ESPAN

On January 18, 2010 ESPAN is holding a Self Editing Workshop by Angela James

Check it out and register here: http://espan-rwa.com/workshops/

Join Angela James as she shares some of the common pitfalls she’s seen in submissions and contest entries. She’ll give you ideas, tips and tricks for polishing and self-editing your manuscript. Discuss things such as dialogue tags, whether all forms of “to be” really are evil and just what you’re doing to your life expectancy with your use of that exclamation point. Through it all, she’ll be available for clarification and questions in order to help you on your way to a cleaned-up manuscript.

This course will run over several days on the ESPAN forum, so you can pop in and out as needed to ask Angela questions or see the new information she’s posted. So, you don’t need to be available at any certain time of day, but you do need to sign up for the course to attend.

The course will be $5 for ESPAN RWA members, $10 for non-ESPAN RWA Members and $15 for non-RWA – come join us!

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Nathan Bransford, literary agent and blogger extraordinaire (and soon to be published author of a middle grade sci-fi novel), recently posted a great blog about the top 10 myths regarding ebooks and he’s given permission to ESPAN RWA to post it in its entirety.

Here is his post:

After my recent post about the inevitability of e-books, I was surprised that there were so many misconceptions in the comments section about e-readers and e-books.

For the record, I don’t think everyone is going to or should or will like e-books and converting people is not what this post is about. But I do think people should at least have the facts.

Now would also be a good time to state for the record that I have no financial interest in e-books or e-readers whatsoever and in fact, my job would probably be easier if they didn’t exist. But they do exist, I genuinely like them, and I don’t think this industry can afford to be behind the curve on technology.

Here’s my personal Top 10 list of the mistaken beliefs people have about e-books:

1. “They strain your eyes” / “They’re bad for people with poor eyesight” / “I’ll go blind.”

Aside from reading on an iPhone, which I personally love but realize isn’t for everyone, most dedicated e-readers use e-ink displays, which are very different than the backlit screens of computers and televisions and phones. E-ink literally looks like ink on paper, you can read in sunlight, and it’s crisp from any angle.

Also, all e-readers have the ability to change the text size, so you can instantly turn any book into large print if you have difficulty with small fonts.

2. “You can’t back up your files” / “If you lose or break your e-reader or if a new e-reader comes out you lose all your books”

Different devices do indeed favor different formats, but even still the above statements don’t accurately reflect the landscape.

Let’s start with Amazon and the Kindle. Amazon stores the information about all of the titles you have bought centrally, which means that you can access the titles on any device that has a Kindle app, whether it’s a Kindle, iPhone, or a PC (coming soon: Macs). Better yet, Amazon syncs between the different applications so that if you stop reading on a Kindle and open up the app on your iPhone it will turn to the page you left off on. If you lose your Kindle or it breaks or you want to get a new one you can still read all of the titles you bought on a computer or another device.

Now, Amazon usually uses its own proprietary e-book format, and some people want a more universal format. If so, you might consider the Sony Reader or nook. Their stores use the ePub format, which can be read on most e-reader devices, so you’re not beholden to one device or vendor after you have purchased your books and you can always take your library elsewhere.

3. “I don’t want to have to scroll endlessly through a book” / “I’ll miss turning the pages” / “I like taking notes”

Most e-readers, including the iPhone apps, have pages that you “turn” either by clicking a button or tapping/swiping your finger. While I know some people view this as a sign of the apocalypse, you’d be surprised how quickly it becomes second nature.

And most e-readers allow you to take notes, bookmark pages, search within the text, and highlight sections you want to come back to.

4. “They require a lot of power” / “They’re hot to the touch like laptops”

When they’re not using their wireless function, e-readers using the e-ink display consume very little energy, and you only have to charge them once every few weeks, even if you read often.

They’re also completely cool to the touch.

5. “You can’t check e-books out from the library”

According to the NY Times, about 5,400 libraries now offer e-books, and more are signing up every day. Most library programs work like with physical books – you “check out” an e-book onto your e-reader and “check it back in” when you’re finished, and only one patron at a time can “check out” an e-book while you’re reading it.

6. “You can’t lend to friends or family”

Amazon allows up to six users to access the same account for most titles, and nook has a LendMe function that allows you to share a title for 14 days (if the publisher allows it).

Admittedly these aren’t the freest means of sharing content, but my wife and I share a Kindle account and are able to read each other’s books whenever we want.

