What is e-publishing?

E-publishing is short for electronic publishing, referring to a type of publishing that does not include printed books. Instead, it takes the format of works published online, on a compact disk, emailed, or provided in a file format compatible with handheld electronic readers. This is an alternate form of publication especially attractive to new writers, and it has both advantages and disadvantages over traditional printed books.

E-publishing offers greater longevity for works with slower sales. While paper publishers will remove slow movers from active status (print), electronic storage affords unlimited archiving. This gives new writers time to build a following by having their entire catalog available over extended periods of time.

With e-publishing, writers normally retain all other rights to the work, such as the option to go to a paper publisher later, adapt a screenplay, or use the work in some other capacity. Paper publishers, on the other hand, tend to covet as many rights as possible from the writer in the initial boilerplate contract.

In the next 10 years, e-publishing will come to the forefront as the way most of today’s printed material will be offered. The majority of novels will be read on more sophisticated e-readers. Most magazines and newspapers will be offered as e-subscription downloadable formats and many will only be available in electronic form.