Ever thought about submitting to an e-publisher? For me, the idea swirls in my mind at regular intervals. Then the terror sets in because I have a lot of questions regarding the e-publishing world. Lucky for us, Carina Press author Julie Wachowski is here to help.
Welcome, Julie!
On Being an eBook author
My daughter went to music camp this summer. We went to pick her up last week and she gave us a quick tour. One of her favorite spots was the Instrument Museum.
Without a word, the docent wandered over to a black shoebox sporting two silver poles.
His hands hovered in the air in front of the poles—one low, one high. One moving left to right. One rising and falling like a conductor in front of the orchestra. His hands never touched the poles.
Sounds began to flow. Magic. His hands stirred music from the air.
The people in the museum crowded around.
“What is that?” “How’s he doing that?” “Where’s the music coming from?”
The docent smiled. The answer: it’s always there.
Music is in the air, vibrating between us. Music is part of what it means to be human. We sing and whistle. We pick up coconuts, or sticks, or the saw blade we just finished using to build our house, and we make music.
Stories are like that, too. They hover in the air around us. All the time.
Stories appear when we huddle around the dinner table or call each other on the phone. When we scratch on the stone wall or write on parchment. And when we type our words into the energy of binary electrons and beam them into “the Cloud,” that web of connection hovering in air like the music of a theremin.
Publishing an ebook is different, but the same.
I have a degree in education. My training stressed the idea that each teaching tool has a place, something it does well, or not as well. And there is no single perfect tool.
If you don’t have an overhead projector, try chalk on the board. No chalk? Scratch in the dirt with a stick. You gain and lose things with each different tool. Chalk is easier for a crowd to see than a stick in the dirt, but that can be an advantage too. If it’s 1830 and you’re a slave who isn’t allowed to learn how to read, or a girl in Afganistan right now, letters drawn in the dirt with a stick are just right.
Same idea applies to the tools for storytelling. There are advantages and disadvantages to every tool.
Thousands of years ago, Plato railed against the use of parchment scrolls. He said they would ruin our ability to remember long story poems. He was probably right. But one person can memorize maybe one, or two, of the loooong poems Plato liked. With the stories written down on parchment, a person might read a new one every night. The individual’s memory becomes a shared memory stored on paper.
Jump ahead in time.
In the last century, the world bemoaned the introduction of mass produced paperbacks. Paperbacks were dangerous, a tragedy of economy. People said they’d ruin publishing, writing, and even the reading experience.
Did paperbacks change the way we consume books? Yes. Absolutely. The idea of a “keeper” book didn’t exist before books were so inexpensively common we could give them away. We have so many stories available now, we can never read them all.
That hasn’t always been true. At the time our nation was founded, it was possible to read every single book in print. Imagine that! Not anymore. Now we have whole systems designed to help us sort the huge selection available. Bestseller lists and prizes and newspaper sections devoted solely to reviewing books, helping people choose what to read.
Did the paperback boom ruin storytelling? Nope. Still going strong, thanks.
Electronic publishing has created another jump in the quantity of available shared memory—an even bigger paperback library. Sticks, to chalk, to pencils, to overhead projectors, ebooks are just another tool for sharing stories with advantages and disadvantages.
Will storytelling change because of ebooks?
Of course! Electronic memory increases capacity, the same way parchment and paperbacks did. Voices that weren’t given access before (“can’t sell that” “no market for that”) have wider opportunities. And, I think, the medium itself will foster creative changes. Just as pulp fiction, genre fiction, and graphic novels exploded because of the ease of printing paperbacks.
Ebooks ten years from now may have embedded video, or photos, or commentary by readers. They may be written in groups, like ghost stories told around the campfire. Who knows? It’s a very exciting thought though!
E-books are the future of the industry.
Recently, I had the opportunity to hear Sara Paretsky, author of the wonderful V.I. Warshawski mysteries, speak about the changing publishing industry. When her career began about twenty-five years ago, there were over forty mainstream publishers she might send a book to—now there are seven. I’ve heard some industry experts predicting there will be four major publishers when the current market contraction finally stabilizes.
How we read—whether it’s our newspapers or our fiction—is being altered by technology. 100 years ago, the post office stopped delivering twice a day because of the telephone. Now we check email and text ten times a day. (Well, some of us do.) The world turns. Things change.
