There’s a very interesting conversation going on in the comments of the Why Harlequin Authors Should Move to E-publishing post at Dear Author. I could jump in there, but I won’t. JEL scares me. (I’m kidding. She’s actually on my ATLSF list. While its tempting to let y’all work on that for a while, I won’t. It’s Authors To Learn Shit From. I’ll save further explanation for another day’s blog.)
I digressed. You’re trying to conceal your shock, I can tell. Anyway, I thought I’d do my own little thing on e-publishing.
“E-pubbed authors laugh all the way to the bank, AND we get to do it monthly/quarterly!”
Umm…yeah. You know what? There are some e-published authors who laugh their way to the bank every month. Some, in this instance, meaning not the majority. For every e-author who makes a decent check, there is one who didn’t make enough to recoup the loss of paper and ink used in her revision draft.
My personal feeling is that the “big name”, high-selling e-authors became that way when digital and erotic romances were a niche market. It’s not a niche anymore. It’s a pandemic. Is there money to be made? Yes. But if you’re looking to break in for that reason, here are my two cents:
You’d better go with respected, established e-publishers (I got that one right), be very, very prolific (me, not so much), write the kind of books that sell like crazy (me, not so much), be able to make damn near as much time for promotion as you do writing (me, not so much), and be extremely comfortable promoting the hell out of yourself (me, not at all).
And a note to any newbies out there: The market’s being flooded with shitty, non-edited books put out by anybody with a webpage and a PayPal account. That does not a publisher make. Do your research and aim high.
Oh, gloom and doom. I’m not doing very well with my New Year’s resolution to be more optimistic. I also haven’t lost any weight, quit smoking, given up caffeine, cleaned out my closet, washed the inside of the truck’s windshield, or discovered the fate of all those things I put in a safe place in 2006, so I’m not surprised. Mandy’s seriously kicking my ass in the resolution department. While it’s already the 5th and she hasn’t killed a single person, I’m still an overweight, caffeine-guzzling smoker with messy closets, grimy windshields and no idea where the sync cable for my MP3 player is.
Thank you for flying Tangent Air. Now back to my point, which is optimism. Let’s continue…
In a word…Freeeeeeeedooooooom! (Sorry, Anna. I know William Wallace probably didn’t really say that, but it’s so fun to quote guys wearing checked skirts and blue makeup.)
So there are a lot of good things about e-publishing. A large, welcoming online community. Faster turnaround. Faster payments. Very accessible editors and publishers. I’m not going to itemize every good thing, because this post is already shaping up to be longer than my last book. I’ll cut right to the two things that I love the most about e-publishing:
Freedom in word count: This is big for me. I write short and tight. I’ll use 72 Hours as an example: It’s a little less than half of single title word count. I tried to make it longer, but it’s a face-paced, adrenaline fueled story, and describing the sofa and what they had for lunch wasn’t working for me. One of the things I now love about that book is that is was able to be what it was. Fast-paced, no filler. Nowhere else could I have done that.
Freedom to write what I want: Let’s see…I’ve done an S-rated romantic comedy and an E-rated futuristic Quickie with my EC editor. My Samhain editor’s dealt with (in order): A traditional secret baby romance with zero sex. A secret baby action-adventure romance with a little sex thrown in. Followed that up with a hot, naked shapeshifting raven of death and some broody, emotional sex. Then came Zach the ghost, in a fun, light, sexy Christmas short story. She’s awaiting the sequel to 72 Hours, which will be a little longer and a little sexier. Then a historical western, which will be sexy, but not too explicit because that one’s for my mom.
Really, how cool is that? Very.
Now, I’ve previously mentioned my resolve to start pursuing a category career again (that doesn’t mean giving up e-publishing) , which I was doing for several years before I sold Roadtrip to EC. So I know a little bit about e-publishing and a little bit about category.
