Turn yourself into a publishing powerhouse

by David Amerland

The turning point of the 21st century will be remembered for a paradigm shift that, briefly, made a multi-billion pound industry quake with uncertainty of its future.

The industry in question is the publishing industry and the event that made its blood run cold was the official advent of eBooks.

As a notion electronic text as a download to be read on PCs and laptops and maybe some kind of reader had been around for some time. As early as 1989 science fiction writer Ben Bova was hinting at the impact (and turmoil) eBooks would cause with his, sadly unexciting, Cyberbooks novel.

Ben Bova was not quite the visionary he thought he was as eBooks or digital books started coming online (pun intended) as early as 1971 however with Michael Hart's profound vision that was to lead to the birth of Project Guttenberg (http://promo.net/pg/history.html).

What was required to make them widely acceptable were two things: The world Wide Web which started growing at an exponential rate after 1999 and ... Stephen King.

As a blue chip author (whose minimum print run is 500,000 copies in paperback) King chose that year to experiment with downloads giving away Riding The Bullet as a download in parts. Written from his hospital bed where he'd almost died as the result of car accident King (who no longer really needs to earn money) announced that his novelette would be available to his fans free of charge.

Some 500,000 downloads and 48 hours later the publishing landscape had seemingly changed forever.

To shift 500,000 books in 48 hours is a task the logistics of which would defeat most publishers. To print an almost inexhaustible supply of books and have them exactly where the demand was heaviest in no time at all is a task which no publisher has yet perfected.

Technology and the internet (even at the dial-up speeds of the year 2000) had suddenly made it possible.

King's success at giving away his ebook is such large numbers so quickly suddenly froze the publishing industry in its tracks and made journos of computer magazines produce copious numbers of pages predicting the death knell of the printed page as the digital revolution took off.

Six years into that revolution we know that there are many very good reasons why we still read on paper but we also know that ebooks are here to stay.

Technology is all about empowerment. It always has been. The Spinning Jenny (http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/TEXjenny.htm) made it possible to produce the work of many skilled weavers faster and better and this trend has remained the signature of every technological advance ever made since.

This is the same for ebooks. Traditionally, if you want to publish a book you need to find a suitable publisher, be accepted by them, have your work edited, printed and delivered. Then it needs to be reviewed, advertised and sold.

If you're good you will find a large audience and become a household name. If you're not...well. The reading public is remorseless in its edicts.

All this has changed.

For a start publishing while increasing in the billions as a global industry has actually shrunk with amalgamations producing just a few massive publishing houses with bases on both sides of the Atlantic.

The concept of the 'gentleman publisher' who would take authors in, nurture their writing and watch them grow into profitable writing machines has gone the way of the Dodo. In addition the shrinking of editorial staff by mainstream publishers and the increase of marketing budgets for their best-sellers, not to mention the dross they manage to bring out each year paints a bleak picture of the state of publishing.

If you're lucky enough to be taken on by a publisher and your book starts selling well then they will market it, otherwise, well...good luck. It is worth to remember that J. K. Rawling was given just a £1,000 advance for the first Harry Potter book and it was a full eighteen months before the promise of her book became apparent and sales started rolling.

If at this point you're thinking of giving up writing as a career and joining the navy, don't!

Technology has stepped into the breach. These days of e-commerce, the web and secure servers you can, depending on your budget, create a web presence that's every bit as effective as that of a major publisher.

At Amerland Enterprises we have been associated with eBook publishing, creation of digital texts and mainstream, paper publishing for almost eleven years and we are market leaders in creating publishing solutions that ride the edge of the wave of technology.

What does this mean for your future as a writer?

Quite a lot. Depending on how comfortable you are with a little marketing you can take advantage of a number of publishing solutions we can offer.

1. Web presence - this is just the beginning. A professionally produced website with slick code, keyword optimized and search engine friendly will go a long way towards increasing your profile in the publishing world. Use it as a calling card when you email publishers and agents. Send it to your friends, your bank manager and everyone you can imagine. 2. Editorial - not everyone is comfortable editing their own work. After all it's their baby. How can you begin ruthlessly cutting out words and scenes you sweated bullets over? Luckily we have a number of editors who are totally sympathetic to the writing process. They understand what it's like, can make sound judgments regarding the work and suggest changes, alterations and revisions which enhance the overall book. 3. Ghostwriting - with some authors too busy to put pen to paper our writers can agree a plan, handling and timetable and actually produce your book from notes and interviews with you. 4. Print layout - you could opt to publish your book yourself. And at this point there are quite a few big name authors who choose to do that because it gives them more freedom and control or because they simply are tired of jumping through hoops for publishers. We can help with cover design, layout and production of print-ready files to give to the printer. 5. Ebook creation - we are market leaders at creating interactive, addictive ebooks that are more than just digital copies of their paper counterparts. Our eBook editors know exactly what enhancements are possible for each title they work with and they can make suggestions regarding them that will transform the book. 6. Publicity services - we know that professionally written press releases and online publicity and advertising, coupled to real world promotions can make all the difference. That is why our publicity managers produce a systematic, sustainable, long term publicity campaign that generates a wave of publicity that grows and grows. The net result is that your web presence and real world impact increases sufficiently to reflect in the sale of your books. 7. E-Commerce capability - here we see the true power of technology. We can create an e-commerce solution that will allow you to sell your eBook and paperbook(s) using a variety of cost-effective methods and reaping the rewards. Our in-depth knowledge of the publishing environment allows us to create a web-presence that can turn a single author into a publishing machine.

With such different solutions and their combinations in out arsenal is there anything we cannot do you will ask? Well, as a matter of fact yes there is. We cannot assure the quality of your book (not unless we've written it ourselves). That part is still yours.

But for the rest we can help you prove publishers wrong. For a no-obligation quote (and even a FREE appraisal) don't hesitate to contact us.

About the Author: David Amerland is the manager of a web design studio and the CEO of Amerland Enterprises Limited, a quality content provider for web and print and everything in between. Over the past 20 years he has seen publishing and content provision from both sides of the divide. He is passionate about the empowering use of technology to break down barriers and create a more accessible world. Source of this article: www.goarticles.com