Does anyone have any experience with e-book publishing? Been published in one? Ever bought an e-book? Heard any rumors about e-book scams? Heard anything about e-book anthologies? Is it good for our credentials?
Posted by Elan (Member # 2442) on :
I don't have any experience with e-books at all. I comprehend that the market exists, I just don't understand it. I cannot fathom why someone would want to read an entire book, from their computer. My eyes go buggy staring at the monitor after a while. And when I read for pleasure, I want to be reclining on a comfy sofa, not sitting up at attention in my marginally ergonomic office chair at my desk. I just think holding a physical book in your hands is as good as it gets. And it's easier to mark your spot when you set it down.
Posted by Beth (Member # 2192) on :
You can read e-books on your palm pilot during boring meetings, and everyone thinks you're working.
Posted by EricJamesStone (Member # 1681) on :
I just finished reading the latest Honor Harrington novel, At All Costs, on my Treo. Don't look for the physical book in stores yet; this was an advance, uncorrected copy available through the publisher's ebook sales site: http://www.webscription.net.
However, every ebook I've bought was something published by a regular publisher at some point. I'd be wary of ebook-only publication.
[This message has been edited by EricJamesStone (edited August 10, 2005).]
Posted by mikemunsil (Member # 2109) on :
I've read a variety of books on my Palm Pilot. I second Eric's advice.
Posted by MaryRobinette (Member # 1680) on :
Ditto Beth, Eric and Mike.
I love having novels and magazines on my Palm Pilot for those unexpected waits or when I'm travelling.
Posted by Survivor (Member # 213) on :
Sadly, Elan speaks for the majority of readers at this point. I like reading from a computer screen, hate reading from a palm pilot (which, for me, only succeeds in combining all the bad points of both books and computer screens, ampliphying both and adding in a couple of extra irritations to boot).
Until the price point on high resolution portable screens comes down by a lot, print distribution is simply going to be a necessity for a successful book. Eventually, genuine hardcopies of books might be something of a specialty item (I'd expect slightly higher cost and a much higher quality product when that happens), but till then it isn't worth the handicap it enforces on your potential audience.
Posted by EricJamesStone (Member # 1681) on :
> And it's easier to mark your spot when you set it down.
Uh, no it isn't. The program I use for reading on my Treo (iSilo) keeps track of where I was in each document. I don't need to use a bookmark, or turn down the corner of a page, or set the book down open to the page.
I like reading paper books, but there's a major advantage to ebooks. I currently carry around with me so that I can read any time I want: 1632 A Tale of Two Cities Alice in Wonderland Alice Throgh the Looking-Glass Beowulf David Copperfield Don Quixote Emma Great Expectations Heart of Darkness Ivanhoe Les Miserable Life of Johnson Mansfield Park March to the Sea March to the Stars March Upcountry Northanger Abbey Oliver Twist Persuasion Pride and Prejudice Retief! Sense and Sensibility The Complete Works of William Shakespeare The Count of Monte Cristo The Scarlet Letter The Scarlet Pimpernel The Three Musketeers a whole bunch of short stories by various authors, and all 11 Honor Harrington novels.
And I still have more than enough room in memory for ten times that.
Posted by Spaceman (Member # 9240) on :
You can use a PDA for reading? And all this time I've been using mine to write during boring meetings.
Posted by MaryRobinette (Member # 1680) on :
I wonder if having a PDA also means that one must have Jane Austen installed.
Here's the list currently on my PDA: Asimov's BBC Emma Fantasy and Science Fiction Mansfield Park New York Times Northanger Abbey Slipstream The Complete Sherlock Holmes Wired Magazine
Posted by BuffySquirrel (Member # 2780) on :
I know someone who has had several Fantasy novels published as e-books. E-book publication can happen very fast, with only weeks elapsing between query and publication rather than the months or even years involved in print publishing.
Because of consumer resistance to reading longer works on monitors, e-books tend to be shorter than print books--often in the 60k range. This also leads to anthologies being a popular e-book form, as short stories typically don't exceed the amount of time the reader is prepared to spend reading off their monitor.
There is a perception I have run across that e-book publishers, having less investment in each individual book and therefore less to lose, are less choosy about the books they publish. E-book publisher don't pay advances, only royalties, and their overheads are much lower than those of print publishers. In consequence, I suspect e-publication does not carry the same kudos as print publication by even a small press. I don't however know the opinions of the movers-and-shakers in the publishing business regarding how valuable e-books are as creds.
The biggest e-book sellers are pornography . (just thought you ought to know that!)
Another problem with e-books is the multitude of formats--I know of at least three. Not all formats work on all platforms, which can reduce the available market share if the book is not released in every format.
I confess that personally I have never bought an e-book . I prefer print editions, as I don't own a PDA, and somehow just can't envisage curling up with my laptop...
