There is considerable debate among book enthusiasts about e-publishing. Is it 
good or bad for the book industry? Does it ultimately help or hurt authors? Does it raise or lower the bar of expectations? Or are ebooks the most important publishing development since the printing press?
Admittedly, several years ago I would have been on the other side of this argument. But now having released my first ebook, I’ve had a change of heart. What happened? A couple of things. Mainly, I was contracted for two books — traditionally published, real paper, royalty paying, books.
So how does one go from a traditionally published author to an ebook enthusiast?
Here’s 5 reasons that led to my decision to publish an ebook:
1.) I bought an eReader… and LOVED it. Back in August 2009, I posted an article entitled What’s Keeping Me From Buying an eReader. I was already softening at that point. I have a significant library and habitually reference and mark up my books. An eReader would change all that (both the contours of my library and how I marked / referenced books). It was a big decision. I decided on a Kindle and have been very satisfied. My Kindle has become one of my favorite, most practical electronic devices. If you’re looking for a reason to publish your novel as an ebook, buy an ereader and see if you don’t really, really like it.
2.) My story didn’t seem to fit anywhere. This was a huge factor in my decision. Most authors will, after time, compile a stock of story ideas, some of which don’t seem to fit easily into the commercial market. Or perhaps they want to write in a genre other than the one they’ve been selling in. My story fell into that category. Winterland is not only a novella (27K + words), it is different than the genres I’ve been writing (which is supernatural thriller). Either I could reshape the story, fatten it up, and try to sell it to a traditional or niche publisher, or I could simply hang onto it and look for anthologies, contests, or something else to come along. None of this seemed to to fit. For one thing, the story was almost complete. For another, I was in a lull between books. And finally, I really loved the concept. Thus, packaging Winterland as an ebook seemed like the perfect fit.
3.) I have a decent platform for distribution. This is one of those factors many writers don’t consider when publishing their ebook. How are they going to get the word out? Social media has really changed all that, provided one uses the outlets available. For me, this blog is the hub of my online solar system. Over the last twelve months I’ve averaged about 8,000 Unique Visitors a month. Whether or not a reader will buy my ebook is beside the point. Drawing visitors here is the first step to getting eyes on my books. Because I’ve already laid the groundwork for a decent platform (and am committed to continuing to do so), advertising an ebook on my website seemed like a no-brainer.
4.) Career flexibility. Without question, one reason epublishing has exploded is that it empowers authors. We have the final say in what we want our books to be. For me, there were two primary “career advantages” to publishing an ebook. First, it would place a non-traditional book between two traditional books. My first novel, The Resurrection, has been out almost a year. My second novel, The Telling, is tentatively scheduled for release in May 2012. This gap between books seemed like a great opportunity to keep readers interested in my stuff. The end-of-October release lands Winterland squarely between both of my novels. Secondly, an ebook creates another revenue stream. OK, maybe revenue “creek” is a better word. Nevertheless, an ebook creates another income opportunity untethered to a traditional publisher.
5.) ebook formatting is relatively accessible to anyone, quick and easy. Perhaps the biggest decision I had to make in this regard was whether or not I wanted to craft my ebook from the ground up (which meant designing the cover, formatting the book, editing, etc.), or subbing the work out. I decided on the latter for two reasons. One, I was in the middle of final edits for The Telling and pressed for time. Two, I have the best writer friends around! Because of this, Winterland became a joint venture. Beginning with beta readers like Jill Domschot, Lewinna Solwing, and Melody Fredricks. meanwhile, urban fantasy author Merrie Destefano designed the cover, and Jay DiNitto formatted and uploaded the final docs. And Misti Wolanski was invaluable for wisdom and advice about the process. All in all, from the moment the manuscript was finished to the ebook being published was little more than two months. Try that with traditional publishing!
Anyway, it’s been a lot of fun. So I’m wondering, if you’ve published an ebook, what were some of the reasons for your decision? And if you’re thinking about publishing an ebook, what are some of the things keeping you from doing so?
I have been considering self-pubbing a fiction ebook, actually. I have a couple of issues holding me back at this very moment, that I can’t discuss quite yet. However, with so many changes in the industry, there are opportunities a plenty for certain types of books and certain types of writers.
Love the cover of your ebook, Mike. Thanks for laying out your reasons for taking this route.
Good luck!
You wrote: “there are opportunities a plenty for certain types of books and certain types of writers” (I’d say any type of book by any type of writer). You got that right. There are 7 billion people on the planet. Thousands will want to read what you write, but you have to have more than one book for them to find. Say they find that one book, love it, and want to buy more from you. If you don’t have anything else written, then you’ve lost built-in repeat customers.
Oh my! Thanks for the mention and link. (Misti Wolanski speaking.) ^_^
E-book formatting’s actually getting easier (for PowerPC Mac-user me); Kindle’s updated its conversion software so you can upload the DOC you made for Smashwords with just a few modifications. (Insert the cover as the first page with a page break after it, and add the following bookmarks: “cover” to cover, “toc” to table of contents, and “start” to story beginning.)