At the end of July, Amazon reported selling nearly 2-to-1 ebooks to hardback books. Millions of reader devices have been sold already, not including the iPad. You can carry entire libraries in your purse. (Plato would be appalled! We don’t have to remember anything anymore—we just need 3G access and wiki.)
The announcement of Carina Press, an all-electronic publisher for all types of fiction, immediately interested me. As an off-shoot of Harlequin, the biggest guerilla out there in the genre marketplace, they have some real advantages. Compared to the other major publishers, Harlequin is ahead of the curve on marketing/retailing e-books. They already have a significant online presence. They’ve created social media connections via Facebook & Twitter and online communities that connect to readers all over the world. These people are social media beasts.
I’d had the chance to meet Malle Vallik, the woman in charge of Carina, at a writing conference. She struck me as really smart, with a great sense for story. Knowing she would be in charge made the decision to submit my manuscript easy.
Practicalities: Editing, royalties & social media
This is my first book to go through the editing process so, I can’t compare my experience to a print production process directly. Compared to my author-friends’, my final deadline was closer to my actual release date. I also had a bit more back-and-forth of drafts with my editor (Melissa Johnson, Her Awesomeness) and the copy editor. Proficiency in Word’s “track changes” feature was key. Get to know your editing software!
Royalties for ebooks can vary hugely, depending on the publisher. Smaller houses seem to offer larger percentages—I’ve heard as high as 50%. Larger publishers will offer smaller percentages—but those will still be more than the traditional print royalty of less than ten percent. Carina’s contract offers 15% on most sales and more for the books purchased directly through their website. The thing I appreciate most is that the books are always available. You don’t need to have a re-print in order to make money—your book is always out there waiting for a reader.
Publishing virtual books does require you interact in the virtual world. You aren’t going to sign books in a store—you visit author blogs instead. And send your book to websites for online reviews. And post messages on Facebook and Twitter. But those venues for marketing will change. Maybe next year! The electronic world requires you continue to learn, adapt, upgrade to the latest version.
On the positive side, as an ebook author you have lots of access to marketing your story—but that means work. Blog posts to write. Emails to answer. There is give-and- take to participating in online communities—you need to share things that are valuable, not just comment on the weather and if your cat is sleeping. Balancing the sales & marketing part with the actual writing portion can be tough. I still haven’t gotten the balance quite right—maybe on my next book!
***
RU Crew, what experiences have you had with e-publishing? We’d love to hear from you.
Thank you to Julie for being here today. RU Crew, be sure to join us on Monday when our own Carrie Spencer offers the first installment of WordPress for Non-Techies. If you want to start your own blog, this is a must-see lecture.
Julie’s Bio: J. Wachowski is a writer. This means she’s had lots of other jobs: teacher, children’s librarian, television producer, newspaper reporter and actress.
She lives in the Midwest, where the winters build character, with her family who are all characters.
But you can find her now and then, lurking around http://www.jwachowski.com/
Carrie Spencer, writing romantic comedy and goofy middle-grade, personifies her alter-ego - 
Hi Julie,
Thanks for sharing your story. I had a great experience with The Wild Rose Press a few years ago when they published a short story of mine. I loved that I went through all the steps of the publishing process–offer, contract, revisions, galleys, cover art. The only part I missed out on was having a book in hand. But my editor and the owners were great.
Can you tell us a little bit about the structure of Carina Press? Any idea about how many editors, where they’re based out of, etc.?
Thanks again,
Tracey
Posted by TraceyDevlyn | July 23, 2010, 5:01 amHey Tracey!
Yeah, the no book in hand thing is sometimes a pain. (My neighborhood Bookgroup is reading my book for discussion and one of the members who’s not a computer person, wanted me to print the book and pass it around.
)
Carina is as virtual as it’s product. They have people in Toronto, NY and as far away as New Zealand. When we get together, it’s via conference call with a powerpoint outline. It’s all very Mission Impossible, actually. (“Hello. Here is your mission, should you choose to accept it.”)
The main office is out of HQ Toronto. (“HQ” sounds a little Mission Impossible too, doesn’t it?) Maybe I can get some cool gadets to promote my next book….
Posted by Julie Wachowski | July 23, 2010, 8:20 amHi Julie. Thank you for being here. You mention your deadlines being closer to your release date. I’m curious how much time an e-pubbed author has to make changes suggested by their editor. Do you know how that varies from traditional print?
Posted by Adrienne Giordano | July 23, 2010, 7:48 amI think the usual expectation is “as fast as possible?”
