AmberKallyn
February 17th, 2011, 04:44 AM
There are many avenues of E-Publishing - and many e-publishers like Changeling Press, Samhain, Carina or the others mentioned by workshop members.
E-Publishers are not created equally. There are ‘large houses’ and ‘small houses’ who specialize. There are pros and cons to both of these, and it’s up to you to decide where you want your career to go.
Size
A ‘larger’ e-publisher is usually going to be able to help you build your readership, and they normally have promotion and/or marketing help, whether it’s a budget to spend on you, or people they employ to promo all authors. The larger e-pubs also can get your book in print, and into stores like B&N and Borders, Ect. (Although after today, I can probably take Borders off the list, LOL. Sad days though)
A ‘smaller’ e-pub may have more ability to work with authors, spend more one-on-one time with their authors. They still have a
Experience
If you search the internet, you’ll see a ton of publisher choices. A good portion of E-Pubs that start up fold within the first few years. The reasons why are too numerous to list. Just like the difference between E-Pubs and NY publishers, not all E-Pubs are the same. Each year, heck, almost every month, there’s a story about a new start-up E-Pub.
The key here is to do your research. Find publishers who have a track record, or if they’re new, make sure the people behind the house have experience in the industry.
Now, I’m NOT saying a new E-Pub isn’t worth your time. Many new ventures are done by professionals in ‘the-know’ and come from a NY background.
What I AM saying, is do your homework.
Because just as new ventures are announced, other E-Pubs fold. As time passes, we see less failures, mainly, I think, because people are wising up to what’s acceptable in the E-Pub business and doing their research.
Distribution
Make sure they have a good distribution - that they’re going to get your book out to the major e-book sellers so readers can find you. This should always include at least Amazon, B&N.com (Nook), and Fictionwise. If they’re going to print, do they put the book out to retailers?
Contract Terms
Know the standard contract (and keep in mind, these change over time)
Length: 3-7 years, shorter is becoming more common
Royalty Percentage of books sold on-site: 30-50%
Royalty Percentage of books sold off-site: 40-50% usually Net
They should provide an ISBN. Not all e-publishers purchase the copyright though, some leave that to the author. (BTW, for an E-Book it can all be done online and costs about $50 last time I checked.)
Copyright Office http://www.copyright.gov/ (http://www.copyright.gov/)
Online http://www.copyright.gov/eco/ (http://www.copyright.gov/eco/)
Misc
Know who is behind the company, and the editors and artists they employ. Buy a couple books, and read them. Is the writing quality? If you are looking at three different E-Publishers, and one offers you 50% royalty rate, yet the three books you purchased written poorly, or weren’t edited, do you want your work to be in their company?
Over time, some E-Pubs have gained a lot of ground. They’re considered at the top. They have a loyal following of readers who expect good quality stories, and consistently deliver.
There are E-Pubs who will sign anyone, don’t do much editing work, and barely sell anything.
Know who you’re working with. I can’t say it enough - do your research.
Don’t know where to start? Ask the authors you network with. Check out the sites below. And I love Google :)
Sites with lists of Epublishers and information
These lists may or may not be regularly updated, but they’re a good place to begin.
My favorite, Piers Anthony's List (http://www.hipiers.com/publishing.html#publishers)
SFF (Science Fiction & Fantasy) Net List by Lida Quillen (http://www.sff.net/people/Lida.Quillen/epub.html)
Preditors and Editors (http://pred-ed.com/)
Places to Research Reputations
Writer Beware (http://www.sfwa.org/for-authors/writer-beware/) (SFWA)
Preditors and Editors (http://pred-ed.com/)
Absolute Write Watercooler (http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/)
SFWA (http://www.sfwa.org/for-authors/writer-beware/electronic/) Electronic Writers Beware
Diversify
Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. It’s common for authors to publish with multiple houses. With houses folding, and news talking about author’s rights getting held onto for long periods of time -- sometimes having to go to court to get their rights back -- it’s becoming common to diversify.
If you e-publish with multiple houses, and one folds, you still have income and books out with others. If your rights get held up, you have other options.
And for me, a personal benefit is getting to work with multiple wonderful editors. Each one has their own style, teaching me something new, and I love learning and improving my writing.
