I received another email through an author group yesterday: someone is starting an e-publishing company. It seems like everyone is starting an e-publishing company. Why is that?Because publishing e-books is free and easy.
But running a publishing company is not. There are websites to design, submissions to evaluate, contracts to write, ISBNs to purchase, editors and cover designers to hire, royalties to collect and disperse, tax forms on top of tax forms…
So why the rush to jump in? More to the point - why the rush to submit? These new publishers are not any better known than I am. They aren't proven yet and have a TON of promotion ahead of them. As do I. But I'll receive my entire 70% commission from e-book sales, while their authors will only glean 35-40%.
Why do it? Because when someone asks "who is your publisher?" we need an answer.
Otherwise, we fall into that scary void of self-published authors who produce books which are severely sub-standard. From the writing to the editing to the formatting to the covers, these ignorant hopefuls have worked in a vacuum and have no idea how awful their books are. To make matters worse, most self-pubbed writers have gone to vanity presses and spent $500-$5,000 or more to create these disasters.
So being able to answer the "publisher" question is huge. Because it means someone has vetted your work. You were judged worthy enough to hang a reputation on. That means something.
But, what if you really DO know what you are doing, and are capable of getting a quality product out by doing the work yourself? Or, what if you have been traditionally published, but your books are out of print and you have the rights back? What if you just want to release some short stories or novellas to support your traditionally published books?
And you want to whole 70%?
The next best thing to a publisher is a LABEL. Enter Goodnight Publishing, a new website where independently published authors of quality books have linked arms to present a united front to the world. Where authors can enter the name "Goodnight Publishing" whenever asked for their publisher. Where there are no contracts, no relinquishing of rights, no splitting of royalties. Just a traditional façade for readers - and support for indie authors.
Interested? Join us! I went the independent route because I write outside the publisher's boxes: my heroes are Norse and my stories begin in the Missouri Territory then move to Norway and back. And as an editor from Kensington said to me (complete with finger gestures) "Publishers like their boxes."
Is there quality? A Matter of Principle, my January 2011 release (the third book in my historical romance trilogy), garnered 4 STARS and a great write-up from RT Book Reviews. It will take time, but in the end, the cream will rise to the top no matter how it is published.
So. Is it time you found an "outside the box" hero? Please allow me to help.
For every 10 people who comment here, I will give away one free e-copy of A Woman of Choice - the beginning of the trilogy. And, yes. Commenter #11 warrants 2 copies! Comment #21? I'll give away three.
BUT WAIT! THERE'S MORE!
In February at the end of my blog tour, I'll give away one SIGNED PAPERBACK SET of the trilogy. Here's how you can get in on that deal:
1. Go to http://www.kristualla.com/ and find the "Secret Word" on my home page.
2. Send an email to http://www.blogger.com/ktualla@cox.net%20 with "Signed Trilogy Giveaway" in the subject line. Put the secret word in the body.
3. Comment on any blog at any time in the tour to activate your entry. Each day's blog location is listed at http://kristualla.wordpress.com/blog-tour-dates-locations/
A Woman of Choice, A Prince of Norway, and A Matter of Principle are all available at http://www.goodnightpublishing.com/
A Woman of Choice - Missouri Territory, 1819
A woman is viciously betrayed and abandoned by her unfaithful husband. She is rescued by a widower uninterested in love. In desperation, she becomes engaged to his best friend. One woman, three very different men. Life is about choices.
A Prince of Norway - Christiania, Norway, 1820
American-born Nicolas Hansen has been asked to candidate for his great-grandfather's throne. His new wife Sydney isn't about to let him go to Norway and face that possibility alone. The moment they arrive at Akershus Castle, the political intrigue and maneuvering begin. Can Sydney trust anyone? Will Nicolas resist the seduction of power? Or will he claim the throne for himself? Most importantly: will their young marriage survive the malicious mischief of the ambitious royal family?
A Matter of Principle - St. Louis, State of Missouri, 1821Nicolas Hansen has returned from Norway determined to change the world. But when he runs for State Legislator in the brand-new state of Missouri, the enemies he made over the past two years aren't about to step q
uietly aside. Sydney has made enemies of her own, both by marrying Nicolas and by practicing midwifery. When a newspaper reporter makes it his goal to destroy them, Nicolas must rethink his path once again. But this time, it's a matter of principle.
