Browse around the Internet, and you will definitely see how many websites are taking advantage of the literary wave of the future: electronic books. Some websites serve as online repositories of public domain material, offering novels and documents for educational and recreational purposes. Online retailers like Fictionwise and Amazon.com offer downloadable, electronic versions of top selling books, and aspiring writers are taking advantage of the medium to establish readership.

One eBook publisher specializing in erotic romance titles claims to sell thirty thousand eBooks a month! Other small publishers of eBooks are proud to mention how they first published authors who now rank among the hottest sellers today.

For the author struggling to get his foot in the door of the publishing industry, publishing through electronic means may sound appealing. Compared to most traditional print publishers, eBook publishers tend to offer a higher percentage of royalties on net sales and allow for more author input on promotion and cover art. Turnaround time between submission and book release may be shorter, as production may not be as involved. However, as with any industry, there are caveats to consider.

For all the benefits of taking your book to an electronic publisher, there are also disadvantages one needs to realize. Any author preparing to take a manuscript to an editor or publisher should be aware.

Limited distribution

First, let me qualify this section by stating that even if you are fortunate to have a book placed with a traditional print publisher, it is not an automatic guarantee that your book will be on the shelves of every bookstore in the country. True, if your publisher distributes inventory through a third-party vendor like Ingrams or Baker and Taylor, your book will most certainly be available for order by customers and booksellers.

But, given the number of books published each year and the amount of available shelf space in stores, there is sadly not enough room for everybody. When booksellers attend trade shows and study their own sales, they are going to make decisions based upon a book’s salability and the behaviors of their customers. A store that does a whopping business in mystery novels will likely not saturate shelves with computer manuals.

For the eBook author, opportunities for distribution are limited even further. Though some major chain bookstores are dipping toes into the eBook world by offering download versions of books through their websites, it will be years before one finds an eBook kiosk at the local shop. For now, eBook authors must rely upon the online resources available to them. They include direct sales from the publisher, third-party eBook retailers like Fictionwise and Diesel Books, and direct sales of books on CD-ROM at signings and other book events.

The last entry may prove daunting for some authors who must aversion to buying a book on disc, but depending on the event one might be surprised to know how well eBooks sell. The annual book fair connected to the Romantic Times convention, for example, attracts a number of readers willing to make such purchases.

Uphill battle with stigmas

“I would rather read a ‘real book’.”

“All eBooks are poorly edited.”

“eBook publishers will take anything. The books aren’t good.”

“That’s too much to pay for something I can’t touch.”

As somebody who has written and published eBooks, I’ve heard these and many other disparaging remarks about the industry. Suffice to say, it is true that there are a number of dubious eBook companies in existence that typify the above sentiments. Sadly, the shoddy workmanship of said companies threatens to define the industry as a whole, and it is a stigma every eBook author must face when promoting his work.

Let us consider the above statements one by one.

Buying a “real” book: the traditionalist can argue all he wants, but a good eBook is a real book. It is a tangible object in disk form, a visual object that can be read. Most eBook publishers assign ISBN numbers to works and register them with the US Copyright Office and Books in Print, especially if print formats are forthcoming. eBook novels have plots, dialogue, characters, a beginning, middle, and end.

Despite this, there will always exist people resistant to new technology and methods of providing information. It can be argued that curling up with a good book cannot be achieved with an eBook, but it is possible if a person has a handheld reader instead of a desktop computer. As the quality of eBooks rises, so may the number of converts. Until then, eBook authors must face the challenge of selling head-on.

