the morning of its launch. The book only sold 2,000 copies (its entire print run), but they created a sales spike. 'With no marketing budget, no advertising, no media coverage and an artist nobody's heard of, we managed to drive it up to No 7,' Sigler says."

Independent

US digital Hodder audiobooks Scott Sigler podcast