IRead, the first tier of the program, does not offer many surprises, showcasing current and backlist titles plus offering original content from authors such as David Baldacci and Sandra Brown, as well as from such well-known authors as Walter Mosley and Billie Letts. Digital publications will be sold on the site as well as through Time Warner’s online retail partners.The second tier, iWrite, marks the first time in over a decade that a major publisher will open its doors to unsolicited manuscripts. Authors will be invited to submit work that will be critiqued first by their peers, and then chosen by one of iPublish’s five editors, a process which is estimated to take a few months. Writers who are signed will receive a 25 percent royalty rate. ?The best of the best will be published as e-books first and then possibly make it into print,? said Gregory Voynow, senior vice president and general manager of iPublish.com.

Claire Zion, editorial director at iPublish.com, said she expects the vetting process to produce several hundred e-books a year. ?I think as much as 20 percent of what is submitted will be e-published,? she said. The third part of the program, iLearn, is a writer’s community that will offer aspiring authors lectures, classes, and chats with Time Warner authors, editors, and executives.

is right to do much more than that. “To create a vetting process that works the right way both editorially and legally just doesn’t make sense now,” she said. In the Web entrepreneurial community, there was little criticism. On the agent’s side, there has been some disappointment over the royalty rates being offered by iPublish. ?Twenty-five percent is higher than print,? said one agent, who requested anonymity, ?but e-books should be treated as sub-rights and authors should get a 50-50 split.?Another industry executive who would only speak off the record said that iPublish will seriously undermine online self-publishing and cooperative e-publishing ventures. ?What writer won’t go to iPublish.com first?? he asked. iPublish press release: www.ipublish.com