E-book Quick Facts

Do You Know:
A few trivia tidbits for the beginning and experienced E-book Owner

1. That each e-publishing company has their own copyrighted rating system for their e-books?
There are no standardized ratings for books such as there are for movies and music.

2. That e-books come in a variety of formats, of which there are now at least 6 currently.
The most common are Adobe Reader, HTML, and MicroSoft Reader, but there is also Moby Reader, Rocket Reader, CD-ROMS, and several forms for hand-helds as well.

3. That e-publishing is opening the doors for a lot of new authors.
It can be home for great stories that fall between the cracks, stories that the New York publishers may have turned down because they: don't fit the length requirements; wrong type of hero/heroine; wrong career, era, or setting; etc.

4. That e-books are a great way to get a foot in the publishing door, and get talented authors into a market that might otherwise never see them.
There are many good writers whose stories don't fit the mold prescribed to by print publishers today. E-publishing has opened the way for some of the otherwise obscure mid-range authors.

5. That authors have more freedom and input in the revisions, covers, and blurbs, and greater range in character and plot development in e-publishing.
While e-publishing editors make suggestions for revisions in a manuscript, there is considerably more room for discussion and negotiation.

6. That e-book royalties can range from 20 to 40 percent (35-40 percent is fast becoming the industry standard).
Because the costs of e-publishing are lower than those of print publishing, authors receive a higher percentage of revenues. E-publishers generally pay royalties every quarter rather than once or twice a year like print publishers.

7. That e-publishers generally ask only for electronic rights.
This plus gives the author the freedom to market print rights and subsidiary rights elsewhere.

8. That e-publishers may bring out a title within months of acceptance.
An e-book can technically be released within weeks, e-publishers have spaced out their releases over time. Schedules are running over a year in advance in some cases.

9. That good e-publishers attempt to respond to submissions within two to four months.
Response times lengthen as the number of authors and submissions increases. Many try to keep manuscripts no longer than four months, and they work very hard at prompt responses.

10. That the e-publishing contracts are renewable rather than indefinite.
Either party is usually given the option to renew or terminate the contract at the end of a specified time. Three years is becoming the norm for most contracts.

11. That an e-book does not have to sell thousands of copies to remain "in print."
As long as sales remain good, by e-book standards, e-publishers are more willing to keep a title in their inventory.

12. That any other nationality can buy the e-book the same day it's released to a buyer in the U.S..
International customers don't have to wait for export or foreign rights negotiations that can complicate the release of a printed book.

Romance At Heart Publications
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Enola, PA 17025

©2004 Romance At Heart Publications