Should Harlequin authors jump ship? Oh, hell no. All publishing’s a crap shoot, but with H/S, as with other print pubs, at least if you roll the dice and win, you’re guaranteed a minimum earning. With e-publishing, you might go buy a new car…or you might combine your check with change from the couch and scrounge up enough for a pizza.
Does that mean e-publishing is not as good? Oh, hell no. See above.
No matter how much people try to compare them, it’s still apples and oranges as far as I’m concerned. Lining them up on opposite sides of the line and trying to volley point-by-point comparisons at one another only leads to frustration, misunderstandings, and another brick in the wall between print authors and e-authors.
Print publishing and digital publishing are different animals in the same family tree. Know their pros and cons. Know your strengths and weaknesses. Before you step into that gerbil wheel, make sure you’re comfortable with the cage it’s in.
Okay, that’s pretty much it (finally). I need to find that damn sync cable.
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Omigod. Your comments on epub are right on according to my limited experience. Just released an e-book in Dec. Would that I had the opportunity to go with Harlequin! You hit it sister. Cheers. Ann
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I agree with all you have said. But I don’t write so really who the fuck cares what I think
BUT this…
Then a historical western, which will be sexy, but not too explicit because that one’s for my mom.
:boogie::boogie::boogie::boogie:
of course explicit would be fine too but only if done well…
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Heh. I just wrote an article somewhat like this for my RWA chapter newsletter. Freedom can be worth a lot. But financially, you do have to know going in that your book might make a lot of money…or next to nothing. With a NY contract, you are guaranteed a minimum in return for your rights.
And, I don’t believe that the target market for Harlequin is best reached through ebooks. My mom is a faithful Harlequin reader. She waits for my books to come out in print. Ebooks, to her and many like her, are not how she wants to experience reading. She spends all day on a computer and doesn’t have a dedicated ebook reader.
I do think the ebook market will continue to grow, and I’m not quitting epublishing. I have a book that would have suffered greatly from either being cut to novella length, or padded to single title length. Dangerous Games may never see print, but I didn’t have to change the length and thereby alter the story beyond recognition!
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Thanks a lot, Shan.
After reading that convo OVER THERE, I may now spend the rest of the weekend cowering under my desk to emerge only once the flames are out.
:baby:
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Oh, Wax — no flames, chica. And anyway, we old broads are too tough and ornery to burn. :crazy:
But, being a part of the “over there” thing, I got much more caught up in the forsaken resolutions part of Shan’s post. Particularly the “find everything I put in a ‘safe’ place” part.
Separated at birth, I tell you. Probably ’cause our mother put one of us “someplace safe.” :lmao:
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Excellent, open post, Shannon. I love that you aren’t one of those e-published authors who has to scream loudly and often about how perfect it is lest they ever feel they made a mistake.
There are other reasons to e-publish, too. NY publishers have growing respect for us because we’re not complete newbies they have to teach everything to. We’re savvy about process, marketing, and jargon, among other things. We can gain experience in the industry and yes, above all, the freedom and flexibility are excellent.
I agree with everything you said except the turnaround times. Hard Shell Word Factory had a full of mine for 18 months before I withdrew it and sold it elsewhere. Cerridwen had a partial for 17 months before they requested the full. And my January release was submitted in June. Not too bad, but some NY releases have turnarounds that quick, too (not often, but it’s possible).
Otherwise, spot on. :thumb:
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Ah, Kar. I know y’all. And I’m old too, but I’m still a bit too pink and fleshy for this biz sometimes, me thinks.
Maybe I hid my guts next to the chicken feet I planted under Shan’s stairs. :neener:
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Good points! I think that many people jump on the epub band wagon as a way to get published quick and thinking the earnings will follow. Having only just sold my first short piece to a rather new/small epub I know I cannot expect much. Luckily the editors are nice and while the publisher isn’t hugely prolific and popular it doesn’t have any bad press either. It is a good starting spot for me and I am just happy to start small and grow. :nod:
Would I love to be pubbed by HQ or similar? Sure, but I too like to write short and fast, without the filler. Hey, maybe that’s why I love your stuff!
