Following up on the live chat with forum guests, Kat Meyer and Kassia Krozser of the newly launched eBook publisher Quartet Press, I posted a question on the forum: What do you think of the ePublishing model?
From the majority of replies, it’s obvious that many writers still hold on to the dream of seeing their book as a physical presence. They mention the feel of a book in their hands, the smell of the pages, yes, the whole dreamy, romantic package.
Clearly signing on with an ePublisher isn’t part of that dream.
I get it, I love books too. But allow me to appeal to your more logical side for a moment, because there are some compelling reasons why writers should at least consider ePublishing as a solid alternative:
• More opportunity for new writers
An ePublishing house can take on new and unproven writers because there’s not nearly as much financial risk in doing so.
Take Quartet Press for example. While they’re not offering advances, they are offering a 35% royalty on sales according to Publishers Weekly. That’s substantially higher than the typical 5-15% royalty you’d realize from a deal with a traditional publishing house. And since the initial investment in an author is lower, authors will have more time to establish a following and garner followup book deals even if their first book has mediocre sales.
For more rationale on why it’s smart for a writer to take higher royalties over an advance, check out this post by Cory Doctorow on Boing Boing: Proposal to raise book royalties, lower advances.
• You might still see your book in hardcover or paperback
Just because your book is initially published as an eBook doesn’t mean you won’t ever get to see it as a physical book. Many ePublishing platforms include the option of ordering a physical book. So readers who want to read your book in paper will still be able to do so via POD printing them on order.
Also, ePublishers like Quartet Press will have partnerships with traditional publishers and likely resell rights to the books that take off so they’ll get better distribution in book stores, marketing support, etc.
• Embracing the new
Admittedly, the eReader audience is just now developing, which is exactly why now is a good time to get established with an ePublisher. It’s a time of wild experimentation and figuring out what works.
The Kindle sparked the eBook revolution, but soon there will be a cheaper, more reader-friendly eBook reader that will gain mass acceptance. I think writers will really benefit from that.
Traditional publishing is contracting under its own giant weight right now, but for newly established ePub houses, the skies are clear blue. Why would any creative type not want to get on for the ride and see where it takes them?
Just something to think about. What’s your take on all this?
-Maria Schneider
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I agree. I think the whole ebook/epublishing environment is on the verge of exploding. No, it won’t replace traditional publishing. The two forms will happily coexist side by side. But I think it would be foolish to ignore the potential of this growing market. I intend to make my works available to the ereader crowd and will not hesitate to submit to an epublisher.
~jon
I’m highly FOR e-publishing as a form of distribution. I think it’s important to have that avenue available and take advantage of it. However, I liken e-book publishing to the movie scene. If a movie is made and then goes directly to dvd/blueray instead of getting time in the box office, what are your first impressions of that movie? You don’t have to answer that, it’s a widely known term, “direct to dvd”, used to describe a crappy or low budget movie.
When I imagine people using e-publishing as their only source of distribution, a part of me questions the quality of that publication. I have to wonder, then, what e-publishers themselves will be doing to make authors, and readers alike, not perpetuate that stigma of “direct to e-pub”.
It may someday explode. It hasn’t yet. Ereaders have been around for a while now. This argument isn’t exactly new. But so far, in spite of some growth, ebooks have not even made a dent in traditional printing.
It doesn’t matter how many advantages there are to writers and publishing companies it won’t until there are advantages to the consuming public–the reader.
Maria – I agree with you 100%, especially in the realm of short stories. There was a lively discussion about e-pubbed short stories yesterday at “Pimp My Novel” and there was a genuine consensus that instead of anthologies that folks would like the option of downloading short stories and novellas for $.99 – $1.99.
The first inroads I see for e-pubs is replacing the old markets for short stories – pulps and men’s mags mostly. With the long tail concept of marketing, an author with a decent portfolio of shorts could see a small income stream and gain name recognition that will be helpful when it comes to trying to sign with an agent and land a publishing deal.
I was at a conference last weekend and my pitch included my e-pub credits. The agent asked me about them and recommended I keep them in my credits section (she passed on the pitch, but for different reasons).
