But what happens if an ebook takes off and becomes a huge bestseller? It’s gotta happen someday. Are you saying that at that point the author has to cut a deal with a publisher, and sign over all his rights, just to get into the distribution chain? Or is he better off just writing off a bookstore presence and only selling via epublishing, and with hard copies only sold through internet outlets (like Amazon) with Createspace? Is there really no way to get both?

As for striking a deal with a traditional publisher to distribute your publisher’s books only, you would have to be a pretty solid small publisher doing numbers of authors. Then that would be possible and is done. Pulphouse (my old company) had a co-publishing and distribution arrangement for a time with Bantam Books. But we were a very large publisher at that point.

Why I say NEVER is that most traditional publishers are also starting to shift over their books slowly, in some aspects, to POD. It is so much better to not have the huge shipping and warehousing costs involved with the old “warehouse” distribution system.

With the contracts of traditional publishers today, that idea that print will be a subsidiary right that you could just sell is not possible. They want ALL of your rights. Maybe in twenty years that might change. But I kind of doubt it, honestly. But stranger things have happened lately in this business.

One could then do without Createspace and just send Amazon and B&N and Ingrams and others hard copies to keep in their warehouses. One of course has to warehouse the bulk oneself, and then ship on demand. Obviously for many books this won’t happen, but let’s say one does get lucky and get a big selling book, and one still doesn’t want to strike a deal with a publisher just to get hard copies out. How hard is it to manage that over a nationwide network of distribution?

My hope is that someday, as you or Konrath suggested, printed books will become a subsidiary right, and we can just sell that right to publishers who will take care of bookstore distribution, give us a royalty or fee, and we don’t have to worry about it. Until then, I’m guessing self-publishers of a big selling book (yes, I’m crazy optimistic, man) have to handle all those print runs and distribution themselves. Just wondering what the best way to do that is.

Business permits and local and state taxes vary from state to state and sometimes city to city. Up to each of you to figure that out. As far as federal taxes, well that depends on how you set up your business. If you are simply doing a “doing business as” business, then it would just be a personal business and you would file a Schedule “C” with your tax return for the business. Or wrap the income into your Schedule “C” for your writing income. If you are a corporation I said many times to get an accountant.

Oregon has no sales tax. I have no clue. I just know I don’t have to pay any for sales. Again, state-by-state.

I hope a future column/blog can address some of these issues.

Thanks again for all your wonderful insight into this adventure.

One of the reasons I like Dreamstime so much, because all that information is clear right with each photo or artwork.

Cheers
Dean

http://everystockphoto.com/

I just recommend you READ CAREFULLY the rights on any particular picture. The pictures are free for different purposes with different restrictions.