Electronic Book Publishing

An independent electronic publisher is a small, usually Internet-based publisher that

publishes primarily in electronic format (as distinct from a commercial print publisher

, which publishes primarily in paper and may or may not offer electronic versions

of its paper books).

Independent e-publishers offer original fiction and nonfiction for readers to download

to their PC, PDA, or dedicated e-book reading device, order on diskette or CD-Rom,

receive by e-mail, and (sometimes) to get in hardcopy via on-demand printing. Books

are  available mainly through the publisher's website, but may also be listed with major

 online  booksellers such as Amazon.com, and can sometimes be special-ordered

 through bookstores.

Electronic publishing can be an attractive alternative for new writers frustrated by the

difficulty of breaking into the print market, or for established writers who want to write

 in a genre or on a subject that doesn't interest their print publishers, or for writers with a backlist of out-of-print

works they'd like to keep in circulation. Offbeat books that don't fit established genre categories, or are longer or shorter than a print publisher might like, may be more likely to be accepted by an electronic publisher, which can be more flexible in its guidelines.

Also attractive to many writers is the fact that e-publishers often allow them a greater say in the editing and packaging of their books, especially in areas like cover design. E-publishers' turnaround time may be shorter--while it may take a year or more for a print publisher to bring a book to market, many e-publishers are able to publish in a matter of months. Response time can be shorter too--print publishers may take months to read and respond to a submission, while e-publishers are generally prompter (this is changing, though, as e-publishing increases in popularity--many of the better-established e-publishers are flooded with submissions, and their turnaround and response time can be nearly as long as for a print publisher).

E-publishers don't generally pay advances, but royalties for e-books are a good deal higher than for print books. 40-50% isn't uncommon, as opposed to 10%-15% for a traditionally published hardcover. And e-books offer flexibility in regard to format, as well as the possibility of combining graphics, sound, and various interactivity options with the text.

Still, there are some issues to bear in mind if you're thinking of e-publishing.

• Audience. Independent e-publishing has made great strides toward establishing itself over the past few years. It's now a recognized niche market, with a dedicated and enthusiastic audience. That audience, however, is small.
  
  A number of factors contribute to this. The plethora of competing electronic formats is confusing, and all delivery methods have frequently-cited disadvantages (people don't like reading from computer screens; PDA screens are too small; dedicated e-book devices are too expensive). Cost is a problem--most users feel e-books should be cheaper than their print counterparts. Bricks-and-mortar bookstores (where the majority of the bookbuying public still does its purchasing) haven't yet shown much interest in stocking electronic books or making them available for order, which means that for all intents and purposes e-books are available only online. And the things that appeal to technology enthusiasts, such as portability and storage capacity and overall new-tech niftiness, still haven't convinced most people to try an e-book.
  
  A 1999 survey by Book Expo America and Publisher's Weekly indicated that of the 68% of book buyers surveyed who were aware of e-books, a full 70% were not planning on buying one in the near future. More than two-thirds of all respondents in a 2000 survey by Seybold said they were "not at all likely" to purchase e-published materials or a dedicated e-book device in the next year. The picture didn't change in 2001: according to a survey of online book-buyers by Ipsos-NPD, 69% had heard of e-books, but only 3% were "very likely" to buy one, and only 20% "somewhat likely" to buy one. And only one in five respondents to an Arthur Andersen survey said they were likely to purchase an e-book in the next six months.
  
  Often given as an example of the enormous potential audience for e-books is Stephen King's 2000 novella, Riding the Bullet. The first exclusively electronic release from a major author, Riding the Bullet generated a media frenzy, and was downloaded more than 400,000 times. It turns out, though, that most of those downloads were free, given away by the vendors as a promotional tool--raising the question of how enthusiastic people would have been if they'd had to pay. And according to a survey by the Book Report Network, only about 20% of those who downloaded Bullet actually read it. Other reports estimate even smaller numbers. (King, an early booster of e-publishing, swore at the time that Bullet would only ever be released in e-format; but it's included in a 2002 compilation of short works released by his longtime print publisher.)
  
  Nevertheless, Riding the Bullet made some print publishers dizzy with visions of a vast untapped electronic market. Many plunged headlong into the e-business, believing they could leverage print-size audiences for e-books. But that audience simply isn't there--a fact underscored by the recent high-profile failures of Random House's @Random and Time Warner's iPublish, both of which cited low sales as one of the reasons for terminating the programs.
  
