A FORMER taxman from Maidstone is exploiting the potential of electronic book publishing with a new website. Les Broad, 50, launched Deunant Books after moving from Kent to rural north Wales. And the venture seems to have been a winner with frustrated authors.

"For writers who can't interest a publisher, can't afford vanity publishing, or who have written only short pieces, electronic publication on the Internet represents a viable, low cost, alternative route to publication," says Mr Broad, who joined Royal Insurance in Maidstone High Street, after leaving school, later working for the Inland Revenue.

"There are few publishers of e-books as yet - the number of businesses in the UK is probably still in single figures. We have around 20 books on our site now, with more on the way, included at least one written specifically for Internet publication which will exploit the capabilities of the medium."

The advantages of e-publishing centre on cost and convenience, says Mr Broad. "There is no limit on sales; those sales can be worldwide, and we can offer large print to readers. It certainly doesn't need a special print run.

"The reader benefits from instant receipt of the books and, if he wishes, can buy an e-reader through our site, too. Then he can read his e-book on the train, in the bath, or wherever he might read a paperback book."

For writers, e-publishing royalty rates are a bonus. "We can afford to pay up to 75 per cent, depending on the deal we strike with an author, which means that around 50 sales are needed for the author to break even," said Mr Broad.

Mr Broad - who had the dubious honour of being head-hunted into financial services on the Friday before the 1987 Stock Market crash - reckons no one is really trying to exploit the abilities of the e-publishing medium yet.

Within 72 hours of approaching Deunant and paying £200, authors can see their books on the site. Publications on the site range from novellas of less than 10,000 words to illustrated children's books and meatier tomes of 180,000 words.

Mr Broad arrived at the name for his company from the location of his house in rural Wales. "Deunant is Welsh and means two streams," he says. The Welsh language figures in some of the books published by Deunant. "I think we are the only business publishing novels in Welsh on the Internet and I would like to develop that further," said Mr Broad. Deunant Books is at www.deunantbooks.com