Sunday, October 11, 2009

To epub or not to epub?

This question has been revolving in my mind for a long time. I have a clear idea of what I want to publish and with which publishers. No surprise they're the big guys. It's tough; competition is fierce and the wait times are brutal. I have often weighed the pros and cons of going the route of an e-publisher. After all, a number of todays successful authors started out that way and some continue to publish in this fashion right along with their best selling novels via more 'traditional' means. Then there's this whole topic with RWA and publishers they consider to be 'valid' and this area gets sticky very quickly, particularly when it comes to the Golden Heart and PAN eligibility. SO, what thoughts do others have about this? Is it one or the other and what factors needs to be weighed? Can they coexist and is it a step that should be added to a complete publishing strategy? Can it hurt or hinder other opportunities?

2 comments:

  1. I struggled with this, too, but ultimately I looked at my CP's experience with epublishing and took a long range view. As you said, lots of bigger authors got their start at epubs, and continue to publish with them. I look at it as part of my overall plan. I also know exactly which of the bigger publishers interest me, but I now have an epublishing trajectory planned too. The epubs are great because the waits are more manageable, so while you're waiting on the bigger houses, you're still getting your name out there. Guess we'll see what happens. :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Cari, I've come to the same conclusion SO after I polish my manuscript for Blaze I'm going to try my hand at writing a novella and submit to the epubs. I know I can do it, it's faster to write and the response time should be relatively quick. You make a good point; you can use this to get your name out there and start building a reader base who will hopefully follow you!

    ReplyDelete