Tag Archives: Self-Publishing

Expanding Your Reach Through Digital Publishing

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The recent unveiling of Apple’s iPad set the social networks ablaze with commentary. While many oohed and ahhed over the device’s shiny appearance and capability for making life and work run more smoothly, others wondered aloud (and on Twitter) if the gadget would only serve users as an expensive, tricked out Kindle-type monitor. To be certain, if Apple succeeded in anything with its initial push, they added fuel to already animated discussions on the future of publishing in the digital age. For the business using the Internet to strengthen brand visibility and customer reach, this represents progress worth watching, even if you don’t work in publishing.

Experts may debate whether or not print is dead, but it can be agreed upon that digital production of books and documents won’t fade anytime soon. Amazon.com reported a record high for Kindle eBook sales late in 2009, while document sharing sites Wattpad and Scribd boast thousands of available works – everything from novels to dissertations to poetry and plays – for download to laptops and smart phone reader applications.

Amateur writers are not the only ones making use of this exposure, either. Scribd, for one, distributes works by major corporations and publishers, including Ford and Simon and Schuster. Recently, self-publishing platform Smashwords, which allows authors to make content available for sale or free, signed agreements to allow the works of registered users to be distributed to Barnes and Noble’s website. Not to be outdone, Amazon cooperates with authors directly to sell their books via their Kindle store.

Bottom line: if you have written something worth sharing, and wide distribution can benefit your business, it should be seriously considered. All you need to do, once the writing and editing is completed, is plan accordingly. As you ponder this type of marketing strategy, ask yourself these questions:

1) What can I write about my company/products/services that people may want to read?

What is your main line of business? If you work in construction, perhaps you have extensive original material on home repairs and tips that can be collected in a digital booklet and distributed. If you deal in antique, you can lend your expertise to a pricing guide or series of articles on properly buying and selling items. For everything you do, you can provide instructions and insight.

When you do prepare work for distribution, take care to make certain your work is original, with attributions to other sources made where needed, and that your website and business information is provided. Cover art is not necessary, but if you feel it would help readership you can easily find royalty-free artwork online to use.

2) How do I format my book/lets?

Common formats of electronic documents include HTML and PDF, which may be created easily through the proper software or freeware. Other formats, readable on proprietary readers like Kindle or Sony’s reader, can be translated through free publishing services like Smashwords.

3) Where do I offer my book/lets?

For marketing purposes, it is beneficial to make any complimentary digital downloads easily attainable. Offer the files on your site’s server, and take advantage of free distribution channels like Wattpad, Scribd, Smashwords, and similar sites. Advertise links on your blog and social profiles for maximum exposure.

Similar to article marketing, creating digital downloads can work to lend authoritative value to your brand and increase awareness of your business. As people turn more toward sharing free content via social media and smart phones, so you have the opportunity to raise exposure of your work, products and services.

Kathryn Lively is a social media specialist assisting clients with social media writing and travel social media services.

Author: Kathryn Lively
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Writing How to eBooks – The Difference Between Writing Books & Writing eBooks

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In the last few weeks, I’ve run into an issue three times. Now writing isn’t a big subject, so I probably shouldn’t have been surprised. But I was. You see writing also isn’t a subject that evokes passion in people — especially professionals. Or maybe I should say excessive emotions rather than passion. You see writers tend to put their emotions onto the paper, not into their real lives. Maybe that’s one reason writers are such a laid back bunch — we expend the noisy emotions on paper and keep the quiet ones for real life.

In any case, two of these cases involved people claiming that eBooks weren’t real books. And that only printed books were worthy of serious consideration. I must be honest; one of them admitted that digital books — meaning real printed books copied to a digital format — were still valid.

At the same time, I was predicting the effect of the arrival of traditional publishers on the eBook scene.

This got me to thinking since I write both types of books. What is the difference between writing an eBook and writing a traditional book?

It didn’t take me long to realize that I needed to determine what I meant by a book and an eBook. You see eBooks have developed a bad reputation. One that’s deserved. That of being poor quality and being typically a tempest in a teapot. A very tiny teapot.

So I had to put some limits around the terms.

