maybe it's stupid, but it used to be my dream to be accepted by Ellora's Cave. they used to be the benchmark of epub success, if they took you, you should sell well, right? many of their authors write for ny now.

thing is, they're publishing utter shit now, sacrificing decent writing and story for sex. i will not submit to them. as i see it, liquid silver is the new forerunner. their stories are sexy, but still well written and plotted for the most part.

don't believe me? ask mrs giggles

I probably haven't read enough from different epublishers to gauge which one I'd prefer. I do seem to write a tough genre (historical) for epub, though. Paranormal and contemporary seem to be preferred by most of the epublishers whose sites I've visited. I did send the manuscript I wrote for the Ellora's Cave call for subimssions to Harlequin's Spice Briefs (sounds like edible underwear, lol) epub line though. After that, maybe Cobblestone. Basically, though, I'm just looking for someone who'd take something that short (14,600 words). I don't want to expand it because it's complete as it's written. Anything I added would be fluff.

As for NY publishers, I used to think I wanted to be Avon published. They do give a nice advance! But now, I think I'd love Warner. They seem to be publishing a lot of new authors whose work I really admire (e.g., Elizabeth Hoyt). Really, though, I'm not that choosy. If I got an offer from any of the NY trade publishers, I'd be dancing in the streets!

I think Carrie told me that Warner is no more? They're becoming Grand Central Publishing, as of 2008.

Here's the full story.

I have been wondering about this myself for a while now. I keep going back and forth because for every good thing I hear about an epublisher I see something that makes me think many of them are glutted (especially romance and erotica). I think a huge problem in all of publishing is things getting published when they're not quite ready. Brian Keene has bee talking on his blog about horror being primarialy friends publishing friends, or people self publishing via lulu and then instantly putting themselves on a pedistal above writers who have chose not to.

While epubs aren't self publishing, in most cases, I do feel that places like Whiskey Creek Press and Ellora's Cave can afford to have lower standards than a print company because it costs next to nothing to epub from a publisher's stand point. Open Office is free and it prints directly into pdf. Add some fonts from the net and the only thing you have to pay for is editing and a cover.
I certainly know of a few ebooks that while nothing is wrong with them they aren't at all new either. Sure print is very guilty of this too. I also know that with how easy it is to set up an epub company it's likely that some people are going to start doing it for the same reason people self pub or start ezines - to publish themselves. All fine and good except that other opinions are a huge part of being a successful writer.
I happen to know one writer who when she said she signed with a new epub place I immediately questioned the sanity, er validity of the place. She's not a horrible writer. But she has no sense of professionalism, whines a lot about how she doesn't believe in revising and about print publishers not taking her 270K word romantic fantasy. Instead of learning about the system, she found a way around it, which is EXACTLY what the problem with self publishing is.
I wouldn't say no to an epublisher. I submit short stories to them at about a 30/70 split. But when I think about writing something specifically for one (without a contract), honestly, I just get a bad feeling.
I don't have any "dream publishers", print or e. I have thought of releasing a "shareware" novel like Scalzi did with Agent to the Stars. But then, I would do that myself instead of through someone else.

My reader point of view... don't make faces at me Ann(ie)... Anyhoo - i read a butt-ton (technical term) of ebooks and RABIDLY follow my favorite ebook authors into print publication and more mainstream publishing: Lora Leigh, Jaci Burton, Sasha White, Cheyenne McCray, Christine Warren, Shiloh Walker to name a few off the top. And all of them I believe used be and may still be EC authors. I still buy books at EC and like a number of them. Lauren Dane's stories are very original and well written and a new author Denise Rossetti has written two great stories in the past year. Some might argue that I'm not adequately qualified to judge good writing. Ok. Maybe. But the $300+ I spend on books each month says I'm willing to shell out for what I like. So do i think it's worthwhile to epublish for extending your exposure? You betcha. As long as you don't go with total crap epublishers whose portals i will never grace again no matter how bad i want that author's book. Grin!

Why the heck would I make faces at you for being a reader? I -love- readers! I'm a reader too. :)

Michele, you made a number of good points. I don't think I'd ever self-publisher, just because it's putting all the work on me. I'm too lazy to do all that. I just want to write the books.

