Loose Change

Late last week I was a Romantic Times panelist with Raelene Gorlinsky of Ellora’s Cave and Angela James of Samhain to discuss e-publishing myths and misconceptions.  It was great fun but the myths and misconceptions we discussed were almost too easy.  The questions we discussed (Can authors make money at e-publishing?  Would anyone accept you in New York print circles if you write for e-pubs?) were so last year.  Most serious authors would know the answers because they have been resolved within the last few years.  After all, one or two years can make a huge difference in e-publishing.  While that rapid a change wasn’t quite so true for print publishers previously, the economy has given a huge push to making them scramble for new ways to do things. And, like it or not, electronic publishing is right there, fueling the change.

Those New York print publishers are creating e-books and some of the ways they handle e-books are the same models that independent e-publishers have adopted already.  So, that leads me to my big question…why are authors and author organizations so resistant to e-publishing?

I'm so close to e-publishing that it’s hard for me to step back and think about the reluctance some organizations have in the writing community – romance, science fiction, mystery, etc. – toward electronic publications.  I’m sure some of it is past history.  But then, as I said, one or two years can make huge difference in e-publishing.

Some of the resistance is fear of change and technology.  But that ship has already sailed, too.  No one is going to go back easily if new ways of doing business are easier and cheaper.

Some is prejudice against erotic romance, one of the current mainstays of electronic publishing.  But it is quite possible that erotic romance is going to be swamped in the tidal wave of all genres, fiction and non-fiction, that go on-line in the next few years.

Perhaps some is from those who had to fight their way into publication by following certain rules and don’t appreciate that the rules are changing for everyone else. But if you think it’s easy discovering how to deal with a rapidly changing business where rules evolve within a very short time, let me reassure you that it’s not.

Apparently there must be some current myths and misconceptions that terrify authors and organizations and keep them from finding out what they should know to map out their future in this new electronic world.  It’s past time for those authors and organizations to clarify their thinking.

Treva Harte
www.TrevaHarte.com