I need a simple guide...

euclid · Jan 12, 2010

...to e-publishing.

I mean, what is it? Are we talking about paying a publisher to download a book to a computer? Or a Kindle type device? Or both? What copy protection is built in? Are agents involved as for normal books? Some e-books also appear in print - which ones and why?

What advantages do Kindle devices have over the normal computer?

Do/can e-books incorporate sound? Music, maybe?

How do e-book publishing overheads compare to normal book publishing? I imagine that the big advantage from the publisher's point of view is that he/she can send out as many or as few copies as are ordered, without having to guess likely sales volumes up front. Or is this a misguided view?

I've had a look around this section of the forum, and I'm sure a lot of this information is in here, but would someone who has a grasp of these things like to post a sticky covering the basics?

stephenf · Jan 12, 2010

You are asking a lot questions.

Have a look at www.feedbooks.com You will need to sign up, but ounce you have you can go to Publish and at the bottom of the page ,Help Self-publishing.

euclid · Jan 12, 2010

Tried that. Registered, but couldn't log in. Maybe I have to wait for validation?

How is it possible (or legal) for this web site to offer free downloads of HP Lovecraft, Arthur Conan Doyle etc. books?

CaoPaux · Jan 12, 2010

euclid said:
...to e-publishing.

I mean, what is it?

Publishing in electronic form.

Are we talking about paying a publisher to download a book to a computer?

If you are wanting to go the vanity route, sure. But just as in print publishing, it's best to have the publisher pay you for your work, which they then make available for readers to download: either from their own servers, or through distributors like Fictionwise.

Or a Kindle type device? Or both?

Savvy publishers make their books available in a variety of formats; some are proprietary, some aren't.

What copy protection is built in?

That depends on the publisher, and ranges from "none" to the ebook "expiring" after a certain period of time.

Are agents involved as for normal books?

Depends on the publisher. Most epubs don't require an agent. For books sold first to a print publisher, the e-rights may be included, or negotiated separately.

Some e-books also appear in print - which ones and why?

Depends on the publisher. For the primarily epub, it's usually after an ebook's sales reach a certain level that it'll be released as POD also.

What advantages do Kindle devices have over the normal computer?

Portability.

Do/can e-books incorporate sound? Music, maybe?

Yes.

How do e-book publishing overheads compare to normal book publishing?

A properly done ebook goes through same editing and formatting as a print book. However, just as there are poorly published print books, there are poorly published ebooks.

I imagine that the big advantage from the publisher's point of view is that he/she can send out as many or as few copies as are ordered, without having to guess likely sales volumes up front. Or is this a misguided view?

I don't understand what you mean by "send out", but just as with print books, a commercial epublisher wants to publish books which will sell enough to generate a profit.

I've had a look around this section of the forum, and I'm sure a lot of this information is in here, but would someone who has a grasp of these things like to post a sticky covering the basics?

You can lead a horse to water....

euclid said:
How is it possible (or legal) for this web site to offer free downloads of HP Lovecraft, Arthur Conan Doyle etc. books?

The books are out of copyright and have passed into Public Domain.

euclid · Jan 12, 2010

What I meant in the question about overheads: I'm assuming that the greatest benefit of ebooks is that the publisher doesn't have to print physical books, so he doesn't have to guess how many books he will sell for an initial print run. All he has to do is set up the book on a server and see what happens. I would have thought this should free up cash for improved pre-production (editing etc) and promotion.

I think the idea of including sound (music, anyhow) could be very exciting and might make the traditional book extinct, the way the talkies killed silent movies. Or is this just another one of my daft ideas?

euclid · Jan 12, 2010

Where's the sense in distributing free ebooks as in feedbooks.com?

mscelina · Jan 12, 2010

Who would pick the music? The author? Then you're dealing with copyright issues with the artist who wrote/recorded the music. Then e-books go up again. And not all people like to hear music over and over and over while they read. If your'e a slow reader and you hear the same music eighteen times in a chapter, it's bound to get annoying.

euclid · Jan 12, 2010

CaoPaux said:
If you are wanting to go the vanity route, sure. But just as in print publishing, it's best to have the publisher pay you for your work, which they then make available for readers to download: either from their own servers, or through distributors like Fictionwise.