May turn around was between 4 days and 3 weeks, depending on the draft. (ie. I was expected to turn the copyedit around faster than the content edit.)
From what I’ve heard traditional edits have longer turn arounds, but the extra days account for transit time via mail. (A week for copy edits. A month for longer edits.)
Posted by Julie Wachowski | July 23, 2010, 8:29 amI don’t know about the author of this post, but for me my editors usually give 10 days to get back with each round of edits. That’s ample time to turn it around. My experience with some e-pubs is that you only get one editing pass. This doesn’t set well with me. Most of my publishers aren’t like that.
My only issue with the e-pub market is trying to connect with readers. They’re very hard to find online anymore.
Posted by Sandi Sookoo | July 23, 2010, 7:53 amI believe readers are out there Sandi. (Not to sound too “Tinker Bell is dying!” I believe, I believe! I DO believe.)
But the growth factor of online communities does make it harder than even a couple of years ago–when there were only a few major places to go to buy books online.
Again, the issue continues to be –sorting. Creating a Tribe. Finding a group to associate with that makes you visible to more readers. This website is a great example of that!
Posted by Julie Wachowski | July 23, 2010, 8:34 amMorning Julie!
Poor Plato. =) I don’t have a e-reader (yet!) but I do have kindle for my PC. I can see how even just not having the sheer bulk of the many books I read lying about would be worth it in the long run! Christmas is coming! =)
Do you feel any hostility or angst from the print world? Or has it been rather smooth sailing?
Thanks for posting today Julie! Great article!
carrie
Posted by Carrie Spencer | July 23, 2010, 8:26 amThanks Carrie! and if you’re VERY, very good Santa will bring you an iPad! (I have a 1st gen Kindle and I’m jonesin’ for the upgrade. “Sell more books,” the DH says.
)
Oh sure. eBooks are the new kid on the block so there’s gonna be some poking and testing and “hhrumph, you’re not that great,” grumbling. I just smile and say, “yeah, I agree, candles ARE more romantic but I don’t mind using lightbulbs, you know, for everyday.”
Posted by Julie Wachowski | July 23, 2010, 8:42 amLove that candle line!
Posted by Adrienne Giordano | July 23, 2010, 9:14 amlol…good comeback! love it!
carrie
Posted by Carrie Spencer | July 23, 2010, 2:37 pmHi Julie,
My e-book is my first experience with the publishing world. I’ve heard it isn’t a ‘real’ book because it’s not in print. Every time I check The Wild Rose Press website, it’s there for sale. As well as Amazon and at least five different sellers 24/7. Looks real to me. I think e-books are the future because kids are use to having information available on computers. They read screens. They also think earth-friendly. E-books are green.
Mary Jo Burke
Posted by Mary Jo Burke | July 23, 2010, 10:03 amHi Mary Jo,
Remember the Velveteen Rabbit? “Real isn’t how you are made. It’s something that happens to you when you’ve been loved a long, long time.”
eBooks are available to buy and love for a long, long, long time…no yellow pages, no broken bindings. Beamed out into the universe…
And green too boot. More to love!
Posted by Julie Wachowski | July 23, 2010, 10:13 amHi Julie!
Great post. Thanks for sharing. I’ve heard wonderful things about Carina Press. A friend of mine just got a deal with them. Good luck with your book.
Posted by Wendy Marcus | July 23, 2010, 1:12 pmThanks Wendy! Carina is an exciting place to be. Tell your friend welcome!
Posted by Julie Wachowski | July 23, 2010, 10:10 pmGreat post, Julie. Congrats on being a Carina author! Love your cover.
I totally agree with your take on ebooks. As an author with both digital and print versions of my stories, I love them equally. Like I love both my stove AND my microwave. Each fits a niche and gives my readers options. Options are always a good thing in my book.
Best wishes for lots of sales.
Misty
Posted by Misty Evans | July 23, 2010, 3:33 pmThanks Misty. The cover is pretty awesome. I have been impressed with the covers for all the launch books.
The other thing I’ve noticed is that ebooks and regular books have very different visual cover styles–because what catches your eye on screen is different from what catches your eye on the shelf. And of course, because the cost of producing, high resolution, full-color photos is so high on a print book.
What makes an effective eBook cover is different from what makes an effective print cover.
But that’s a topic for another post!
I think my cover was also used pretty effectively in the book trailer you can see on my website. (jwachowski.com) What struck me was how well the cover meshed with the video material–I think it’s because the eBook sensibility is much closer to other electronic story telling modes like television and film.