Far too often eBooks are actually just reports with an over-inflated sense of self-importance. They’re really just white papers and extended report length pieces. They’re far too short to be honestly considered as a book or eBook. At most they might fit the definition of monograph. An essay or thesis to be more precise.

And second they are often poorly written and poorly edited. But that’s not a factor of the medium. That’s a factor of the expense and recognition of quality.

But both of these are a vanishing breed. They may last for a short time but the market is going to kill them soon.

On the other hand I also looked at books. And realized that books ran from novelty and executive length all the way up to tomes. So comparing writing different length books was going to be a problem.

The only way to be fair was to compare the same fruit of the writing tree… equal length books of the same type.

So what’s the difference between writing a very long eBook of a hundred pages and an executive length book of a hundred pages?

Does an eBook take less time? Nope.

Does an eBook take less effort? Nope.

Does an eBook take fewer steps? Nope.

Does an eBook take different steps? Not for the writing parts.

So what is the difference?

The publishing step. When writing an eBook you need to format the book in the form it will be sold in. When publishing using a traditional process the publisher does that.

But arguably that’s a publisher’s problem not the writer. And it’s really a function of the use of traditional publishers versus self publishing.

So the answer is… there is no difference. Writing an eBook is exactly the same as writing a traditional book.

Do you want to learn how to write a book in 24 hours? Take my brand new free course here: http://www.learningcreators.com

Do you want to read more free information like this? Go to my blog: http://www.learningcreators.com/blog/

Glen Ford is an accomplished consultant, trainer and writer. He has far too many years experience as a trainer and facilitator to willingly admit.

Author: Glen Ford
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Bypassing the Traditional Roadblocks and Getting Your eBook Published Quickly and Easily

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There are a lot of people who get involved with the e-book publishing business every year. The reason they get involved with this business is because it allows them to overcome many of the traditional challenges that are faced by people who try to get their manuscripts published through conventional channels. It away, the e-book publishing business is something of a hybrid. In many ways it is a lot like the traditional publishing business. However, you are in control of the process. This is both a blessing and a curse. The overwhelming majority of people who consider themselves to be authors typically lack the entrepreneurial and business acumen necessary to successfully self publish their own manuscript as an e-book you.

That’s why I highly recommend that if you are interested in getting involved with e-books self-publishing that you obtain a training course that teaches you everything you need to know about the process. I’m sure were you get a training course from — there are quite a few of them out there. What I would suggest, however, is that you carefully inspect any training course before purchasing it. Make sure that the individual or company offering a training course knows what they are talking about.

Once you understand the power of e-book publishing, you will soon understand why so many aspiring authors are gravitating away from traditional publishing channels and striking out on their own with their own independent e-book titles. It goes without saying that you can make a lot of money when you are primarily in control of the publishing process. Trust me, the advantages of getting involved with the e-book publishing business from the perspective of an author/entrepreneur are enormous.

For more FREE information about how to shortcut your way to financial success with your own home based eBook publishing business, visit the eBook Secrets website by clicking here.

Author: Ethan Evans
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Write and Sell Ebooks Online: 6 Reasons It’s Easier Than Ever to Self-Publish and Make a Profit

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I write and sell ebooks online for a living. I published my first ebook in 2004. To date, I’ve written and self-published 18 titles. Anyone who wants to can do this. Why? Because what I call the “eSelf-Publishing” world has evolved a lot since 2004.

One of the biggest changes has been the explosion of e-readers (eg, the Kindle, iPad and Nook). These little devices have made reading on electronic devices more popular than ever. And this is just the beginning. For those who are ambitious and hardworking enough, starting an online business writing and selling ebooks can be one of the most lucrative enterprises of the 21st century. The following 6 reasons detail why.

6 Reasons to Write and Sell Ebooks Online

The following changes highlight why there are more reasons than ever to write ebooks and self-publish them if it’s something you’ve been wanting to do.

