July 23, 2009
Welcome to A Novel Approach. If this is your first issue, I encourage you to check out my back issues for more tips on how to write a novel. It's my fondest hope that I can help other writers do the best they can do.
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The Do and Don't of Digital Books
When it comes to publishing your novel, you have a wider array of choices than ever before. You can print it in hardcover or paperback (or both). You can create digital books with your novels. You can sell them as audio fiction books.
If you're really lucky, you can create a screenplay and make a movie...
Okay. Back to earth. Right now, we're interested in digital publishing and whether it's the right choice for you.
A Short History
Did you know that digital books or similar products have been around since 1971? I didn't either. I thought they were a new phenomenon. But like most such new technologies, people have been playing with them for quite some time before the "world" knew about them.
Nothing much happened in this form of publishing until 1985, when some books came out on CD-ROMs. For the most part, these tended to be aimed at a small audience, and were more often technical manuals and other non-fiction.
Formats weren't standardized - and still aren't entirely - we can never agree on whose format we should allow EVERYONE to use, can we? Once fiction hopped on the bandwagon, there were other concerns.
Like payment. And public domain books versus copyrighted ones. Places that offer free online books tend to make people think that ALL books should be free. And I'm sorry, but I believe that everyone has a right to be paid, and paid well, for their efforts. Including writers.
So, are digital books something you should consider offering?
Why You Should Consider Digital Books
Electronic versions of fiction books are, for the most part, a very new idea. Large publishing houses have only begun offering titles in digital format in the last seven years.
If you want to consider this mode of publishing one of your novels, check with the major publishing houses to see if they offer titles that way. And if so, how it is regulated, how you get paid and how secure these forms are.
Some of the advantages of digital books are that you can search them, like any other document on your computer, to find a specific instance, name or place. You can also carry a much larger library around with you if you have multiple books on one reader.
Can you imagine pulling a trailer full of your book collection everywhere you go? Me neither. But to have every title I own at my fingertips... that's a nice library!
If your eyes are aging (yes, mine are), you can change the print size (the font size) easily. Voila! Easy to read text in an instant, without having to buy a special edition of the book!
If you own the right kind of reading device, you can even read in the dark. How many nights did you sneak under the covers with a flashlight, hoping Mom and Dad wouldn't peek in on you and catch you? No more flashlight needed!
If you prefer to "hear" your books, an e-book can be converted to an audio book with text-to-speech software easily. And you can never run out of copies to sell!
Yeah, a lot of fine reasons to publish digital books. So what's keeping everyone from doing so?
Why You Shouldn't Consider Digital Books
Okay, so you like the idea of getting your book in print and no one will read enough of it to publish it. So digital is the way to go, right?
Wrong. If you can't interest an editor or an audience in your story enough to find a publisher, you might not have a salable book. Why do I say "might not" rather than "do not"?
Because some very well known authors self-published their books first, when no publisher would read them, and went on to become very famous for those very same books. (If you don't believe me, try these names: James Joyce, Beatrix Potter, John Grisham, Deepak Chopra, Gertrude Stein, Zane Grey, Henry David Thoreau, Virgina Wolff, Mark Twain... Recognize any of those?)
Keeping this in mind, absolutely do not publish your book as an e-book, just to see it in print unless you 1) don't care if the quality is the highest it can be; 2) are only publishing it for friends and family; or 3) have done everything possible to sell it another way, including having it professionally edited or critiqued and it still won't fly.
Even then, be prepared to market your heart out to sell it. And be scoffed at by "traditional" publishers, many of whom do not offer digital versions of their print books at all.
Other pitfalls include formatting issues, the need for batteries or electricity to read, the higher possibility of theft of your reading device, difficultly reading in all light situations and... to my mind the biggest one: theft of your work.
Yup. Even with safeguards in place, your book can be stolen from word one to the end much more easily in digital format. Keep all that in mind before you try this route for publishing your next novel.
The Right Way to Publish
So, what's the right way to publish a book then?
Ah, a trick question. There is no one way that's right. Use whatever formats you are comfortable using and your publisher(s) provides. Just check your rights carefully before signing on the dotted line of your contract, so you don't lose out on royalties from any of your publishing options.
As always, I wish you the best writing and publishing fortune, whatever routes you choose!
For more information on publishing, you can read the following pages on my website:
An Inspiring Quote
Good old William Shakespeare has a quote I like for the purpose of deciding whether you should publish the fast way or the "right" way (making sure your book is really ready, first).
Ambition should be made of sterner stuff. ~ William Shakespeare
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