We get a lot (and I mean a LOT) of requests to do an e-zine/ebook/digital edition of The Snuff Taker’s Ephemeris. We have always said that it wasn’t something that we were interested in pursuing at this time, but the requests keep pouring in. Since the Ephemeris is your magazine as much as it is ours, Mick and I had a long discussion about this subject and we decided to ask our readers what YOU want. Of course, the printed edition isn’t going anywhere; an e-edition would just be an option for folks that want a digitized copy instead of a “real” magazine. Even though I personally despise reading anything off of an e-reader (or a PC monitor, for that matter) I realize that many folks are going the digital route, and I feel that we should at least take a general consensus and try to gauge whether or not there would be an audience for an e-book. Three benefits I can think of offhand is that (1) there would be no shipping charge, which I’m sure our European readers would appreciate; (2) The product would be received almost immediately after payment; and (3) there will always be a digital copy for sale. This means that if/when we sell out of a certain (printed) volume, there will always be a (digital) copy out there for those who missed it the first time around. We were able to reprint Volume One, but I can’t promise that we can do that for every sold-out issue. I guess my only real fear is that this will somehow “cheapen” or otherwise take away from our original idea of what The Ephemeris should be (ie, a print-only throwback to the old days of the underground press). I explained this to someone who answered me rhetorically: “Then why are you selling it online?” Good point. So what do you guys and gals think?
I’m ambivalent. On the one hand, I don’t care for reading whole papers/magazines on my computer, but on the other I can see how it would really help out the Europeans members. Maybe do a test run to see how many people actually spring for it with the next issue to gauge whether or not it’s worth it? Although the archival potentials would be pretty nice.
I would love it. I keep forgeting to buy a subscription so this would definitely be a plus!
I enjoy reading on line because it allows me to look things up right away as opposed to taking notes, or worse, highlighting the ephemeris. However, with all the free online mags available you would not be able to SELL me your ephemeris that way. So unless you can arrange for me to read it for free I probably won’t. I have and will continue to buy your paperback though.
As a user owner of an e reader I would be vary interested. Much easier to take a e reader with you than a book and a news paper and a magazine with you on a train bus or plane.
The beauty of the STE is that it IS printed, for me that makes a huge difference; I doubt I would get round to reading an e-zine. The cynic in me just forecasts that one day there would be a post on here that reads ‘due to the great success of the e-zine, and the cost of printing ink being what it is…’ - not that I would blame anyone if that did happen; it must be hellish difficult to keep an independent publication like the STE going. But, there is only so much web-siteage a chap can be bothered with. The STE fills a gap in the same way a newspaper does; hopelessly impractical compared to the capacity of IT but very important, as much as anything in proving that we don’t need to live in front of flickering screens. I do enough of that.
@snuffpub … you know i spend a ton of time on the computer … in general, though, i enjoy sTe in printed form. saying that … i think, to be both true to your selves but also to be with the times, both options probably need to be offered. keep up with the young’n’s, you know? just a thought … financially, doesn’t it make sense in publishing, to provide an e-version as well? anyway… love what you and mick do for smokeless in general … and i support whatever you do.
I’d enjoy both. I’m the kind of guy that will read something more than once
I do all my reading on a Kindle. I have been intrigued about the Ephemeris but simply never had the cash sitting around. I would not hesitate to spend $5-10 on a digital copy in the Amazon Kindle store. I do believe that if you get in touch with Amazon and express an interest in publishing content for the Kindle they will give you all kinds of tips (and software, probably) to properly format to make a readable digital product. Kindle books, when purchased, have DRM (copy protection) that is, frankly, pretty easy to break but I think that your target audience of snuff-takers is small enough to understand that pirating something that clearly takes a lot of work and is not making much money (I’m assuming) is a big no-no. I understand that making digital copies of a print magazine can seem like a compromise but I think you will be satisfied with your expansion. I can at least guarantee you that you will gain one customer (me).
As someone who works in the field of print-to-digital conversion, I think a lot depends on how an expansion into digital will affect your bottom line. With mainstream publications, I would definitely say go for it, but for a niche market, things are a little iffy. If you can afford to do both print and digital editions, it will provide the benefits you mention above, and you may even increase circulation. Obviously profit is not really a motive for publishing the Ephemeris in the first place. One of the trickiest parts is subscription pricing. Digital subscriptions should be cheaper than print, but by how much? And should print subscribers have free access to digital, as most mainstream magazines offer? I wish could help you with answers to those questions, but all I can do is bring them to your attention. You’ll have to sit down with your accountant and your web site designer, and work out the answers that are best for you.
I just got the reprint of the first issue and it was great! I will always be a subscriber. Anyways, I like the paperback version because it is good to have the magazine around. It is full of great facts that I can just grab it at anytime by reaching on my bookshelf. So I will be a paperback guy from here on out. Plus the covers make for great coffee table mags, lol. By the way, When does issue #3 come out? I hope I haven’t missed the announcement… Thanks.
I suggested this back when STE was a twinkle in our eyes. I encountered a long rant about how it would never happen. That Snuffpub is now considering it is a great leap forward. I am reading your thoughts with great interest. As was said this is a trail balloon to see if it would be something that you, our customers, would want.So far it looks like the nays are winning. @ Mark, #3 is still in the works. Just delayed a bit. You didn’t miss it.