  No doubt e-books will increase in popularity in the years to come, as delivery and pricing become more attractive and the format wars are resolved. But for now, authors considering e-publication should be aware that they're launching themselves into a very limited field.

• Sales and readership. This is the logical corollary to the discussion above. The larger independent e-publishers report consistently rising sales, but sales of the average e-book still aren't even remotely comparable to print sales. For lesser-known authors and smaller publishers, sales may never rise above the low three digits.

• Respect. E-books don't get no respect. As mentioned, independent electronic publishers have proved their viability over the past few years, but the traditional publishing world still tends to discount the indies and the authors they publish. There's a perception that the indies' staff have little "real" publishing experience, and that as a result editorial standards are lower. The indies are seen by many as a home for authors who couldn't make the print publishing grade.
  
  This is a hot-button issue among e-book enthusiasts and electronically published authors, and people who discuss it are often accused of bias. But whether it's true or fair, the perception is a reality. If you're considering e-publishing, you need to be aware that not everyone will be willing to regard your e-published book as a professional credential.

• Marketing. The most professional of the independent e-publishers do market their titles, including advertising in trade publications and sending books out for review. But most have limited budgets for publicity. An electronically-published author must bear much of the responsibility for marketing and self-promotion.

• Genre. The most popular genres for e-books are romance (#1 across the board), science fiction/fantasy, and horror. Books in other genres do significantly less well.

• Advances. The majority of e-publishers don't pay author advances. Many writers feel that the payment of an advance is a minimum professional standard, since it gives the publisher a financial stake in the success of the book, and therefore a greater incentive to move it into the hands of readers. Higher royalties, which are presented to authors as a way of making up for the lack of advances, don't mean much if there are few sales.

• Electronic rights issues. Some writers, whose ultimate goal is see their book in paper and on bookstore shelves, feel that e-publishing can be a useful source of publicity while they continue to pursue print publication. However, many commercial publishers don't consider electronic rights distinct from first rights, or else seek to purchase e-rights as part of a total package. If you've previously e-published, or your e-rights are already tied up, it may make your work a harder sell in the print market. (For more on electronic rights, see the Electronic Rights page.)

Independent e-publishers run the gamut from pretty amateurish to very professional. Some tips to help you judge:

• Is there a fee? Like reputable print publishers, reputable e-publishers don't charge fees, whether for reading, editing, setup, copyright registration, or anything else. A publisher that charges a fee is either a vanity publisher or a self-publishing service, no matter what its claims to the contrary.

• What's the website like? Is it professionally designed and easy to navigate? Is the text well-written and formatted? Do the links work? The website is the publisher's business face, and should reflect a commitment to professionalism. If a publisher isn't capable, or doesn't care enough, to create an attractive website free of typos, grammatical errors, and the like, what kind of books will it produce? On the other hand, a glitzy website is not a guarantee of quality.

• What are the staff's credentials? Do they have publishing, editing, or marketing experience? If not, how does their experience dovetail with publishing and bookselling?

• What's the publisher's track record? If it's been in business for several years and has a good-size backlist, it's a better bet than a brand-new startup. There's a very high attrition rate for new electronic publishers, some of which go out of business without managing to publish anything. This can be a big problem for authors, who may have trouble getting their rights back, or find them passed on to third parties without their permission.
  
  Also, some e-publishers that fail under one name start up again almost immediately under another. It's a good idea to do some digging into the publisher's business background, so you can be reasonably sure it doesn't have a seamy past.

• What are sales figures? The top e-publishers are claiming sales of anywhere between 5,000 and 12,000 books annually. If you're interested in sales and readership, publishers like this are your best bet.

• What's the contract like? Many e-publishers post their contracts on their websites, so you can assess them in advance. The best contracts ask only for electronic rights, and take them for a limited time (1-3 years). Look also for a reasonable indemnity clause (you shouldn't be liable for a breach of your warranties unless a claim is upheld in court). Be wary of a publisher that tries to take subsidiary rights (such as dramatic or translation rights), or claims a financial interest in those rights if you sell them yourself, or asks for a term longer than 3 years, or doesn't provide for cancellation of the contract.

