Hmmmm
This gist of this post made me roll my eyes until I got a serious headache.
Why? Because I'm willing to bet my next huge contract that the writer would have the same response I would: If I wrote a book and two different publishers said they wanted it--an ebook publisher and a NYC publisher--I'd go for the print NYC publisher.
And this despite a lot of factors: I love the ebook people I deal with, the ebook process overall is more personal (they care about my input on covers! wow!), I think ebooks will be huge[r] soon, and I don't have a bee up my butt about the whole thing--that is, I don't have a need for the validation of being in print.
I'm willing to think about my career in long-term and I think publishers like Samhain are the future, but my family wants money and except in rare cases (some EC writers, I hear?), the NYC publisher gives an author more money and more recognition and that's a seriously important bottom line for people who want to be professional writers.
Heck, I think even Samhain knows that--for now--NYC is more desirable. They let one of their writer's books go, ripped up her contract, when a bigger publisher asked for the book. They were even excited about it for her.
And actually that kind of YIPPEE response for the writer is yet another reason I love Samhain -- oh, and Rob, too! (I don't want to forget booksforabuck. Yay Rob! And EC rocks! Hey, and check out Ari's new novella while you're there.)
Yup. I do like those epublishers for a lot of reasons, not just because they buy my stuff. They have definite advantages over many print publishers. New authors are more important in the process. They operate in a more flexible world, there's less bureaucracy, more risk taking, more loyalty to writers.**
But like I said, I'm not going to make those advantages my first or even second priorities when I'm trying to sell. I can't, yet.
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updated: looks like monica had more to say than the simple "ebook is better" message-- in her comments.
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When it comes to the process of getting published, Jackie Ivie said it best:
If you've got a writer's soul - then write. Get it published any way you can. . . Any venue. Any medium. Just write. If you get it published, then enjoy the ride while it lasts - because there's a lot of bumps along the way. And when you have to, stand in line for another ticket to ride.
_____________________
**No, I don't think that they're better people--it's possible to hold onto loyalty when there's less money at stake. (Print, that is non-POD, is way expensive).
Why? Because I'm willing to bet my next huge contract that the writer would have the same response I would: If I wrote a book and two different publishers said they wanted it--an ebook publisher and a NYC publisher--I'd go for the print NYC publisher.
And this despite a lot of factors: I love the ebook people I deal with, the ebook process overall is more personal (they care about my input on covers! wow!), I think ebooks will be huge[r] soon, and I don't have a bee up my butt about the whole thing--that is, I don't have a need for the validation of being in print.
I'm willing to think about my career in long-term and I think publishers like Samhain are the future, but my family wants money and except in rare cases (some EC writers, I hear?), the NYC publisher gives an author more money and more recognition and that's a seriously important bottom line for people who want to be professional writers.
Heck, I think even Samhain knows that--for now--NYC is more desirable. They let one of their writer's books go, ripped up her contract, when a bigger publisher asked for the book. They were even excited about it for her.
And actually that kind of YIPPEE response for the writer is yet another reason I love Samhain -- oh, and Rob, too! (I don't want to forget booksforabuck. Yay Rob! And EC rocks! Hey, and check out Ari's new novella while you're there.)
Yup. I do like those epublishers for a lot of reasons, not just because they buy my stuff. They have definite advantages over many print publishers. New authors are more important in the process. They operate in a more flexible world, there's less bureaucracy, more risk taking, more loyalty to writers.**
But like I said, I'm not going to make those advantages my first or even second priorities when I'm trying to sell. I can't, yet.
* * * *
updated: looks like monica had more to say than the simple "ebook is better" message-- in her comments.
* * * *
When it comes to the process of getting published, Jackie Ivie said it best:
If you've got a writer's soul - then write. Get it published any way you can. . . Any venue. Any medium. Just write. If you get it published, then enjoy the ride while it lasts - because there's a lot of bumps along the way. And when you have to, stand in line for another ticket to ride.
_____________________
**No, I don't think that they're better people--it's possible to hold onto loyalty when there's less money at stake. (Print, that is non-POD, is way expensive).
I have to agree with your comments and observations on the type of stature that a hardcover publisher can give to a writer in regards to monies and publicity. But you are also right that once ebook publishers find that right mix of technologies and revenue models, the reverse will happen.
ReplyDeleteWe at Bookyards (located at www.bookyards.com ) have been experimenting on this. We believe that it is only a matter of time before new and/or recent releases from popular writers will become available online. Everyone is exploring commercial business models to properly compensate writers. In our case we are experimenting in having 15 second video commercial presented to the user before the downloading of an ebook. Our hope is that this will cover overhead costs, royalties, and …of course…...providing a “free” ebook to the end user.
The results so far has been very encouraging and viable.
Wow, that gave me a headache, too, when I got to the math part...
ReplyDelete