In 2012, why would anyone be waiting for a mainstream publisher to offer a contract, rather than self publishing their work as an ebook?
I've just been looking at some industry figures on the rise of the ebook and the demise of the printed book.
Don't get me wrong, I love printed books, but surely it is only common sense to move with the times.
There will, I hope, always be a place for print, but it will become an increasingly smaller place as the ebook takes over. Just pop in to your local retailer for confirmation.
Create a successful ebook and the mainstream publisher will find you. In the meantime, you're making money even if your book doesn't become a No1 best seller.
I'd be interested to hear any valid reason for not self publishing your work as an ebook but noble intentions do not - in my view - constitute a valid reason.

Posted: 12/04/2012 15:54:47

I decided to self-publish "How to Steal a Lion" on KIndle in June 2011 after sending dozens of query letters to agents. Just got tired of the rejections.

Posted: 12/04/2012 15:56:27

I decided to self-publish "How to Steal a Lion" on KIndle in June 2011 after sending dozens of query letters to agents. Just got tired of the rejections.

Only a trickle so far.
Some have been kind enough to give me good reviews with either 4 or 5 stars - both on Amazon US and UK.

Posted: 12/04/2012 16:00:14

I have no idea if this is a valid reason or not (I'd love someone to tell me), but there is a train of thought that if you epub yourself then you are sort of "blacklisting" yourself. And then the only way to get a traditional publisher after that is to be wildly successful. So mediocre success will only be that, mediocre, where if you'd had a mainstream publisher with all the PR resources available to them, you'd be significantly more successful. So people that don't self-pub are holding onto the hope they will be picked up traditionally.

I tend to believe that if this is true at all, it was MORE true 5 or so years ago, when KDP and other e-pub options either didn't exist or were cumbersome/problematic. But again, this is only what I've heard. I'm trying to figure out the truth.


Posted: 12/04/2012 16:00:57

I decided now that I got my gold medal, I cut half my story away from Autho to force people to buy the book on Kindle.

Posted: 12/04/2012 16:01:35

@ Eric Pullin
I have just sold the 1000 copy of the book I have posted on here. All online.

Posted: 12/04/2012 16:02:17

@Kate. I don't feel "blacklisted" because Lion is now on Kindle. Only one fly-by-night e-publisher was angry at me for doing it - still don't know what their problem was.
But e-publishers hate, hate, HATE each other.

Posted: 12/04/2012 16:04:28

@Alice. How did you sell 1000 copies of your book so quickly?

Posted: 12/04/2012 16:05:45

@Kate M.
There is truth in that.
If your book flops, then you try and go the traditional route, then they will decide against you based on the lack of success. It is certainly a gamble, but isn't trying to get a traditional deal a bigger one in many respects?

I have the satsifaction of publishing my book - closure for me. I am now moving on with my next book.
I have had reasonable success, but hope this one storms the online book world when I launch it - don't we all?!!!

Posted: 12/04/2012 16:07:18