7. “E-Readers are bad for the environment”

A Cleantech study asserts that e-readers have a much smaller carbon footprint than physical books when book production and shipping physical books are taken into account, though one blogger felt that the Cleantech study didn’t adequately address paper recycling programs. Although, it’s not as if it’s impossible to recycle electronics.

8. “You can’t read an e-reader in the bathtub” / “I would never take an e-reader to the beach

Put it in a Ziploc bag and it’s more waterproof/sandproof than a paper book.

9. “They’re too expensive.”

E-readers may be relatively expensive now for a wide swath of people, but prices will inevitably come down. And because e-books are (usually) much cheaper than print books, it doesn’t take long before an e-reader pays for itself – since most hardcovers that sell for $25 or more are available for $9.99, all it takes is roughly 20 e-books for an e-reader to pay for itself. You save even more if you read e-books on a phone or computer you already own.

For a casual reader: yeah, a dedicated e-reader probably doesn’t make the most sense. But for people who read a lot, especially new books, it can result in actual savings relatively quickly.

10. “E-books are bad for publishers and authors”

While most agents I know are not thrilled with the royalties authors are currently receiving from the major publishers, so far the deep discounting has been absorbed by the e-book sellers and publishers have little to lose from e-book sales, at least in the short term. According to reports, most publishers still receive roughly 50% off the list price for every e-book sale, meaning that a $9.99 e-book is a loss leader for Amazon and the other e-book publishers, while the publisher receives the same amount as they would for a hard copy.

And while, again, we agents would like to see authors get a fairer split, authors still receive royalties for e-book sales. The low price points of e-books have attracted some of my cost-minded friends who used to mainly buy used books, for which authors of course don’t receive any royalties, so from that standpoint they are much more author friendly than used books.

Thank you, Nathan, for such an insightful post.

There’s been a fair bit of speculation about ebooks and whether they’ll take over completely, whether it will be a more common shared market between the two types or whether paper books will always have the larger market share. No matter what, it is clear that ebooks are not going to disappear.

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For Immediate Release

Harlequin launches digital-only publishing house
Carina Press™ currently accepting submissions

Toronto, ON (November 9, 2009) – Harlequin Enterprises Limited, the global leader in series romance and one of the world’s leading publishers of women’s fiction, announced today the launch of Carina Press™, a digital-only publishing house that will operate independently of their traditional publishing businesses.

Carina Press is a digital-only publishing house whose eBooks will be sold direct to consumers through the Carina Press Web site and numerous third-party Web sites. Carina Press will publish a wide range of women’s fiction—from romance to erotica, science fiction to mystery, family sagas to choose your own adventures, horror to thriller and more, including every conceivable subgenre of these categories.

“As a digital-only publisher Carina Press is a natural extension to our business; it builds on our digital strength and leadership position. We expect to discover new authors and unique voices that may not be able to find homes in traditional publishing houses,” said Donna Hayes, CEO and Publisher of Harlequin Enterprises. “It definitely gives us greater flexibility in the type of editorial we can accept from authors and offer to readers. As well, we hope to reach a new group of readers with niche editorial.”

Brent Lewis, Vice President Digital, is delighted to announce Angela James is joining Carina Press as Executive Editor. A veteran of the digital publishing industry, James is a well-known advocate for digital publishing. James has enjoyed a long and varied publishing career including senior editorial positions at digital-first publishers. “I have admired Harlequin’s digital initiatives for years, and have always thought of them as leaders in the digital arena, so I’m unbelievably excited to join the Carina Press team,” said James. “I believe Harlequin can bring digital publishing to the next level for both authors and readers.”

Lewis added, “Angela has been a key player in growing the digital marketplace for romance. Her experience and insight is a tremendous benefit to the Carina Press team.”

Carina Press is currently accepting submissions in all genres of commercial fiction. Carina Press will
consider shorter length stories, genre novels between 50,000 to 100,000 words and longer and
complex narratives of over 100,000 words. Carina Press will also acquire books that have
been previously released in print form, but for which the author has either retained digital rights or had
digital rights revert to them. All submissions should be sent to submissions@carinapress.com.

Carina Press plans to launch in summer 2010 and will release new titles on a weekly basis. Between now
and the launch, readers and writers can follow the progress of Carina Press via their blog.

For full submission guidelines and more information on Carina Press please go to www.carinapress.com

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Today’s guest blogger is Mary, from Pink Petal Books:

As an author, a reader, and a publisher, I’ve had the pleasure (and the pain) of being involved in the romance eBook industry for many years. My first book was published in December 2002, and in the summer of 2007, I made the decision to become a publisher. While I made this decision for many reasons (including the fact that I loved the editing and pre-publication work that comes with producing high-quality books, as well as my firm belief in paying things forward), a single conversation was, in fact, the primary impetus for my decision. I was speaking with my boss about ways to help us do our jobs better, and he said, “This is work. That’s why they call it work. There will always be parts that you don’t enjoy or that you don’t agree with. I’m sure the same thing happens with your writing.”

