Do you pitch to editors every time you attend a conference? Well you should, and in today’s market you should be looking at the Ebook market. Don’t believe for one second that the quality of these books is not as good as print books out of New York publishing houses. That may have been true a few years ago, but it isn’t any longer.
Did you know that Amazon reported that 40% of its sales were in Ebooks the last quarter, and claim that in the next quarter the sale of Ebooks will exceed that of print books. That’s hard cover and paperback combined.
For several years I’ve wanted in this market, but have been so busy with other tasks and writing some regional print books that I didn’t check into it.
At Ozark Creative Writers Conference in Eureka Springs a few weeks ago, a representative who is also the founder of The Wild Rose Press took pitches, and I decided to talk to her about two books I’ve submitted to a few places with little interest. Since I’ve written and sold for New York in the past, it must be something besides the quality of my books. This press is publishing multiple genres of romances and selling like wildfire since its founding a bit more than four years ago.
Not only that, Rhonda Penders, the Editor in Chief is one of the most down-to-earth people I’ve met in a long while. She was open to everyone who wanted to talk to her. Not because she’s desperate for writers, but because she likes us and enjoys discussing our work. As a result of this meeting, I’ve submitted two of my books. That’s doesn’t mean they will buy them, but they are looking seriously at my submissions.
This company isn’t the only one buying manuscripts for Ebooks. Get online and Google to find more. Make sure to check them out at preditors and editors before getting on board.
I’m looking into Kindlizing–a new verb in the market place today–my back list as well. That can get a bit dicey. First I’ll need a copy of each old book, but since they’re available online I guess I can buy them. There’s a site online, Blue Leaf Scanning, that takes the book apart and scans it into a word and PDF document for a minimal charge. That’s only the beginning, though. I’ll have to edit the entire manuscript for errors as scanning makes a few, then take the next steps through Amazon.
I haven’t even begun to learn much about this, but as I do I’ll be glad to share it here. It’s my understanding that manuscripts that have never been published can also be Kindlized. I keep capitalizing that verb because I still think of it as a noun.
If you’re interested in such a project, get online and Google until you find out. Or find someone who is involved in doing so and have them teach you. If you don’t have an Author Page on Amazon, get one. I’m in the process of doing that now. Oh, yes, these things take up a lot of precious writing time, but if you don’t keep up, your writing may end up in boxes back in the corner of your office or writing room.
Some days I feel like my hair is on fire and someone is chasing me. There’s always something new to learn, but I think that’s what keeps me in the business and out of the recliner.
As I see it, we authors who have been around since before the Internet or any of these electronic marvels came along, have to keep up or get out of the business, because the publishing business is not going to wait for us to catch up.
Velda Brotherton 
Indeed it's not. It feels like maybe one of the best thing about ebooks is you don't have to invest much to try out an unknown author. As an unknown author, I tell myself maybe someone will try me and like me… someday… maybe.
Interesting article, Velda. I have four books with an epublisher and I've learned that it's a whole different world. But I do believe it's the wave of the future, and I hope we're all riding the crest of that wave.
Thanks for the comments on ebooks. I appreciate that others are trying out this exploding publishing format. Best of luck to all who are doing so.
As a relative newbie, being published on Kindle was sort of an automatic for my novel when my publisher released the paper version. As a reader, I think in today's economy, e-books are an excellent option. There are many books I would not have purchased in the paper version because although I wanted to read them, I didn't want to read them enough to pay the paper version price. The biggest reason I buy on Kindle, however, is because of the instant gratification of having the book immediately downloaded the minute I buy it. I was in a car wreck two years ago and my legs and arm are full of titanium hardware, making going to the bookstore a big deal to me. I buy most of my books online anyway, and if I can get them immediately and without shipping fees, there is no down side for me.