A Hard Task

When you want the book in your hand, to smell the paper, to feel the pages flip, you know there are some sacrifices to be made.

The immediacy of e-publishing is awesome. It's where I broke through and where I make my home currently. I'd be a fool to flip the bird at it. I've made friends and connections which I might not have otherwise made. Some have made the jump from e-pub to traditional publishing quite well.

Now, there is an attitude that prevails in the print community that e-pubbed authors aren't real authors but that attitude is antiquated and way past it's time. I think there's room enough in the sandbox for us all and there will even be some of us who straddle those worlds. (I hope to be one of them).

I wish both sides would take a moment to see where working together would benefit both sides where giving a little bit would bring gains in the long run. My first 'print' book is with a small press. It will eventually be turned into an audiobook as well. I'm very lucky in that respect. But it's also going to be an e-book too.

Traditional Press is a hard nut to crack. Especially without an agent to help you and first you have to win over an agent. Whereas in e-publishing you don't necessarily have to have an agent. And really without the advance you don't want one. Sharing in royalties is a pittance for an agent unless they're smart and see it as a way of building a backlist so that the Big Boys who are struggling at the moment, will pay attention to you.

And yet, even in the face of all this, with the 90% of the publishers money going to the top 5% of the writers marketing and shrinking shelf space I want a contract that will give me a traditionally published book in my hands.

BUT! Me and my writing partner have signed a contract for a 5 book series with Hydra Publications it's called Gunpowder & Lead and I'm thrilled to make that our home.