I paused. I thought. And I realized, yeah, the same situations did happen with my writing, with one important difference – when I wrote, I could change what wasn’t working for me. So, with this understanding, as well as the knowledge that I already had an online business and website to use as a base of operations and the experience and insight into publishing that come from years spent as a writer, I set out to change the electronic publishing industry. Little did I know that I was practicing Conscious Capitalism.

Conscious Capitalism rests on two principles. The first is that every business has the potential to either discover, or create, a deeper purpose for itself, which goes beyond maximizing profits or shareholder value. The second is that the most ethical and conscious businesses, over the long-term, consciously create value for all of their independent stakeholders—customers, employees, investors, suppliers, community, and the environment. Paradoxically, this principle also creates the most long-term value for the investors. (Taken from the statements at the website for the C3 event, http://www.conciouscapitalism.com)

I knew when I started Pink Petal Books that I wanted to do two things: create the best romance novels possible, with a focus on the romance no matter the intensity level, and ensure from contract to publication that authors were treated fairly and with professionalism.

So, how does Conscious Capitalism come into play with Jupiter Gardens Press/Pink Petal Books?  First of all, as an author with several publishers, I could look at what worked for me, and what I wished could be changed. For example, I wanted a strong print plan so I knew when, and how, my books would make it into print. I didn’t want contracts that grabbed more rights than they ever planned to exercise, so the contracts for Jupiter Gardens Press deliberately only take those rights which we plan to use, and our options clauses are quite limited.  I wanted to ensure that the quantity of our publication met the twin goals of not printing more books than the market could support (which isn’t in anyone’s best interest), while at the same time ensuring that every author got his or her turn in the spotlight. And, there was also the principle of enlightened self-interest: that by creating an environment which works to improve a reader’s enjoyment of the books and an author’s experience with the company, I further my goals as well. Which is a good thing, since my goals include being the owner of Jupiter Gardens, LLC and the publisher for Jupiter Gardens Press full-time.

The deeper purpose I found within Jupiter Gardens Press became two-fold. First, I wanted to publish books that left me with a positive, uplifting feeling long after I turned the last page. And, I wanted authors to have an opportunity to write such books, instead of being told they needed more sex or that the genre didn’t sell, especially since I have read novels of all genres and levels of sensuality that created those feelings.

The second part of the equation are the authors who would provide these stories. I wanted Jupiter Gardens Press to demonstrate its commitment to its authors as stakeholders by treating them as more than content providers. The more the authors prosper, I believed, the more we would prosper. If that meant allowing authors to promote titles with other houses through the “freebie files” downloadable on the Jupiter Gardens site, or even implementing plans to try and offer these same authors’ books with other publishers through an ebook sales site, then we would be willing to work towards those goals. Because the truth of the matter is, the better an author sells with any publisher, the bigger an audience that same author will bring to us.

This belief has produced tangible and intangible benefits for the other stakeholders, such as the readers, investors, community, and the environment. The readers receive well-written books at very competitive prices. For them, we offer “book bundles” of multiple books in a series that save them money. The investors know they’re working with a solid company. The romance community garners a positive net-citizen that will add value by providing well-written books and a company with a good reputation. The environment benefits not only because of the environmentally-friendly policies implemented by the home office (such as recycling packing material to use again), but also by the inherently greener technology of electronic books.

The truth is that we’re just one company. And we’re probably not the only ones already working along these principles. However, at the moment, I feel that our adherence to Conscious Capitalism gives us the momentum to keep moving forward. It may even be a selling point for some authors and readers because here at Jupiter Gardens, it’s about serving the customer. The internal and external customers – the authors, the readers, and industry partners – who help grow this business by working together to create the kind of company that will do the romance community, and our larger communities, proud.

Mary
Pink Petal Books
Because love is a beautiful thing!
And don’t forget Jupiter Gardens, LLC for nurturing your inner worlds.

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Today’s guest blogger is Knight Agency agent and YA author, Lucienne Diver. Thanks for joining us, Lucienne!

I admit that I’ve been so busy lately that I’m behind the times responding on the furor over RWA’s policy toward e-publishing.  Here, though, are my two cents, for what they’re worth.

