Im a fairly techie person. Im on the computer a lot, sometimes It would be more practical to possess a microprocessor implanted straight into my brain and so i wouldnt need to sit at my desk constantly. But although Im pretty expert using the Internet, social networking, WordPress, webpages, etc., there are two areas by which I am a small late bloomer. The first is mobile technology (Im going to be talking more about that in a later article). I only just got my first "smart" phone (a Blackberry) under Six months ago. Even though I work with authors ALL the time, the second area to which Im admittedly a late bloomer is the world of digital format books -- eBooks.
Actually, both of these things (mobile technology and digital format books) are extremely, greatly related, and if we authors do not have an idea about them, and just how they work together, were most probably to miss on half (if not more) of our potential book sales. In fact, many of my clients and colleagues happen to be enjoying #1 bestseller status in eBook rankings much more quickly than in paperback (particularly in the US, where eBooks appear to have caught on more rapidly than here in Europe...but were catching up fast).
books
I used to think an e-book was just a PDF file which was kind of a duplicate of your print book. And up until not too long ago, which was true. Then, along came the Kindle, along with a whole new market opened up. But THEN, "smart" mobile technology, such as iPhones, iPads and so a number of other formats entered onto the scene. Its a confusing quagmire of technology, and it is VERY easy to get overwhelmed with the options.
So I thought Id write a VERY basic introduction to a few of the practical considerations for eBook creation and distribution for authors whore self-publishing.
Question 1:
Must you bother publishing your book in an electronic format if you have a print edition?
Answer:
ABSOLUTELY YES!!! Amazon actually sells MORE Kindle eBook sales than it sells print books! Can you believe I did not even own a Kindle until a few months ago? What was I thinking? Besides high sales volume, the truth is you are able to charge less making must more in royalties with an eBook than a paperback book.And finally, eBooks dont have to be so long as print book to make them salable. Ive bought some excellent eBooks that couldnt have been more than 30,000 words, but were worth every penny I paid for them.
Question 2:
What eBook formats are there? Which format must i use?
Answer:
There are lots of formats, however the two you need to be worried about most are Kindle (a bespoke format from Amazon) and the ePub format, which is used by ipad along with other companies.
books online
Kindle may be the big leader in eBook sales (being around for almost 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, in addition to PDF.
Question 3:
Where do I have to visit set up accounts for an eBook?
Answer:
My suggestion is by using THREE: Amazon (for Kindle), Lightning Source AND Smashwords for other electronic formats. They all distribute to completely different channels (the only overlap Ive discovered between LS and Smashword Kobo).
For Kindle, visit the Kindle Direct site and get started. Make sure to read all their guidelines before submitting anything. You dont have to come with an ISBN, however i think its a good idea to possess one.
For Lightning Source, go to their house page and download their listing of "CoreSource" Fulfilment partners (youll probably find about 60 of these, including MBS Books, Lulu, CyberRead, The Book Depository, Kobo and many others. They deliver eBooks in Adobe Acrobat digital ebook reader, Microsoft Reader, and Palm eBook formats. You WILL need a new ISBN for your eBook version.
Should you go to the Smashwords website, you will see their distribution partners on their home page as Apple iBookstore, Barnes & Noble, Sony Reader Store, Kobo and also the Diesel eBook Store. Again, you do not need an ISBN, however i think its a lot easier to make use of your own, as it associates your book along with you as a publisher, and not with Smashwords.
ebooks
Question 4:
How do I get my book into digital format for Kindle and ePub? Do I just upload my PDF of my print book?
Answer:
Nope. Each company has their very own formatting guidelines and its EXTREMELY important you follow them. If formatting is not your "thing" someone can help you prepare your book for gifs. Smashwords will even give back a summary of suggested formatters, who are all quite reasonably priced.
The Kindle Direct site is a little confusing (I believe it is because their gradually updating their information), but when you hunt around it enough, you may have a of suggested places where one can get your 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 have them format and convert for you. They also actually respond to personally to customer support requests (always an advantage).
Question 5:
Lets talk about money. How do you price my book, and what type of royalties will I receive per sale?
