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.

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.

E-books are basically electronic books and are the computerized equivalent of printed books. These books are read on the computer, laptop, PDA or on specialized hardware called the e-book reader.

When the concept of online reading was new, e-books attracted only a select audience who had very specific interests mainly dealing in technical knowledge. Gradually, as the concept of e-reading caught on, many e-book formats evolved. Some had the backing of major software companies whereas others like the adobe`s PDF format were encouraged by independent people.

The initial market of e-books lacked a common standard and this led to many e-book publishers marketing these books in the public domain. New authors who were struggling to find a readership base went online to get more exposure. This also led to illegal and unauthorized availability of books on the internet. But, with e-books having gained tremendous popularity, a consensus is emerging and exclusive hardware for e-books are being developed.

Some of the most used formats for e-book reading include readers like Adobe, Microsoft, Rocket e-book, Mobipocket, PDF and TK3. If your computer does not have the required software installed for e-book reading, the software will have to be downloaded and installed prior to reading any e-books.

Most of the software can be downloaded for free. The PDF is most popular because it has features like book marking, being able to save or highlight specific text and also take notes. The advantage is that unlike traditional books this does not require sheaves of paper or pen and can be done in a single electronic file.

For the die-hard paper fan, it is even possible to print the e-book on paper and carry them with him. Not many of course want the inconvenience of lugging around heavy books anymore and in any case, there are only so many books which one can carry. For this reason people prefer e-books because you can carry innumerable pages of text and drawings on a single e-book.

An e-book is read for many reasons. Some read it for sheer enjoyment while others use it as a tool for research. E-books can also be downloaded to catch up on your favorite author. For avid readers, e-books provide the opportunity to read the latest book without having to step out of the house to buy it. All he needs to do is go online. No more scrounging around in musty bookshops trying to lay your hand on that out-of-print book or queuing up in interminable lines for the latest bestseller.

An amazing array of e-books is available online in e-book stores where you can find books on all genres. From the typical bestsellers to the classics, from the latest technical books to the most obscure books- you can find them all in e-book stores.

The pricing of an e-book is also less than what you would pay for a traditional printed book. This is because it costs less to publish an e-book than a printed one. Also, there are many authors who cannot afford a publishing house. For them, self-publishing online is affordable and ensures wider exposure. They may also sometimes offer free initial reading to boost sales.

Storing a growing library is also a matter of concern for those avid readers who lack the necessary space in their homes. E-books take care of this problem.

An e-book is the solution for people who like to read but cannot make the time to buy books or do not have the required space to store books.

If you want to start your e-book business, you should select the right e-book topics. Coming up with a topic for your e-book may be a challenge to you. But it is unnecessary to worry about it, for there are many topics for you to write about. You just have to choose a topic you know about. Here are some topic ideas for e-books.

Topic on parenting – you can share your parenting knowledge in an e-book. It is a great topic for an e-book. You can tell your questions between you and your children and then find answers to these questions. You also can write an e-book about things someone told you about being a mom, or dad. In addition, topic on home business is a good idea. Lots of parents are now looking for work-at-home opportunities and your information will be welcomed. Your e-book on how to work at home while caring for your children will certainly be in huge demand.

Topic on computer – you can share your computer knowledge in an e-book. In these days, many people are in trouble as to how to protect themselves from viruses and spy ware. You can write an e-book explaining some useful technique or recommending some anti virus software you have used. Besides, you can include your e-book some tips about upgrading the computer. Whatever you know how to do on the computer could be turned into an e-book.

Home schooling can be a good topic. Nowadays, home schooling is becoming a heated topic. More and more people are considering home schooling their children. No matter you were home schooled or you are home schooling your children; you can share the experiences with others who are looking to home school. There are many things you can talk about such as different curriculums, home school activities, social issues facing children that are home schooled, and so many others.

There are so many e-book topics; you could write on weddings. You can give your advice as to which place is good for wedding, where the perfect honeymoon spot is, where to find discount wedding gowns or how to save money on the big day. Share what you know in an e-book about weddings.

There are many other topics you can write in an e-book. But one important thing you should keep in mind is that you should write what you are familiar with.

Setting a right price for your e-books is one of the most important things for your success with e-book business. Your price should not be too low or too high. Setting a reasonable price is essential for people may use the price to judge the value of your e-book.

Setting a right price for your e-books is one of the most important things for your success with e-book business. Your price should not be too low or too high. Setting a reasonable price is essential for people may use the price to judge the value of your e-book.

Setting the right price is by no means easy. If the price is high, no one will buy your e-books; if the price is low, people may think your e-book is of little value. E-books are a quite new thing and they are digital, so it is nit easy to judge the true worth of the e-books. You should look at e-books from different perspective to determine their actual worth in this new cyber world.

You should know well about your goal. If you want to establish your credibility through distributing your e-books widely and exposing them maximum, you should keep your price on the low level. Low price can draw many people to your business and help you acquire many long-term customers.

Now, you need to work out what your customer want for your e-books. What do they want to know? What problems do they have? What information do they want to learn from your e-books? You should make sure that the problem your e-books solve is relevant to most of your customers. The e-books about a new technique can be sold at a high price.

You should figure out when you should change the price of your e-books. You need to figure out beforehand how long you plan to offer the e-books at this price.

There are many different formulas and methods for determining the correct price for your e-book. You should try your best to now some better ones.

Setting the right price is by no means easy. If the price is high, no one will buy your e-books; if the price is low, people may think your e-book is of little value. E-books are a quite new thing and they are digital, so it is nit easy to judge the true worth of the e-books. You should look at e-books from different perspective to determine their actual worth in this new cyber world.

You should know well about your goal. If you want to establish your credibility through distributing your e-books widely and exposing them maximum, you should keep your price on the low level. Low price can draw many people to your business and help you acquire many long-term customers.

Now, you need to work out what your customer want for your e-books. What do they want to know? What problems do they have? What information do they want to learn from your e-books? You should make sure that the problem your e-books solve is relevant to most of your customers. The e-books about a new technique can be sold at a high price.

You should figure out when you should change the price of your e-books. You need to figure out beforehand how long you plan to offer the e-books at this price.

There are many different formulas and methods for determining the correct price for your e-book. You should try your best to now some better ones.