Editing and eBooks: As mentioned before, there are eBook companies that exist mainly as mills, churning out books without thought to editing, formatting, and promotion. Obviously such companies should be avoided. However, as larger companies come to embrace the technology, so comes the careful attention to detail prevalent in the publishing industry. Authors who approach eBook publishers for a possible relationship should research their editing schedules and skills. Yes, most houses do have editors on staff, capable, learned people devoted to polishing a book to perfection. As the industry grows, so too will acknowledgement of this fact.

eBook publishers and acceptance: With some genres, quantity is as important as quality. For the romance industry, it is not uncommon for a publisher to produce twenty to fifty titles a month in order to feed the demand. As romance and erotica are two popular genres among eBook readers, it may stand to reason that publishers will accept everything under the sun in order to meet the demand. Any author published electronically, therefore, may be lumped into an undesirable caste.

This is not always the case. As the industry grows and the demand for books grows, so too will these smaller houses become more selective in choosing works. Already, there are a few eBook publishers that offer low percentage of acceptance. Authors should be aware of this fact, and consider eBook publishing as a “safety net.”

Ebooks and expense: To look at the eBook versions of top bestsellers, one might blanch at the prospect of paying hardcover price for the digital version of the same book. Why fork over twenty-five dollars for what amounts to a computer document when there is something tangible at the bookstore? It should be noted, though, that not all eBooks are this cost prohibitive. Depending upon length and genre, many eBook publishers offer books ranging from two to seven dollars, which is quite a bargain when you consider the rising cost of paperbacks.

Plus, the eBook industry allows for publication of shorter lengths at special prices, which is good for readers who favor novellas over epics.

Though there are many arguments for eBooks in this realm, it may still be difficult to convince new readers to give them a try. Any eBook author should continue to promote the positive aspects of the presentation of their work.

Contract caveats

As with any publisher, it is important to carefully read any contract before signing. An author desperate to sell may only gloss over a contract, and therefore miss some very important items that can affect the future of the contracted work.

A reputable eBook publisher will offer a contract that is friendly to the author and the work. Authors uncertain of contract red flags are encouraged to visit the site of the Electronically Published Internet Connection for detailed information. For an author who is able to contract print rights to a traditional publisher, it should be imperative to research for how long the eBook house has those rights, if they claim them. Often, those rights are contracted in the event the eBook house decides to offer print titles, and some may not be so accommodating if you wish to get out of your contract.

Read every contract you are offered, or have a lawyer read them for you. Ask questions of the publisher if you are unsure of some things.

Regardless of whether or not you decide to take traditional routes in your search for a publisher, always be aware of the pros and cons of every industry. Armed with this knowledge, you will be able to make a smooth transition to publication in any format.

But since my novel was just sitting on the Discus Publishing site and doing nothing but supplying me with enough money to buy a pair of skate laces every three months, I thought maybe it would have a better chance over at PublishAmerica where it would be available as a trade size paperback both on and off-line.

So this author, Ellen Du Bois, had a big thing on her Geocities site about books being available in brick & mortar bookstores & they’d have ISBN numbers and be online and all that stuff. Also had her full size book cover up so I sat there for 5 minutes waiting for the damn thing to appear. Not impressive, but she liked it. Ellen was a cheerleader for her book and sent reviews from a weekly community rag and she bulk e-mailed several pieces of correspondence during those heady days when her book was in prerelease, then release stage in the summer of ’03. I broke down and bought a copy from Amazon – took almost 3 weeks to get. And I struggled to read all 176 pages. Tripe. Clichés abounded. Spelling/grammatical errors weren’t there at least. But the writing was thin. The story moved too quickly. The main character was the most realistic as it was most likely based on the author. The dialogue was okay. The descriptions were minimal. Had there been a real editor, the book could’ve been very good. I wrote to Ellen and told her the positive things about the story, avoiding the negativities. She’d been an online correspondent for almost two years, yet after I didn’t review her book on Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble she didn’t contact me. Almost a year later she sent me another e-mail – to promote a book of her poetry. I was just someone to sell a book to and she was only interested in the sale and hopefully a glowing write up.

