Saving the Trees

by Robert Eggleton

I'm writing to share my observations about the publishing industry and the future of ebooks.

At age 54, my first novel, "Rarity from the Hollow" will come out as an ebook this summer. Please see: www.fatcatpress.com

Lacy Dawn, the protagonist, begins her adventure as a preadolescent victim of child abuse who overcomes by empowering others and ends up saving the universe. The beginning chapters are harsh realism but it becomes outrageous and fun. I feel especially compelled to promote the novel because a percentage of any profits will go to prevent child abuse in West Virginia. Promotion is hampered by a bias against ebooks in the publishing industry.

Lke many other people, there is a cognitive connection between books and trees and the environment. But I was astounded to find out how many people are printing manuscripts and mailing them to slush piles of various publishers where they sit, not to mention print on demand and vanity presses.

The vast minority of the submissions are never printed as books. A large proportion of printed books don't sell. And, an unknown number of the ones that do sell end up in trash cans someplace after the last chapter on the way home from work; or put in closets, basements, attics for years instead of being recycled. This phenomena also portrays the numerous workshops, conferences, and contests that aspiring writers attend or submit their work to.

Ebooks, especially given the convenience of small portable readers, are much more environmentally friendly. However, very few publishers, agents, review magazines, or contests will consider submissions by email. This also tends to restrict consideration of works by aspiring authors resulting in redundancy in the fiction marketplace. Hopefully, ebooks will increase in popularity and publishers and others in the marketplace will begin to accept electronic submissions and utilize this relatively new technology within an environmentally friendlier market.

Thank you for your consideration.

Robert Eggleton 1104 Garvin Avenue Charleston, West Virginia, U.S., 25302 304-346-7907 [email protected]