You don't need me to tell you that the ground is shifting under writers' feet. You can feel it yourself. So I'll leave off the primer about how publishing is changing due to technology and the economy and who knows what else.
I do want to point out, however, that while the changes can be scary or confusing, there's also plenty of exciting things going on in publishing now. Developments that present big opportunities for writers. One of them is the growth in ebook sales.
My first two novels were bought in a two-book deal and published by One World/Ballantine, an imprint of Random House. My first novel Orange Mint and Honey did well--won awards, got made into a TV movie and had respectable sales. My second novel Children of the Waters suffered from the sophomore novel jinx. I don't know what happened, but it didn't find its readers. Was it the cover? The lousy review PW gave it? (I must note that it got plenty of good reviews) Bad timing? Bad luck? Who knows?
Either way, Random House and I had a parting of the ways. I was already working on another novel and had an editor at a different house ready to buy it based on reading an excerpt and proposal. Then she had a parting of the ways with that house (as did my former editor at RH). Rather than go out to other houses with a proposal, I decided to finish the book first. So I've been writing it (am hoping to ship it off to my agent in the next month or 2).
In the meantime, readers were asking me for a sequel to Orange Mint and Honey. I figured with an ebook I could write it and get it to loyal fans quickly and inexpensively. So I wrote a bunch of it--about half--and a really detailed 35-page single spaced outline.
That's where I was in the process when Victoria Christopher Murray invited me to participate in her new online publishing venture called A Chapter a Month. Victoria is a New York Times bestselling author with a heckuva mailing list and promotional machine. That sounded great. On top of that, she's giving authors a very fair share of royalties, and she sends royalty statements monthly. That's right: monthly.
I talked to my agent about it and she called the model "brilliant." That was enough for me. So now I'm in the ebook business. The first chapter of IT MIGHT AS WELL BE SPRING, the sequel to ORANGE MINT AND HONEY is now exclusively available at A Chapter a Month for .99. I hope you'll check it out. (Click here to buy.)
One of the benefits of the shifting ground is that the book biz isn't so either/or anymore. These days the same author might e-pub, self-pub a paperback, and traditionally pub, depending upon the type of books she's writing and the goals she has for them. This makes me optimistic. And so does the belief that no matter how the medium of delivery changes, people will always be interested in stories. After all, we've been telling one another stories since the beginning of time.
I'm curious--how many other SheWriters are publishing ebooks? How's it going? What tips do you have for someone like me who's an ebook newbie?
I am in the final stages of publishing two small eBooks. I really enjoyed reading your post. I learned a lot about the publishing business. Thanks for sharing.
Lynn, You're right: we all have to adjust to this new landscape.
I've done 6 books so far, 4 back list titles that reverted back to me. I'm slowly building sales. I'm in this for the long-tail. I have to adjust from traditional publishing thinking (14 books by NY pubs).
I published THE ANATOMY OF HAPPY on Smashwords.com which cycled it into [email protected]. I had limited success and pulled the book to have it edited professionally. Plan to republish early Fall. Also published on Createspace.com. I agree that e-books are the wave of the future, if not the here and now. I download all of my current reading on my Nook and love the convenience of having my library with me at all times. I also need to expand my marketing skills, which I plan to do with the help of a good publicist.
Thanks for sharing. I jumped into the e-publishing by using a software called Desktop Author. My first book was an American multiracial history book. Using that software, I was able to embed videos and was supposed to be able to upload to my web page. Uploading never worked and so I turned to Smashwords and Amazon KTP. Eventually I am planning to use Creatspace.
I'm really happy with the independence of self-publishing. I just need to get deeper into the marketing aspect.
I did used Lightning Source (LS) to publish. I used Amazon Digital Service (ADS) to publish the ebook of the same book. With LS, you have to pay for everything up front. I'm not sure how they do the ebooks, but I'm sure I would have to come out of pocket for a lot of things. Right now, that's not an option for me. With ADS, I pay as people purchase. Which means I never actually come out of pocket. They take their money from the purchase. That works much better for me.
When I do get ready to e-pub my next book, I hope to be more knowledgeable on how to properly format for every type of e-book seller (Amazon, Smashwords, iBooks, etc.). I don't want to keep myself from reaching a wider range of people.
Jennifer, will you use the same company or try another for epub?
FYI, you can read my ebook on a computer, so you don't need an e-reader. Just sayin. :-)
I'm glad you got something of value from my post. Thanks for reading and commenting!
Carleen, I self-published my first book. It took a lot of money a broke sister didn't have, but I did it anyway. I have another story (I did pay an editor to do the edits, simply need to approve them.) I am truly considering to e-pub. Why? Because I have used all my funds and don't know if I could afford to do another print of "physical" books.
I'm not an expert on this, but I have seen quite a few authors, new and seasoned, do really well in this area of publishing. I hope some of them will stop by and give all some tips on the best way to do things.
Sister,
I do appreciate your candor...its like giving writers permission to fly higher! I have paid attention to this "state of publishing" conversation and I am fascinated by the way some authors see the ground shifting and are preparing and others refuse to ebb and flow. It is all so interesting and scary, but yet very courageous because we can see the evidence of the publishing world changing! Writers are becoming entrepreneurs and handling their business themselves....how empowering!
Now I must go off and get an e-reader!