I am interested to be on the threshold of e-pubbing and believe it will become part of the mainstream, especially for shorter works.
Terri
Comparing eBook royalty rates to traditional rates is like comparing Twitter’s growth to Facebook’s. Yeah, 1,380% growth sounds pretty impressive, but just like eBook sales vs. print sales, it’s a drop in the book when you look at in absolute terms.
The still unanswered question for ePublishers is what do they bring to the table in terms of distribution that a savvy writer doesn’t have access to themselves? The Kindle? Smashwords? Lightning Source?
@Guy, I agree with you that a marketing savvy writer absolutely could ePublish successfully on his own. What (I’ll speculate) a good ePublisher will offer is branding, design, and editing–all important functions that many authors aren’t comfortable taking on themselves.
Very good analogy, Jaimie.
I also think–how many people watch a movie on their cell phone/ipod/whatever vs. watching it at home on the big screen?
We check emails on our cell phones when it’s inconvenient to get to a computer. but which is the preferred method?
I think books and ebooks are the same. for now, anyway.
Hi Maria:
Thanks again for having Kassia and I on the live chat yesterday. To address the issue raised by Guy (here and on his own blog), we are investing heavily in developing systems to create and deliver ebook files in all the most popular current (and future) formats. We are working directly with people like Neelan Choksi of Lexcycle, Liza Daly of Three Press, Joshua Tallent of ebook Architects, Hugh McGuire of BookOven and Travis Alber of Book Glutton. Our focus — from editing to point of purchase– is in delivering high quality content that is a pleasure (not a hassle) to read. To that end, we are establishing close working relationships with all major (and some not so major) e-retailers. Yes, while authors certainly can create and distribute their ebook directly, they most likely will not have access to the technical and design skills that we are bringing to the table, nor will they be likely to establish the sales and distribution relationships that we are building. Truly, ebook publishing–while not entirely a new field–IS a growing one. The technology is improving by leaps and bounds on a daily basis. At Quartet, it’s our job to stay on top of the developments and implement them into our publishing program.
This doesn’t even begin to take into account the heavy investment we are making in developmental editing, copy editing, proofreading, marketing and sales efforts — again, functions that few authors are set up to do on their own.
So, I hope that goes a little way in answering your question, Guy. I agree that there are many options for authors, and it’s up to each author to consider what is right for them, and pursue it.
All the best,
Kat
I agree that the epublishing industry has only just got started. It’s an exciting new avenue and should be seriously considered by all writers. My book was available as a ebook already but just yesterday I downloaded it to the amazon kindle website to be sold there. I’ll see how it goes.
Jai
I’m confused about the money. We’re talking 35% to the author, but of what, a dollar or two? Also, Maria’s point about it allowing more unproven authors to get their books out there … sounds good, but since the barriers are so low, won’t e-publishers just throw everything and anything at the wall and see what sticks? As hard as they are to land, once a traditional publisher has you in his stable, he’s going to take good care of you and make sure you’re not just one of a million other horses he’s fielding. That’s the upside of the advances they pay and the other money they have to invest in your project … they’re not doing it for just anyone.
UC: Regarding costs and royalties and the like, I’d refer you to Elise Logan’s notes from the Rogue Digital workshop (held during RWA09). http://scorchedsheets.com/2009/07/rogue-digital-workshop/ – lots of good information from people who have been involved with digital publishing for a while now (authors, readers, agents, editors and publishers).
To be clear, all digital publishers are not alike. The barriers to entry at Quartet Press are not low. Of the authors we’ve signed so far, some are agented, some previously published by very well known traditional New York houses, and some are first time authors who are clearly on their way to being both agented and traditionally published.
Our marketing and sales efforts will be mainly on our ebooks, but we’ll be making paper editions available for each of our titles via POD, AND we’ll be watching sales closely — if a title is doing particularly well, we’ll be quick to bring it to the attention of our traditional publishing associates (in other words, if a book shows the potential to break out big in print sales, we’ll be working to make that happen via rights’ sales).