Answer:
The short answer to how you can price your book reaches LEAST 50% Under your print version. So, if your print book costs $15.95, then price your eBook around $7.95 or less. If, however, youre using this book more or less like a promotional tool (instead of a proper "book"), consider selling as little as $0.99.
Regarding royalties, it is going like this:
Smashwords
Wholesale compensation = 60% of retail (when in love with sites apart from their very own)
Example: if your eBook is selling for $7.95, the author would get $4.77.
When your eBook comes ON the Smashwords site, you get 85%. In other words, if your eBook is selling for $7.95, the writer would get $6.76.
Lightning Source
LS take 7.5% obtained from net (in other words, the author gets 92.5% of net sales). Net is calculated by taking their email 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 also the author would get $3.68. Of course, you could set your discount in a much lower rate wholesale discount in order to achieve a higher profit (example: at 30% discount, you would receive $5.14).
Kindle
You can get as high as a 70% royalty rate from Kindle, minus "delivery" costs. Deliver pricing is in accordance with your quality. On Amazon.com, the delivery price is $0.15/mb. So, in case your eBook thats selling for $7.95 is 5mb in size, your royalty would be: $7.95 X 0.70 = $5.57 - (5 X $0.15) = $4.82.
NOTE: to qualify for a 70% royalty your Kindle retail price should be between $0.99 and $9.99. If its higher or lower, youre restricted to 35%. That means that you will actually make More income selling your Kindle at $9.99 than you would if you were selling it at $18.99, and you could possibly sell a load more Kindle versions of the book should you price it as low as is affordable. For example, 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 small Kindle sales which are priced $9.99.
ALSO: The 70% royalty is NOT valid in most countries. If you select 70% and your Kindle sells to someone who does not reside in one of the participating countries, you will receive 35% for all those sales. It IS valid in countries for example US, UK, Canada, Germany, Italy, France, Belgium, Switzerland, and many others. The 70% royalty is NOT valid (as of this writing) for sales made to residents from the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Australia, New Zealand and many other countries. See Kindle Direct for that latest report on sales territories that qualify for the 70% royalty.
Please note, these prices and calculations are correct at this moment, and could have changed ever since then.
The key idea with eBooks is to get your book OUT in as many formats, and in as numerous distribution channels you can. Make sure that links to where people can buy these products is very visible and easy to find on your website.
I hope this short introduction has given a bit more details about the practical why, how and where of eBooks. Theres a LOT more to talk about, especially how to make the most of your eBook format and how to sell it off. But, well save that for another day.
I would very much welcome to learn about your personal experiences, so please LEAVE A COMMENT BELOW or drop us a line via my website contact form to allow me know what youve learned during your own eBook adventures.
And do sign up for this RSS on Ezine Articles for more info and insight into the world of writing, publishing and book promotions.
Im a fairly techie person. Im on the pc a lot, sometimes I think it could be more practical to have a microprocessor implanted directly into my brain and so i wouldnt have to sit at my desk constantly. But although Im pretty expert with the Internet, social networking, WordPress, webpages, etc., theres two areas in which I am a bit of a late bloomer. One is mobile technology (Im going to be talking much more about that in a later article). I only experienced my first "smart" phone (a Blackberry) under 6 months ago. And while Sometimes with authors ALL the time, the 2nd area to which Im admittedly a late bloomer may be the realm of gifs books -- eBooks.
Actually, both of these things (mobile technology and gifs books) are extremely, very much related, and if we authors dont have an idea about the subject, and how they interact, we are quite likely to miss on half (or even more) of our potential book sales. In fact, many of my clients and colleagues happen to be enjoying #1 bestseller status in eBook rankings a lot more quickly compared to paperback (particularly in the united states, where eBooks seem to have caught on faster than within Europe...but were catching up fast).
books
I did previously think an e-book only agreed to be a Pdf which was kind of a duplicate of the print book. Or more until a few years ago, that was true. Then, along came the Kindle, along with a totally new market exposed. However, "smart" mobile technology, for example iPhones, iPads and thus many other formats entered to the scene. It is a confusing quagmire of technology, and its VERY easy to obtain overwhelmed with the options.
So I thought Id write a really basic introduction to a few of the practical considerations for eBook creation and distribution for authors whore self-publishing.
