Is proofreading really necesary? After all, it&rquo;s the age of the Internet. Surely an author doesn’t need to spend time -- and money – nailing down every last detail. And there are so many free converting programs for e-books.    Why not just plug in that Microsoft Word document, let the program do it's magic, and upload it to the Kindle store? Is it just me, or is there something a little distracting about this paragraph?

(There are seven typos/formatting errors above.)

Road Signs: A Story of Practical Magic">Straddling the line between fantasy and literary fiction is a genre known as magical realism. It combines the poetic punch of literature with surreal and otherworldly elements to make a genre far richer than either genre alone. Our editors were pleased to work with such a book recently, and we're even more pleased to announce that Jay Archer David's ROAD SIGNS is now available to the public. "There is a road between places, between things, peoples and times. It conceals magic, bestows power-but mostly we travel it with eyes closed. David wants to open his eyes and travel farther." This is the premise behind ROAD SIGNS, and we've invited Jay Archer David to share more about his book, its creation, and his decision to self publish,  here.

TED: Tell us a little bit about the genesis of the book idea and/or how you came to decide to write it.

There are all sorts of reasons we love ebooks at The Editorial Department. We appreciate the fact that soaring ebook sales represent one real bright spot in an otherwise gloomy publishing economy. It's also very encouraging to see part of this remarkable upswing coming from publishers recognizing what ebooks can do for their authors whose books are no longer available in hardcopy.

It wasn't so long ago that once a book went out of print, a reader's only resource was a library or a used book store. All too often it seems that only the most famous authors--the Stephen Kings and JK Rowlings--have most of their catalog available and in print. The rest of us are at the mercy of sales numbers and limited print runs. But thanks to ebooks, that's all changing, and it's truly a win/win situation for writers and their publishers.

One of our favorite cases in point comes from a client of ours named Ann Brandt, whose original path to publication with HarperCollins in 1999 was harrowing as it was thrilling.

Her debut novel, Crowfoot Ridge, tells the story of a remarkable journey of courage and self discovery as a woman trapped in a loveless marriage and a life she can no longer stand confronts the darkest secrets of her past and reconnects with a life she never should have left behind. Crowfoot Ridge is a beautiful, moving novel that, sadly, has been out of print for quite some time. But now it's been given a well-deserved new life as a September, 2010 ebook release from HarperCollins.

To celebrate her return to print, we'd like to share Ann's story with you, in her own words. Like most published authors, her story is one of persistence, patience, and the unflagging dedication it takes to bring a book to fruition. We were delighted to be a part of Ann's creative journey and are thrilled her story is once again available to old and new fans.

Susan Helen Gottfried is a woman with a healthy appreciation for loud music and larger than life characters. She's also a talented writer who has channeled her passion for heavy metal music into Trevor and Mitchell, front men of the band ShapeShifter. Set in the fictional town of Riverview (a kind of Anytown, USA) the rock 'n' roll lives of ShapeShifter and their fans are chronicled in the books THE DEMO TAPES (Years One and Two) and TREVOR'S SONG. After many positive comments, but no book deals, Susan decided to quit waiting on publishing trends and took the ShapeShifter gang to Smashwords (ebook) and Lulu (print) where their stories could finally reach an audience. Self-published authors are often perceived as not good enough for traditional publishing, but Susan defies that notion. Pulling double duty as both author/editor and publicist, Susan has seen the writing life from all sides, and her experience can help any author break out of obscurity.

First of all, if you're interested in the e-book revolution and haven't already read Ken Auletta's April 26th New Yorker article, Publish or Perish: Can the iPad topple the Kindle, and save the book business? you might want to check it out. It's a standout piece on an often-discussed topic that really puts Apple and Amazon.com's role in the e-book revolution into interesting perspective.

One thing I found particularly interesting about the article was its exploration of some of the stats and financial figures that attest to the speed with which e-books are gaining traction in the book marketplace.

A few highlights:

It's Apple tablet day, and since Apple has a level of security that beats the C.I.A., no one really what these things will actually be like, but that doesn't stop a wave of a wild speculation. 

However, with the general success and market domination of Apple products (seriously, do you spend much time thinking about Zunes?), you'd have to believe that the existing producers of e-book readers are sitting on the edge of their plush, executive seats today.  Publishers are on edge as well...how will this change the market for electronically distributed books?  How will Amazon react?  Will there be a price war on titles?  It's a lot to think about and it will likely take a while for the smoke to clear to actually know what will happen next, but what we can be happy about as authors, editors, publishers, agents, and readers is that people are excited for an innovate device that will likely help them read more.