I wrote a post detailing my reasons here, but to sum it up: self publishing is a good fit for me.
And I’ve never minded e-books, except for their cost + DRM. If you’re going to tell me I can’t loan my e-book to friends or read it how I want to, then it’s a rental. I won’t pay the same price for a rental and a mass market paperback.
I actually read my first e-book maybe a decade ago, on the computer, in PDF format, and I used to hang out on fan fiction sites. That’s a lot of computer reading. My eyes adapted; reading on the computer doesn’t bother me.
That’s part of why I don’t have an e-reader yet. There are particular features I want (and kinks I want worked out), and I was also waiting for basic e-readers to fall below $100. I adopted flash drives too early and paid way too much for my first few tiny ones. (I’m one of those folks who paid $20 for 128 Mb, once upon a time.) I’m finally eying the Nook Touch.
Carradee,
I bought the Nook before it was touch. While I like it, I would definitely like the touch a great deal more. Overall, I am happy with my purchase, in a few years I will upgrade, when the bugs are worked out and when they become more affordable.
In the past few month I began sending out my queries, I don’t think I have given that ample time to decide if the traditional route is not for me. I will give it time and continue to pray for direction. Another thing, I really don’t know much about how to publish an e-book.
#3 helps make my decision for now as well, I only started blogging in July. While I have a decent following and get new hits daily, I want to build up my platform before investing.
Thanks for the help. Any advice you have on publishing via ebooks I would appreciate reading. I want to know all my options and to learn as much as possible about all the areas of publishing.
Thanks
Love the video you made for The Telling! Awesome!
Secondly, I am working on a novel and it is so hard to decide on whether to traditional publish or just Self Publish/Ebook publish. I am a fan of both so maybe once I cross that road I can decide. I have nothing against creating ebooks as I have a Kindle App on my computer and am glad for the technology, I just want to know if this will draw numbers to my stories? Would it hinder it?
Not sure, because a good story is a good story(not boasting, just hypotheically speaking here), no matter what the platform.
One commenter above mentioned reading fanfiction. I do too. All the time, so reading an ebook is fine with me, my eyes are tired from working though but I still see the value in e-publishing. Quick and convenient.
Erica, you’re right. The choice between traditional publishing vs. self/ebook publishing is a big one. Personally, I still think traditional publishing holds a marked edge. At the moment, I see my ebook as supplementing not supplanting my traditionally published books.
I love my e-reader, but I have this strange problem. I have difficulty finishing books once they’re downloaded on my Nook. I think it’s the idea that I can collect the books and read them at any given time because they’re not stacked by my bed or overflowing the bookcases, and they don’t have to be returned to the library. But I read the books stacked by my bed, instead, in a rotation based on nothing in particular.
Thanks for the link to my site!
My biggest question is, if it’s an ebook, how does anybody find it? I’m chipping away at my own series of novels, but the internet is such a vast, noisy place. I know you have to promote, promote, promote, but I’ve shopped Amazon, too. Amazon is about as large as its river namesake, and just as pathless.
I suppose the world of publishing physical books is the same way. Sigh. Is there a way to do both? I haven’t researched this very well at the moment, but I know there’s the whole print-on-demand dealy … *ignorance*
People will continue to find books the way they’ve always found them. Word of mouth and, once one has found an author one likes, buying more books by that author (via their website, which, if they author is paying attention, should point to a few outlets where one can purchase the novel). Authors don’t have to promote, promote, promote. They need to write good stories (and not just one book, dozens) that people want to read. Cliche, but if you write it, they (an audience) will come. Trust word of mouth and have a bunch of your back list online and ready to go for the tipping point to e-readers.
Dean Wesley Smith says (paraphrasing here) to think of traditionally published books (or stories in top tier magazines) as advertisements for your indie/self-published works. People discover your novel/story, like your writing, and go search for what else you’ve written – usually online. What they’ll probably find is one of your e-books, which will never go out of print (if you have an older book with a traditional publisher, chances are they won’t be able to find it). The goal, then, is to get as much of your back list up as possible so that as the tipping point occurs (people switching to e-readers) your fans will have something to buy. Best wishes in your projects. Lyn
Just bought it, Mike. Admittedly, I cringed a mite at “three generational spirits” (as I’ve mentioned previously, those kinds of stories usually drive me up a wall–it’s a quirk of mine), but there’s certainly enough else in the blurb that garners some serious interest from my other areas of reading quirkiness. 🙂 Looks like a good one.
To answer your question, yes, I have put out an e-book. It’s a free download–a critical review of a ministry’s theology on sin, salvation and family. Very niche, with a very defined audience. The ministry in question has been circumstantially linked to three child murders at the hands of their own homeschooling parents, with talk of linkage to other abuse cases. So, serious stuff, but not at all mainstream.