A Future PublishAmerica Author

Since I’d already signed the contract with PublishAmerica, I wanted to cancel it after reading that trash. Now my book would be affiliated with a company that put out just about any piece of writing that came its way. I wasn’t expecting much what with my dealings with the extinct eNovel and RJ’s eBooks, along with a tiny eBook publisher named Crafts Across America where I wasn’t paid monthly as promised. And my novel and short story collection languished at Discus, home of the alleged Number One Best selling eBook author of all time, Leta Nolan Childers.

PublishAmerica sent me an author’s questionnaire where they asked for basic biographical information; cover art suggestions, and a long list of people who might want to read my forthcoming novel.

“Please prepare a list (names, and addresses,) of people who know you well enough to be interested in your success as a writer: personal friends, colleagues, relatives, etc., to receive a book announcement…Please limit your list and your labels to a maximum of 100 contacts. Also, please do not include businesses or organizations of any kind, including bookstores, media contacts, or government organizations. Include friends and associates only.”

The editing process of my manuscript took two weeks over the Christmas holidays. I was able to ascertain that the first few pages had been read as some minor alterations had been made, but no changes followed for other 50 or so pages. One of the errors that occurred was clearly the result of a spellchecker on the part of PublishAmerica as a question mark appeared after the end of a statement. I’d read of real authors receiving instructions to change chapters, alter endings, delete numerous pages, in other words, really struggle to rewrite a book. Why so much effort? Names. Reputation. The publisher wanted to put their name on the best quality book that they had invested in. The author wanted a book that was saleable but also well written and something they were proud of. PublishAmerica’s editing comprised neither ideal as all they did was put the computer program’s spelling/grammar checker into action.

My two free author’s copies arrived in early March and it was nice to see my trade paperback book in print sans a cheesy cover and stapled spine. ‘North of Sunset’ actually had decent looking stock cover art of a few silhouetted palm trees, a noticeable font, and a spine where the book title, publisher and author’s name was apparent. It would look good on bookstore shelves, I imagined.

Reviews – What Reviews?

What was Publish America doing to make sure my book was reviewed? Nothing. I decided to contact local daily and weekly newspapers by e-mailing a press release. The only responses I got were two e-mail autoresponders announcing the editors were on vacation.

I spent $40 on copies of my book’s galley and mailed them to three national newspapers and the Library Journal magazine. Then I phoned a book reviewer at the ‘San Diego Union-Tribune’ and asked if he’d be interested in reviewing my book but before I could even describe what it was about, he asked who my publisher was. I told him. “We don’t review books by that publisher,” he stated.

I called all the local bookstores and spoke to the managers and/ or community relations people about my book, including a couple of stores who were physically located on the street I’d written about. An independent bookstore owner told me that since PA didn’t have a return policy she was unable to stock my novel. Another said that I could sell my book on consignment. The chain stores of Borders and Barnes & Noble said my book would be available through Ingram if anyone chose to order it.

Tried getting PublishAmerica to send review copies out and it took them weeks to do so. Had to call and make sure on two occasions that the books had been mailed. Maybe quoting one of their enthusiastic promoters on the message board, a guy with a natural genius for marketing and the budget to back it up, got three books sent to reviewers.

Then I sent my book to Piers Anthony, noted sci-fi and fantasy author of more than 100 books. I’d been in touch with him since 2000 when I alerted him to the fact that eNovel was a rip-off. Although the action in his books usually took place in alternate time periods/universes, he didn’t mind reading a mainstream Hollywood novel. He did so. “North of Sunset by Lisa Maliga. She’s the one listed in my Survey as I’m a Published Novelist Ha Ha! Ha!, a pertinent warning for starry-eyed aspiring writers. Her web site www.lisamaliga.com is worth checking similarly; she tells it as it is. If you took a few decades off my age and changed my gender, the result might resemble Lisa. North of Sunset is fun, about a Hollywood producer and his temporary secretary, showing a good deal of what I presume is reality. It is written with the omniscient viewpoint, which I dislike, but it held my interest regardless. ”

I’d discovered through an upset PA author on the message boards, which I read on occasion, that someone was complaining about PublishAmerica. Discovering the Absolute Write Background Check area I spent several hours reading, at the time, more than 40 pages of complaints about PublishAmerica. Authors not receiving books in time for book signings that they set up themselves. Bookstore owners/managers refusing to stock their shelves with unedited PublishAmerica titles. Writers unable to get their books reviewed.

