http://www.grandouestauthors.com/blog/2010/07/23/e-books-first/ Writers in Brittany, Normandy and the Pays de la Loire, France Fri, 12 Nov 2010 17:36:57 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.3 http://www.grandouestauthors.com/blog/2010/07/23/e-books-first/comment-page-1/#comment-34 Jean wild Sun, 25 Jul 2010 09:44:29 +0000 http://www.grandouestauthors.com/blog/?p=48#comment-34 I was also puzzled about the fact that you quoted prices in dollars. I agreed to selpublishing with author house whom I assumed were in England. They do have an office in england but most of their work is done in the US. so I was often ringing them in the morning when they were all tucked up safely in bed. It was further confounded timewise because I live in France. It was after much frustration that I discovered my/their error. I supposed I can say that I am an internationally published author. I was also puzzled about the fact that you quoted prices in dollars.
I agreed to selpublishing with author house whom I assumed were in England. They do have an office in england but most of their work is done in the US. so I was often ringing them in the morning when they were all tucked up safely in bed. It was further confounded timewise because I live in France. It was after much frustration that I discovered my/their error.
I supposed I can say that I am an internationally published author.

]]> http://www.grandouestauthors.com/blog/2010/07/23/e-books-first/comment-page-1/#comment-32 Jean wild Sun, 25 Jul 2010 09:27:11 +0000 http://www.grandouestauthors.com/blog/?p=48#comment-32 This is really interesting about e-books. I am a member of the older generation and although I find computers and laptops very useful as an amateur writer I struggle to keep up to date. Also I have been very unlucky in the world of IT as my first lap-top had 3 new hard drives while still under guarantee and a 4th in the first month after, costing £200. See now in your first paragraph you mention Kindle and Apple iPad. I am lost already. I am guessing that these are ‘things’ you use to download (Is that the correct word?) the e-book. I think I have heard about them on the wireless, sorry, radio. (When I used to get a message on my laptop saying wireless network not connected I thought it meant my radio was switched off.) Then to your second paragraph which I fully understood and agree with completely. I am with you in the third up to ‘ePubfiles are just HTML’. Anyway I’ll get to the point which I think is your main point and is that publishers are looking for business models. I have long maintained that writing and in fact all art in a capitalist society is an industry. I am convinced that self publishing has, to coin a well turned phrase, ‘put the shits up’ the publishing industry. (I could go on about the individuals right to creative opportunities but I am saving that for my book on that subject.) I am an avid reader and have a book in the loo, a couple by my favourite armchair, a pile by my bed and I always carry two or three with me when travelling. I am not sure how i-pad/pod thingies would fit into this scenario. Secondly I suffer from age related macular degeneration as do many older people and I find reading on a screen very difficult so if I receive a long e-mail or want to read something carefully and thoroughly, your article for example, I print it out. And don’t get me started on printers and compatibility and the price of ink!! Having said all that I know that the younger generation are all genned up on this (I have two sons and a grand son all in IT) and I am very interested in perhaps publishing my book as an e-book. Your last paragraph says it all. I used to be a very small desk top publisher (in the dark ages). I published yearly a slim volume on local history which by its very nature had a small circulation and barely made a profit. Most outlets were understanding of its nature and wanted to support the community but Smiths, the national chain, wanted 50% . This left 50% for the writer, publisher, printer and distributor to share. So I guess this is the deal for most bookshops and as you say if you buy on line you still have to pay sometimes more than the book price in postal costs. Final point and most important, I have just self published a book and would like to know if I can publish it as an e-book and if so what do I have to do and how much does it cost? Also I am not satisfied with the final proof as it contains errors and would like to correct them. This is really interesting about e-books. I am a member of the older generation and although I find computers and laptops very useful as an amateur writer I struggle to keep up to date. Also I have been very unlucky in the world of IT as my first lap-top had 3 new hard drives while still under guarantee and a 4th in the first month after, costing £200. See now in your first paragraph you mention Kindle and Apple iPad. I am lost already. I am guessing that these are ‘things’ you use to download (Is that the correct word?) the e-book. I think I have heard about them on the wireless, sorry, radio. (When I used to get a message on my laptop saying wireless network not connected I thought it meant my radio was switched off.)
Then to your second paragraph which I fully understood and agree with completely. I am with you in the third up to ‘ePubfiles are just HTML’. Anyway I’ll get to the point which I think is your main point and is that publishers are looking for business models. I have long maintained that writing and in fact all art in a capitalist society is an industry. I am convinced that self publishing has, to coin a well turned phrase, ‘put the shits up’ the publishing industry. (I could go on about the individuals right to creative opportunities but I am saving that for my book on that subject.)
I am an avid reader and have a book in the loo, a couple by my favourite armchair, a pile by my bed and I always carry two or three with me when travelling. I am not sure how i-pad/pod thingies would fit into this scenario. Secondly I suffer from age related macular degeneration as do many older people and I find reading on a screen very difficult so if I receive a long e-mail or want to read something carefully and thoroughly, your article for example, I print it out. And don’t get me started on printers and compatibility and the price of ink!!
Having said all that I know that the younger generation are all genned up on this (I have two sons and a grand son all in IT) and I am very interested in perhaps publishing my book as an e-book.
Your last paragraph says it all. I used to be a very small desk top publisher (in the dark ages). I published yearly a slim volume on local history which by its very nature had a small circulation and barely made a profit. Most outlets were understanding of its nature and wanted to support the community but Smiths, the national chain, wanted 50% . This left 50% for the writer, publisher, printer and distributor to share. So I guess this is the deal for most bookshops and as you say if you buy on line you still have to pay sometimes more than the book price in postal costs.
Final point and most important, I have just self published a book and would like to know if I can publish it as an e-book and if so what do I have to do and how much does it cost? Also I am not satisfied with the final proof as it contains errors and would like to correct them.

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