What does an eBook author owe his customer?
If you buy an eBook what do you expect from the author?
Now let me ask you another question. If you buy a book
from Barnes and Noble, what do you expect from that author?
For many people, the expectations are entirely different.
With a physical book, you pay, walk out the door and that
is the end of the transaction. You don’t expect Stephen
King or Danielle Steele to answer an eMail and you don’t
expect their phone number.
But for some reason many people have a higher expectation
from eBook authors. Granted, sometimes the eBook author
invites questions and promises support. In this case it
should certainly be delivered.
On the other hand, many people believe that because they
buy an eBook, that author should be available to answer
their eMail questions. And certainly if there are technical
problems, the author should have a support system in place.
But does an eBook author owe his customers answers to their
eMail? If someone asks him to clarify a point in chapter 4,
is that an obligation he should feel required to meet?
EBook authors who provide a means to contact them on their
web site inevitably get many questions about their work.
On the other hand, if there is no way to contact the person,
their sales suffer.
As a customer, what should you expect from an eBook author?
Does an eBook author have an obligation to spend 15 minutes
answering your eMail? Do you have a right to a refund if
they don’t answer your questions?
In many cases, the expectations of customers are
unrealistic. It’s probably not fair to expect an eBook
author to spend his personal time answering your personal
question. You paid for a product and it was delivered.
End of transaction.
On the other hand, it may be very smart for the author to
answer the question if it will favorably impress a customer
who may do more business.
Clearly the primary responsibility here belongs to the
author because it is their business. They must properly
set and meet expectations. If an author is getting a lot
of questions, perhaps the product needs to be improved to
answer those questions. Or perhaps they need a service or
support system that automates the answering.
If you are an eBook customer, ask yourself if it is fair to
expect an author to spend their own time answering your
personal questions about your personal situation. Should
you treat an eBook author differently from an author at
Barnes & Noble? Will you demand a refund if your personal
question is not answered?
The eBook industry is still in its infancy. Perhaps someday
there will be an eBook Bill of Rights which clearly lays
out the parameters of a transaction.
Until then, reasonable people, both authors and customers,
will set reasonable expectations and act accordingly.
Perhaps authors will pay attention to the feedback they are
getting and improve their product. Perhaps customers will
realize that paying for an eBook does not entitle them to
an hours worth of personal consultation from an author.
What do you think? I invite your comments, whether you are
an author or a customer.
