So having epublished any previous titles isn't going to hurt you with querying any given new work, but it doesn't help you unless you have hefty sales. (Those seem to be translating for US agents to about 2,500 for niche non-fiction and literary fiction, 5,000 for topic-based non-fiction, and 10,000 for mystery, science fiction, fantasy, romance, mainstream fiction, self-help, and memoir.)
Those are the numbers I've seen discussed too.
Those numbers sound like what I've heard for SELF publishing, which is not at all the same as e-publishing.
I agree: but as there are so many new and/or dodgy e-publishers out there, some trade publishers which specialise in print publication are cautious, and do look for good sales numbers in e-published books no matter whether they're self-published or not. This is becoming less common now, especially when some of the better names in e-publishing are concerned: but it's still happening, I'm afraid.
I'm not sure where you got this information, but it's not accurate. If you sell to a publisher, it's a "meaningful" publication credit. Period. it doesn't matter if it's a epub or a print house.
That's not the case. There are plenty of clueless, exploitative and bizarre publishers out there which won't count as a credit.
Agents aren't looking at numbers, they are looking for professional experience.
Not true. Agents DO look at numbers, but mostly they look for excellent writing which they think they can sell.
And someone mentioned promotion... Even traditional print authors have to deal with the lion's share of their own promo.
Again, this isn't true. It's a claim that is mostly made by people who favour self-publishing. I don't know why they say it, but they do.
And the advice I got was give a pub three years to prove itself. I'll sell small stories, shorts to a new pub but I'm saving my full-length things for a more established business. Carina would be one exception for me, because the parent company is sound with a very long reputation in the business. I have faith that if it folds, rights will be properly reverted, royalties paid and all the problem areas handled by the parent company. They know what they are doing which puts them on a different playing field than a startup by someone who doesn't have the backing or business experience.
I wouldn't assume that because Carina is part of a big and successful publishing house that "if it folds, rights will be properly reverted, royalties paid and all the problem areas handled by the parent company". If Carina folds because of financial problems then the rights it owns are assets of the company and as such will be the only marketable thing it has to cover its debts with.
I stopped submitting to the NY publishers because I have clinical depression. I'd go through two or three rejections and give up ... such is the nature of my illness. That's why I love epublishers.
I'm sorry to hear about your illness, Melody. I hope things improve for you. I know first-hand how disabling depression can be.
I don't understand, though, why you prefer to work with e-publishers because of your depression. The good ones reject work just as readily as the big print publishers do, and I wouldn't want to work with a less-than-good publisher.
I wish people who insist upon disparaging epublishers would realize that some of us are good writers.
There's a big difference between e-publishers and writers. And urging writers to exercise caution before submitting to e-publishers isn't the same thing as disparaging them.
I think what some people term "author mills" is really a model of publishing that helps the business make more money, allowing them to publish more titles. If people bought print books like this, you can bet the presses would be flying.
Author mills are not the same thing as e-publishers: they're more akin to vanity presses.
I don't mean this as a flame, I genuinely wonder why people who don't consider epublishing a legitimate professional credit, or "as good as" NY publish, even frequent this category?
AW is for everybody. We don't forbid poets to post in the non-fiction boards, for example, and only Mac has the right to say who can't visit certain areas. At AW discussion is welcome from all quarters, and long may that continue.
Being a publisher is something I've really wanted to be for years. I learned about internet marketing, the web in general, social media, etc... and now I'm learning about writing. I personally feel that it's the best way to proceed but I'm sure many will disagree.
Please be careful. I've seen loads of people start their own publishing houses; I've seen most of them fail, and fail hard. It's an expensive business to get into if you want to do well, and if you do it badly you kill books which might otherwise have succeeded.