Doing a search on LexisNexis, the reputable online legal research system, for all PublishAmerica books receiving newspaper reviews, I saw that from July 2002 to June 2004, only 24 books had been reviewed nationally. Papers in Syracuse NY, Tulsa, OK, Fort Pierce, FL, Wilmington, NC and Lakeland, FL were represented. Only Salt Lake City’s ‘Deseret Morning News’, the ‘Tulsa World’, ‘Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’ and the suburban paper, the ‘Chicago Daily Herald’ were actually major newspapers. Evidently, the ‘New York Times’ or the ‘Los Angeles Times’ were not reviewing anything by PublishAmerica’s authors. According to the PublishAmerica site in the Facts and Figures section, “Fact #3: Again, unparalleled among all traditional book publishing companies, each day an average 15 times a PublishAmerica author appears in the news media, in newspapers, magazines, radio or TV.” Yet even mathematically challenged folks can determine that by using the LexisNexis search statistics, we learn that the average is a paltry once a month that a PublishAmerica book gets mentioned in a newspaper somewhere in the United States.

Editing – What’s That?

Here’s a gem of a post on the PublishAmerica message board: “When it came out in book form a month ago, my friends mentioned the editing problems in it, so a friend of mine with a masters in education went through it for me. It had close to a thousand editing errors in a 182-page book. So, have some who actually knows what literary content should be in a book, go through your book for you before you send the final draft back to PublishAmerica. Because the final draft, IS!, how the book will be when it comes out.”

I discovered that through the misspellings, grammatical errors, and general bad writing that just about anyone was publishable through the ‘traditional’ publisher located in Frederick, Maryland. Such postings as: “I too am not the best editor LOL! I did get my finished books. And when I met with a lady that is huge in the marketing field, she told me that my book at it’s length of 132 pages needs to have chapters.” A couple of PublishAmerica authors discussed editing. “I felt like you did when I found errors, but then I realized, hey people read it for the story, not looking for mistakes in typo land! LOL Now I just keep on a keeping on!”

Sales Figures

Question: I’d really like to know how many copies I’ve sold.

Answer: Buy all of the books yourself and then count them.

No matter how naïve PublishAmerica authors appeared, they will eventually come to the realization that PublishAmerica isn’t really a traditional publisher, especially when those twice-yearly royalty checks arrived. Every few months or so PublishAmerica sent them an e-mail extolling their success, bragging about a big name author they’re negotiating with, or, more recently, doing a deal with the New York Times. On August 17th, an e-mail bearing the proud subject heading ‘Advertising Our Top sellers in the New York Times’ appeared in author’s online mailboxes.

PublishAmerica was well named in that they want to publish anyone in North America who has churned out a manuscript, regardless of quality. They claim to have anywhere from 9,000 to 12,000 “happy” authors and they want more and more of them as that obviously means more money for the greedy owners, namely Willem Meiner and Larry Clopper.

The PublishAmerica name and logo is seen as a joke to those in the media, bookstores and libraries. Books can’t be returned. All PublishAmerica titles lack the necessary CIP [Cataloging-in-Publication] data, which is necessary for libraries to order titles, and who wants to read unedited and overpriced tomes other than the author’s cronies? Oh yeah, and while PublishAmerica claims that they’re a ‘traditional publisher’ why on earth do they have in their main page keywords list the term ‘self publishing’ three times? And in their site’s description, they brag: “PublishAmerica, Inc., a traditional publisher, accepting and publishing manuscripts and books at NO CHARGE to the author. Royalties paid to writers, books sold in stores. Manuscript submissions by mail and online”

In the beginning of September I received a royalty check. To my surprise, I was not only able to afford to buy a pair of laces for my skates, I shelled out the $12 it cost to sharpen my blades. Who knew that this company would provide extra income enabling me to continue participating in my recreational skating hobby? But it cost me more than the $160 in author-bought books, the $40 for galleys, which were probably plunged into a recycling bin, the $87 color business cards, $20 press release — and the countless hours building and rebuilding my website so people would happen across it and buy a book that was only available online–like any other eBook.