I meant the book buyer pays... (not the author)

euclid · Jan 12, 2010

mscelina said:
Who would pick the music? The author? Then you're dealing with copyright issues with the artist who wrote/recorded the music. Then e-books go up again. And not all people like to hear music over and over and over while they read. If your'e a slow reader and you hear the same music eighteen times in a chapter, it's bound to get annoying.

Good points. I thought the music might come and go, depending on what page the reader is on... Maybe that wouldn't work. Anyhow, the reader could turn the volume down (or mute it) if they found it intrusive, I suppose.

mscelina · Jan 12, 2010

Personally, I don't want theme music for what I write. *grin* I can't get the rights for the music I write to, and any substitute would be cheap.

wizzy812 · Feb 17, 2010

mscelena-
What if you sing and record a song yourself?? Do you need to get permission from the original artist? I'm not inclined to think so. Look at all the bands out there that sing songs at night clubs. They are almost never their own work.

valeriec80 · Feb 17, 2010

If you record and sell a song someone else wrote, you must pay royalties to the writer.

Deleted member 42 · Feb 17, 2010

euclid said:
Tried that. Registered, but couldn't log in. Maybe I have to wait for validation?

How is it possible (or legal) for this web site to offer free downloads of HP Lovecraft, Arthur Conan Doyle etc. books?

Those particular books in those particular editions are public domain because copyright has expired.

Deleted member 42 · Feb 17, 2010

wizzy812 said:
mscelena-
What if you sing and record a song yourself?? Do you need to get permission from the original artist? I'm not inclined to think so. Look at all the bands out there that sing songs at night clubs. They are almost never their own work.

Some one is paying if they charge a cover fee or ticket price.

ASCAP even does *raids* on bars.

Deleted member 42 · Feb 17, 2010

euclid said:
What I meant in the question about overheads: I'm assuming that the greatest benefit of ebooks is that the publisher doesn't have to print physical books, so he doesn't have to guess how many books he will sell for an initial print run. All he has to do is set up the book on a server and see what happens. I would have thought this should free up cash for improved pre-production (editing etc) and promotion.

I think the idea of including sound (music, anyhow) could be very exciting and might make the traditional book extinct, the way the talkies killed silent movies. Or is this just another one of my daft ideas?

You need to go read a lot more.

Most of the costs for professionally produced books from mainstream publishers occur before the book ever is printed; printing is about 10 to 15 % of the price in terms of the cover price of a book, sometimes less.

But acquisition, editing, copyediting, design, art, typesetting, and proofing, and marketing (publishers print catalogs, and create special Web sites for distributors, etc.) are all before the book is printed.

Licensing for quotations, images, and software are also additional costs for ebooks, as are production (to avoid crappy looking books), QA, DRM, and distribution.

euclid · Feb 18, 2010

Medievalist said:
You need to go read a lot more.

What? I'm reading a lot of fiction at the moment. Do you mean I need to read a lot more about the publishing industry?

CaoPaux · Feb 18, 2010

If you haven't already, read up on the Amazon/Macmillan brouhaha. It occurred after your posting, but the discussion addresses your questions in great detail.

I need a simple guide...

euclid

Where did I put me specs?

stephenf

euclid

Where did I put me specs?

CaoPaux

Mostly Harmless

euclid

Where did I put me specs?

euclid

Where did I put me specs?

mscelina

Teh doommobile, drivin' rite by you

euclid

Where did I put me specs?

euclid

Where did I put me specs?

mscelina

Teh doommobile, drivin' rite by you

wizzy812

valeriec80

Got the hang of it, here

Deleted member 42

Deleted member 42

Deleted member 42

euclid

Where did I put me specs?

CaoPaux

Mostly Harmless