Publishers and ebooks

[apbschmitz]

Originally Posted by J. Strnad

What did you tell them? Are you going to offer it yourself at 70% or through them at 15% (or whatever)? Is there a guarantee that they'll reissue the book or are they just tying up the rights? Are they offering an advance?

I know this will drive a lot of people here nuts, but on this particular novel I decided to sign the contract they offered for 25 percent. On another backlist novel of mine I decided to take back the rights, as specified in the old contract, and will republish that myself as an eBook.

My reasoning: I was excited about the first novel when it got published but I'm much less keen on it now that twenty-some years have passed. I wouldn't want to do that much to enthusiastically promote it. So I'd put in a certain amount of work to format it as an eBook (I think it was originally on 5.5" floppies, which are long since gone) and then make what — something next to nothing? It's general fiction, a comparatively slow mover in the world of eBooks, it seems.

I still enjoy the second novel and am willing to do the things that might get it read. So that one I'll get set up as an eBook and offer for sale at Amazon and Smashwords. But as you can see, it's as much emotional as financial.