Books! :-)
Love them or hate them, the numbers of e-publishers seem to be increasing. Judging by the RWA's reaction- recognising Ellora's Cave, Loose ID and Trisk, e-pubs are no longer a poor second to print, either. One author even told me she makes more from her e-books than her print ones. Fancy that. Some e-pubs are paying their authors advances. Small, to be sure. Nothing that a celebratory dinner won't completely use up, but hey, it's a step in the right direction. And the publishers seem more approachable, easier to work with, more flexible, not to mention faster. I mean, I like the feel of a print book in my hand, I gotta admit, but I'm not fool enough to turn away from a good thing just coz it's different, either.
A recent article in Publishers' Weekly's on-line bookseller newsletter announced that, "Hoping to break new ground in electronic publishing, Stephen King has teamed up with Simon & Schuster to publish his newest work, Riding the Bullet, in ebook format only." PW Daily, March 8, 2000
That book sold over 400,000 copies in its first day of sales! Now that's what I call velocity!
On the other hand Charlene Teglia, erotic romance author for Ellora's Cave, Samhain, and St. Martin's Press said, “...if an author does not write quickly, is not prepared to self-promote and market extensively, and does not write to the top-selling market segment in epublishing, erotic romance, the disadvantages of epublishing may outweigh the advantages.” Hmmm.
I have a novella out with By Grace Publishing (an e-pub) and another novella coming out with them in June, though I must admit my reason for going the e-pub route with those stories wasn't massive coverage/sales/profits, nice though those things may be. :-) What I liked was the publisher's willingness to step out of the norm. I did NOT have to set my inspy in America for starters, which I must if I want to target Steeple Hill. I could have a little innocent sexual tension going on without people fainting over it. Plus these girls were so friendly and nice to work with, I wasn't freaked out by the publishing process which, let's face it, can be a bit scary the first time.
So what do you think? E-pub : trend of the future? Or not?
2 comments:
I definitely think epubs are growing and will be the way of the future. Not that I think print pubs will go away but I think there will be more even footing as people decide to get some things in print and some in eformat. Or even by it first in ebook and then if it is a keeper, buy a hardcopy if available.
All I know is that I hope to continue to be part of either as time goes on! LOL
Epubs have a place in the whole scheme of things. I don't think they'll replace books.
I love them both.
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