I. EPubs Outselling Hardcovers: In July 2010, online bookseller Amazon reported sales of ebooks for its proprietary Kindle outnumbered sales of hardcover books for the first time ever during the second quarter of 2010, saying it sold 140 e-books for every 100 hardcover books, including hardcovers for which there was no digital edition. [Source: Wikipedia]

II. Bestseller List: In an acknowledgment of the growing sales and influence of digital publishing, The New York Times said on Wednesday that it would publish e-book best-seller lists in fiction and nonfiction beginning early next year. [Source: Times Will Rank E-Book Best Sellers, The New York Times, 11/10/2010]

III. Sales Explosion: U.S. consumers are projected to spend $1 billion in e-books this year, according to a recent report from Forrester, who also expects that sales will surpass $3 billion by 2015. [Source: “The New York Times” to Launch Bestseller Lists for E-Books, Mashable website]

IV. Free to Publish: When I first looked into publishing my titles on Amazon in 2007, you had to have an ISBN number. They cost was somewhere around $150. I put it off ostensibly to “get to” later. And of course, I never did.

Now, you don’t need an ISBN number to publish, write and sell ebooks ebook on Amazon. It’s 100% free. All you have to do is upload your file.

V. Forget Traditional Publishers: In traditional publishing, author’s get around 17% of a book’s cover price – yes 17%. Usually, publishes get over half, and the distributors get another 25-30%. So, it leaves you, the writer/author, with very little profits.

But with ebook publishing, you don’t have to wait to be signed and published by a big name publisher. You can actually sell fewer ebooks and do quite well for yourself because you keep all the money.

VI. Make More Money: This year [2010], more than 50% of my income came from ebook sales (I’m a freelance writer). The more I write and publish, the more money I make. With 32 new titles planned for next year, and writing with this in mind, I only expect this to increase.

What I hope you’re beginning to understand is that if you want to write and sell ebooks online for a living, now has never been a better time to take the plunge.

May be reprinted with the following, in full: Yuwanda Black is a prolific ebook writer and publisher. She says, “There’s no better feeling than being able to make money writing what you want, when you want — and make money doing it.” Did you know that you can write and publish an ebook, and start getting sales within a week — really? Learn how in the Inkwell Editorial Ebook Writing and Self-PublishingTournament. One participant sold 14 ebooks in less than 24 hours! You can take the knowledge you learn and write and sell ebooks online for years to come.

Author: Yuwanda Black
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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How To Publish Your Own Book And Save Money

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A book being published by its author is not a new concept. It is practiced for the various reasons discussed here. To find out how to publish the book on one’s own economically, first let us look at what are the needs behind a self-publishing venture.

Sometimes an author wants to have complete control over the editorial process. It is also possible that a manuscript is ignored by many publishers, especially when the author is relatively unknown. If the book has an interesting subject, but limited target readership, the publishers might turn it down. Self-publishing remains the solution in that case.

There is a possibility of publishers declining to publish your work if the subject of your work appears controversial. It is also possible that an author might be so sure of the success of the book, yet does not wish to let go of the substantial part of the profits to the publisher. Self-publishing and promoting the book yourself gives you, the author, 100% of the profit.

The following suggestions will help you save money on publishing expenses.

Make your book available in print as well as eBook form. It is possible to get more customers for your book if it is made available in hard copy, as well as soft copy (ebook). An eBook costs next to nothing as compared to conventional printing. It may be possible to generate many sales by offering your eBook at a lower price than the print copy.

In addition, when the customers confirm an order for such print plus eBook offers, you can determine the exact number of copies that need to be printed. This saves you from having to spend money on unsold inventory.

Cutting costs at production level

Consider prepress expenses such as copy-editing and proofreading. If you have expertise in editing or proofreading, then rather than employing the services of a professional, do it yourself, or seek the help of family members, friends or colleagues who can offer their expertise. A word of caution, though, make sure there are absolutely no mistakes or errors before printing, as you will have to reprint later in order to change anything.

Make your book part of some other marketing program

Try to find any commercial organization that will use your book as a part of their marketing program. It is possible to market your book to such enterprises if the subject of the book is relevant to their products. By successfully marketing your book for their own marketing schemes, they help you to cover the production expenses with an advance payment.

Victor Epand is an expert consultant about books. When shopping for books, we recommend you shop only at the best bookstores for used books, autographed books, and vedic books.

Author: Victor Epand
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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