PublishAmerica allows the myth of being a ‘traditional’ publisher, a term not used before the advent of the Internet, to fester. The lie is perpetrated in those HTML source codes that search engine spider robots deliver; the future authors led to the promised realm of publishing, an internet web of woven myths fanning across cyberspace. PublishAmerica resembles most other ePublishing companies promising tales of bestselling books and authors. PublishAmerica is just another scam, just another future dot gone.

1. Commercial Book Publishing

2. Self Publishing

3. Subsidy Publishing

4. Ebook Publishing

1. Commercial Book Publishing – This is the main way that authors have been getting published and can be very challenging. While there are thousands of publishing houses, today there are more writers than ever before.

A publishing house is a business and like all businesses they have a goal to create profits in an efficient manner. It is unlikely that you will be able to make contact with a publishing house if you don’t have a good literary agent.

Surveys show that only 1 out 400 applicants are accepted by literary agents for representation. The majority of literary agents prefer to take on clients that have previously been published.

To get published with a publishing house will take a combination of talent, timing and luck. You can be an very talented writer and have a wonderful book but if the publishing house just finished publishing a book that is similar to yours you may not be accepted – or if this is a “red hot market” then you may be lucky.

For these reasons it is important to do research and see what are the trends and what people are buying. An excellent resource for this type of information is Amazon’s Bestseller section.

2. Self Publishing – Where in the past commercial publishing was the only option, today you can “self-publish” your book. Self publishing is when you take on all of the jobs that are needed to create, print and distribute your book.

Some of the services required are:

*Editing – This is very important for most types of books

*Proof Pages – Preparing the pages and page order

*Artwork – You’ll need both Front and Back covers plus the internal artwork which is any images or clip-art that appears within the text

*Printing – You will need to turn your electronic files into hard/soft cover books. There are 3 options for printing: get a small amount printed, get a large amount printed or use a print-on-demand service

*Distribution – How will you distribute the books? You can contact retailers and online distributors yourself or utilize a professional service

The first step is to decide which tasks you will do and which tasks you will hire someone else to do. Today, thanks to the internet, there is lots of free information available on each step of the publishing process.

3. Subsidy Publishing – This is when the author pays a printer to produce a book and then earns royalties from the sales of the book. Sometimes this is confused with self publishing. With self publishing the author pays all the expenses and in turn receives 100% of the proceeds.

Another name for this is “Vanity Publishing Houses” which sometimes can have bad reputations. They will often claim that they can sell the book and then after paying for everything the writer is left without any real distribution and stuck with a bunch of books.

4. Ebook Publishing – This is a new approach that is gaining a lot of popularity. It is very easy to take a digital file and turn it into and ebook to sell online. A good way to do this is by having a personal website or blog and putting up articles and content to attract visitors and get publicity.

Alternatively, you can order an ISBN online and then companies like Amazon and Mobipocket will sell your ebook through their distribution network and you earn royalties from each sale.

Thanks to the internet there has never been a better time for an author to get published. Some people feel that because there is so much information online that traditional books will become obsolete.

I feel that while this may be true in some categories, for the most part it is the opposite – all of the free information creates a hunger for more!

When radio first arrived, the music industry was scared that they wouldn’t sell as many albums and then they started selling much more than ever before. It’s similar to how in a grocery store you are offered free samples, if it tastes good than you are more likely to buy.

I recommend spending a good amount of time doing research until you discover which is the best way for you to publish your book. I highly recommend utilizing the internet to share with others and grow your readership.