Five Reasons I Chose to e-Publish my Novel

 by Lynette Rees

Some of the most entertaining romance books I've read recently, have been e-books, published by reputable websites such as Whiskey Creek Press, Wings ePress and Samhain Publishing. My own book, It Happened One Summer, was published with Wings ePress in May, this year. As well as being published in e-book format, I elected for the Print On Demand option as a trade paperback, so that book signings will still be an option for me!

These are the reasons I chose an e-publisher:

1. I was able to write the book of my heart.

When I wrote, It Happened One Summer, I wanted to write the story that had been growing inside me for some time. I'm a cancer counsellor for a local Welsh cancer charity and my novel is a romantic suspense set around a fictitious charity. If I had targeted Harlequin Intrigue or Silhouette Intimate Moments [they require a word count of around 70,000 - 80,000 words] my book at 63,000 words, would have fallen short of that requirement. I could have stretched it to fit perhaps, but I felt the story was complete as it was.

2. E-publishing is more cost effective

Working with an e-publisher is light on the wallet or purse strings. No more queuing up at the post office and the packaging and weighing of manuscripts to take care of, leaving you with a hefty postage to pay! My initial query and synopsis were sent by e-mail at the mere touch of a button, as was the final manuscript.

3. My book will stay in print longer

E-published books stay published for much longer than series romance novels. So my book will still be available when other romance novels have long since been taken off the shelves!

4. E-mail contacts with other authors/editors, etc

Contact with President and Executive editor of Wings, Lorraine Stephens, and other staff members such as the cover artist, copy editor, etc., was excellent. I was able to liaise with them by e-mail whenever I wanted to.

5. E-publishers pay higher royalties

E-book publishers, in general, pay higher royalties. For every e-book and trade paperback I sell at Wings, I'll receive 30% in royalties, whereas, traditionally published novels pay around 6% on average.

Another Wings author, Linda Wallace, recently got a fantastic review in The Romantic Times Book Club magazine [May 2006], comparable with reviews of Harlequin, Zebra and Mira authors. You can visit her site here:

http://www.linda-wallace.com/

If you have a manuscript that you have difficulty finding a home for, perhaps because it doesn't quite fit into the confines of a traditional publishing house, then why not give e-publishing a go? I've compiled a list of romance e-publishers at my website and wish you the best of luck!

http://silverlady00.tripod.com/id10.html

It Happened One Summer was released by Wings ePress in May. All proceeds will be donated to Cancer Aid, Merthyr Tydfil, South Wales. http://www.wings-press.com/

About the Author: Lynette Rees has had many non-fiction articles and short stories published in magazines and online. Her first novel, a romantic suspense, was published by Wings ePress in May of this year [2006]. Her second follow-up novel, RETURN TO WINTER, is due for release by the same publisher in November 2006. Lynette has also recently had a romantic comedy accepted for publication with Samhain Publishing Source of this article: www.goarticles.com