Thanks for the good wishes…back at you!
Thanks for the good wishes
Posted by Julie Wachowski | July 23, 2010, 10:23 pmJulie -
I’ve been on the road today, but just wanted to pop in to say welcome to Romance University! Thanks so much for sharing information about ebooks. Having lived overseas for over four years now, I’m a big fan of ebooks because English print books are incredibly expensive in the middle east. I read them on my iPod touch, but I really don’t want my husband to know exactly how many I’ve purchased from Fictionwise!
Best,
Kelsey
Posted by Kelsey Browning | July 23, 2010, 6:04 pmThanks Kelsey–it’s fun to be here!
I love the way “the library” travels with me when I’m on the road. (Spent most of the day chasing kids today and my Kindle was in my purse. 1/2 way through the 3rd Dragon Tattoo book and man I didn’t want to “turn off my book” as my daughter put it!
I know what you mean about downside of ease of purchase. (ahem) I just remind him that it was cheaper than a hardback, AND I didn’t have to drive to the bookstore. (Another reason it’s greeener!)
Posted by Julie Wachowski | July 23, 2010, 10:28 pmJulie,
Thank you for the inside look at how this really works. Interesting the way things have evolved and our greenness is ever expanding. Like others I am a PC eBook reader. I love the NOW idea and never out of stock or print and ready at 3am when I am. I have to confess here that I love books, the feel of the paper, that fresh smell too and these are just a few of my favorite things. I have even caught myself holding a paperback while reading an eBook. Keeps me satisfied.
Holly
Posted by Holly | July 23, 2010, 7:33 pmThat’s a great image Holly.
Now–have you heard about Demeter perfumes? My SIL got me one called (wait for it) Paperback. No lie. Check it out.
You could spritz right before you switch on…and ahhh, sensory satisfaction.
Posted by Julie Wachowski | July 23, 2010, 10:31 pmOh My Goodness, I had heard about this sort of thing but never looked into it. So here I am on the site and looking at getting some of these and thinking of someone asking about it. Answer: Oh I am wearing DIRT today … or whatever it is and I am laughing so hard, tears are running down my face. But Really I do love the smell of fresh dirt :> maybe I should change that to I love the smell of MONEY .. what are you wearing … MONEY… well although it might be inspiring to wear it the fresh dirt is funnier. And to think that paperback started it all, I can not find it on the site I am on but I did locate fuzzy navel and that might be worth a shot! I am going to find it and get some just because it needs to be done. Thank so much for this Julie, now I am on a mission to get Paperback and your eBook too! Okay the eBook part was easy on Amazon and let me add here that your website is great with the trailer right up front so I could not miss it, wow and it is a grabber, I love it. Thanks again Julie, enjoy the day!
Posted by Holly | July 24, 2010, 7:18 amI know! What a hoot, right? You’d have to say “Dirt” in a really deep, throaty voice. And end it with a wink, of ocurse.
I’m waiting for “Distant Skunk.” For that country un-fresh scent. Or “New Car” My 10 year old van would benefit from that.
Thanks so much for the good wishes. Many good days back at you!
Posted by Julie Wachowski | July 24, 2010, 11:11 amGreat post, Julie. And congratulations on your sale to Carina!
For me, living in New Zealand, it’s tough explaining the concept of eBooks to my non-writer/author friends. We’re not exactly swimming in eReaders down here, and most of them are horrified by the thought of reading a book on a *gasp* computer. LOL.
I’m a Red Sage author and I first sold to them via a contest. They’ve been fantastic and my current editor has mentored me right the way through. I couldn’t have asked for a better introduction to the business of publication.
What I like about eBooks is that they’re instant gratification. See it. Want it. Buy It. Read it immediately… even if it is 11.pm and you’re in your pjs. Beats the heck out of waiting 2 weeks for the books you’ve ordered to be shipped in from the US or the UK, and scaring the heck out of the poor courier because you’re still in your pjs when you answer the door to take delivery. I think I might have driven a few to seek therapy! LOL.
As an author, what’s difficult is the self-promotion aspect. Because once my book drops off the Home Page of my publisher’s website, people have to have heard of me, and be interested enough to go looking for my books (on my website, or my publisher’s website author page, or through various e-tailers). It’s not like browsing a bookstore, when a title or a cover catches someone’s eye, the blurb interests them and they decide to buy. It’s you, the author, who primarily has to build your readership and keep your readership.
