“Decline of E-book Publishers” by Stefan Vucak

Every budding author wants to see his masterpiece published, preferably by one of the traditional book publishers. After all, that’s where the fame and money is, right? After accumulating a stack of rejection letters, thoughts of ending it all bubbling in the background, reality starts to sink in. There are lots of writers out there competing for the same thing, with traditional publishers closing ranks and picking up fewer new authors all the time.

 

Still, having written that opus, our aspiring writer is determined to see his name in print.

Having overcome the initial round of depression and getting detoxed, our writer starts looking at other options. Hopefully, he will be wise enough not to fall into the clutches of a vanity publisher and look at e-book publishing. An e-book isn’t exactly what our writer initially wanted, but having reached bottom, it is better than nothing, and these publishers also make his book available in print. The thing is, he will have his book out there! Buoyant, our writer starts his search for a suitable e-book publisher. There are lots of them out there and getting accepted isn’t much of a chore.

When that book is finally published, our author is in for another dose of harsh reality, which will of course, lead to more depression and subsequent detoxing. So, why the depression? Let’s look at what exactly an e-book publisher delivers.

Getting accepted by an e-book publisher means a writer enters into a contract. That can be a minefield, and inevitably, in their eagerness to have a book out there, some writers will step on one or two of them. The two operative ones are contract duration and royalty payment. Some e-book publishers will want an author locked into a contract between one to three years – with no escape clause.

With royalties, our writer is looking at anything between 25% to 50%. What that percentage actually means, the publisher will pay on net proceeds of sales from their own website and external distributors like Amazon. Of course, what our writer really wants is a percentage of the book price, whether e-book or print on demand version, something most publishers will be reluctant to offer.

Another mine is the release timeframe, anything from three to eighteen months. With an e-book publisher, no one should wait more than three months. If an e-book publisher cannot meet that timeframe, perhaps our writer should look at somebody else.

When the day comes and that book is released, our writer thinks he has made it…or has he? The publisher’s contract states that his book will be released in e-book format, POD, Kindle, and a range of other electronic formats. In reality, the publisher will most likely make his book available in only two formats: print on demand (POD) and an Amazon Kindle e-book. Some will also release the book with Smashwords, the optimum electronic marketplace, but most will not. Most often, the print version is likely to look exactly the same as the e-nook. The publisher doesn’t want to spend time formatting the print version to look like a traditionally printed book.

The publisher’s contract also states that they will help the author market his book, which at first glance is welcome news. In reality, apart from listing the book on the publisher’s website and on Amazon, nothing further is done. A publisher might have a Facebook group page where writers can chat and exchange gossip, and some might even provide useful tips how to market a book. In all cases marketing will be up to the author. E-book publishers will not spend anything promoting their writers. Some might go to book fairs, but that is rare.

What exactly does an e-book publisher deliver to the author? Apart from releasing books in e-book format and POD, our writer will get nothing else! He needs to seriously rethink his publishing options. Why stick with an e-book publisher when he has:

– An onerous contract

– Long release timeframe

– Indifferent output formats

– Poor royalties

– Unsatisfactory editing

– No marketing

Going down the self-publishing road starts to look more and more attractive, no? With self-publishing, our writer gets his book out there the moment he uploads it onto CreateSpace, Kindle, and Smashwords. And most importantly, he gets to keep all the royalties! As for marketing, well, he needs to do that anyway.

Are e-book publishers a declining option? Perhaps. As long as there are new writers wanting to get their book out there, not knowing how e-book publishers really operate, these outlets will remain in business. However, for writers who have gone through the process, most are left with a sour taste in their mouths. Okay, what should a good e-book publisher strive to deliver?

– Release books in all formats stated in the contract

– Royalties based on book price percentage

– Have a short release queue

– Provide professional manuscript editing

– Properly format books

– Issue accurate lists of sales

– Have a genuine marketing arm – perhaps the most critical item

With so many e-book publishers out there, a successful one who will attract writers must provide a value-add service, rather than shortchanging its authors. In the meantime, many writers will continue having a bad experience with an e-book publisher.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Stefan Vucak is an award-winning author of the sci-fi Shadow Gods series of books. His contemporary political thriller Cry of Eagles has won the coveted 2011 Readers Favorite silver medal award, and his All the Evils was the 2013 prestigious Eric Hoffer contest finalist. Read more on publishing at: http://stefanvucak.com/choosing-a-publisher-or-self-publish/

Website: www.stefanvucak.com

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Twitter: @stefanvucak

What do you think of Stefan’s assertion that e-book publishers are on the decline? Do you have anything to add? Feedback is always appreciated.