Into the gap have stepped a variety of small new publishers, and these include quite a few electronic publishers who are producing e-books for sale on the Internet, both fiction and non-fiction. Even the best-selling author Diana Gabaldon has a novella for sale with one e-publisher. These are not vanity publishers, but proper, royalty-paying publishers, who buy only a small percentage of submissions, edit carefully and pay for all the preparatory work.

The books offered have “cover” illustrations, you can read extracts at the web site and study the blurb, just as you would in a bookshop. There is often a “rating” done by the author to indicate clearly what sort of book it is. You usually buy by credit card on a secure line, though you can order by post, and you can choose whether to receive the book by email download (within 24 hours) or on disk (which is mailed to you). If you buy by email download, you can easily print out the “cover” from the web site. E-books are also starting to creep into bookstores, too, in the USA, as well as Internet “bookstores” like Amazon or Barnes & Noble—but they’re cheaper direct from the publisher.

Producing an e-book is not much different from paper publication. The book is edited, proofread and is publicized by various methods. Reading it is different, however. You do that on your computer, or you can print it out to read.

What’s wrong with paper books? Nothing is wrong with paper books, but currently e-books complement paper books. There are times when they are far more convenient. For instance, when travelling! I’m off to the UK in two days and will take along several e-books on my laptop.

Other useful reasons for using e-books are:

· sight impairment or tired eyes—you can increase font size to whatever suits you
· students carrying heavy bags to and from school—some US school districts are already looking into having their students purchase e-book readers
· physical impairment or illness—you can’t get to the shops, but you can get on the Internet
· a wish to preserve trees—how many paper books do you actually keep?
· a way of publishing minority or different books which just don’t justify a print run, but which some people would love to buy

And think of this—the present generation of children are growing up with computers and may find it just as natural to do their reading on them. E-book Readers similar in size to books are now being manufactured. First generation technology costs about $500US, but the gadgets will probably one day become as cheap and common as walkmans. Or you can read them on palmtop computers.

E-publishers are producing a wide range of books. I’ve had six accepted for publication so far. Two are reprints of out-of-print novels, one SF, one regency romance. Two are sales of electronic rights for my how-to books, paper published only in Australia/NZ, two are originals, a YA fantasy saga and a short contemporary romance.

The e-publishers I know about are not afraid to publish books that are different, so hopefully in the romance area they’ll provide an alternative to the babies, brides, cowboys, amenesia romances that have been flooding our markets.

And incidentally, some major publishers in the US are now making their normal offerings of paper books available electronically as well as in paper—but they charge far more than the dedicated e-publishers and they pay lower royalties to authors! It didn’t take the “giants” long to join the race toward new methods of selling, did it? Nor to try to reduce what authors get for them?

If you’re thinking of submitting to an e-publisher, you will need to do your research first. There are vanity publishers on the Internet as well as elsewhere. The golden rule is this : you do not pay them, they pay you. The best place for writers to get information is at the EPIC web site : http://www.eclectics.com/epic

EPIC stands for Electronically Published Internet Connection and is an organization for book-published authors only who are interested in e-publishing. They have a lot of information and useful links on their web site. Most reputable e-publishers are members of the AEP (Association of Electronic Publishers) and there’s a link to them on the EPIC site, as well.

Do your research. Check out what e-publishers are offering. Buy a book or two. Read their extracts. Many e-publishers have their guidelines for writers up on their sites, and often their basic contracts, too.

Payment is slightly different : you don’t get an advance, then have to wait for royalties on books to pay it out, but you do get a higher percentage in royalties, usually around 25%, though that’s admittedly on a smaller selling price. It’s paid quarterly and, unlike paper publishers, there is no holding back royalties for 18 months in case of book returns. Sales are not as high as paper book sales—yet—but they are increasing, and books can stay in print longer—far longer than romances! Most e-publishers buy the rights to publish books for a year, then renew the contract.

If you’re doing your on-line research, you might as well go and visit my books! (She says with a grin!) My SF thriller/romance Envoy (written as Shannah Jay) is already on line at : http://www.newconceptspublishing.com/envoy.htm

The same publisher has also released my first YA novel, an exciting fantasy saga called The Sword Of Azaray (Shannah Jay again) at : http://www.newconceptspublishing.com/theswordofazaray.htm

Another publisher has reissued my first novel Persons Of Rank, a regency romance which won a $10,000 prize in a big competition in Australia in 1991. It’s written under my own name Sherry-Anne Jacobs. You’ll find it at: http://www.hardshell.com/personsrank.html

(Editor’s note: Also see this month’s “Book Reviews” for a full review of Persons Of Rank.)

Another e-publisher hopes to have my how-to book Plotting And Editing for sale soon as an e-book, and later my Introduction To Romance Writing at : http://www.fictionworks.com

And my short contemporary romance, A Suitable Bride (as Sherry-Anne Jacobs), is coming out midyear from Diskus at : http://www.diskuspublishing.com

I think electronic publishing is going to provide a great alternative for writers—and for readers, too. I hope you enjoy it and its offerings as much as I do!

Sherry-Anne Jacobs also writes as Anna Jacobs and Shannah Jay. Visit her web site to find out more about her and her books, or to read sample chapters at : http://www.iinet.net.au/~jacobses