@snuffster: Mark my words: the (potential) E-version will NEVER replace the printed version. On this I am inflexible. The sTe will always be a printed magazine that will be there for the guys like us that want to escape the confines of a blinking monitor. Mick and I joked that if we’re the last two guys on earth that want a *real* printed and bound edition, I’ll run out to Kinkos and have them print two copies up. 
So you never have to worry about the digital edition superseding the print version. @brant: I agree with you 100%. I think *most* of our group prefer the print edition, but what about the younger guys who are more… “open” I guess to e-zines. I’m not one of them, so I don’t understand this segment of the populace, but I know they’re out there, and I hate to think that we’re missing out on a lot of readers because we refuse to change with the times. There’s a fine line between being traditional and being obstinate, and I don’t to put off doing the inevitable (if, in fact, digital magazines are the future standard). @Juxtaposer: you bring up a good point. I have mixed feelings about doing an e-version simply because many people read the words “digital copy” and automatically expect it to be free (or even worse, they equate it with “inferior” or “not up to the standards of a *real* magazine”. I know I have.) This is why I’d hate to create a perceived lack of quality with our brand name. @Pike: Thank you for the input. This is the kind of feedback I was looking for from potential readers who (1) own an e-reader and (2) have yet to purchase the print version of the sTe. We’ve yet to work out the various technical errata, but we’ll make sure the final product is compatible with all the major e-readers, chief among them the Kindle. I can tell you right now though that we probably won’t be sold on Amazon anytime soon, mainly for the same reason that we don’t sell the print edition there. In our situation, there is a lot of legwork and upfront costs to getting properly listed on Amazon or Barnes and Noble, and in the end, Amazon keeps a portion of the sale along with whatever third party we use to facilitate the backend setup. On the other hand, I can sell the magazine directly from my website and not have to worry about any of that stuff. Sure, we may not be as visible an entity outside of the major online retailers, but at the same time we won’t be “competing against ourselves”, so to speak. For every copy we’d sell on Amazon, I’d be kicking myself thinking that we could have sold it directly on our own site and not lost any profit to commission and listing fees. So, for the time being, we won’t be on Amazon or Ebay anytime soon. The piracy issue is another thing to consider. We strongly believe in the free flow of information, and I believe that a digital copy should have the same usage rights as the printed version. That is to say, once you purchase a copy of our magazine, it’s yours to keep and do with what you want. If you want to photocopy it and send it to your friend, go for it. If you want to reprint an article for your blog or whatnot, just give proper credit. If you want to email a copy to your friend, have a blast. But I draw the line when it comes to someone making a reproduction and trying to sell it. That’s bootlegging, and it’s NOT the same as file sharing and it’s immoral and evil. Having said that, like you I believe that our readership understands that we’re a teeny tiny operation and every cent we make counts. Putting up a torrent or a rapidshare of even one issue could hurt us immensely, so I would appreciate it if everyone could refrain from publicly sharing any of their issues for at least a few years, so we can have a chance to establish ourselves in the publishing field and losing a few thousand sales won’t hurt us like it would right now. @Pipen: those are all valid points that we’ll have to look into before we go any further. Thanks for bringing them up. @Mark W: Volume III will be out whenever Mick finishes it. @Mick: Hurry up and finish Volume III! 
Seriously though, we were hoping for a Summer release but when our printer went bankrupt, it threw us off schedule by about three months. I’m not even going to throw out a ballpark release date yet, other than to say that we’re positive it’s at least coming out in 2011
I agree with the others that a digital copy is fine as long as you don’t ditch the print version. I plan on collecting these, and, that’s not alot of fun when it’s digital. I will say this: there’s something kinda cool about being a print only mag since smokeless tobacco users are in the minority, for now. It’s almost like a grassroots movement thing going on that’s redefining who a smokelss user is. Keep this in mind, AC/DC still sells tons of CD’s , yet to my knowledge, you can’t legally download their music. They prefer that you buy the CD, and, well, people still buy them in droves! I’ve been using smokeless tobacco going on 30 years now and I’ve often dreamt of a publication geared toward those of us who enjoy it. I appreciate the work y’all are doing!!!
@bigmick and snuffpub - The STE is a great innovation - until it came along the snuff print-publications on my bookshelves took up about 6 inches of space. To have an ongoing work is something that, pre-internet, would not have been even a distant dream. You are clearly committed to the ‘pure’ product that for some of us is the gold standard and from your responses an IT version is not a threat to that. I know I speak for everyone here when I say we are a 100% behind you, however you manage the addition of a new format.
Just so you know don’t worry about using amazon store as the free software calibre will convert whatever format you use into kindle format and all the other formats aswell. http://calibre-ebook.com/ I don’t know weather it is legal or not though sorry
Thank you, Snuffster. And all the rest of you. I have been amazed and humbled by the positive response to our crazy idea of producing a print magazine.
although I will enjoy an online version, nothing beats a beautiful copy that you can lie on the coffee table…
Maybe a digital archive of old articles? In due time of course…
I would love an e-zine version of your mag. At least it is a good business decision for you if you are getting so many requests. Go where the demand is.