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? Call it vanity if you will, but it is also pride at having created something that drives most of us to write. This is how it goes:

– Write the book
– Query agents
– Query publishers
– File rejection letters

Staring at the rejections, thoughts of ending it all bubbling in the background, reality starts to sink in. The world out there is not all that keen to embrace a new writer, no matter how good his book. There are lots of writers out there already, good and bad, 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 author is determined to see his name in print. There is something emotionally satisfying about holding your book in hand, leafing through the pages…

Having overcome the initial round of depression and getting detoxed, our writer starts looking at other options to have his book out there, which is good. And those options? Hopefully, he will be wise enough not to fall into the clutches of a vanity publisher. Regrettably, being new to the game or not having researched the market thoroughly, some writers will succumb, spend a lot of money and have a garage full of trade paperbacks without any idea what to do with them, resulting in more depression. Others will do their homework and look a self-publishing. However, self-publishing is also fraught with risk and our author needs to be very careful.

The magnet of having a book released by a publisher is a strong one, simply because of the word ‘publisher’. Someone else thought the book was worthy enough to be released…warm glow. An e-book isn’t exactly what our writer initially wanted, but having exhausted his options, it is better than nothing, and e-book publishers will still make his book available in print, even though it is only print on demand (POD). The thing is, our writer will have his book out there. Buoyant, he 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. He signs a contract, delighted to have his book in the publishing queue, our writer happily starts pounding away on his next masterpiece.

Unfortunately, that happiness will not last long. When that book is finally published, which could be a long time in the future, our author is in for a dose of harsh reality, which will of course, lead to more depression and detoxing. So, why the depression? Let’s look at how an e-book publisher operates and what he delivers.

Getting accepted by an e-book publisher, like with any publisher, means a writer enters into a contract. This can be a minefield for a budding writer, and inevitably, in his eagerness to have his book out there, he will step on one or two of them – with predictable results. The two principal mines are contract duration and royalty payments. Some e-book publishers will want an author locked into a contract between one to three years – with no escape clause. Talk about depression down the road! With royalties, our writer is looking at anything between 25% to 50%. The upper bracket might sound attractive, but our writer needs to look at the fine print. 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 for his e-book and POD version, something most publishers will be reluctant to offer. When looking at a contract, be prepared to negotiate! If the publisher doesn’t want to, walk away.

More on contract clauses: Choosing a Publisher.

Okay, our writer has a contract and his book is in the publishing queue, which could be anything from six to eighteen months! The release timeframe must be clearly specified in the contract, and is a termination trigger if not met. There is always some delay before the book actually comes out. After all, the publisher has other books in the queue. However, 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.

A day comes and that book is released. Success! Our writer toasts himself and nods sagely. 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 now invented or ever will be invented. That part needs to be scrubbed out of a contract because it is meaningless. All these outlets, surely that will give the author market penetration, no? In reality, the publisher will most likely make his book available in only two formats: POD and Amazon Kindle. Some will also release the book with Smashwords, the optimum electronic marketplace, but most will not. Why? The publisher wants to save on setup time and associated labor cost. And when his book is released, the appearance or layout will most often be very disappointing, unless our writer is able to provide input into how the book is to be formatted. His printed version is likely to look exactly the same as his e-nook, which doesn’t enhance a potential reader’s cool to buy it. Why will the two formats be the same? Again, 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 is welcome news for most writers, as marketing isn’t really their forte. 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. However, marketing will be up to the author! Most e-book publishers will not spend a cent promoting their writers. Some might go to book fairs, but that is rare.

When our writer gets his first royalty check, he is in for another bout of instant depression. If the publisher provides his list of sales – and many don’t – the return is laughable, especially if the contract is on a net basis. A reality check. What exactly has the e-book publisher delivered?

Every e-book publisher will do two things only: release a book in e-book format and some will also release it in POD. And that is all! Everything else is up to the writer! Having undergone a trial by fire, our writer needs to seriously rethink his position. With the deck stacked against him, why stick with an e-book publisher?

– They have onerous contracts
– Long release timeframes
– 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.

So, 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 for POD
– 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. Sadly, most don’t. Moreover, many writers will continue having a bad experience with an e-book publisher.

For more information on publishing, refer to the following article: How to play the Literary Agent Game.