Hmm. Like Jacq, I haven't read enough to give a fair vote.
I went with Wild Rose for 2 reasons:
1. the various lengths (mine is 10K, not standard submission length many places)
2. the story is very sweet and the majority of other epubs seem to be more focused on erotic or at least steamy.

I'm glad to see the big boys taking notice because I think it will help validate epub. There does seem to be a pervasive opinion among many that epub is where you go when no one else wants you.
I'd never self-pub, like you, lazy, but also if the story isn't well enough written to get someone in your corner, it shouldn't be out there.

I don't necessarily believe an e-following will guarantee NY notice, but if you develop a loyal following, it certainly can't hurt.

Dream publisher--again, like Jacq--an offer from any of 'em would send me dancing.

I've gone through Cobblestone Press for all my ebooks, and I haven't had a problem there. That is a huge plus. Unless I write something of a longer length or a piece for an anthology, I'll probably stick with them for my individual ebook submissions.

I would like to have a book in print, though; and while I'd be tickled pink to get an offer from any NY publisher, I honestly believe my books would fit in best with Kensington Aphrodisia or their Brava line. If not Kensington, then possibly Avon Red.

naw - i meant make faces at me cuz i'm blathering AGAIN. I know you love me. Grin!

I'm not at all anti-ebook. I love them for the instant gratification they give. Not just the ability to buy a book at three in the morning while wearing nothing but your bunny slippers, although that has its allure, too. But also the unparalleled variety. Because (as Michelle pointed out) it's so much cheaper from a publishing standpoint, they can take on those riskier or edgier stories as well as the genres that have fallen out of favor with the print crowds. At the same time that the NYC print publishers said "No more traditional Regency", Cerridwen Press opened up a line of exactly that. Which was excellent news for both writers and readers of that genre.

On the other hand, I have to admit that the idea of walking into a bookstore and seeing one of my stories on the stands has a huuuuge allure. (My grandmother lives for this moment and keeps asking when there will be a book I can autograph for her. If only I had such control over it. *sigh*)

A friend of mine stumbled over a few of her books on sale at Disney World. Disney World!! How cool is that? And it won't happen with epub, not because they're any less important or good or quality or whatever, but because they're online. Intangible. Electronic.

Long story short, I'd submit to either without a qualm, but my dream would be to have something in print-print (not self-pub, but truly legit) because I'm first and foremost a reader, and I love books. =)

ERiCA hit it right on the head- we can NEVER expect to walk into a bookstore and find the variety of books we enjoy now from the epublishers. And not just a variety of subjects, but what about all those little gems that don't have the word count to ever reach the printed page?

My perception (as a Reader, not a Writer)is that there's a new hierarchy in publishing. The bottom rung is the unknown, upstart epublishers. An author is almost guaranteed acceptence with one of them. Then there's the second tier- they still have some not quite ready for publication stuff, but they also offer cutting edge, innovative or just truly enjoyable books, too. Loose-Id and Changeling fall here.

Now, the top of the eheap is Ellorascave. Get published here, build a following, and you've got your best chance of being noticed by a print publisher.

As a reader, I used to be selfishly heartbroken when that happened because it usually meant that the author would be forced to tone down the books for print.

Thankfully, print publishers have caught on that erotica sells. And the authors that crowwoman/rhian mentions are still able to control their content.

BTW, crowwoman? Were we separated at birth?

Wow, cool discussion, and great to see a good blend of author / reader thoughts on it.

I agree the instant gratification factor is huge for ebooks. Also good for people who travel a lot and don't want to haul that many books around.

I think all publishers put out some level of junk, print or epub, but maybe it's just a matter of taste. My trash is someone else's treasure, so something I'd hurl against the wall would make someone clutch the book to her chest and smile dreamily.

Great discussion - one I'm particularly interested in 'cause I've got my first e-book coming out soon and frequently wonder what readers really think of them.

I like the fact that e-publishers are willing to take a few risks and publish things that don't always 'fit' perfectly on the shelf. And I think, in the long term, if e-publishers continue to grow, that this more open attitude might influence the more traditional publishers. (well- I hope so)