Question 1:
Must you bother publishing your book within an e-mail for those who have a print edition?
Answer:
Yes!!! Amazon actually sells MORE Kindle eBook sales of computer sells print books! Can you believe I did not even own a Kindle until a few months ago? What was I thinking? Besides high sales volume, the truth is you are able to charge less making must more in royalties on 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 more than 30,000 words, but were worth every penny I taken care of them.
Question 2:
What eBook formats are there? Which format should I use?
Answer:
There are lots of formats, however the two you need to concern yourself with the majority are Kindle (a bespoke format from Amazon) and also the ePub format, which is often used by ipad and other companies.
books online
Kindle may be the big leader in eBook sales (being around for nearly Five years now), but ipad is doing currently nearly one fourth of all eBook sales finally count. Also, the ePub format is compatible with many other mobile devices aside from the ipad. You should use BOTH formats, as well as PDF.
Question 3:
Where must i go to set up accounts for an eBook?
Answer:
My suggestion is by using THREE: Amazon (for Kindle), Lightning Source AND Smashwords for other electronic formats. All of them distribute to completely different channels (the only overlap Ive discovered between LS and Smashword Kobo).
For Kindle, visit the Kindle Direct site and obtain started. Make sure to read almost all their guidelines before submitting anything. Its not necessary to have an ISBN, but I think it is a good idea to have one.
For Lightning Source, go to their house page and download their list of "CoreSource" Fulfilment partners (there are probably about 60 of these, including MBS Books, Lulu, CyberRead, It Depository, Kobo and many more. They deliver eBooks in Adobe Acrobat digital ebook reader, Microsoft Reader, and Palm eBook formats. You WILL need a new ISBN for the eBook version.
Should you visit the Smashwords website, you will see their distribution partners on their own home page as Apple iBookstore, Barnes & Noble, Sony Reader Store, Kobo and also the Diesel eBook Store. Again, you dont need an ISBN, but I think it is a lot easier to use your own, as it associates your book with YOU as a publisher, and not with Smashwords.
ebooks
Question 4:
How do I get my book into digital format for Kindle and ePub? Will i just upload my PDF of my print book?
Answer:
Nope. Each company has their own formatting guidelines and it is Vitally important you follow them. If formatting isnt your "thing" someone can help you prepare your book for digital format. Smashwords will even give back a summary of suggested formatters, whore all quite reasonably priced.
The Kindle Direct site is a bit confusing (I believe its because their gradually updating their information), but if you hunt around it enough, youll also find a of suggested places where one can get your book formatted for Kindle. The one Ive been using is known as "LiberWriter" (LOVE the name!) at http://liberwriter.com/. You can test them out free of charge, after which if you want to use their services, its $25 to make use of their do-it-yourself conversion, and $50 to have them format and convert for you personally. They also actually react to personally to customer service requests (always a plus).
Question 5:
Lets talk about money. How do you price my book, and what kind of royalties am i going to receive per sale?
Answer:
The short answer to how you can price your book reaches LEAST 50% Under your print version. So, in case your print book sells for $15.95, then price your eBook around $7.95 or less. If, however, youre using this book pretty much like a promotional tool (instead of a proper "book"), consider selling for as low as $0.99.
Regarding royalties, it is going such as this:
Smashwords
Wholesale compensation = 60% of retail (when sold on sites apart from their very own)
Example: in case your eBook is selling for $7.95, the writer would get $4.77.
When your eBook comes Around the Smashwords site, you receive 85%. Quite simply, if your eBook is selling for $7.95, the author would get $6.76.
Lightning Source
LS take 7.5% taken from net (quite simply, the author gets 92.5% of net sales). Net is calculated by taking the list price and subtracting the discount youre giving the distributor. For instance, if your eBook is selling for $7.95 and wholesale discount is 50%, net world be $3.98, and also the author would get $3.68. Of course, you could set your discount in a much lower rate wholesale discount if you wish to acquire a higher profit (example: at 30% discount, you would receive $5.14).
Kindle
You will get up to a 70% royalty rate from Kindle, minus "delivery" costs. Deliver pricing is relative to your quality. On Amazon.com, the delivery cost is $0.15/mb. So, if your eBook thats selling for $7.95 is 5mb in dimensions, your royalty would be: $7.95 X 0.70 = $5.57 - (5 X $0.15) = $4.82.