PS: DId you get my email about In the Spirit? I hope everything is ok with that.
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Just released an e-book in Dec. Would that I had the opportunity to go with Harlequin!
Congrats on the release, Ann! And keep working toward H/S if that’s what you want!
I agree with all you have said. But I don’t write so really who the fuck cares what I think
I always care what the fuck you think, Sybil! Especially when you agree with all I’ve said. :groucho:
:rofl:
I have a book that would have suffered greatly from either being cut to novella length, or padded to single title length. Dangerous Games may never see print, but I didn’t have to change the length and thereby alter the story beyond recognition!
Exactly like 72 Hours, Charli. I’m thrilled with the way it turned out, and I’m glad I didn’t force it shorter or longer.
*slips Doritos and coffee to Wax*
:lmao:, Karen! My family groans when I say I’m putting something “in a safe place”. I put a little Mickey Mouse fishing rod in a safe place about 7 years ago. Haven’t seen it since. How does one lose a red fishing pole?
I love that you aren’t one of those e-published authors who has to scream loudly and often about how perfect it is lest they ever feel they made a mistake.
I wish something about this industry could be perfect. But I think cheerleaders jack up expectations, which leads to disappointment, which is bad for the muse. Digital, category, single title, etc all have pros and cons, and blanket rah-rah-ing doesn’t help anybody make informed decisions.
I agree with everything you said except the turnaround times.
True. That probably has more to do with my editors than with digital vs print. I have no clue how long the average wait time is for a print author waiting on a proposal. I’m not sure now, but I might have meant faster turnaround time as in acceptance to publication. I’m not sure.
Michelle, it sounds like you made a good decision for your work that you are happy with. That’s what really matters. :thumb: And I did get your email. I had a few other things come in for In the Spirit, so I planned to do it all at once. But since I’ve been a bit scattered since…Thanksgiving…I was planning to do it last night. Now it’s tonight. Everything’s totally okay with it, other than my ability to sit still in front of the computer. And thank you. :hug:
Ah, Kar. I know y’all. And I’m old too, but I’m still a bit too pink and fleshy for this biz sometimes, me thinks.
This might actually be totally awesome for you, Miz Wax. You tend to…chafe…under restrictions, so embrace the freedom. And the rum. :groucho:
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Heh, it’s okay Shan. I was doing great with Freeedooooom. But when you mentioned the WW I had to shudder a little, and icked up a little bit of the mouthful of peanuts I just ate….
As for the e-Pub/HQ/NYC/Other Pubs debate…. oh :rant: Can we not move on already??? They’re both good. They’re both bad. They’re DIFFERENT. LIVE WITH IT.
Match up your career objectives with who can supply what and get on with it.
NOT directed at you, Shan-Gorgeous. I think I’m just having an “I’ve Done Enough Debating for a Freaking Lifetime” moment. And I hate rah-rahing, too.
Plus I had to wrestle with this question in the summer, and it HURT. I don’t like to look back on periods of decision-constipation. The memory of pain is … icky.
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The freedom certainly means alot to me! It’s actually my favorite part and is as equally important as the money. I’m one of those bleeding hearts who believes you have to be happy what you’re doing otherwise the money means squat. But then, I don’t have to support myself this way :woot: That’s not to say I don’t want NY. I do. But there’s no way I’d give up EC.
BTW, I haven’t done any promo at all until, um, this week. LOL. My paycheck definitely reflects that, but overall, I’m quite happy with the $$. The great thing is that the books are still sitting there after a year-and-a-half, waiting to be promoted, which might not have been the case with NY. And now I have a backlist. So, we’ll see if the promo push pays off.
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Okay, maybe I shouted just a smidge too much in the last post. :doh: I think I was in a very bad mood yesterday…. Sowee.