• What's the product like? Order a couple of the publisher's books in different formats. Are they of good quality? Professionally presented? How's the cover art? Do they show signs of having been edited? Have they been proofread? What's the caliber of the writing? Bad, poorly formatted, and/or sloppily-edited books do not encourage readers to return and do more buying.

• What formats are available? Different people not only have different preferences, but use different equipment. It makes sense, therefore, to choose a publisher that offers as wide a variety of e-formats as possible. Some e-publishers offer books only in their own proprietary formats, which may further limit readership. Be aware that if the publisher offers a print-on-demand option, you may have to pay a setup and/or maintenance fee.

• What's the royalty percentage? Like print publishers, electronic publishers have fixed costs. But it's less expensive to store a book on disk and make it available on an order-by-order basis than it is to print, warehouse, and ship it in the traditional manner. Royalties, therefore, should be proportionately higher--at least 25%. Ideally, they should be calculated on the book's retail price, not the publisher's net income.

• Are the books reasonably priced? It's a challenge to sell e-books to begin with; unrealistically high prices will make it even more difficult. In a 2001 survey by Arthur Andersen, only 27% of respondents said they would be willing to buy an e-book for the same price as a mass market paperback, and more than 50% said price was overall a major reason for not presently purchasing e-books.
  
  The cost of a download or a disk should not exceed the cost of a mass market paperback. For a book offered on a reading device, prices vary; you might want to do a bit of comparison shopping to be sure the publisher hasn't tacked on a surcharge of some kind.

• How does the publisher market itself and its titles? This should be more than just a listing with Internet search engines. The publisher should engage in some form of meaningful advertising to attract readers, and should attempt to get its books reviewed. Most print review venues won't as yet review electronically published books, but some will, as will many online venues. Reviews are not only a way of gaining professional credibility, they're a valuable source of publicity. and a professional e-publisher will want to pursue them to raise its own profile as well as to help its authors.

• Are there author perks? Do you get free copies of your book? Is there an author discount if you want to order additional copies?

• Are other writers happy with the publisher? Ask for references, and check them out.

• How forthcoming is the publisher? A reputable publisher should be willing to answer your questions about things like sales figures and formats, give references, make its contract available for your review, and in general to provide information about itself and its publications. If you encounter vagueness or resistance, be wary.

Electronic Magazines

Like electronic publishers, electronic magazines are multiplying across the Internet. Some are serious efforts to take advantage of new technology. These e-zines are run by professionals, and are comparable in quality to good print magazines. But many are of a lesser (often a much, much lesser) quality. This is something that should be carefully considered by writers looking to build a publishing track record. Not all publishing credits are equal.

Writers considering the e-zine market should be especially careful about contracts and rights issues. Many e-zines don't offer contracts at all, which allows them a lot of leeway for borderline activities. I heard from a writer who submitted a story to an e-zine that never responded, and later found out that the e-zine had published the story without letting him know. Another found his story published with changes and cuts he hadn't approved. And not too long ago a number of writers found their work published, without either permission or compensation, in an e-zine they had never even submitted to (apparently they had submitted to another e-zine that went belly-up; the owner of the defunct e-zine gave the stories in his possession to someone else, without seeking the authors' permission).

You're best protected against problems if you take care to submit only to e-zines that offer contracts, have published a number of regular issues, and appear to be professionally formatted and edited.

If you publish online, you also--unfortunately--need to worry about piracy. Plenty of Internet users believe that online content is there for free use by anyone. Many people even think that online material isn't protected by copyright (wrong. It is). There are various ways you can protect yourself, and things you can do if you do find your work has been stolen; see the link below.

There's also the growing problem of magazines' electronic re-use of paper print published stories (back issues compiled on a CD-Rom, for instance), without further compensation to the authors. For more on this, see the Electronic Rights page, and also the Copyright page.

Be aware that most e-zines are as sensitive about first electronic rights as print publications are about first rights in general. If your piece has previously appeared anywhere on the Web, many e-zines won't want it, or will accept it only as a reprint.

