Andrew Dubber
Who are you?
I am a music industry consultant and Professor of Music Industry Innovation at the Birmingham Centre for Media and Cultural Research.
Can you describe your Leanpub books? Are they in-progress or complete? What types of books are they?
I have several books on Leanpub. A couple are complete, and a couple are works in progress. Music in the Digital Age is a book I’m taking my time with and responding to feedback as I go along. I’m also bringing on board another author. The 360 Deal is an edited collection of essays giving advice to young people just starting their career in the music industry. I wanted to get that out with a minimum viable product - partly to start getting the information into the right hands as soon as possible, but also because all proceeds from the book go to a charity, and this meant that they could get some much needed funds very early on in the book’s life.
What do you think about Leanpub?
The guys at Leanpub have been incredibly helpful and responsive to every question or challenge I’ve thrown at them. It’s a great service run by people who really care about what they do.
Why do you use Leanpub?
Leanpub has provided me with a way to create projects that would not have happened in any other way. I have been able to make some money as an independent author, which has been very welcome, but more importantly, I have been able to work with a wide range of other writers and thinkers to put together something that has made a difference for a charity that I am very keen to support. This project could not have happened in any other context.
How did you discover Leanpub?
A friend recommended it to me on Twitter.
What’s your favorite Leanpub feature?
Actually, the best thing about Leanpub for me is the ability to work in Dropbox using markdown language. This method of publishing has made things incredibly simple.
How have you reached out to potential and existing readers of your books?
I’ve continued the conversation with my community via email to keep people up to date with progress but also to add extra information and to keep the work on people’s radar as time passes.
What are your thoughts on the Lean Publishing approach? What types of books, and what types of authors, do you think it is good for?
Lean Publishing is a great way to capture bodies of knowledge, because you can build the structure as you go. I suspect that fiction would be harder to implement this way - at least, the way I write it - because unless you want to challenge linear narrative conventions, you would have to start with a completed first chapter or two, then add over time in chronological order. I tend to hop around.
How long was your first Leanpub book when you first clicked the publish button? Would you publish earlier or later next time?
My first Leanpub book had a completed section consisting of several chapters before I published. I published again when I had another full section consisting of several more chapters. I like my updates to be substantial ones.
How can we improve Leanpub?
I’d love to see Leanpub pay authors the way that Bandcamp pays musicians: at the point of transaction and with transparency about who the money is coming from. Far more than the cashflow implications, the potential direct connection between the purchaser and the author would benefit from that, and I suspect that would strengthen the commitment to develop and complete.