 | 22 Jun 09 |
There’s a big debate going on about digital publishing and traditional publishing. I’m not going to weigh in on that debate, but rather, tell you about my personal experience. But in the end, we all make our own choices.
Each choice should be respected.
Here is my story: I wrote manuscripts and collected rejections for somewhere around eight years. My rejections got progressively better, I came close a time or two, but in the end, I was still unpublished.
I began to try e-publishers. One accepted my historical romance THE OUTLAW SEDUCTION. I was thrilled and proud as anyone who sells their book should be. My editor there was lovely and things clicked along until my book became available on the publisher website as a download.
My first and only royalty payment was $25.00. I believe they owed me somewhere around $15.00 more when the company vanished. All in all, not a great experience for me. However, it did not turn me off electronic publishing or cause me to refuse to embrace the digital age.
What it did do was force me to acknowledge that my INTERPRETATION of the research I had done was flawed. My mistake in e-publishing was not the format, but ignoring a blatant red flag on Predators and Editors—it was right there in black and white that there was a problem with this particular publisher. I asked around and got some rationalizations from folks affiliated with the e-publisher, and I chose to believe it. That is on me. I cannot stress this enough—the information was there but I didn’t want to believe it so that is on me.
Now while all this was happening, I was submitting yet ANOTHER book to Kensington Publishing. Much to my surprise, I sold that manuscript and a second book in the Samantha Shaw Series. I went from a failed electronic venture to a NY house that published me in hardback. That’s publishing for you—extremes.
I made a lot more money with Kensington than I made at the electronic publisher. There are a lot of ways to interpret that, including taking into consideration that I made a poor choice with my e-publisher. But it is a fact that Kensington has years of experience in producing and distributing books. Since then, I published five Sam books, two full length Bravas and two novellas in an anthology with Kensington. Then I sold to Ballantine and have two books out this year and two more books under contract.
That’s just the way it happened for me. If I hadn’t sold to a NY house, I probably would have done better research and continued trying with the smaller presses and electronic formats.
Why? Because I wanted to write, I wanted to publish and if I couldn’t directly break into the NY markets, then I’d find another way to get there. Many very talented authors have begun their careers with digital publishers and gone onto NY Publishers. Many of them continue to write for both publishers. If I had gone that route, I might have chosen to do the same thing. I really don’t know.
Some authors stay with their smaller publishers and are happy.
Here are some things I’ve learned from my publishing experience so far:
1) Research, and then evaluate your research without bias. (I was biased, I wanted that contract, and wanted it bad.)
2) Keep writing more books while pursuing the goal of publishing.
3) Never close a door. I always blink in surprise when a digitally published author says, “I would never sell to NY.” Why? That’d be like me saying I’d never sell to a digital publisher. Why would I close a door when I don’t really know what tomorrow will bring?
4) Respect. It goes both ways.
5) Don’t forget the joy. It’s so easy to lose in the trials and tribulations. Embrace the joy every chance you get.
That’s the story of my choices. What about you guys, do you have anything you’d like to add?
© 2009 Jennifer Lyon. All rights reserved.
Award winning author, Jennifer Lyon, always wanted to be a witch. Since her witch-powers never materialized, she went onto Plan B and now she creates magic in her books. In her new series, the author of the acclaimed Samantha Shaw Mystery Series (written as Jennifer Apodaca) introduces the Witch Hunters, legendary men who must overcome a curse to team up with witches and fight evil.
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Great post. Yes, I think people should be allowed, encouraged to make choices. Sometimes they’ll be good one, sometimes things won’t end up the way they hope.
But a world without choices would be a dull, gray place to live.
by Terry Odell June 22nd, 2009 at 6:43 amTerry, I’m all for choices. I’m also for education. We should be helping one another as much as we can!
by Jen Lyon June 22nd, 2009 at 8:14 amI don’t see what the problem is with persuing both avenues of publishing. The more people you can reach out to in different ways, the better your chances of being read.
by Shannon Esposito June 22nd, 2009 at 7:47 amAlthough, I have to say, I prefer holding a real book in my hands not everyone feels that way. It might be easier for elderly people to read from a screen where they can enlarge the words. I wouldn’t want to miss out on that population.
Hi Shannon, you made some great points. Some people also really like how portable an e-reader is since they can load a bunch of books on there and take them all with them pretty easily.
by Jen Lyon June 22nd, 2009 at 8:16 amThank you for this great post. I have been surprised by the tenor of this conversation — so either/or, and a refusal to recognize that a lot of people have gotten burned.
The thing is, I believe that you can lead a horse to water — you can educate aspiring writers as to wha to look for in a reliable print publisher or in a reliable epublisher, and how to make a realistic choice about epublishing — but you can’t make them drink. You can’t get the stars out of their eyes. You can’t convince them that all epublishers are not alike, and that all epublishing contracts are not necessarily going to lead to fame and/or NY contracts.
by Diana Peterfreund June 22nd, 2009 at 7:53 amDiane, I know. I tried to tell my story with facts, owning up to my own mistakes, showing how I allowed my dream to overshadow my business sense.
