If I publish an ebook, will I wreck my chances of getting a real publisher later?

A: It can. But it can also help. The answer is not clear cut. It depends on when and how you do it.

Q: How can publishing an ebook help me get a "real" publisher later?

A: If the ebook is a smash hit, a big publisher may well come to you with an offer to produce and market a paperback. Or an agent might show interest in representing you.

A small indie press offered to publish my ebook in return for 50% of the profits. Is this a good deal?

A: It can be, provided the publisher is able to provide support that is valuable to you. This can be financial, editorial, logistical, artistic, legal, social or – especially important to many authors these days, support, help and advice in marketing the ebook.

But if the publisher provides no support of any kind, then you might be better off publishing yourself directly on Amazon’s KDP, which offers self-published authors 70% of sales.