Are E' books really the thing of the future?

[Inez Laurie-Douglas]

Many publishers are suggesting the E' book option. I don't have the statistics on it ...and obviously need to do some solid research. But has anyone explored E-book market before?

[Tim]

True however in this backward corner of the world palm pilots are costly and few and far between but I guess that you have a valid point

[Emily Bryan]

Donald Maas (WRITING THE BREAKOUT NOVEL) says no. Mr. Maas (an A-list NY agent and author) says it's because unlike books on tape, ebooks don't meet a market need. As an apartment dweller, I can see where an e book would clear my shelves and the soft glow of a small screen would make reading in bed easier.

But still, I like the feel of a book in my hands. And I suspect lots of other readers feel the same. When the technology really catches up to the promise of e-books, I think we'll see much the same scramble for market we see in brick and mortar stores. The same bestsellers will still be best sellers in ebooks.

The deliver method of my books isn't my concern. My writing is. That's what I need to focus on and my publisher will decide how best to get my work into the readers hands. www.emilybryan.com

[Alison Stuart]

I am e-published (Wings) and I made a deliberate decision to go that route after I received yet another rejection from a mainstream publisher telling me they loved, the book, the characters etc., BUT English Civil War does not sell.
I think in some ways, epublishing is still a solution looking for a problem. Donald Maass is quite right, it is still to find its market need. Readers still like books and they like to buy their books in bookshops where they can physically touch the book. E-book readers are expensive and not readily available. But it's interesting that HMB, for example, is now making its back list available in electronic format but I think that is a different sort of market to the specific "E-book" market where my books are.
I don't know what anyone else feels, but in the mass marketing world of mainstream publication (particularly historical romance), it seems to me that there is a homogenous feel to the books that are being published. Tried and true sells...regencies and medievals. Obscure periods of history, unfamiliar to the patrons of Walmart or Barnes and Noble, are of no interest .
Where I think e-publishing can really make its mark is by picking up the niche market for readers looking for "something different" in historical periods (it is already secured a huge corner of the market in erotica - but that is a different subject and not for this list!). I don't think it's doing that yet - it is still taking a "scatter gun" approach, taking all and sundry with a result that many lists are a hotch potch of genres, styles and writing ability. It needs to have the courage to be more selective.
To answer your question, Inez, it is still a tiny market (from what I can see - it would be fascinating to see some real figures) and there's not much money in it (for either publisher or author). There's a lot of E-publishers out there now so it is a crowded market. If anyone is looking at going into it, I would suggest they do their homework carefully.
From a personal point of view, it's not where I see my long term career lying, but as a "home" for my two English Civil War novels, it's a perfect fit.

[Emily Bryan]

Just returned from the Romantic Times Convention. E books are huge there--mostly erotica and paranormal titles. The thing that interested me most was hearing that e-publishers pay royalties each month rather than holding funds owed for a year and more. I understand why the difference. A downloaded book is a sold book. A book on the store shelves may ultimately return to the nest and be destroyed. Still, I envy the epubbed authors the immediate feedback about their sales.

I hear what you're saying about familiar time periods. My earlier work (published under Diana Groe by Leisure Books who was willing to take a chance) was set in the 9th and 11th century and was about Vikings. They won all sorts of critical acclaim, but tanked in the bookstores and couldn't squeeze through Walmart's doors for all the blue lights in the world. My Emily Bryan book DISTRACTING THE DUCHESS is set in Victorian England. It is in Walmart and Barnes and Nobles has made a second big order. The book has already gone to a 2nd printing. Sometimes, if you can't beat 'em, joining 'em works.