Cantarabooks, it should be noted, is not the first literary PDF ebook publisher on the internet. That honor goes to Electron Press, a solo operation started by Philip Harris back in 1997.  Philip, by profession an IT consultant, saw the possibilities the internet offered early on and started Electron; and because at the time web publishing was such an intriguing frontier, he was able to acquire the works of varied and veteran authors such as Barry Malzberg, Arthur Herzog and James Ridgeway. I worked for Philip for a few months about five years ago as a special-projects editor when he still had his office in Manhattan (the last news of him was that he relocated to Connecticut), and a great deal of what I know about e-publishing I learned from working for him.

Thirteen years into the so-called Internet Revolution, the only two literary PDF ebook publishers I know of in the entire world at present are Electron Press and Cantarabooks. The only two literary PDF magazines I know of are The Broadkill Review and Cantaraville.

This, of course, is not counting statedly genre ebook publishers like Ellora’s Cave (women’s alpha-male erotica) or Zumaya (mysteries, GLBT, spec-fic), or the ever-growing number of PDF-exclusive academic journals. And of course, not counting the scores of other ebook presses out there that describe themselves as general interest or literary publishers, but in actuality deal in how-to manuals, informational brochures, inspirationals or bare-chested/bare-fanged adventures.

Electron Press was a groundbreaker but fell short of being the vanguard of a literary/publishing movement. I believe this was because three crucial mistakes were made at its founding and limited its ability to remain fluid in a new and uncertain field:

• EP’s contract called for perpetual and exclusive rights to a Work;
• The publisher’s ultimate goal was to be able to make his sole living from his press;
• He also made very few personal incursions into the literary sphere (as a commentator, observer, networker, etc).

Here I would add another crucial mistake still being committed by another e-press: Although this e-press purports to be a traditional publisher—in that they don’t charge a fee to publish and they pay royalties—they do charge you for editing your Work to their satisfaction.

In contrast, Cantarabooks asks only for two years’ rights to an author’s Work. Not only that: Should it happen that during the term of our contract some better-resourced publisher comes along and wants to sweep an author off her feet, we won’t stand in her way and we won’t ask for some kind of compensatory payment at her departure.  Additionally, all our authors get to keep the version of their Work which we have edited, gratis.

This is in no way a standard industry agreement. Almost everyone up and down the line in the world of literary arts wants to profit from your development. And almost everyone wants a piece of your success.

Why Cantarabooks doesn’t ask for a piece:

1. It isn’t that big a piece, as we contract only for textual electronic rights.
2. Our senior editor, Michael Matheny, is more interested in working one-on-one with authors as an editor because he believes that it’s just about the only process left that can truly “save” literature.
3. I’m interested in saving literature too, but my role is really more of a participatory observer in literary culture.
4. Actually, we really do demand a significant piece of the Work in perpetuity of a Cantarabooks author: a maximum of 5,000 words, our choice, without additional payment, for us to publish in Cantaraville. So far none of our authors has found this to be a terribly exploitative condition.

February 24, 2009 in Publisher Reviews by Cantara Christopher