To EPub or Print Pub, That is the Question

Hi. For today's chapter in A Week In Writing, I'm discussing the pros and cons of both Electronic and Print Publishing.

In the romance industry, especially, there seems to be a divide between authors who publish in print (i.e. the great big New York publishing houses) and those who publish electronically. Frankly, both avenues are worth exploring for the sheer effort of being published. No matter what format your work takes, to think that someone, other than yourself and your mother :), likes your work enough to pay you for it is high praise indeed. Now, depending upon what you want out of a publishing career, you may look at one or the other, or as many successful authors are doing today, BOTH mediums through which to showcase your work.

We'll start with electronic publishing. Many small presses publish electronically. Is it because it's so easy to do? That the quality of work doesn't have to be up to snuff? In some cases, sadly, this is the answer. But most electronic publishers, like print houses, have reputations that precede them. The successful e-pubs make their money because they produce quality fiction (and I'm talking romance here, since that's what I'm familiar with) and their overhead costs are MUCH lower than that of a print house. All that said, several successful e-pubs are also putting books out in print, but in smaller numbers as they are smaller presses. But to stick to the electronic side of things. Some major pluses to consider:

1. Response time. E-pubs consistently respond faster to queries than the print houses. Now this is not true for all houses, but by and large the wait time seems to be anywhere from 1-3 months. (One of the larger e-pubs, Elloras Cave, has a much longer response time, but they are growing in heaps and bounds and again, not typical.) And email is a much quicker and easier way to communicate.
2. Royalties paid monthly/quarterly. This is a BIG plus.
3. A closer feel with editors and the publisher. Since many of the e-publishers are smaller, they communicate one-on-one a lot more. I have had the same editor at several of my publishing houses, which makes the editing process much smoother since I know what to expect.
4. An easier way to break into publishing. Let's face it. There are a lot of e-pubs out there willing to take a chance on racier, out of the box stories that many print houses won't and can't afford to.

Now some cons about electronic publishing:

1. Not all e-publishing houses have the same standards to produce quality fiction. And the rash of so many publishing houses cropping up, started by people with no experience in the field of writing or publishing, has hurt e-publishing as a whole.
2. A much smaller audience. You're only as marketable as your name, and not everyone participates in loops and chats online.
3. The technology for electronic publishing, e-books really, isn't quite there yet. Handheld devices can be pricey, and many people aren't comfortable reading anything "written" on paper. Again, a smaller readership.
4. See number 1 ... in many cases, poorer editing.

A look at the print houses, and again, for the sake of argument, I'm referring to the larger New York publishing houses when I say "print."

Some pros to look at:

1. Wide distribution. Your book will be in all the major bookstores
2. Holding the book in your hands is a major thrill, let's face it
3. Large royalties due to larger distribution. Many authors feel that being in print is the way to make a living writing.
4. Greater promotional opportunities since your name will be out there

And now some cons:

1. The competition is fierce, and wait times to get published are LONG. For example, when submitting a Harlequin category romance, without an agent, the wait time for a response is 4-6 months. So if you get a no and resubmit, you can have up to a year or more before your manuscript is accepted. And that's before rewrites.
2. An advance is great, but the time between that and your published book may be years. And there is no guarantee that as a new author you'll make very much in an advance. (Sabrina Jeffries has a wonderful article on her website about the reality of royalties in the romance publishing industry.)
3. I hate to say it, but to be a success in this industry, a writer's best bet is to have an agent. And it's said that it's harder to get an agent than it is to get an editor, i.e. accepted by a publishing house.
4. You have a lot less control with multi-million dollar companies who invest in your baby, your manuscript, than you do a smaller e-pubbing house who's willing to meet you halfway. Take cover art for example. Many authors complain that their covers don't match characters in a book. But what can you do? Argue with Mr. St. Martin? (Okay, that was smarmy, but it's to make a point. And no, there's no Mr. St. Martin. geesh)

Considering all I've set out here, the intent is to allow you room to think about choices. I do not believe that one publishing option is better than the other. BOth have good and bad points between them, and it's up to the author to decide what she/he wants out of their publishing career.

Myself? I love e-publishing because it's allowed me to write and experience the editing process with professionals. I don't have a lot of patience, and after running through the NY house wait times, only to hear that I needed changes and more changes, and waited again and again...I mean, come on. I'm going to be 80 before I get a romance published? And God forbid the editor I'm working with leave, because then I'll have to start all over again. So for me, e-pubs are what I want and need. That said, I also want to break into the bigger publishing houses to broaden my name and get an agent. But while I'm waiting on them, I'm also continuing to publish electronically, making my own name here on the Internet. And the writing experience has been an invaluable one, not to mention my introduction to self-promotion. Great stuff.

I hope this has given you some insight into both electronic and print publishing pros and cons. Again, neither medium is perfect, but they might be perfect for you depending upon your writing needs. I'll end this with a list of recommended publishers with good reputations for putting out quality romance fiction.

Electronic: Amber Quill, Elloras Cave, Liquid Silver, Loose Id, New Concepts Publishing, Samhain Publishing. There are many others, but I have experience reading or writing for these publishers.

Print: next time read the cover of a book to see who prints your favorite romance books. I've noted these: Avon, Bantam/Dell, Berkley, Dorcester (LoveSwept, Leisure), Harlequin, Jove, Pocket Books, St. Martins. I get confused about who's a subsidiary of whom, so forgive me if I've been redundant.

Tomorrow I'll hit The Dreaded Query. So don't miss it!

Marie