	March, 2000

An Interview with an E-Publisher: Lisa Schmitt

Helping Writers with Disabilities Publish Their Work

An Interview with an E-Publisher: Lisa Schmitt -Helping Writers with Disabilities Publish Their Work

By Gregg J. Donaldson

As a follow up to Ms. M.J. Rose's article on the Future of the E-Publishing Industry, Tapping Technology thought it would be interesting to interview an E-Publisher, to get an insider's viewpoint on the trends and what it takes to be published. Ms. Lisa Schmitt is owner of Gemini Books, Gemini Bookstore and CDS.

TT: Along with Ms. Rose's article what trends do you see in the E-publishing Industry?

LS: "I see the development of the electronic publishing industry, particularly the work of the independent electronic publishers, having a significant impact on the disabled. Along with the voice synthesis technology that is so helpful to those with vision impairments, the development of reading devices and computer assistive devices will also make reading more readily accessible to people with a variety of disabilities ranging from amputations to paralysis to debilitating arthritis.

(She continued)

LS: The independent electronic publishers, as opposed to the print publishers dabbling in electronic publishing, are taking steps to make their books more accessible. First, by providing formats in addition to pdf and html, they are assuring that their titles are available in formats compatible with all the adaptive technology available. Second, the pricing is much more affordable than titles from the old-school print publishers. Print publishers are pricing their titles in electronic format at nearly the same price as hardback versions of the same title. Electronic publishers offer electronic books at about the same price as a paperback book...often less.

TT: How do you help your clients/readers?

LS: I try to work with my authors by being flexible on the types of formats I accept for review for publication. For our readers, I am willing to provide any book format they require for their particular reading device or adaptive technology. That means I make formats available that are compatible with voice synthesis technology, Braille printers, and just about anything else they request. All I need is a note included in the book order telling me what they need. If I don't have software to do the conversion I will buy it or pay someone who has it to provide the conversion.

(At this point, we had an amusing misunderstanding. I was thinking that the bookstore was a physical building).

TT: Where is your bookstore located?

LS: I own a publishing company, Gemini Books. I publish original fiction and non-fiction, as well as republishing some works that have been published in print. Gemini Bookstore is the online retail outlet for our books. Joe Votolo, is one of my authors. I am publishing a collection of his short stories in June. Since all our work is online rather than in a brick and mortar bookstore I don't have to make special accommodations in the way I believe you mean.

MJ Rose's article made it seem like it was an easier industry for people with disabilities to get into, so we asked:

TT: Is e-publishing as profitable for people with disabilities as other writers?

LS: People with disabilities may have an easier time breaking into electronic publishing than print publishing for a variety of reasons. If their stories feature characters with disabilities the odds of being accepted by a major print publisher are almost non-existent. Major print publishers are also less willing to take a chance in publishing unknown writers. Electronic publishers can afford to be a little more adventurous in their selections because they generally don't have thousands of dollars tied up in inventory that may or may not sell. This makes it easier for all writers, including those with disabilities, to break into the market.

She further stated:

I will not say that it is less competitive. Most of the non-subsidy electronic publishers turn down more work than they accept. The acceptance rate at Gemini is at about 30%. I have heard of others who turn away even more than I do. We have been fortunate in that we have received a lot of good work in the submissions. Some of the work I turned away because it did not fit in with what I wanted to publish. In several cases I referred the authors to other electronic publishers that I thought might be interested in their work. That is something else you never hear about in the print industry.

As for profit:

LS: Book sales rely entirely on the quality of the book, the amount of promotion done by the publisher, and the amount of self-promotion done by the authors. If a book is written by an author with disabilities and that is seen as news by some media outlet, the resultant additional publicity may affect sales.

What I meant about the publicity impacting sales is this: you heard about Joe's short story collection because it is news. More media will pick up on it and tell his story. That will garner more publicity than I could ever afford to buy. Will it mean more sales of his book? I can almost guarantee it. I have a book written by a Chilean attorney that takes a look at the Pinochet situation from a legal standpoint, as well as a Chilean standpoint. When the media picks up on that will it affect sales? Almost certainly. I am currently in negotiation with a director with over 30 years in Hollywood. If we come to terms and I publish his work will the publicity his name can generate increase sales? Of course.

As for what is the technology impact?

LS: The technology impact I see ahead is the increase in book sales to a group of people that hasn't been spending a lot on books because of the accessibility issue. As the technology evolves and becomes more affordable for the general population I expect to see many more people with disabilities having access to these books.

I also expect schools will start providing the technology to students with disabilities for use both at home and at school.

TT: What advice would you give to writers wanting to break into the e-publishing industry?

LS: I would advise authors looking into the industry to do some research. There are a lot of publishers out there but not all publishers are created equal. Find one who is interested in reaching your market, one who has a fair contract (compare a few), follow the submission guidelines when you do submit, and keep the relationship professional. Some electronic publishers do not provide editing. Some charge for any editing, cover art, or any other "publishing" work that needs to be done. While some only require electronic rights, others may require you to license all rights to them.

Be patient. Unless you choose to use a publisher who does not edit work or provide any other services your book will not be reviewed, accepted, or released overnight. There is still much to be done before production. Other than the actual printing process and the royalty rates, electronic publishing, when done well, does not differ all that much from print publishing."

For more information, contact Ms. Lisa Schmitt, at lisa@lisawrites.com
Or http://lisawrites.com

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