Electronic Publishing for Dummies
Simply put, electronic publishing is the publication of e-books and electronic articles as well the creation of digital libraries. Electronic publishing is also known by several other names. You may know it as "online publishing",
"e-publishing" or Web publishing"
Electronic publishing is a popular way to publish scientific articles or journal. In fact this has caused some concern in scientific circles as peer-reviewed paper journals are steadily replaced by electronic formats. Writers often make use of this kind of publication to share their work with a large number of people, quickly and usually more affordably than the conventional formats of books and magazines.
Most large journals and magazines use electronic publishing as well as conventional paper formats. So you can find issues of Cosmopolitan or Redbook as well as the latest information on science and technology in electronic format.
Online formats can reach a wider audience as well as provide a format for readers who may not have read the magazine or journal in paper form.
So does this mean that traditional forms of publishing are going to disappear? Not at all. Most new electronic publishing technologies are designed to provide the best of both worlds. Consumers can typically choose to buy paper or electronic formats of books and papers or both if they prefer. In future we may see short non-fiction electronic books becoming very popular.
It is thought that by the 2020 about 50% of all written work will be read in an electronic format or so says Dick Brass, a Microsoft vice president in charge of technology development. Many authors support this idea as it means they will bypass usual issues they may have with their publishers. The publishers themselves will be able to keep distribution costs down. Electronic publishing is here to stay.
People will still read books for recreation. Most people would obviously still head for paper formats for pleasure and recreation and it's doubtful whether electronic publishing will ever replace paper formats. Storing and reading electronic documents as long as a book also requires special storage devices and special file formats.
Recently, Fatbrain (formerly known as Computer Literacy Inc) has started selling technical books through stores and online. They also print manuals and other materials on demand. Their new initiative, "eMatter," will make uploading book manuscripts possible. Authors set their own prices and get 50% of the royalties for a storage fee of $1 a month. Many authors will find this a better deal than the 5% royalty from conventional publishers currently on offer. Like it or hate it, electronic publishing is part of the new wave of technology.