Quote:
Originally Posted by Highroller
Yep, I did a quick check, All I found of your work up for dl was the Rings trilogy and Upstart and a short story.
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(Since this is coming right after your post, I figured this was enough for a referent.
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I hear this a lot. Warner, my first publisher, was trying to kill the Questar imprint in the year my first book came out. I'd have gotten better distribution if I'd bought a truckload and traveled the country tossing them out the window!
Most writers who came out from Questar in the early 90's have a similar story.
I don't have that many out...each of my books is at least two normal sized ones.
they run the better part of 200,000 words because I really like complex plots with complex characters. Each book takes a couple of years to write. And my second publisher kept taking books, claiming they were going to publish...only to tell me a year ago that it had been too long since the last books in the series, and sorry, but thanks but no thanks. That's when I decided to go the ebook route, not being particularly inclined to write the next Urban Fantasy.
My whole tale of woe is various places on my website and blog, but the important thing is, we do have options now. It's just hard for most of us older writers to find the energy to start all over again. At least we have some established readership to cheer us on.
You'd be amazed how slow most publishers were to start accepting electronic files. I don't know how easily the "typeset" versions will translate, tho it'd be way easier than OCRing. I think it was the late 90's before they finally took one of mine from file rather than retyping the whole thing. It's crazy how slow to embrace electronic technology most publishers were.
As for e-rights...very few publishers actually specifically licensed them, tho DAW had an interesting clause for "computer versions" even back in the 80s (that's thinking ahead). But as I understand it, many publishers are fighting authors now claiming the license implicitly extends to e-rights. This is making it that much harder for writers to commit to doing it themselves.
I was lucky. All my books are mine, e-speaking free and clear. My main series, the hard SF 'Netwalkers books, are completely mine now. Certainly the six new ones I have waiting for covers and hope to have out this year are!
But for most authors, it's really hard to know just which way to jump. I think a lot are hoping the publishers will get their act together and get the backlist available. I can't blame them...it's a heck of a lot of work.