Advances serve a very important purpose – providing something for authors to live on while they research, write and wait for publication and then for the resultant royalties to accumulate.  I can understand an organization meant to protect and educate writers advocating this system.  However, I also agree that times are changing and ventures like profit sharing arrangements and agreements by which advances are deferred or minimized in exchange for putting what would otherwise be advance money toward advertizing and promotion are equally valid.  My problem comes from both the failure to set new standards and the fact that the standards that currently exist are inconsistently applied.  E-book authors are held in a sort of limbo, where for some RWA contests they’re considered published (and therefore unable to enter in the unpublished categories) and for others they’re not (like the RITAs, I believe).  It’s an inconsistency that is very vexing.   Either the e-published writers are considered published (perhaps by some standard like a monetary minimum on royalties or recognition of their e-publisher) and granted the same considerations or they’re not and therefore don’t have their interests represented by the organization.  Like Deidre, I believe that standards should be set and that we should recognize the contribution of non-traditional publishing options.  Look at how many wonderful authors began with e-publishers—not to mention that entire genres like erotica that might not have picked up by the major houses in quite the same way if their Internet success (and thus clear cut audience) hadn’t been so apparent.  Am I, as an agent, going to advocate for the advance against royalties model for my authors?  Absolutely.  Do I recognize that there are other valid paradigms to consider which are producing professional works?  Absolutely.

I think, however, that the issue goes far beyond one writers organization’s policy.  We’re at the stage, not just in our industry but in all of them, that science fiction has long predicted—where the pace of technological advances is quickly outstripping the laws and policies to deal with them.  (Note the problems inherent in the text-to-voice function of the Kindle 2 and other devices and advertising allowed on sites where narrative or excerpts are published with no profit-sharing for the writers.)  We need to anticipate and stay ahead of the lightning-speed changes in technology and our approach to it if we’re not to be left behind.

-Lucienne Diver

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Today’s guest blogger is author Shiloh Walker. Welcome, Shiloh!

I’m currently straddling a fence.  I write for four different publishers-two are print and two are epublishers.

I started out in ebooks-my first published book was from Ellora’s Cave, a book I’d written with the plan to submit to Silhouette.  It was rejected about the same time I found Ellora’s Cave.  I had been hunting for more books by a couple of authors I found in the SECRETS books by Red Sage, found some books by Angela Knight there, gobbled them down, bought more by other authors, gobbled them.

I had my rejection letter in hand and decided, I’m going to do some rewriting on this book and send it to them.  If I recall correctly, that was in late summer 2002.  I sent it in that fall and sometime later, a couple of weeks, I think, I get a response back-they wanted it.  I was happy-thrilled beyond belief.  But I had no idea just how much the decision to revamp that story was going to change my life.  I had no idea how much money I was going to make.  I had no idea what in the world I was getting into.

Epublishing has a lot of appealing options.

Epubs take a variety of story lengths-from 10k up to over 100k and everywhere in between.  You won’t find that huge variety in traditional print publishing.

Epubs, because their costs are much lower, can afford to take some risks that print publishers can’t.  If a book flops at an epub, there’s no advance the publisher has to eat and there’s no print costs the publisher has to eat, and there’s no fat pile of books to deal with, either.

Since there are fewer costs with epubs, authors get higher royalties.  In my experience, it ranges from between 35%-45% of the cover price.

If you tell stories that go a little outside of normal-say, like me, you’ve got a habit of killing husbands (fictionally-not literally), then epublishing can be a great place.

However, it’s not going to work for everybody.  Those it does work for, it doesn’t work in the same way for each of us.

Initially, I was writing and working full-time.  In 2004, I quit work and just wrote.  At that point, I was only writing for my epublishers and I had a release out about every 4-6 weeks.  You sell the most copies the month of release and keeping up a steady stream of releases those first few years is how I was able to make writing my full-time job.  It worked for me because I write fast.

It works for me now because I have a fairly substantial backlist in a short amount of time, and for epubbed authors, having a good backlist is crucial.  If you only have one or two stories out a year, it’s going to be hard to get to the point to where you can write for a living.

It works for me because I have a lot of ideas that aren’t long enough for the 90K I need for my traditional pubs.  It works for me because sometimes I write in genres that don’t sell all that great-like fantasy romance.

In the past six years, I’ve written more than fifty ebook titles.  Some are shorter stories, some are almost as long as my New York titles.  I hit EC right as they were on the cusp of becoming huge, and I hit it right when erotic romance was really starting to take off.  I started a vampire series just when the current paranormal trend was really getting big.  For me, things just fell into place all at the right time.