We’re very invested in this company, and we didn’t enter into it lightly. We may make mistakes, but it won’t be for lack of really trying to do everything we can to make authors and readers happy.
Long gone are the days when a car maker could say “Any colour as long as it is black” and soon the same will apply to publishers who say “Any format as long it is a dead tree”. The digital age has removed all such restrictions and it is now a simple matter to sell a book in any format the reader wants – paperback, pdf, audio, ipod, palm, and all the e-readers. See Smashwords. This is the future – and, joyfully, it is not reserved for large, rich publishing companies.
I recently published a book myself with no financial outlay other than a few dollars for a website. Everything else I did alone on my computer. I have had twelve books professionally published, and one of the major factors in doing this one myself was the memory of how long and dispiriting is the traditional route. I have total control over everything – text, layout, cover, marketing, rights, and make a hugely bigger percentage on each sale. At the click of a button I can sell the book in any format from PDF to paperback, the latter being ready in a day instead of a year! And marketing, once quite impossible for an individual, is now a worldwide internet free-for-all requiring only determination and grey matter. Email a file or email a printer? Yellow with tan leather, or red with chrome trim and CD player? It is all the same.
Thanks for this piece Maria. It couldn’t have come at a better time for me since I’ve just been offered a contract by an e-publishing house and this is just what I needed to hear. For the past few days I’ve been frantically researching the subject, reading everything I could find, polling every writer I know, and writing to some I didn’t know who already publish through e-publishers. What I’ve discovered really does confirm what you and Kat Meyer have said. There is a growing number of e-publishers who are essentially small press publishers that focus on electronic media. Like other small press outfits, their standards are high and they provide the “branding, design, and editing” you mentioned plus the all-important “sales and distribution relationships” Kat has emphasised.
It’s hard to say which of them will be around for the long hall since most are very new, but the one I’ve been dealing with is very energetic, very happy to engage with me and my concerns, and its current authors are happy with both their relationship and their sales.
Hi :)
I think the publishing industry is on the cusp of what happened to the music industry with digital music. Now the majority of music is being downloaded but CDs are still being sold. I think the same will hold true for books.
Thanks for the informative blog post.
That’s great news about Quartet Press.
All the best,
twitter.com/RKCharron
xoxo
My writer and reader sides are caught in an interesting dichotomy over this question. As a writer, of course I want to see my work appear in traditional print format. Because they have a physical presence, printed books seem like a more tangible affirmation one has “made it”: “Yes! I’m a real author! See? Here’s my book.”
My reader side, however, thoroughly appreciates the e-book revolution. If I want to read something right now, I can just download it and go. I don’t have to drive to a bookstore and back (and probably by that time realize I’ve used up my reading window driving and hanging out in the bookstore, blissfully lost among the stacks…again). In addition, e-books are less expensive than printed books–often about half the price of paperbacks and much less than half the price of hardcovers. I’m always thrilled to find a book I particularly wanted to read in e-book format.
In addition, the cost differential between physical books and e-books has convinced me more than once to take a chance on an unknown author’s work. “It’s only a few dollars,” I tell myself. “Even if the book is awful, I haven’t spent that much on it, and I won’t have to figure out how to dispose of it without annoying the person to whom I pass it or contributing to the landfill.” That’s a double-edged sword, because I’ve found more frequently than I care to admit that quality control sometimes is not as good at e-publishers as it is at traditional houses. I’m much more likely to find craft issues (spelling errors, improper word use, repetition, hanging plot threads) in e-books than in traditional books, it seems.
Neither side of me is ready to throw out either medium. I do believe the e-book market will continue to grow. I’d be much happier about that if I didn’t also think the opportunities for authors to publish via traditional print channels will continue to shrink.
Ah, the debate continues (and likely will for quite some time). My question is, why wouldn’t you go digital? It’s a small market, but then so is going with a small press. The past year has seen a huge (ask any agent) increase in the number of poeple writing books, while the number of readers has remained about the same. Getting published with a tradtional publisher is even more difficult. Not only do you have more competition from writers, but publishers are being much more careful with their acquisitions. We all know there are a ton of good books out there which are written and never see the light of day. There just isn’t enough shelf space for them.