There are good, solid e-publishers out there, and if writers do their research, they will find them. Just don’t turn off your common sense, or business sense. We have to protect ourselves against the shysters out there ready to prey on our dream to publish.
by Jen Lyon June 22nd, 2009 at 8:26 amWell said Jen. I love all your points, but particularly #3. We never know what’s going to happen, where every door leads, where we’ll be in one, five, ten years.
by Allison Brennan June 22nd, 2009 at 9:01 amThanks Allison! I really believe in leaving doors open.
by Jennifer Lyon June 22nd, 2009 at 9:37 amWhile I’d love a contract w/ a “real” publishing company I certainly would not turn my nose up at an offer from an epublisher.
by HollyD June 22nd, 2009 at 10:27 amHolly, I consider the legitmate e-publsihers “real” publishers with a different business model. But I know what you mean, I felt the same way. E-publishing is a viable option, but one which potential authors should be educated about.
by Jennifer Lyon June 22nd, 2009 at 11:34 amFinally getting back around to comment, Jen. As you know, I went with an epub. Will every book I write be submitted there (or with another epublisher)? No. Probably not. I’d been marketing FAERIE FATE off and on for 15 years. While it met with some encouragement, it was a “niche time travel” and NY had moved on to the next big trend, even though there was still a market out there for time travels. Will I make a ton of royalty off FATE (and the two other books in the trilogy)? Probably not. But I will have a “back list” and there will be people who have read me. (Hopefully! LOL)
Do I think SHADOW DANCE and the Delta Ghost seires could make it with a NY publisher? I do, yes. Given the economy, though, maybe not for awhile. The same goes with the Penumbra books (my urban fantasy series). In the meantime, I’m working and creating and for me, that’s what it is all about. That is the joy you speak of. I have interesting stories to tell and I want to share them. One way or another.
That said, am I any less a “legitimate” author than another who is published through NY? I don’t think so, and I would hope that others feel the way I do. I won’t qualify for the awards and the recognition, having chosen the route I did. While that would be really fun and exciting, it’s not why I turn my imagination loose and put the worlds and characters I’ve dreamed up on paper. I do it because I have to. It is as much a part of my heart and soul as breathing is to living. Yeah, yeah. Dramatic. I’m gigglesnorting, too, but it’s true. I just…to not create stories? I might as well not even get out of bed in the morning.
Thanks for the topic, Jen, and for telling your story. The debate is fast and furious at the moment and I’m watching it from the bench at the moment.
by Silver James June 22nd, 2009 at 11:25 amSilver, thanks for the comment! It’s a good explanation of making choices with full knowledge.
And you brought out a good point–my historical romance THE OUTLAW SEDUCTION had a ghost it in. I’d forgotten that! So it was getting some mixed reviews with NY pubs.
I don’t consider you any less legitimate (obviously since I gave you a quote for FAIRIE FATE). I can fully understand how e-published authors feel that they have been marginalized, AND I can understand that RWA, like other writing orgs, need to set standards not just to “protect” writers but also to allocate limited resources. What I hope is that people climb out of their entrenched positions and start listening on both sides of the argument.
by Jennifer Lyon June 22nd, 2009 at 11:50 amAmen, Jen! There are pros and cons on both sides of the debate. I’m a firm believer in education. The more one knows, the more informed the decisions.
You’ve been a great source of encouragement and I appreciate your friendship!
by Silver James June 22nd, 2009 at 12:42 pmThanks Silver and you’ve been a good friend too! Supporting each other is part of the joy…you know?
by Jen Lyon June 22nd, 2009 at 2:31 pmI’ve published two novels (paranormal mysteries) and two novellas with an epub. Didn’t make lots of money. Would still like to publish with New York. That said, I’m happy and proud to have ebooks and print books out there and thrilled that my books have been published and people like them enough to buy a few. I think there’s room for traditional pubs and epubs, they can compliment each other. Carol
by Carol Shenold June 22nd, 2009 at 11:37 amHi Carol, nicely said! Thank you so much for your input.
by Jennifer Lyon June 22nd, 2009 at 11:51 amI think it comes down to choices, like you said Jen. Some books are too something for NY and may find a great home with an e-publisher. But I would like RWA to think about more education about digital publishing for its members. We should all get the chance to make educated choices.
by Jill James June 22nd, 2009 at 12:53 pmJill, we all know there are books that just don’t fit in NY–so great point! And yes, education is always a good thing in my view.It’s why I take a “risk” in talking about both my successes and my mistakes. I believe we can all learn from one another.
by Jen Lyon June 22nd, 2009 at 2:34 pmFabo post, Jen. There’s gold in them thar digital publishing hills! And there are some really fabulous digital publishes too! But as you said, research your publisher! Print, digital, small press, whatever. Look long, look hard, then decide where you want your stories.
by Karin Tabke June 22nd, 2009 at 1:59 pmKarin, exactly! And you said it with so much more flair than I did
by Jen Lyon June 22nd, 2009 at 2:35 pmYou are not the first author I have heard of who has been burned by an e-publishing house. I have acquaintance who has been trying to get her book published. She has become very discouraged. I can see how she would become desperate enough not to be careful enough just to get published. It is unfortunate that there are people out there taking advantage of other’s dreams.
by Patricia Barraclough June 22nd, 2009 at 6:20 pmPatricia, I feel for your aquaintance. But all we can do is try to get as much information out there to writers. Then each writer can make their own informed choice.
by Jen Lyon June 23rd, 2009 at 9:21 amThanks for sharing, Karin! I sold two books to Precious Gems (also from Kensington) before I sold to Harlequin. Everyone wanted to call what I’d done a mistake since the Precious Gems books were pretty much flat-rate sales (other than a few overseas royalties that came much later). But I wanted to write! That was the bottom line.
by Debra Webb June 23rd, 2009 at 4:52 amOkay, duh! Thanks for sharing, JEN!!!! Too early and not enough coffee!
by Debra Webb June 23rd, 2009 at 4:55 amHey Deb! No worries, I knew it was just a slip of the keyboard and you meant me!
I was thinking about the Precious Gem heated discussion…it’s a good analogy and thanks for sharing! PG allowed you to get your foot in the door and look at your now!
by Jen Lyon June 23rd, 2009 at 9:23 am