Epublishing can be a great outlet for a writer.  But it’s not for every writer.

If you don’t write fast, it will take a lot longer to build that backlist, and without that backlist, it will be a long time before you can even think about writing to support yourself and your family.

If you’re looking at epubs as a ‘springboard’ to print publishing, make sure you understand-that it can be a gamble.  It has worked that way for some, but it doesn’t work for everybody and it’s probably getting to the point where it’s going to be harder to use epublishing as a way to launch yourself to New York.

There’s also the ‘erotic’ aspect.  The ebooks that sell the best are erotic romance.  I believe I’d heard that inspirational romances in ebook are starting to get bigger, but the bottom line, if you’re looking at things from a financial perspective, the money lies in erotic romance.  So if you don’t write erotic, epubs might not be your best route.

Right now, epubs serve a different purpose for me than they did a few years ago.  Since I’m writing for Berkley and Ballantine, I focus my longer books for them.  Anything over 90K, I keep for that venue.  But a lot of the stuff I write is shorter-I couldn’t make it 90k without padding and over-inflating and basically ruining the book.  So those shorter works, I write with the goal of putting them with my epubs.  That keeps my name ‘current’ for the readers, continues to build my backlist, and sometimes, those ebooks are a refreshing change of pace.  The intensity and pressure from deadlines aren’t as present, for me, with epublishing.

Writing for both works-for me.  It works for others.  Maybe it can work for you.  Or maybe you just want to wade into the ebook waters first.  Whichever it is, if you’re interested in pursuing epublishing, make sure you go into with your eyes wide open.  Do your research, figure out what your writing goals and decide if you can maintain the pace needed to build up a backlist and establish a reader base.

It can be one hell of a ride.  But it can also be a rough one at times, especially if you have unrealistic expectations. If you research and prepare, it can smooth out some of those bumps.

Shiloh Walker

http://shilohwalker.com

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Today’s guest blogger is Tina Burns, publisher, Liquid Silver Books. Thanks for joining us, Tina!

When ESPAN first approached me to reply to the Pershing/Knight RWA discussion I was excited, I had good stuff to say on the subject. A week later, the stuff has been said. Angela, Raelene, and Treva hit their hammers well on the proverbial nails.  Author upon author posted their well thought out and emotional opinions.  What more could I have to say?

I researched the parallelism of what we’re going through now as an industry (print and digital) to the music or gaming industry, neither of which I have a good depth of knowledge to sound like I know what I’m taking about.  I could rehash topics the other ladies brought up. Hours later, still at an impasse, I remembered that I’d already responded in a single comment, so I went to re-read what I’d written.  And found my topic.

My quote: RWA does nothing for me as a publisher. It’s an AUTHOR organization.

The more I thought about this statement I made (yes, in the heat of a personal/semi-professional moment), the more I began to realize that I was wrong (strange I know, but it does happen).  RWA does affect me as a publisher, because it affects my authors. But let’s broaden this out; it’s not just about LSB.

• Authors are limited or banned in entering RWA sanctioned contests because they are epublished.
• Authors are limited in the status recognitions they can receive from RWA because they’re epublished.
• Authors are limited or banned from contributing to RWA functions because they’re epublished.
• RWA authors join epublishers with unethical business practices because of lack of available education on epublishing.
• Epublishers are limited or banned from contributing/participating to RWA functions, circling back to lack of education on epublishing industry.

If there’s all these “can’ts” and “NOs” from RWA in regards to epublishing, why would an RWA author want to contract with an epublisher?  Why would an author want to write to her (or his, no bias here) best ability and strive for a top seller at an epublisher that they can’t enter a contest they’ve dreamed of entering since they put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard)? There are many more “why’s” to this equation but I want to bring it closer to home for me again.

CONFESSION TIME:

Seven years ago, I wouldn’t even touch a book with romance in it, or on it with a ten foot pole. (…and a collective gasp was heard through the crowd) As a reader, I was “better” than that. Yet in looking back at my reading habits at the time, I always felt there was something missing from them.  The sci-fi books would have been better but I couldn’t put my finger on why.  The thriller just didn’t cut the mustard. The satires had no satisfaction. Thank the heavens I decided to take a chance on a book** that knocked my arrogant opinion upside the head; otherwise I’d still be that stodgy ol’ reader sneering at the “bodiced heroines”.  That chance led to another romance book, to another romance author, to a new way of reading books (on my computer), to a job as a proofreader, to writing four romance books, to eventually becoming the Publisher of one of the top epublishers in the market today.  All that happened to lil’ ol’ me from taking that one small step; how much of an impact can we have on our future as a whole?

