HOW TO GET YOUR E-BOOK PUBLISHED: An Insider's Guide to the World of Electronic Publishing

The Internet and the World Wide Web gave birth to digital publishing as we know it today—an industry still in its "drooling infancy," according to Curtis and Quick. In a witty, chummy—sometimes corny—style, Curtis, a literary agent turned online publisher, and Quick, a self-described computer geek and science fiction author, deliver an impressively thorough and up-to-date operations manual for writers who want to navigate the world of electronic publishing. Writers who shrink from anything remotely technological will be pleased to find that they can follow a discussion of the ins and outs of the various HTML editors, for example, distilled into clear, relevant and practical explanations. But the best feature of this book is that it explores thoroughly issues that are larger than the dauntingly large technological ones. Curtis and Quick expound upon the developing area of digital rights management that writers who e-publish will have to contend with. How do authors protect their copyright when the ability to make an infinite number of copies—or, worse, to change the original composition—is only a mouse-click away? Much about digital publishing is yet to be resolved, but Curtis and Quick present an articulate, reasoned contribution to the revolution. Writer's Digest Book Club main selection. (Feb.)

Forecast:The book's gung-ho tone may seem misplaced in light of the folding of iPublish and other major e-publishers. But the tactic of going with smaller e-houses or self-publishing, both covered here, will appeal to many aspiring authors.