So again, why wouldn’t you go digital? If you are good and you sell well in the digital market, your odds of getting picked up by a mainstream publisher go way up. Some writers in the digital world are more successful than many midlisters (not common, but it does happen). You won’t achieve best-seller status, but then most traditionally pubbed authors don’t either. The fact is, regardless of the format, you’ll get some readers. People will read your stories. If you are smart and willing, it can be the beginning of a relationship between you and folks who want to read your writing.
Good epubs function much like traditional ones do, and bad ones don’t really do you much good at all in my opinion. Some wonder why not just self-publish if you’re going to be going digital? It’s not nearly as easy as it looks or sounds, not if you want to achieve any sort of success at it. Honestly, I don’t want to have to invest a lot of my writing time in trying to make publication happen via self-publishing, because it is a big investment if you wanting to do more than sell a few copies . I’m writer who hopes to publish one day. I will be more than happy to go digital. Is that my only goal? No, I want tradtionaly publication too, but I’m not holding my breath. Digital is a small, but growing medium. It will continue to grow as ereader technology improves and becomes cheaper. I saw a video the other day from a French publisher about where epublishing was heading (sorry can’t remember where) that was ‘holy shit’ sort of blow me away. We aren’t too far from a tipping point where people will be reading via devices in far greater numbers than they are now. Don’t let digital publishing’s scale lead you into thinking it isn’t worthwhile. It’s still a foot in the door, and if you are a bit more judicious and pick presses like Quartets, who are run by smart, savvy publishing folks, then it’s a damn good door to have your foot stuck in.
So again, why wouldn’t you digitally publish?
I think e-publishing has a lot of potential. Personally, though, I’m always going to prefer good ol’ fashioned paperbacks. Curling up in bed or on the couch with a paper magazine or book is a pleasure I don’t think I could get with a Kindle.
By the way, I just came across this blog recently and I think it’s great! :)
I came across a fascinating article in the Canadian Globe and Mail today, describing some self-publishing success stories – as in 50,000 sales and still counting, in one case. I’ve linked to it from my blog, which you can reach by clicking my name. There are a couple of dozen interesting comments with the original story, and discussion about the most suitable types of book for self-publishing. Have a look at it. This may seem a bit off-topic but it strikes me that e-publishing with an option to buy a paperback is an excellent way for the self-publisher to go, and is a route he can follow almost as well as a mainstream publisher.
Great article. I am working on a book myself based on my blog and I am considering all the printing options available to me. Thanks for documenting a healthy debate on both sides of the issue.
As hard as they are to land, once a traditional publisher has you in his stable, he’s going to take good care of you and make sure you’re not just one of a million other horses he’s fielding.
Ideally, this would be true. Realistically, in today’s publishing climate, a traditional publishing house is looking even harder at pre-orders, past sales numbers and projected numbers. Marketing budgets are now minimal or, in some cases, non-existent. Not every author or book is going to get support in the form of a marketing push from their publishers. The number who do is low and getting lower. Looking at all of the authors who’ve recently announced they’ve been dropped from their publishers–some without completing in-progress trilogies or series–the publisher isn’t going to “take good care of you” just because they signed you to contract once. They’re going to want you to do well for them.
Thank you Maria for another fantastic, encouraging post. Every time I come to your blog I feel like I grow as a writer. This information is very insightful and helps me with where I’d like to take my writing! ePublishing is an opportunity waiting for many writers like me, but I also hope to one day see my writing in print just to feel the book in my hands.
Wow. You really have me thinking. My first reaction was to respond the way Jamie did re: Movie Houses vs Straight to DVD, but then look at the success of TV series like Firefly which was a HUGE DVD success sparking a movie…
Also, I think there needs to a clear distinction between self-publishing and being accepted by a publisher of ebooks. In the first case the author does everything and there’s no vetting, but in the second the book goes through the same vetting that it would through a traditional process, but with the end product being a different format.
I’ll definitely check out the publisher.
Thanks for opening my mind up.
I love this article. You are reaffirming what I have been thinking about. I will have to check out Quarter Press. Technology is great. Thanks.