NOTE: to be eligible for a a 70% royalty your Kindle list price should be between $0.99 and $9.99. If it is higher or lower, you are limited to 35%. That means that youll actually make More income selling your Kindle at $9.99 than youd should you be selling it at $18.99, and also you could possibly sell a lot more Kindle versions of the book if you price it as little as is affordable. For instance, I make only about $5.00 per print copy of my book that sells at $24.95, however i make almost $7.00 on my Kindle sales that are priced $9.99.
ALSO: The 70% royalty is NOT valid in most countries. If you choose 70% and your Kindle sells to someone who does not reside in among the participating countries, youll 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 isnt valid (as of this writing) for sales designed to residents from the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Australia, Nz and several other countries. See Kindle Direct for that latest report on sales territories that entitled to the 70% royalty.
Please be aware, these prices and calculations are correct as of this writing, and may have changed ever since then.
The important thing idea with eBooks is to buy your book In as numerous formats, as well as in as many distribution channels you are able to. Ensure that links to where people can purchase these products is extremely visible and easy to find in your website.
I hope this short introduction has given a bit more details about the practical why, how and where of eBooks. There is lots more to speak about, especially steps to make probably the most of the eBook format and how to sell it off. But, well save that for another day.
I would very much welcome to learn about your personal experiences, so please LEAVE A COMMENT BELOW or drop me a line via my website contact form to let me understand what you have learned during your own eBook adventures.
And do subscribe to this RSS on Article dashboard for more info and insight into the field of writing, publishing and book promotions.
Actually, both of these things (mobile technology and gifs books) are extremely, very much related, and if we authors dont have an idea about the subject, and how they interact, we are quite likely to miss on half (or even more) of our potential book sales. In fact, many of my clients and colleagues happen to be enjoying #1 bestseller status in eBook rankings a lot more quickly compared to paperback (particularly in the united states, where eBooks seem to have caught on faster than within Europe...but were catching up fast).
books
I did previously think an e-book only agreed to be a Pdf which was kind of a duplicate of the print book. Or more until a few years ago, that was true. Then, along came the Kindle, along with a totally new market exposed. However, "smart" mobile technology, for example iPhones, iPads and thus many other formats entered to the scene. It is a confusing quagmire of technology, and its VERY easy to obtain overwhelmed with the options.
So I thought Id write a really basic introduction to a few of the practical considerations for eBook creation and distribution for authors whore self-publishing.
Question 1:
Must you bother publishing your book within an e-mail for those who have a print edition?
Answer:
Yes!!! Amazon actually sells MORE Kindle eBook sales of computer sells print books! Can you believe I did not even own a Kindle until a few months ago? What was I thinking? Besides high sales volume, the truth is you are able to charge less making must more in royalties on 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 more than 30,000 words, but were worth every penny I taken care of them.
Question 2:
What eBook formats are there? Which format should I use?
Answer:
There are lots of formats, however the two you need to concern yourself with the majority are Kindle (a bespoke format from Amazon) and also the ePub format, which is often used by ipad and other companies.
books online
Kindle may be the big leader in eBook sales (being around for nearly Five years now), but ipad is doing currently nearly one fourth of all eBook sales finally count. Also, the ePub format is compatible with many other mobile devices aside from the ipad. You should use BOTH formats, as well as PDF.
Question 3:
Where must i go to set up accounts for an eBook?
Answer:
My suggestion is by using THREE: Amazon (for Kindle), Lightning Source AND Smashwords for other electronic formats. All of them distribute to completely different channels (the only overlap Ive discovered between LS and Smashword Kobo).
For Kindle, visit the Kindle Direct site and obtain started. Make sure to read almost all their guidelines before submitting anything. Its not necessary to have an ISBN, but I think it is a good idea to have one.
For Lightning Source, go to their house page and download their list of "CoreSource" Fulfilment partners (there are probably about 60 of these, including MBS Books, Lulu, CyberRead, It Depository, Kobo and many more. They deliver eBooks in Adobe Acrobat digital ebook reader, Microsoft Reader, and Palm eBook formats. You WILL need a new ISBN for the eBook version.
