Many authors self-publish by e-publishing. This route offers higher royalty rates to authors than traditional publishers. Some authors have devoted fans and are hiring their own marketing and editorial departments. Novelist Chris Eboch has found several advantages to self-publishing through e-publishing. One is control of your work: the cover, price and content. Another is the ability to market genres that are not currently vogue, generating opportunities for novellas, short stories and poetry. E-publishing offers the self-publisher the advantage of quickly connecting work to the marketplace.
Small publishers have turned to e-publishing in droves. Book publishers and journal publishers have found a way to deliver content that is economical and efficient. Without huge outlays for postage and printing, small publishers can focus expenditures on marketing. E-publishing has revitalized publishers' back lists. With no need to keep inventories of previously published books, small publishers have fewer encumbrances on scarce funds. Another bonus for small publishers is the existence of online reader networks. With readers more connected than ever before, more books are reaching intended audiences.
In 2000, Stephen King was the first major best-selling author to sell a work exclusively through e-publishing. Today, almost every major publisher sells e-books, and in some cases, they sell in numbers comparable to hardbacks and paperbacks. Print publishing is not dying but is rapidly reconfiguring. Larger publishers are at the forefront of establishing digital rights and developing industry standards. Today, major publishers are adapting by moving content into new communicative forms with ease.
Every day, more platforms become available for e-books. These platforms include computers, tablets, e-readers and phones. Even with so many platforms, the industry continues to evolve. It is still easier to read printed material than computer screens; however, many platforms are moving closer to the same visual standard as paper. One great advantage of these platforms is the ease of access. Publishing content is available 24 hours a day, and since a significant portion of the book industry is driven by impulse buying, sales are growing at a fast pace.