That’s what this should be about: taking chances, education, rallying the troops to help all involved, from aspiring authors, epubbed authors, print authors, RWA board members to work together to bring this industry, the only thriving book industry, into the future.

I want my authors to be happy with their choice of Liquid Silver Books as a publisher. I want all authors to be happy with their choice to epublish. It shouldn’t be something they have to hide; epublishing shouldn’t be anyone’s skeleton in a closet. Write what you love, write for who you want, write for you.  Educate yourself, your fellow RWA members. Work and strive for equality for your writing.

Tina Burns

Publisher

Liquid Silver Books

**Never Too Much by Lori Foster

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Today’s guest blogger is Treva Harte, from digital publisher Loose Id.

As the cleanup hitter (which would be scary except the previous blog articles have already hit home runs) I want to discuss viewing e-publishing with a career focused eye and add a few things to what Deidre, Angela and Raelene have already discussed.

Electronic publishing is or soon will become part of any professional romance author’s career focus for the following reasons:

–Anything in a professional writer’s contract, including distribution of e-rights, is of interest to the professional signing that contract.

–Traditional print publishing companies are now including e-books as part of their releases and are looking at how electronic publishing models can change their industry.

–Electronic publishing can create new markets for mainstream print and give authors who know that market an “in” when print publishers want authors to deliver that product.

–Romance writers, should they choose to e-publish, can make money and have a writing career.

I emphasized the last point because the benefits of e-publishing which were previously touched on – ability to take on new authors and/or risky stories, less stress, monthly paychecks, backlists, easier submissions process, shorter time to publication, possible print – are absolutely true.  But making money—either short or long term—is a consideration.

All authors invest in whatever publisher they publish a story with.  Their stories are intellectual property and the smart author does his or her best to sell that property to the right market.

All publishers invest in authors, whether the publisher pays an author an advance or a royalty check. An author focused on a career will check on how any publisher will invest in him or her before signing a contract. An accessible, attractive, professional website, an understandable submissions process, books that come out regularly and on schedule, responsible, knowledgeable editors who work closely with authors, providing advertising in many venues, offering carefully constructed legal contracts, and, of course, giving regular royalties are all signs that the company takes pride in its reputation and is going to invest time, effort and money in its authors. Before a manuscript is released the publisher should have paid for cover art, multiple rounds of edits and quite possibly advertising. (Loose Id even has an Author Development Editor to help authors before they formally submit stories to us.) After publication most e-publishers send out books for review and provide other marketing such as scheduled chats on author and reader lists. Wise publishers offer as many avenues to help their authors as they can since they are in partnership with the author to have their books succeed and to have author careers grow.

I have no desire to tell RWA how best to conduct its mission. My own mission is to continue to help run a very profitable business in a way that is best for Loose Id and our authors. It’s unlikely RWA will affect the company’s or the e-publishing industry’s growth if it ignores us, as mentioned in a previous blog.

I might suggest, however, that a thoughtful e-publishing education for those who have a writing career is important to the membership of RWA and will affect them, whether or not RWA takes on that mission.  The e-publishing industry would be happy to assist you and any other organization who chooses to meet that challenge because we want informed, aware authors in our community and the writing community as a whole. It’s part of our investment in authors. I’m sure that RWA wants to invest in having informed, aware authors as well.

- Treva Harte, publisher, Loose Id

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Today’s guest blogger is Raelene Gorlinsky, Ellora’s Cave publisher.

ESPAN asked for an upbeat and positive article about e-publishing, so let’s chat a bit about why you as an author may want—or not want—to consider submitting books to an e-publisher.

For me, the major issue with RWA’s stance on e-publishing is that they are saying there is only one “right” way—only one publishing model that is fair to authors. I think authors are intelligent business people who deserve information on the benefits and risks of all the options available, and can then make their own choices for their career.

Remember, this is not an either/or situation. A great story is a great story, regardless of format. And digital is not going to replace print; there will be readers for both. You can have books at both primarily print houses and at e-publishers. (And with either, your book is most likely to at some point be available in both digital and print formats.) You have the opportunity to individually evaluate which path is likely to be best for you and for each book you write—and the answer will not only be different author by author, but may vary for different books from the same author.

So let’s take a look at some of the reasons you as an author should consider to go the e-publishing route. You must evaluate if or how each of these fits into your career plan.

