Nuts and Bolts of Electronic Publishing

The Nuts and Bolts of Electronic Publishing

by Rosalie More

Almost everything one needs to know about electronic publishing can be found on the Internet. There are mailing lists where members keep their discussions to this topic alone. And browsing through various web sites belonging to electronic publishers and self-published authors will garner most of the information you could ever want. A few URLs are included below to get you started, but meanwhile an outline of the basics should steer you in the right direction.

There are three main types of electronic publishers: self-publishers, vanity e-publishers, and royalty-paying e-publishers.

SELF-PUBLISHERS OF EBOOKS
Self-publishers fall into two categories: those who charge for their e-books, and those who give them away for free. The latter are satisfied with the thought that they are sharing their creative efforts with the world and getting some notoriety in return. The former enjoy complete authority over the publishing process and don't have to share their profits with anyone.

Unfortunately, society takes a rather dim view of self-publishing because anyone can publish anything and there are no standards for quality control. Often, any sort of self-published books are seen as those who failed to catch the attention of a bona fide royalty-paying publisher; i.e. sub-quality material. And more so with self-published e-books because they can be produced at negligible expense and therefore proliferate on the Web. While it may be true, in many cases, that such books are amateurish or downright incompetent, it's also true that many useful and interesting works are available on the Internet which marketing departments for major book publishers simply aren't geared to make money on (or have decided they aren't).

To self-publish your e-book, simply create or pay someone to create a web page for you to introduce and promote your book and to instruct customers on how to place an order. Or if you would prefer to just write the book and let someone else take care of sales, make a deal with a reputable vanity e-publisher.

VANITY E-PUBLISHERS
Basically, what I call a vanity e-publisher provides a web site which serves as a clearing house for writers to sell their self-published e-books. By that I mean no editorial control is included in the process. The main advantage to this type of distribution is the promotional opportunities afforded authors by placing many book titles in one catalog. The theory is that customers prefer the convenience of browsing one site rather than laboriously seeking out the various author sites they may or may not come across on the Net. And, of course, the authors don't mind improving their chances of being found. It's worth it to them to pay a percentage to the web site owner for the privilege.

You can find Vanity E-publishers easily by using the search feature on your Internet browser. They run ads that look like this: "PUBLISH & KEEP CONTROL! No Internet Publishing service is EASIER, FASTER or CHEAPER than _______ [ours] and the Author RETAINS all RIGHTS and SETS the ROYALTY. Your book--View it online--print only when PAID."

ROYALTY-PAYING E-PUBLISHERS
Because the e-publishing industry has emerged so recently and can't claim a traditional role in getting books to market, even royalty-paying e-publishers are having to combat the rather snooty attitude of people who resist change. You know the type--the same sort who predicted that the Wright Brothers would never get their contraption off the ground. Pioneering authors who sign contracts with royalty-paying e-publishers are sometimes seen as writers who couldn't get an offer from a print publisher in New York. Even in those cases where this is true, the reason behind it may be the restrictive formula-driven standards of certain publishing houses that eschew true originality (in spite of their rhetoric). Royalty-paying e-publishers are just as discriminating about the books they accept, requiring high quality material, yet their standards are different, more open to new ideas and fresh approaches.

The battle lines are drawn between the traditional print publishers and the upstart e-publishers. The latter have a head start in the new industry because they don't have to switch from something they're used to. Print publishers are just now glimpsing the handwriting on the wall, however, as evidenced by reports of hard-fisted contract negotiations which endeavor to retain ALL rights to the books they publish, including the electronic rights. And as evidenced by the appearance of bestselling hardcover titles in electronic format for sale at Amazon.com and other online bookstores (bookstores, by the way, which are boasting phenomenal growth charts these days). As a trial, perhaps, these bestselling titles are being offered online for prices equal to the hard cover price--$20 and up. Perhaps the print publishers haven't yet noticed that those who exclusively publish e-books world-wide are underselling them at a fraction of the price. One wonders how long before their marketing departments realize that if a customer is going to shell out $20 or $30 bucks, they might as well buy the hard cover edition. It's more valuable, isn't it, when it carries a greater investment? After all, trees have to die to support print publishers.

Eventually, New York will have to face reality: electronic versions have insignificant expenses and travel at the speed of light. Fast and cheap, what better way to revolutionize the industry? All that remains is raising the public awareness of the fact that if the mood strikes them to read a good book, a plethora of titles are available for downloading from the Internet.

Visit Rosalie's Personal Web Page

ROYALTY-PAYING E-PUBLISHERS:

Hard Shell Word Factory

New Concepts Publishing

Whiskey Creek Press

Ellora's Cave

Loose Id

Atlantic Bridge

Treble Heart Books

Mundania Press

Awe-Struck E-books

Echelon Press

Amber Quill Press

LTD Books

Renaissance Ebooks

Coachlight Press

Western Star Publishing

Bookbooters

Triskelion Publishing

For more, check out Mary Wolf's list of Royalty-Paying E-publishers. Also Preditors & Editors

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