Hemingway and e-books
Posted by Mark Shaw on October 1, 2008
One has to wonder what good old Ernest Hemingway would have thought of e-books. Certainly they did not exist in his day and age but my bet is that he might have been old fashioned about the idea and barked a bit about the fact that “books belong in print” not in some digital form. Or perhaps he would have enjoyed the potential for more people to read his classsic works and also the increased revenues he might have stuck in the pocket of his fishing pants to buy more lures.
No matter, hemingwaywantabes, the digital age is here, like it or not, and since I am one who believes in trying new things, the book “How To Become a Published Author: Idea to Publication” is now available digitally at www.smashwords.com. The cost – a miserly five bucks. When paid, you may download the entire book to read, or use as a pillow for your black Labrador.
The smashwords site is easy to use, and the deal a fair one (no subsidy publisher here), but a word of caution. E-book rights may be valuable and you don’t want to assign them before you have a contract to publish your book in the traditional manner. When a publisher agrees to publish your book, it will want all the rights and you may run into trouble if you have assigned the e-book rights away.
Regardless, take a look at the smashwords site. And if have a book you think might be right for them, give it a shot.
