one of the companies, amazon or google, I cant remember which, will let you choose hard copy or e-book and will only publish hard back as they sell. so you don't end up with that situation....unless of course you order some to be pre printed..... e-book is a good way to go in order to build a following and get your name out there... a lot of authors now will publish e-book short stories to accent their hard back novels just to fill the gap between releases of the hard copies. keeps their fans interested...especially if you have a series with a main character that is followed.
If looked at as a tool to use and used for publicity or a starting point this route can be very useful..... what is your style of writing or type of storylines, there is a market for just about everything. you just have to find the right fit, and sometimes think outside the box in order to find an audience. for instance, there is a record store near me that sells independent authors graphic novels, and a few comic stores, just takes a meeting and presenting yourself and your work and you have a beginning of building a following...(of course a little luck still comes into play....lol)...but at the same time you are networking with ppl who can maybe help you out or suggest other ideas.... in the art world, artists biggest hindrance is their ego's.... i imagine the same for serious writers, but when they finally find that by helping each other and taking help when offered sooo many doors will open up, that's when they really take off and see things fall into place.....so think of any places that may relate to your style, any shops, privately owned business type establishments that may have an interested audience. and remember no matter what you are selling, sales is always the same, just gotta market yourself and build from there.