E-publishers are more able to take a chance on new authors or risky stories. That gives you more freedom to write the type of story you want, reach niche markets and subgenres.

It all comes down to the business reality of “Can we sell enough copies of this book to cover costs and make a profit?” The massive advantage of e-publishing is that we can take chances on books that the big print publishers won’t touch. If you’ve got to sell minimum 10,000 or so copies of a mass market paperback to make a profit, and have to commit money up front (an advance) to the author that the book may never earn, then of course a sensible publisher only wants books aimed at the middle-of-the-road majority, ones they feel are a “sure thing”.

E-pubs will look at the advantages of a great book aimed at a small niche market or by an unknown author with a quirky style or in a chancy sub-genre that is just reaching for popularity. An e-publisher can cover costs on a much smaller number of sales, and so is willing to take the risk of offering opportunities to authors that big publishers won’t give them. (Remember, NY rejected erotic romance until e-pubs had built up the reader market for it and turned it into a successful genre with big sales.)

More flexibility in story lengths.

Print publication requires some physical size and pricing considerations. Readers just don’t perceive a book with a quarter-inch width to be value for the money (unless it’s a free promo item). So short stories and novellas have to be batched into anthologies for print. And a publisher can sell only so many anthologies, meaning the available slots are very limited. They also recognize that many readers won’t pay for a full anthology book if they don’t love all the authors contained.

But a digital book can be any length, and can be priced accordingly. And readers seem to love buying individual short stories. So there is a huge market within e-publishing for that shorter story that NY has no space for.

A monthly paycheck.

No, most e-pubs do not routinely offer advances. But most pay royalties monthly (a few quarterly, I’ve heard), based on actual sales. Many authors feel they manage better with a steady income rather than a big chunk once or twice a year. Or they want a combination—most of the Ellora’s Cave authors who’ve now sold to traditional NY pubs are continuing to write for EC for that very reason. They’ve told me they want or need that monthly “paycheck” from their e-pub to carry them between advances from NY.

Less stress due to being able to work at your own pace, fewer deadlines.

Submission process is easier, cheaper, generally faster. Doesn’t require an agent.

Being able to get published more quickly, and have more books come out in a shorter period of time—thereby building your name recognition and fan base.

Backlist, backlist, backlist!

An e-book doesn’t go “out of print” until the contract expires (if ever), unlike print books that disappear from the store shelves within a few months and are not available anywhere once the print run is sold out. New fans of an author purchase backlist heavily, so the story generates continuing income. Many an e-pubbed author is making more from backlist than frontlist.

Many e-publishers also eventually issue some or all of their books in print.

So, again, it isn’t an “either/or” choice—just a choice of where your book starts.

So make your decisions based on what is right for your career and your life. There is no need for “us” versus “them” in the publishing industry. It’s all “we.”

Raelene Gorlinsky, Publisher
Ellora’s Cave Publishing Inc.
http://redlinesanddeadlines.blogspot.com

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I want to thank ESPAN for inviting me to post here and believing that I was the right person to respond to some of the points in Ms. Pershing’s Friday post. However, after some thought and further conversation with Kristen Painter, I’ve realized that I’m not the right person to do so because there is no one person who can speak for an entire industry or organization. In looking around the internet, at various blogs, forums, Twitter, and groups, hundreds of you have already spoken out and many have done so eloquently and passionately, with facts about your business and careers for anyone who cares to listen.

Not only do I believe I’m not the right person because I’m only one person, but also because RWA is not an organization for publishers but is an organization for authors. Despite the fact that I’ve done much to educate authors over the years, not solely about my publisher but about epublishing in general in a fair, pragmatic, cautionary, balanced and non-cheerleading type of way, the fact remains that I work from a publisher point of view and am not unbiased. Inside the community of writers and authors, however, epublished authors and publishers hope that RWA will step in and provide further education.  I respect the work RWA has done at both a national and local level in the past and hope they will recognize the evolving publishing climate and move to work with a growing segment of authors within a new publishing model.

Because, however much I believe in RWA as an organization for authors, and appreciate the spirit of author advocacy in which they operate and have set its current standards we—by which I mean epublishers like the one I currently work for—are operating as legitimate businesses with a committed business model and we have no intention of changing that business model to suit the demands of some who wish to will it away..

