Im a fairly techie person. Im on the pc so much, sometimes I think it would be more practical to have a microprocessor implanted straight into my brain and so i wouldnt have to sit at my desk all the time. But although Im pretty expert using the Internet, social networking, WordPress, web pages, etc., there are two areas by which Im a small late bloomer. One is mobile technology (Ill be talking much more about that inside a later article). I only just experienced my first "smart" phone (a Blackberry) less than Six months ago. Even though Sometimes with authors ALL the time, the 2nd area that Im admittedly a late bloomer may be the world of gifs books -- eBooks.
Actually, these two things (mobile technology and gifs books) are extremely, very much related, and when we authors dont have a clue about the subject, and just how they work together, we are most probably to miss on half (or even more) of our potential book sales. Actually, many of my clients and colleagues have been enjoying #1 bestseller status in eBook rankings a lot more quickly than in paperback (particularly in the united states, where eBooks seem to have caught on faster than here in Europe...but were making up ground fast).
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I used to think an eBook only agreed to be a PDF file which was pretty much a duplicate of your print book. Or more until not too long ago, that was true. Then, along came the Kindle, along with a whole new market exposed. However, "smart" mobile technology, for example iPhones, iPads and so many other formats entered onto the scene. Its a confusing quagmire of technology, and it is Super easy to obtain overwhelmed with the options.
So I thought Id write a VERY basic introduction to some of the practical things to consider for eBook creation and distribution for authors whore self-publishing.
Question 1:
Do you need to bother publishing your book within an e-mail for those who have a print edition?
Answer:
ABSOLUTELY YES!!! Amazon actually sells MORE Kindle eBook sales than it sells print books! Can you believe I didnt even own a Kindle until some time ago? That which was I thinking? Besides huge sales volume, the simple truth is you can charge less and make must more in royalties with an eBook than a paperback book.And lastly, eBooks neednt be as long as print book to make them salable. I have bought some excellent eBooks that couldnt happen to be a lot more than 30,000 words, but were worth every penny I taken care of them.
Question 2:
What eBook formats exist? Which format should I use?
Answer:
There are lots of formats, but the two you need to concern yourself with the majority are Kindle (a bespoke format from Amazon) and the ePub format, which is used by ipad and other companies.
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Kindle may be the big leader in eBook sales (having been around for nearly 5 years now), but ipad is doing currently nearly one fourth of eBook sales finally count. Also, the ePub format is compatible with many other cellular devices aside from the ipad. You need to use BOTH formats, as well as PDF.
Question 3:
Where do I have to visit setup accounts for an e-book?
Answer:
My suggestion is by using THREE: Amazon (for Kindle), Lightning Source AND Smashwords for other electronic formats. They all distribute to totally different channels (the only overlap I have found between LS and Smashword Kobo).
For Kindle, go to the Kindle Direct site and get started. Be SURE to read all their guidelines before submitting anything. You dont have to have an ISBN, however i think its a great idea to possess one.
For Lightning Source, go to their home page and download their list of "CoreSource" Fulfilment partners (youll probably find about 60 of them, including MBS Books, Lulu, CyberRead, It Depository, Kobo and many more. They deliver eBooks in Adobe Acrobat ebook Reader, Microsoft Reader, and Palm eBook formats. You WILL need a new ISBN for the eBook version.
If you go to the Smashwords website, you will see their distribution partners on their own home page as Apple iBookstore, Barnes & Noble, Sony Reader Store, Kobo and the Diesel eBook Store. Again, you dont need an ISBN, but I think it is a lot easier to use your own, because it associates your book with YOU like a publisher, and not with Smashwords.
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Question 4:
How do I get my book into gifs for Kindle and ePub? Do I just upload my PDF of my print book?
Answer:
Nope. Each company has their own formatting guidelines and its Vitally important you follow them. If formatting isnt your "thing" someone can help you ready your book for gifs. Smashwords will even give back a list of suggested formatters, who are all quite affordable.
The Kindle Direct website is a little confusing (I think it is because their gradually updating their information), but if you hunt around it enough, you may have a of suggested places where you can get the book formatted for Kindle. The main one Ive been using is called "LiberWriter" (LOVE the name!) at http://liberwriter.com/. You can test them out free of charge, after which if you wish to use their services, its $25 to make use of their do-it-yourself conversion, and $50 to possess them format and convert for you. They also actually respond to personally to customer service requests (always an advantage).
Question 5:
Lets talk about money. How do you price my book, and what type of royalties am i going to receive per sale?
Answer:
The short response to how to price your book reaches LEAST 50% LESS than your print version. So, in case your print book costs $15.95, then price your eBook around $7.95 or less. If, however, you use this book pretty much like a promotional tool (instead of a proper "book"), consider selling as low as $0.99.
Regarding royalties, it is going such as this:
Smashwords
Wholesale compensation = 60% of retail (when sold on sites other than their very own)
Example: if your eBook is selling for $7.95, the author would get $4.77.
Whenever your eBook is sold Around the Smashwords site, you get 85%. In other words, in case your eBook is selling for $7.95, the writer would get $6.76.
Lightning Source
LS take 7.5% obtained from net (quite simply, the writer gets 92.5% of net sales). Net is calculated if you take the list price and subtracting the discount youre giving the distributor. For example, if your eBook is selling for $7.95 and wholesale discount is 50%, net world be $3.98, and the author would get $3.68. Of course, you can set your discount in a much lower rate wholesale discount if you wish to achieve a higher profit (example: at 30% discount, youd receive $5.14).
Kindle
You will get as high as a 70% royalty rate from Kindle, minus "delivery" costs. Deliver costs are in accordance with your file size. On Amazon.com, the delivery price is $0.15/mb. So, if your eBook that is selling for $7.95 is 5mb in dimensions, your royalty could be: $7.95 X 0.70 = $5.57 - (5 X $0.15) = $4.82.
NOTE: to qualify for a 70% royalty your Kindle list price must be between $0.99 and $9.99. If its higher or lower, youre limited to 35%. That means that youll can even make More income selling your Kindle at $9.99 than youd if you were selling it at $18.99, and also you would probably sell a lot more Kindle versions of the book if you price it as being little as is reasonable. For instance, I make no more than $5.00 per print copy of my book that sells at $24.95, but I make almost $7.00 on my Kindle sales which are priced $9.99.
ALSO: The 70% royalty is NOT valid in most countries. If you choose 70% and your Kindle sells to a person who does not live in among the participating countries, you will receive 35% for all those sales. Its valid in countries such as US, UK, Canada, Germany, Italy, France, Belgium, Switzerland, and many more. The 70% royalty is NOT valid (at this moment) for sales made to residents of the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Australia, Nz and many other countries. See Kindle Direct for that latest listing of sales territories that qualify for the 70% royalty.
Please be aware, these prices and calculations are correct at this moment, and may have changed ever since then.
The key idea with eBooks is to buy your book In as numerous formats, and in as many distribution channels you can. Make sure that links to where people can buy these items is extremely visible and easy to find on your website.
I hope this short introduction has given you a little more details about the practical why, where and how of eBooks. There is lots more to speak about, especially steps to make the most of your eBook format and how to market it. But, well save that for an additional day.
Id greatly thanks for visiting hear about your own experiences, so please LEAVE A COMMENT BELOW or drop us a line via my website contact form to let me understand what you have learned during your own eBook adventures.
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