Links

Note: E-publishing is a strongly partisan subject. There's a lot of information, online and off, but much of it is provided by advocates, who tend to emphasize the positive and ignore problems or drawbacks. My job on this website is to let people know about drawbacks--which is why the Links section below includes some articles with a negative slant. This isn't bias (as some readers have written me to complain). If you're here, you probably already have some idea of why you think e-publishing might be a good option. But to make an informed decision, you also need to know what challenges you may face.

• E-Publishing FAQ, by Moira Allen.

• E-book Primer: an excellent overview from Wade Roush of eBook Web.org.

• The Open E-Book Forum is working to develop and establish uniform specifications and standards for electronic publishing.

• Contract Issues: Books Published Online: a paper from the National Writers Union.

• E-Publishing Contracts: Checking the Fine Print: What to look for in an e-publisher's contract, by Terje Johansen of WritingWorld.com.

• Protecting Your Electronic Rights: another informative article from Moira Allen. There is some interesting info here about e-zines' publishing practices.

• How to Choose an E-Publisher: some considerations from Writers Write.

• E-author Karen Weisner discusses the differences between subsidy and non-subsidy electronic publishing, as well as the different kinds of fee-based electronic and print-on-demand publishers, in Electronic Publishing: Subsidy vs. Non-Subsidy.

• This article from Thomas M. Sipos, Marketing Through Amazon addresses that perennial literary mystery--the meaning of Amazon.com sales rankings. A very useful article for any POD-, e-, or self-published author.

• This e-book user survey from eBookWeb.org and KnowBetter.com sheds light on who reads e-books and why.

• E-Publishing Empire Strikes Back, from M.J. Rose of Wired, discusses sales figures released in 2000 by several of the larger independent e-book publishers. (The figures are impressive in aggregate, but they aren't broken down for individual books.)

• More news about the larger independents' rising sales in 2001: E-Books Live On After Mighty Fall, from M.J. Rose of Wired.

• But outside the niche, things didn't look so great in 2001: M.J. Rose's 2001 Was a Tough Read for E-Books discusses the disappointments of the year past, and hopes for a brighter future.

• And indeed the out-of-niche picture appears to brighten in 2002, with substantial sales increases for a number of large e-book providers, according to this press release from the Open E-Book Forum, which gathers data on the e-book market (though it's interesting to note that no actual sales figures are provided).

• E-Book Story Fails to Unfold: the failure of the e-book market to live up to expectations (perhaps because those expectations were ridiculously inflated).

• More analysis of what's holding back the e-book market, from writer and former Xlibris executive Julie Duffy: The Problem with E-books.

• Are bookstore sales in e-books' future? This article from Writenews.com discusses an initiative by Lightning Source and BookSite to enable independent bookstores to sell e-books in Microsoft Reader format through their websites.

• The Open an eBook campaign, sponsored by the Open eBook Forum, is a new initiative to build the popularity of ebooks with the reading public.

• Yahoo's technology coverage of e-books and related issues: up-to-the-minute information.

• Knowbetter.com--a good e-book resource site.

• EGuild (Electronic Authors Guild International) is a business organization for e-writers and artists.

• EPIC (Electronically Published Internet Connection) is a professional association of e-published authors, which "exists to help professional writers learn more about the best publishing opportunities on the Internet, and to provide networking opportunities for exchange of information about promotion and market growth."

• EPC (Electronic Publishers Coalition) is a partnership of independent electronic publishers dedicated to the development of a healthy marketplace for digital content.

• CREAM (Cooperative Resources for Electronic Author Members) is a discussion list founded by e-author Leta Nolan Childers.

• The Independent e-Book Awards are designed to recognize independently published and self-published e-authors and artists.
• Disclaimer: Dr. Hafiz Shahid Amin is in no way affiliated and receive no compensation, in any form, from the companies listed above.

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Disclaimer..>> Dear Site Visitor, plz note that  I have pasted all these information for the sake of only to help humanity and to serve those who want to be in Publishing businesses. On your own behalf  and upon your own responsibility You just contact these emails for your requirements, if there is positive response or not it depends upon ur luck, but plz do not send me email for any of such concern. I take no responsibility for any problem. thanks..............<<<.End of Disclaimer..>>> Dr  Hafiz Shahid Amin, dated; 10-1-2010  Gujranwala- Pakistan   drshahee@yahoo.com,   Best of  luck......Ameen!

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