I love reading eBooks! But print books will always hold a special place in my heart. I’m really looking forward to having one of my novellas come out in a Red Sage Secrets anthology because it’ll also be in print. Which means that finally, I’ll be able to give one of my books to my mom…. who doesn’t have an internet connection! *shakes head in despair*
Posted by Maree Anderson | July 23, 2010, 7:49 pmThanks, Maree–
Can I get an Amen on the Luddite Parental Units, Sister! Amen!
I spent 68 minutes doing phone tech support to walk my mom through the steps to buy my book. (Bless her heart. She hates it and did it anyway for me.)
I don’t think print books are going away. We still have candles right? But I think once readers catch on, places like New Zealand and Australia where 99% of books are imported and fairly expensive because paper mills aren’t common–those places are going to be huge consumers of the technology.
Maybe you should open an eReader store, Maree, right next to the cute, scented candle shop in your town?
Posted by Julie Wachowski | July 23, 2010, 10:40 pmLOL! I hear your pain, Julie. Mom finally has a computer… but only because we gave her one of ours. And even with no internet connection, the phone calls to talk her through stuff can be rather looooong-winded
And yes, our books are so expensive, here! I mean, $20-24 for a mass-market paperback. $35+ for a trade paperback. $50+ for a hardcover. Ouch! Little wonder I cottoned on to ebooks quite early on, even though it took me quite a few years to finally get an iPhone and discover the joys of reading them on something other than my computer.
Now I just need to win Lotto to open up my own store selling print books, eBooks, eReaders, great coffee and chocolate. Oh, and candles, LOL!
Posted by Maree Anderson | July 25, 2010, 12:39 am$50 bucks! Whew! eBooks are going to thrive in that environment.
Your store is going to be a huge hit!
Posted by Julie Wachowski | July 25, 2010, 11:43 am$50!! Wow, it brings back how precious books were a hundred years ago here. I’d do ebooks, too! I think I’m guilty of taking books for granted here, not that I buy many hardcovers, but I do buy many paperbacks without destroying my budget. Or so I tell myself! And I’m a great library patron. They should issue me a platinum card!
Posted by Sherry Weddle | July 25, 2010, 12:48 pmI didn’t get a chance to see your post on Friday. I very much enjoyed it and your comments. Loved the Instrument Museum story –you are a gifted teacher!
Congrats on getting your mom to try an ebook. I can just imagine trying to explain what an ebook is to my 88 yr old mom. She does not have a computer and the one time I tried to teach her simple things on my computer she froze in terror that she’d ‘break my computer’! Couldn’t even move the mouse.
Of course, her reading tastes go no farther than ‘G’ rated.
I look forward to reading your book!
Posted by Sherry Weddle | July 24, 2010, 2:52 pmHey Sherry–you are welcome ANYtime.
Good thing your mom has you!
In Plain View probably won’t fly as a ‘G’ rating. The whole auto-erotic-asphixiation subject matter kinda elimates the ‘G’ crowd.
I’d love to hear what you think when you finish the book. Bop me an email on my website….
Posted by Julie Wachowski | July 24, 2010, 6:35 pmHi Julie, lovely article and explain in such a creative way. I can honestly say I had never heard of eBooks 5 years ago and thought less of them as a medium. I thought only wanna-be-s who couldn’t make it to New York went *shudder* to epublishing.
Yes, this is me eating crow with a fork. Just like movie actors of old scorned Television as a fad and lesser quality, epublishing has shown it is here to stay and grow.
By January 2011, I will have seven epublished stories and I shout to the world that it is a legitimate medium and a growing one. Ebooks outsold hard back and I think paperback is going to be neck-and-neck in a few years. Long live books in any format.
Oh and for one commenter above, I have never had less than 3 rounds of edits in ‘each’ of three different edit sessions(content, structure and copyedits) I would run screaming from any publisher(paper or ebook) that only offered one edit round.
Posted by Inez Kelley | July 25, 2010, 7:30 pmThanks for stopping by Inez!
And stage actors scorned “moving picture” actors. And sIlent movie stars scorned the talkie actors…and so on and so on. It’s the way of the world.
But as in any start-up situation, you will also find yourself in the company of the brightest minds, the risk takers.
I don’t think you need to worry about eatting anymore crow with forks, Inez. You need those hands to type! You have books to write!
Posted by Julie Wachowski | July 25, 2010, 10:08 pm