Emily A. Vander Veer

Emily A. Vander Veer agreed to be interviewed via e-mail by C. T. Atherton.

CA: You have such a diverse background in photography, graphic art, computer programming, Web design, and marketing, and your skills are evident on your Web site. How long have you been involved with the Internet? What kind of changes have you witnessed in the industry since you began? How do you see it evolving in the near future?

EV: I first got involved with the Web back in 1995. At that time I was at IBM, and the division I was working for was just starting to get online. I wrote some content for their site (by that time I had segued from programming to marketing) and found myself more and more intrigued by the possibilities of the Web.

But I didn't jump onto the Web with both feet until a few months later, when I decided to move into a freelance writing career. I'd pitched a computer title to IDG Books on object-oriented programming--a specialized area that I was fairly expert in--and although they turned it down, they offered me the chance to write a book on JavaScript. I said yes, and I've been writing for and about the Web ever since.

The biggest change I've seen in my years on the Web is the inevitable trend toward commercialization. When cybersales figures started to raise eyebrows, big business started getting serious about going online. And I see nothing wrong with that, in theory. I just hope the Web is always going to offer a way for individuals to communicate, to express themselves, and to sell their own goods and services.

With all the controversy brewing--about browsers, portals and search engines blocking out everything but big-business partners, as well as about Internet taxing schemes--I'm afraid that the golden age of the Web may be on its way out, and that one day in the not-too-distant future it'll be difficult for regular people to participate on the Web the way we can now. But one can hope I'm wrong!

CA: You have published successful non-fiction books including JavaScript^TM For Dummies® and its companion guide, JavaScript^TM For Dummies® Quick Reference. Your articles have appeared in Byte, Salon, WEBTechniques, Dallas Observer, SF Week, CNET, Digital Music Weekly, and the Austin American-Statesman. How do you plan to market and publish your fiction and poetry?

EV: Making a living as a freelancer requires a lot of energy, as well as the ability to shift gears at a moment's notice. (My husband refers to it--quite inelegantly, if accurately--as "being a good rat.") So in addition to writing articles for established magazines and newspapers and books for traditional publishers, I've begun to market my own nonfiction work on the Web.

Fiction and poetry is harder to market, for the simple reason that no one needs it. They need fiction--I happen to believe fiction is as essential to life as bread and air--but they don't necessarily need my fiction. And on top of that, there are far fewer traditional channels for fiction and poetry than there are for nonfiction. I don't see the Web changing that anytime soon.

So I guess the answer is: through traditional channels such as short story competitions, magazine editors, and established book publishers, for now.

CA: What type of fiction do you write? How long have you been writing fiction?

EV: I've been writing fiction now for almost two years. I began by getting that first novel out of the way. It took so much out of me that I switched to short stories to "rest" and found, to my surprise, that short fiction is at least as challenging as longer pieces. I'm hooked now, although I can already feel my next novel biting the back of my brain.

One of the things I've found incredibly helpful in my quest to improve my fiction is the critique process. Awhile back I started a women writer's group here in Austin (called the Austin Writergrrls) and organized monthly prose readings at a local bar. Reading works-in-progress aloud in front of a live audience has been incredibly useful in the editing process. (Surprisingly fun, too!) I highly recommend it.

CA: Since you already are Web savvy, and possess technical skills, do you ever plan to turn to e-publishers, or will you self-publish your work electronically?

EV: I'm actually self-publishing two pieces currently (two 25-page guides, called "What Every Writer Must Know About E-Publishing" and "What Every Writer Must Know About E-Promotion"). (I've also submitted a short manuscript to an e-publisher called MightyWords.com, but did so more as an exercise than anything else; I wanted to make sure I understood how the process works before I wrote about it.)

I first began investigating e-publishers over a year ago, back when I was writing regularly for the Austin-American Statesman. My editor killed the piece because she said e-publishing was far too far away from being "viable," but I kept up with my research anyway because I was intrigued by the possibilities.

Then, last fall, I wrote a series of pieces about the online music industry and artists who are using the Web to distribute their own music, and that's when the idea for electronic self-publishing took hold.

Right now, to be perfectly frank, I think the e-publishing industry is in a gold rush phase. So many people are setting themselves up as e-publishers when they have no idea how either the Web or the publishing industry works! The result is a lot of contracts that would be laughable if they weren't so scary.

I think writers have to be extremely careful about what they sign. They also need to understand exactly what it is that e-publishers can do for them. For example, sticking a manuscript up on the Web is no guarantee that anyone will ever read it, but unfortunately, that's what a lot of unscrupulous e-publishers are claiming--and charging for.

CA: What do you feel are the advantages for writers turning to e-publishing? Any disadvantages?

EV: The advantage is simple: the Web offers authors a way to publish, promote, sell, and distribute their own writing to a worldwide audience. That's something that's never been feasible economically before (at least, for most authors).

The disadvantages are many, though. As I said, I think the majority of e-publishers are scams. Many don't understand how to protect authors' electronic copyrights. Many don't understand that publishing a manuscript on the Web can take away the author's right to sell first rights to a paying publisher. Many are charging exorbitant fees for something authors can do themselves with only a little bit of technical know-how and no up-front cash!

So right now, I think the best way for authors to e-publish is to electronically self-publish. That will surely change as more e-publishers enter the market, however.

CA: What do you hope to accomplish with your Web site, Writing for the Web?

EV: My goal for Writing for the Web is to become a respected, non-biased source of information on the e-publishing industry, as well as on writing for Web-based markets. There are so many publications and sites out there that sing the praises of various e-publishers, e-zines, etc. without asking the questions that really matter to professional writers. Like, do they offer fair terms? Do they pay fair rates? Do they protect authors' rights?

I learned to ask those kinds of questions during a year-long stint of writing features for an analytical publication, where my technical knowledge of Web programming (and experience as a marketer) helped me cut through the market-speak.

CA: Tell us about your free bimonthly newsletter, what topics do you intend to cover?

EV: Anything and everything related to e-publishing, as well as online self-promotion and self-publishing, paying markets, and electronic rights. I'm actively seeking feedback from my readers on what issues are most important to them.

CA: In your opinion, is e-publishing just a trend or is it here to stay?

EV: Here's what I see when I gaze into my crystal ball: as soon as a secure manuscript delivery format is developed, the big publishers will move online en masse. (A few of the big boys are dipping their toes in the water, but there's too much money at stake; the technology just isn't mature enough today.)

E-publishers that make a name for themselves through their editorial expertise will survive; others will be reduced to vanity status. (In reality, many e-publishers are nothing more than electronic vanity publishers right now, but because the Web and e-publishing is so very new, they're typically not characterized as such.) Hard-copy books will continue to proliferate, because they're relatively cheap, portable, reusable, they never "crash," and they satisfy a certain tactile and visual hunger in so many readers.

CA: Any advice for writers who want to explore the world of publishing online?

EV: Yes!

Be very careful before you sign anything, and hold any e-publisher you're considering to the same standard you'd hold a traditional publisher. And keep writing, of course.

About the Author:

• Author's Web site
• Order Javascript for Dummies from Amazon.com.
   

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