Why not both??

May I recommend a couple of things to consider?

1. How will you market the piece if it is an eBook? Do you have your own website that has Google/Yahoo web presence? If not, you may want to consider an online co-op such as AuthorsDen.com. There are free and for-a-fee services there.

2. What is your ultimate purpose in publishing the material? Will you want to have high volume sales? Higher volume sales come through a professional publisher. But the return to you is not much more than you would make from a well-marketed eBook.

I often recommend that people create their own website through which they can take credit cards through PayPal. If it's possible, take an excerpt of your book and make it available as a free PDF to readers as a teaser/pleaser.

Gone are the days when you can just put an eBook out there and have it sell. You'll definitely have to invest marketing dollars into its promotion.

And like Ian, I would recommend that if you eBook, you also self-publish a portion of books. Some people just want to buy the bound, signed copy of a story.

Keep in mind that the publishing industry has a bias against authors who self publish. If your book is commercial fiction or literature, and you intend to write more like it, you might be doing yourself no favor self publsihing.

If, on the other hand, the book is of the specialty or self-help genre then the other suggestions might prove useful.

I agree that web presence is a must these days either way you decide to go. Marketing, even if you have a publisher is something an author must learn how to do.

CJ

Wonderful advice. How much do you charge for consulting. If I can get you and Susan giving me some pointers, maybe I can get this writing thing off the ground. But, I am more interested in the enrichment you give me here. It's worth more than money could buy. Thanks for being so generous with your wisdom. I like that you live in a world of abundance instead of a world of scarcity. I wish more people, including me sone times, could practice your good example.

Omeletman: awesome points, indeed!

Consider using a pseudonym if you want to cross genres. I have a name I use for my professional writing, and one for fiction.

That is the most amazing compliment! Thank you.

Being part of this group has been wonderful for me. Every day I work with people who don't even know they can have a vision for their lives. When I get in a group that has a vision, I get so excited I can barely contain myself.

Maybe I should pay you for the joy of it!

Indeed life is abundant, it's all in looking through the right lenses.

Here's an item that concerns all authors--especially self-publisher/authors like me: Book returns from bookstores.

Nothing has the potential to generate ill will between authors/self-publishers and distributors/bookstores more than returns. If your book doesn't move fast enough on bookstore shelves, the books get sent back to the distributor or to you and monies are refunded and sometimes you're hit with a "return fee" on top of it.

But there's a no-returns trend developing that is catching on in several ways. Some publishers impose strict limits on returns or simply do not allow them. Some publishers give a greater wholesale discount to distributors or booksellers for accepting a non-returnable clause in agreements. Borders has had a reputation in the past (not sure about now) for just tossing books in a box without extra packing and returning them. That pretty much guarantees that they can't be resold for full retail due to damage received in transit.

Shopworn books can serve as review copies, sold at discounts as "overstock sales" (non-returnable!), and donated to public libraries. It's one thing for a bookseller to return a book for a refund, but that book must be returned in the condition it was received.

Many companies make backlist (previously released books versus "current" books) sales non-returnable and more and more small publishers are jumping on this bandwagon.

That's good news for authors and publishers.

Donn