All of this benefits you as a writer.
Anything you’d like to know that I haven’t touched on here?
E-Publishers are not created equally. There are ‘large houses’ and ‘small houses’ who specialize. There are pros and cons to both of these, and it’s up to you to decide where you want your career to go.
Size
A ‘larger’ e-publisher is usually going to be able to help you build your readership, and they normally have promotion and/or marketing help, whether it’s a budget to spend on you, or people they employ to promo all authors. The larger e-pubs also can get your book in print, and into stores like B&N and Borders, Ect. (Although after today, I can probably take Borders off the list, LOL. Sad days though)
A ‘smaller’ e-pub may have more ability to work with authors, spend more one-on-one time with their authors. They still have a
Experience
If you search the internet, you’ll see a ton of publisher choices. A good portion of E-Pubs that start up fold within the first few years. The reasons why are too numerous to list. Just like the difference between E-Pubs and NY publishers, not all E-Pubs are the same. Each year, heck, almost every month, there’s a story about a new start-up E-Pub.
The key here is to do your research. Find publishers who have a track record, or if they’re new, make sure the people behind the house have experience in the industry.
Now, I’m NOT saying a new E-Pub isn’t worth your time. Many new ventures are done by professionals in ‘the-know’ and come from a NY background.
What I AM saying, is do your homework.
Because just as new ventures are announced, other E-Pubs fold. As time passes, we see less failures, mainly, I think, because people are wising up to what’s acceptable in the E-Pub business and doing their research.
Distribution
Make sure they have a good distribution - that they’re going to get your book out to the major e-book sellers so readers can find you. This should always include at least Amazon, B&N.com (Nook), and Fictionwise. If they’re going to print, do they put the book out to retailers?
Contract Terms
Know the standard contract (and keep in mind, these change over time)
Length: 3-7 years, shorter is becoming more common
Royalty Percentage of books sold on-site: 30-50%
Royalty Percentage of books sold off-site: 40-50% usually Net
They should provide an ISBN. Not all e-publishers purchase the copyright though, some leave that to the author. (BTW, for an E-Book it can all be done online and costs about $50 last time I checked.)
Copyright Office http://www.copyright.gov/ (http://www.copyright.gov/)
Online http://www.copyright.gov/eco/ (http://www.copyright.gov/eco/)
Misc
Know who is behind the company, and the editors and artists they employ. Buy a couple books, and read them. Is the writing quality? If you are looking at three different E-Publishers, and one offers you 50% royalty rate, yet the three books you purchased written poorly, or weren’t edited, do you want your work to be in their company?
Over time, some E-Pubs have gained a lot of ground. They’re considered at the top. They have a loyal following of readers who expect good quality stories, and consistently deliver.
There are E-Pubs who will sign anyone, don’t do much editing work, and barely sell anything.
Know who you’re working with. I can’t say it enough - do your research.
Don’t know where to start? Ask the authors you network with. Check out the sites below. And I love Google :)
Sites with lists of Epublishers and information
These lists may or may not be regularly updated, but they’re a good place to begin.
My favorite, Piers Anthony's List (http://www.hipiers.com/publishing.html#publishers)
SFF (Science Fiction & Fantasy) Net List by Lida Quillen (http://www.sff.net/people/Lida.Quillen/epub.html)
Preditors and Editors (http://pred-ed.com/)
Places to Research Reputations
Writer Beware (http://www.sfwa.org/for-authors/writer-beware/) (SFWA)
Preditors and Editors (http://pred-ed.com/)
Absolute Write Watercooler (http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/)
SFWA (http://www.sfwa.org/for-authors/writer-beware/electronic/) Electronic Writers Beware
Diversify
Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. It’s common for authors to publish with multiple houses. With houses folding, and news talking about author’s rights getting held onto for long periods of time -- sometimes having to go to court to get their rights back -- it’s becoming common to diversify.
If you e-publish with multiple houses, and one folds, you still have income and books out with others. If your rights get held up, you have other options.
And for me, a personal benefit is getting to work with multiple wonderful editors. Each one has their own style, teaching me something new, and I love learning and improving my writing.
All of this benefits you as a writer.
Anything you’d like to know that I haven’t touched on here?