Should you visit the Smashwords website, you will see their distribution partners on their own home page as Apple iBookstore, Barnes & Noble, Sony Reader Store, Kobo and also the Diesel eBook Store. Again, you dont need an ISBN, but I think it is a lot easier to use your own, as it associates your book with YOU as a publisher, and not with Smashwords.
ebooks
Question 4:
How do I get my book into digital format for Kindle and ePub? Will i just upload my PDF of my print book?
Answer:
Nope. Each company has their own formatting guidelines and it is Vitally important you follow them. If formatting isnt your "thing" someone can help you prepare your book for digital format. Smashwords will even give back a summary of suggested formatters, whore all quite reasonably priced.
The Kindle Direct site is a bit confusing (I believe its because their gradually updating their information), but if you hunt around it enough, youll also find a of suggested places where one can get your book formatted for Kindle. The one Ive been using is known as "LiberWriter" (LOVE the name!) at http://liberwriter.com/. You can test them out free of charge, after which if you want to use their services, its $25 to make use of their do-it-yourself conversion, and $50 to have them format and convert for you personally. They also actually react to personally to customer service requests (always a plus).
Question 5:
Lets talk about money. How do you price my book, and what kind of royalties am i going to receive per sale?
Answer:
The short answer to how you can price your book reaches LEAST 50% Under your print version. So, in case your print book sells for $15.95, then price your eBook around $7.95 or less. If, however, youre using this book pretty much like a promotional tool (instead of a proper "book"), consider selling for as low as $0.99.
Regarding royalties, it is going such as this:
Smashwords
Wholesale compensation = 60% of retail (when sold on sites apart from their very own)
Example: in case your eBook is selling for $7.95, the writer would get $4.77.
When your eBook comes Around the Smashwords site, you receive 85%. Quite simply, if your eBook is selling for $7.95, the author would get $6.76.
Lightning Source
LS take 7.5% taken from net (quite simply, the author gets 92.5% of net sales). Net is calculated by taking the list price and subtracting the discount youre giving the distributor. For instance, if your eBook is selling for $7.95 and wholesale discount is 50%, net world be $3.98, and also the author would get $3.68. Of course, you could set your discount in a much lower rate wholesale discount if you wish to acquire a higher profit (example: at 30% discount, you would receive $5.14).
Kindle
You will get up to a 70% royalty rate from Kindle, minus "delivery" costs. Deliver pricing is relative to your quality. On Amazon.com, the delivery cost is $0.15/mb. So, if your eBook thats selling for $7.95 is 5mb in dimensions, your royalty would be: $7.95 X 0.70 = $5.57 - (5 X $0.15) = $4.82.
NOTE: to be eligible for a a 70% royalty your Kindle list price should be between $0.99 and $9.99. If it is higher or lower, you are limited to 35%. That means that youll actually make More income selling your Kindle at $9.99 than youd should you be selling it at $18.99, and also you could possibly sell a lot more Kindle versions of the book if you price it as little as is affordable. For instance, I make only about $5.00 per print copy of my book that sells at $24.95, however i make almost $7.00 on my Kindle sales that are priced $9.99.
ALSO: The 70% royalty is NOT valid in most countries. If you choose 70% and your Kindle sells to someone who does not reside in among the participating countries, youll 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 isnt valid (as of this writing) for sales designed to residents from the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Australia, Nz and several other countries. See Kindle Direct for that latest report on sales territories that entitled to the 70% royalty.
Please be aware, these prices and calculations are correct as of this writing, and may have changed ever since then.
The important thing idea with eBooks is to buy your book In as numerous formats, as well as in as many distribution channels you are able to. Ensure that links to where people can purchase these products is extremely visible and easy to find in your website.
I hope this short introduction has given a bit more details about the practical why, how and where of eBooks. There is lots more to speak about, especially steps to make probably the most of the eBook format and how to sell it off. But, well save that for another day.
I would very much welcome to learn about your personal experiences, so please LEAVE A COMMENT BELOW or drop me a line via my website contact form to let me understand what you have learned during your own eBook adventures.
And do subscribe to this RSS on Article dashboard for more info and insight into the field of writing, publishing and book promotions.