Picking the Perfect E-Publisher

Writing is the toughest business to crack. Believe me, I know. I’ve had my share of rejection letters and pity parties because what I write tends to be much different from what the big name New York romance publishers and agents are looking for. Then I decided to look into a few up-and-coming e-book publishers. I liked the idea that all communication was done via e-mail, saving the postage stamp, and I quickly learned that e-publishers tend to be more open to new authors and ideas. There are plenty of drawbacks to going with an e-house versus a print house, like unless you write Erotica, you probably won’t get a huge royalty check, but e-publishers in general work better for me. I just make sure I do my research before I submit.

E-publishing is a rocky business. I will admit that. So many houses fold within a year and some have even screwed authors out of their rights as they went under. So how does a writer know which ones are the good, trustworthy houses, and which one is more like a fly-by-night mess with an author’s contract type deal? Well, all I can say is do your homework.

EPIC, an organization for e-published authors and e-publishers is a great place to start. You’ll find a list of member publishers right there on the site. The way I see it is that if an e-publisher isn’t a member of Epic, then they’re not serious about their company. I take a look at how long the publisher has been around for too. I’m more likely to go with a well-established house than a house that’s only been around for a month or two.

I also take a careful look at the publisher website. I look to see if the design looks professional, how many books they publish, how many editors and staff members they have, and of course, the book covers. I know the old saying is that you can’t tell a book by it’s cover, but it makes it easier to sell an e-book if the covers are gorgeous and eye-catching.

Also, do they offer print books as well? Not everyone reads e-books, some prefer paper. Do they market their books on Fictionwise, Amazon, and other big name online book retailers? Great distribution is needed to prevent an e-publisher from going belly up.

I also look into how they promote their site. Many e-publishers have yahoo groups and group author blogs. Are the yahoo groups active? How many members does their yahoo group have? Is the author blog active? Do they have their own public relations staff to arrange book reviews, group ads in various magazines, and other promo ops? Is there a chat room on the site? I take all this into consideration.

Finally, I get in contact with the authors themselves to see how they feel about the publisher. If I hear wonderful things, and every thing I listed above meets my standards, then I’ll submit. If all I hear are complaints, well then I know that something’s up with the publisher and I look elsewhere.

Now keep in mind that even after you submit, that doesn’t mean you’ll get a contract with the e-publisher of your choice. If you get a rejection letter, well then go for your second choice. Also, even good homework is no indication that the e-publisher won’t close up. But it’s better to do your homework and be safe than sorry. I know in my case, my manuscripts are like my children and I want to hand them over to a publisher I know will take good care of them.