I don't know offhand of any scams by e-book publishers. However, there has been a long-running scam by what purports to be an online e-book club. Whether it's a phishing scam (harvesting credit card addresses) or an illegal download scam, or both, I'm not sure, but it's important to be aware that these scams do exist. This 'club' typically offers access to 1000's of e-books for a small one-off payment. Too good to be true? Too true.
I have heard rumours that authors have been having difficulty getting anthology royalties out of Cyberpulp Press. For more information, check out some threads in their forum, like this one: http://cyberpulpbooks.com/visitorforum//viewtopic.php?t=47
Posted by NewsBys (Member # 1950) on :
I'm glad to hear that several of you read them. Has anyone been published in e-book format? Have any of your friends been published in e-book format?
The reason I ask is because one of my stories is being considered for an e-book anthology. It pays in royalities. The e-zine that's publishing the anthology has a pretty good following, but I was concerned that e-books aren't that popular.
Posted by NewsBys (Member # 1950) on :
MaryRobinette, glad to see you get magazines on your PDA. That's a good idea, a lot less paper laying around the house.
Buffy, you were posting while I was writing. Looks like you have answered part of my question. Anyone else have info?
[This message has been edited by NewsBys (edited August 11, 2005).]
Posted by Robert Nowall (Member # 2764) on :
I know the world has changed a good deal since I started writing, but my ultimate goal hasn't changed. I wanted---want---to be published in the traditional print-on-paper manner. (I've been sidetracked a number of times, notably by a four-year foray into Internet Fan Fiction.)
eBooks and such are things I'd be willing to adapt to and try out, but they're not things I'm actively looking to do, at least right now.
Posted by NewsBys (Member # 1950) on :
I'm a bit skeptical as well, hence this thread. I offered this particular story to this market because of the subject matter. A lot of markets frown on apocalyptic fiction. This market is devoted to it.
Posted by Survivor (Member # 213) on :
If it's a short story, then probably you should give it a shot, unless you've found strong specific reasons to distrust this publisher.
Posted by Miriel (Member # 2719) on :
E-books...scarry. I'm quite afraid I'll stay with paper for the rest of my life, even if it costs more. My two favorite things in the world include 1) Looking at a big shelf full of books I love (hence why my room looks like a library, and why I go to the public library whenever I'm upset -- it's theraputic to just sit by all those books), and 2) The smell of a brand-new book. Half the fun of buying a brand-new book is the new-book smell. Wouldn't you feel cheated if you bought a book and it came to your computer, without any of that lovely-smelling, fresh paper? Maybe I'm the only one who feels this way...but I can't imagine ever converting to e-books.
Posted by Survivor (Member # 213) on :
You're not the only one that feels that way. I don't, but most readers do.
Posted by Mechwarrior (Member # 2796) on :
Any day/year now, electronic paper will make us all happy. The problem with computer/PDA screens is they are a bunch of dots illuminated by a flashlight (a flickering one in the case of a CRT). Paper works by reflection, which we're used to. e-paper promises to be the best of both worlds. You can bind multiple pages together so you can "browse" like a book. With the touch of a button it becomes a newpaper, magazine, novel, whatever.
I've been living in the epaper fantasy world for about 10 years now. To borrow an expression from Peter Pan, "I do believe in e-paper, I do, I do!" Flying cars will DEFINITELY come with an e-paper owner's manual.
Posted by Survivor (Member # 213) on :
I'd prefer some kind of HUD type interface myself.
Posted by Thunderduck (Member # 2802) on :
Newsbys, I've had great success with E-Books. When you think of the number of books one can place on a single disc, verses a wall of dust collectors it's the going trend. I've sold a ratio of 3 to 1 of my works as E-books. The fact that they're a third the cost of the physical book, and that you get it on the spot only adds to the ability to generate sales.
Posted by NewsBys (Member # 1950) on :
Well, if nothing else, at least I'll learn something from the experiance.
My only real concern is that the anthology is already behind schedule due to lack of appropriate stories for the theme. I don't want my story to be caught in limbo forever.
Maybe I can negotiate a clause in the contract saying the publisher has only a year or two to publish it, then all rights revert to me.
Posted by Survivor (Member # 213) on :
Yeah, if it seems like they might never pay you for whatever reason, that's a pretty strong contraindication.
Posted by Kathleen Dalton Woodbury (Member # 59) on :
NewsBys, if you can still get something like that into the contract, I strongly urge you to. It's called a "sunset clause."
Sunset clauses are what authors use to get any rights back that a publisher isn't using or isn't likely to use any time soon.
I recommend getting as many sunset clauses into every contract as you possibly can.
. (just thought you ought to know that!)
. I prefer print editions, as I don't own a PDA, and somehow just can't envisage curling up with my laptop...