I posted this in the comments section of D. Pershing’s post at ESPAN:

As Vice-President of this chapter (ESPAN) I’ve been thinking about these issues for a while. It is obvious that this has been weighing on the minds of a lot of epublished authors. It is obvious that there has been discontent. That is one of the reasons I ran for office of this chapter, because I see the need for change. I believe that change has to come from the inside.

I would like to thank both Deidre and Ms. Pershing for taking a step and posting their thoughts on ESPAN’s blog this past week. Whether we agree with each of them or not, what they did took courage. Courage because opponents on either side may be ready to rip them down. This should not become a personal attack on either of them, even though it is a personal issue to many of us.

This needs to be about the issues at hand. To me they are these:

RWA says that if I’m epubbed I’m not considered career-oriented, however the definition of career=A chosen pursuit; a profession or occupation. It does not say what the business mode or dollar amount earned of that career should be. And it cannot. Is a lawyer who works for legal aid and earns a minimal salary any less a career-focussed lawyer than one that works for the most prestigious law firm in town and pulls down a hefty wage, plus bonuses? No. They each just have different visions for their career.

Secondly, I do not see how RWA can make the decision that all epubs are bad just because a few are. I’m sure there are disreputable large press print publishers too and I don’t see them all being lumped together. In fact, I don’t see any RWA listing at all advising which print publishers are better than others (unless there is one somewhere and I’m just not aware of it.) And there shouldn’t be. Just like there shouldn’t be for epublishers – at least, not from the RWA. I do not believe it is their job to make those decisions. Yes, writers should be aware about vanity and self-publishers. And yes, we should be warned when there is something going down with a publisher (any publisher, epub or otherwise), but there are plenty of other places you can find that information. RWA’s job should be to educate us so that we can make the choices that are best for us, so that we can view each and every publisher and decide if they are right for us.

Lastly, If the money flows TO the author from the publisher, whether by advance or royalties, then you are published period. The business mode should not matter. If you have even earned $1 and have a signed contract with a non-vanity/non-subsidy publisher where the money flows to the author then you are published. Period. You are a published author. Which would therefore make you eligible for the RITA’s. Let the epubbed/small press books stand on their own merit, let them stand against the large press pubbed books. What do you have to lose? So some will not be great – that same holds true for some large press books. There are good and bad in both. If their author/publisher feels they are good enough to sub to the Rita’s then why not allow them to enter? I just don’t get the reasoning. And I don’t have any horses in that race, so no one can accuse me of just wanting to get my book in the Rita’s.

I just want the discrimination to stop. It has to stop. Because it is splintering an organisation that I feel offers a lot of good. It is not up to the RWA to tell me what mode of business is the best for me as a writer. It is up to them to educate me on all modes and let me decide for myself.

I am career focussed. I want this career. I have planned every step and, yes, I may have had some missteps, but they were mine and I own them.

I am the Vice-President of the ESPAN Chapter of RWA and am so proud to have had Deidre choose our chapter to call for a change within the RWA. You can find her fantastic blog post at ESPAN.

The bottom line is that RWA is supposed to serve the needs of all its members and while you can’t be everything to everyone, you can fit the needs of most. That “most” no longer includes solely traditionally published authors. Epubbed and small press authors are part of the mix too and, judging by the reaction on these issues, not a minority part.

Right now epublished (not to be confused with self-pubbed or vanity presses) and small press authors are too published for the Golden Heart, but not published enough for the Rita. They can earn PRO status and PAN status, but aren’t considered “career-focussed” authors because their publishers do not offer an advance or are not mass-produced. Yet, for the most part, their royalty percentage is quite large compared to that of their counterpart.

Some epubbed authors far surpass the $1k PAN requirements, some don’t. Just like some NYC print authors

Just like with traditional print authors, epubbed authors are good, bad and everywhere in between. So why not let them play on the same field? Why are they treated differently? Why are we creating division between our authors by declaring some are more published than others?

I’m a member of the newly revitalised ESPAN (have you checked them out? If you are an electronic or small press author it is worth your while), in fact, I was recently voted Vice-President. I’m very excited to help propel epubbed and small press authors’ interests forward within the RWA. Kristen Painter is our fearless leader, er, President and I know she feels strongly about doing the same thing.

As ESPAN kicks off and heads in a new direction, what better time to start heading forward than in the midst of “Read an Ebook Week”.

Check out all the great companies involved, or just read the history of ebooks.

Dear Author regularly posts about e-reading technology and their most recent post, How to Decide Between the Sony and the Kindle eInk Readers, is merely the latest in an ongoing debate. They seem to always be testing and trying out new gadgets, so they are a resource to check before buying your next ebook reader.

I’m quoting directly from our blog post on ESPAN for the info below:

If the nifty gadgets don’t convince you, how about this article from EPublishers Weekly called 30 Benefits of EBooks. Top of the list? Ebooks promote reading at a time when people spend more time in front of screens, than in front of books. Also, they’re environmentally friendly.

John Siracuse of Ars Technica gives a clear-eyed view of the changing face of e-book technology over the years with The once and future e-book: on reading in the digital age.

For writers debating the merits of e-book vs traditional publishing, please keep in mind that, as Angela James notes in this article, A Different Way Isn’t the Wrong Way.

“However you choose to read, remember that the platform isn’t the most important thing. It’s All About the Story.”

As an epubbed author myself, I really appreciate all of this information. I appreciate that more people are being educated about their options. How your book is delivered or read isn’t the issue. It’s how well the words are written, in whatever book you buy, whatever format you buy it in.

Happy Reading!