In truth, we have said from the beginning that the epublishing business model is not one suited to every author nor every publisher. But it’s not a model that’s going to disappear. While I thoroughly enjoy attending romance and writing related conferences, my other passion is the broader scope conferences that examine the crossroads of publishing and current technology, like the O’Reilly Tools of Change in Publishing, BEA, Digital Book 2009 sponsored by IDPF and others. It’s at these conferences that we learn that publishers throughout the industry are exploring alternate models of operating in order to continue to grow, stay in business and/or continue publishing and producing within the various genres. And let’s be frank: these conferences are not inexpensive, and the individuals who present and share their knowledge are not unknowns. Technology and publishing—dare I say, digital publishing—is not a niche market or even a new market. These conferences would not exist nor sell out if the subjects addressed weren’t crucial to the publishing community.

Because I see that cooperative commitment to education and exploration of the terrain of digital technology and publishing at conferences (as well as on online discussions at blogs and Twitter from non-romance publishers) I am sorry that the RWA national board, with Ms. Pershing as spokesperson, has chosen to take the most recent stance on epublishing. Not because that validation is necessary for publishers to continue operating, but because this is a model of publishing that RWA can learn about and educate their membership about proactively, in preparation for a constantly evolving publishing landscape, which is going to include this business model on some scale.

I have always been honest in my presentations, both online and in person, about the state of epublishing. The business model is one that makes it easy for any person with a computer (or access to one at their local library), a website and some content to open an epublisher. Indeed, as in any business, there are those who will take advantage of authors, have questionable clauses in their contracts, and generally not “do right” by the author and their works.

There are those within the RWA who would include the no (or token) advance portion of the business model as an indication of nefarious intent, but it is not. It is different, yes, and it is an integral part of the business model that allows a variety of books, authors, genres, word counts and story ideas to be published.

The enthusiastic interest and reception editors and publishers from various epublishers have received at the local chapter and specialty chapter levels has demonstrated there is an interest and belief in epublishing from many authors. One indication of this has been the sheer volume of attendance at the workshops on epublishing I, and others, have presented over the years, whether at RWA Nationals in 2008, or as recently as this month at the Lori Foster Get Together, where, at a conference of approximately 300 people, at least 50 people tried to attend the workshop I presented on epublishing (I say tried because the hotel didn’t have a conference room big enough to accommodate the workshop and it was standing room only so we had many people unable to get in). In other words, at a conference held by an established author for NY, nearly 20% wanted more information on the epublishing model—and of those who could attend, all sat through a two-hour workshop on the subject on a Saturday morning at a conference designed for a casual get together, not a workshop-oriented day. The interest is real.

Whether or not RWA makes epublishers “eligible” at the national level, the epublishing business will continue as usual, and authors will continue to seek out and show interest in epublishing. In fact, RWA’s position to choose not to educate its members at the national level harms its membership and fosters an environment ripe for any person interested in taking advantage of authors or in operating as an “author mill”. Because, if all of epublishing was truly out to operate dishonestly, the less education out there, the easier the mark. Indeed, in that case, it would behoove epublishers to either remain silent—or encourage RWA at the national level to continue on their current course—rather than offering education and continuing to campaign for awareness within RWA, as a number of editors/epublishers have done.

Moreover, these same epublishers wouldn’t offer workshops online and at conferences, or write articles and blog posts about publishing, the craft of writing, promotion and other educational topics because they would not want authors to have access to any information that might increase their awareness of contracts or anything to do with the business of publishing..

Despite claims or accusations to the contrary, any interest I have shown in RWA understanding epublishing’s business model or any efforts I’ve made to educate authors on the same come not through an attempt to become an RWA eligible publisher but because I am intimately aware of the pitfalls of epublishing. I understand that it’s not for everyone and I acknowledge that there are less-than-reputable publishers operating and that there are things that could be done better. I believe most anyone who works within epublishing will acknowledge the imperfections and pitfalls. However, these imperfections occur in all levels of publishing, not just epublishing, and those same imperfections are the reason why RWA has been a vital and important part of so many authors’ careers—for their ability to advocate for and educate authors.

It’s for this reason that I hope, no I challenge RWA to not turn its back at a national level on authors who want to start a career, pursue a career or continue a career within the publishing world that includes epublishing. These authors are looking for leaders in an organization that will advocate for them in a variety of publishing settings, a variety of word counts and a variety of genres. I believe RWA can be this organization, because its members are already doing this at some local and specialty levels. This isn’t about recognizing publishers, because the publishers aren’t the heart and soul of this incredible organization. We will continue to advocate for ourselves within our business model whether or not we are RWA eligible. It’s about recognizing authors, who want to pursue their passion and love of writing and shape it into a career, as being as needful and deserving of advocacy whether they choose a traditional path or one less traveled.

- Angela James, Executive Editor, Samhain Publishing

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