How To Sell Ebooks: The Definitive Guide to Selling Your Own Self-Published Book
Have you ever had the feeling that you have something to say? That your story can help someone else? That your book will make a difference in the world? If so, you might be thinking about self-publishing. Self-publishing has never been more popular, with many people who are just one person away from being an author. The publishing industry has also changed significantly over the last ten years. Traditional publishing houses are quickly becoming less competitive and new platforms are emerging, giving everyone an opportunity to share their voice with the world. Here is what you need to know about self-publishing your book.
Section 1: The History of Self-Publishing
To understand how self-publishing came to be, we have to go back a long way. Before the Internet, before ebooks, and before Kickstarter, there was the ordinary book. To be a successful author, it was important to make sure you had a publisher. Publisher meant that you would be paid a percentage of your sales for the length of time you did the work, as well as a royalty from the book itself. The typical royalty was 30%. The publisher had a large pool of authors to choose from and usually these writers could sign one of two forms: a 6-book contract or a 12-book contract. Bodice rippers. These contracts were based on the length of your career as an author. The writer could release a book in a month, publish a book a year, or keep putting out books indefinitely.
Why Self-Publish?
One of the biggest advantages of self-publishing is that you can reach a large audience with a very small investment. Most self-published books cost a fraction of the cost of traditional publishing, making them a good choice for authors who need to make a living, but do not have a lot of money to invest in an expensive book. Other advantages include saving money for rewards for those who take the time to help you promote your book. How To Self-Publish? Whether you want to publish your book for the first time or have published several books already, there are some things you will need to consider when publishing your ebook. Find the Right Platform Before you publish, it is a good idea to research and compare the different platforms you can publish on.
Types of Ebooks
Ebooks are documents that are readable on any digital device such as a mobile phone, tablet or computer. Although some ebooks are in PDF format, all ebooks have their own unique design and content that is unique to them. Ebooks come in all formats. Some formats are being phased out, but most are still commonly used. Ebooks can also be distributed via print-on-demand, meaning that they can be made available at any time. Ebooks can be purchased for one price, and also include various discounts for purchasing a few at a time, or for those who purchase more at once. The eBook Marketing guide by Lulu.com has a comprehensive list of the most common ebook formats, which you can view here.
Writing Your Book
Let’s begin with writing your book. Many writers struggle with writing their first draft. It is not a simple process, but it is so rewarding. You will want to take as much time as possible to write your book, but, ultimately, you will need to have at least 50,000 words for it to be marketable. Think about your book as if it were a story and a series of scenes with a plot, which makes it easier to follow. Take it one scene at a time. Think about it as if it were a story and a series of scenes with a plot, which makes it easier to follow. Take it one scene at a time. Your book is your baby. Write it knowing that someone else will read it, critique it, and critique you for the rough patches, but ultimately, help you turn it into the best book possible.
Formatting Your Book
The first step in self-publishing is getting your book formatted to its full potential. At this stage, you will be typing up your entire book in Word. This step is entirely optional, but the process will take much less time. You will be able to submit your final manuscript after completing this process. If you plan on publishing your book on a print-on-demand platform, then you will need to upload your manuscript to a format and layout service. Most services require a two-week turnaround time. After the service has edited your manuscript, it will be sent to your publishing house for review. This stage is completely optional, but is very important. You want to make sure that your book has been professionally edited to avoid typos and grammatical errors.
Uploading Your Book to Amazon
There are two ways to publish an ebook: Amazon and Smashwords. Amazon: If you’re interested in publishing through Amazon, first, you’ll need an Amazon Author account. If you’re not a member, you can sign up for one here. You will need to upload your book on both Smashwords and Amazon. The best place to upload your books is your own account page. You can find the link to your Amazon author page here. With that out of the way, you can upload your ebook to Amazon using this link. Smashwords: If you’re looking to publish on Smashwords, you can upload your book to their platform and they will give you a .smashwords.com URL to redirect to. You’ll also need to create a new Smashwords account (you can find the link to your Smashwords account here).
Marketing Your Book
While the sky is the limit when it comes to your book, your book still needs to be promoted. A bit of research can go a long way, but you will need to sell it online if you hope to sell it at all. It can be overwhelming if you have not done much marketing before. Here are some questions to ask yourself before you jump in. Do you have a business card? Do you know how to use social media? Do you have a website, and what does it look like? This is a very important question because it will give you some ideas for how to market your book. It also tells you what media to focus on. In addition, it tells you what to include in your author bio. You should have a professional bio for people to see in case someone asks about you.
Conclusion
In the next section, we’ll look at how you can market your book to readers. That is always easier said than done, however. If you enjoyed this article, please consider sharing this post with your friends and followers on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Google+! (Photo credit: Andrea Canciana) Like this: Like Loading… Related Posts 7 Publishing And Marketing Tips To Help You Promote Your Book How To Promote Your Book Like A Pro How To Become A Book Marketing Master About The Author Jessica Heschka is the CEO of Submarine Entertainment and is a total book marketing fiend. She has been a marketing consultant and content marketer for a number of years and has taken her business to the next level by being the co-founder of Book Writer Guild.
