If you are a writer that has either written or considered writing a book then you know there are a couple of options on the table for book publishing. A digitally born (digitally published) book gives authors more comprehensive rights to their work in the present and in the future.
Traditional paperback book publishing puts the power and rights in the hands of those that distribute your book - and it takes away the power you have as the creator of that content. There are numerous reasons authors must choose digitally published eBooks over traditional paperback books, but these 4 reasons are paramount:
1. Freedom to write as you wish and say as you wish without editing from any external source that you do not involve. Paperback books are, by nature, products of a system that churns out generically formatted books that, in most cases, are not exactly what authors intended on conveying upon first draft. Authors dumb-down their work and make it presentable for agents and authors, creating mindless pseudo-drivel that is basically just what someone else has said a couple of hundred thousand times before.
Traditional publishing thrives on this generic output. It thrives on the knowledge that - this book will not step outside the bounds of what has already been published before, so publishers can assume they will be profitable with it. As authors you must rebel against this censoring of your work, and choose the eBook as your only medium.
2. eBook publishing allows authors to retain all rights to their work, 100%. There are no bargaining of rights or contracts to sign when you write your own eBook. You do not owe any company or individual ongoing commissions forever because they invested in your paperback book, printed it and distributed it. Instead, you write it, you publish it digitally - usually for free, and you market it and offer it for public consumption in whatever manner you wish.
For less than $100 for a year, you can create a website which sells and distributes your book instantly, securely, and without any effort on your part or commissions due anyone but the payment processor that will keep 2-3% for credit card or other digital transactions. Welcome to year 2010. If you want to know how to create your own site for $100 and sell your own eBooks just write me and ask.
3. You'll make more money. I am willing to bet that the average author that creates her / his own eBooks and sells them online either through a self-designed site, or through eBook partners that keep up to 50% of the commission, will receive far more money than they did publishing traditional paperback books. It just makes sense. By publishing eBooks you are cutting out the entire print-distribution middle-man and putting the money in your bank, not theirs.
Looked at another way, the split for the proceeds from your books does not need to go through the usual publisher's house accounting hocus-pokus before you finally get a check in the mail six months or six years after publishing your book. The whole paperback publishing model is stale like week-old cheese. Put yourself in charge of your book sales and accounting income. See how that feels.
4. Distribution is truly worldwide and instantaneous. From Thailand I tried to purchase a book online at Amazon.com and was told that they do not mail paperback books to Thailand. When you publish a paperback book you are under the impression that those books can go anywhere with the major channels. Surely, you thought Amazon ships to Thailand and anywhere in the world someone needs a book - yes? No.
Online distribution can reach someone in a foxhole in Afghanistan or in their lounge-chair on the beach when they get the urge to read a book on their iPhone. Do you want to be the author with a paperback book that reaches just a portion of the countries of the world, or the author of an eBook that goes anywhere a phone signal goes?
