It used to be that writers dreamed of seeing their novels on bookstore shelves. Then came the ‘90s. Publishing companies merged, and superstores forced hundreds of independents to shut their doors. As a result, fewer and fewer first-time authors found themselves being published. Whether they knew it or not, mid-list authors had become an endangered species.

According to Loretta Barrett of her eponymous literary agency, "A publisher has to be able to sell 25,000 copies of a novel in order to buy it… and that’s a hard number to reach with any first-time author, no matter how good the manuscript is."

But a virtual dream is replacing the now almost impossible one – and not with books made of paper and ink and perhaps not on bookstore shelves, but in the virtual world. The power of the Internet has created a new outlet for writers via e-books. These are books released as electronic downloads or on disks, printed out by the reader or read screen by screen on a hand-held device.

One of the trailblazers in e-publishing, Bonnee Pierson currently e-publishes over 30 e-authors under her Dreams Unlimited imprint. "E-publishers provide readers with an alternative to the selections available in print. And we give authors a place to bring books that don't fit the restrictive guidelines of traditional publishing," she said in a recent interview.

But while many aspiring writers still submit manuscripts to both traditional publishing houses and the new e-publishing companies like Dreams Unlimited or Hard Shell or DiskUs, some authors are eschewing completely the big houses that once rejected them.

Don’t they want to see their name in print? "I see my name in print every time I look at one of my e-books. Just because that printed name happens to appear in pixels rather than soy ink doesn’t make it any less printed... or valid," says Leta Nolan Childers one vocal member of this new, burgeoning breed of e-authors. Childers currently has over 15 e-books available through DiskUs Publishing

Why the negative attitude towards the traditional houses? A great percentage of e-authors write between genres or cross genres, which the tradional publishing houses find difficult to market. But on the ‘Net it’s easy to reach a tiny segmented market. "I get tired of hearing ‘We really like your writing, but we don’t do futuristic anymore... can you get rid of your hero’s goatee and make him a bit less alpha while you’re at it?’" says Cherie Singer. Singer has also come to appreciate that, as an e-book, her novel has an extended life. "It doesn’t ever have to go out of print," she explains.

Most e-authors agree that long virtual shelf life is one of greatest benefits of the e-form, as well as their biggest frustration with traditional publishers. E-books stay available forever. This has become so important that some e-authors would only consider being published in print if they could retain e-rights.

"If I were to be approached by a traditional publisher, I would license the rights for only a specific length of time, not forever, as is often done today," says John Gorman author of the e-book King of the Romans. But few traditional publishers are willing to give up e-rights or change their standard contracts for new authors.

Sharon Reddy, who has over two dozen e-books currently available, claims she would not consider a print offer from a traditional house. "The reasons are many," she said, "but they begin with the ‘leave your ethics at the door’ corporate policy and contracting, and end with environmental concerns."

Creative freedom is another issue for Margery Harkness Casares. "I went with e-publishing because [such publishers] don’t try to inhibit an author in any way."

But money is a problem in the world of e-books, and few authors are making a living on their novels. E-publishers do not offer advances and try to make up for it with generous royalties of 25 to 50%. But sales are slow. Selling 150 copies of an e-book is considered a success. Yet 50% of 150 e-books isn’t enough to pay the rent. Thus, as with the world of hard copy, there is also discontent and frustration in the e-world.

Acceptance of e-reader devices is growing, but slowly. Add to that the often limited financing available to e-publishers who are trying to rewrite the book on how to reach readers without traditional reviews. (So far no traditional reviewer has reviewed an e-book.)

Furthermore, no big name author has yet to legitimize e-books, and new reading devices remain quite expensive ($200+). Worse still is the perception that e-books are all just rejected manuscripts.

According to Lois Carroll who has 6 e-books available, "There are too many poorly written and edited e-books being published that would never be allowed in print and few e-pubbers who help with ideas for publicity to increase sales. It all comes down to professionalism. If e-publishing appeared more professional to the authors and to the public, we'd be taken more seriously."

But according to those e-authors and e-publishers married to the new from, we’re only a few chapters away from e-books representing a real threat to traditional publishers.

The end of this story hasn’t yet been written.

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