I'm a fairly techie person. I'm on the computer so much, sometimes It could be more practical to possess a microprocessor implanted directly into my brain and so i wouldn't need to spend time at my desk constantly. But although I'm pretty expert with the Internet, social media, WordPress, webpages, etc., there's two areas by which I'm a bit of a late bloomer. The first is mobile technology (I'm going to be talking more about that inside a later article). I only got my first "smart" phone (a Blackberry) under 6 months ago. Even though Sometimes with authors Constantly, the 2nd area to which I am admittedly a late bloomer is the realm of digital format books -- eBooks.

Actually, these two things (mobile technology and gifs books) are extremely, greatly related, and if we authors don't have a clue about them, and just how they work together, we're most probably to miss on half (or even more) in our potential book sales. In fact, a lot of my clients and colleagues have been enjoying #1 bestseller status in eBook rankings much more quickly compared to paperback (particularly in the US, where eBooks appear to have caught on more rapidly than within Europe...but we're catching up fast).

books

I used to think an e-book was just a Pdf which was kind of a duplicate of the print book. Or more until not too long ago, which was true. Then, along came the Kindle, along with a totally new market opened up. But THEN, "smart" mobile technology, for example iPhones, iPads and thus a number of other formats entered onto the scene. It is a confusing quagmire of technology, and it's VERY easy to get overwhelmed using the options.

And so i thought I'd write a VERY basic introduction to some of the practical things to consider for eBook creation and distribution for authors who're self-publishing.

Question 1:

Must you bother publishing your book within an e-mail if you 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 some time ago? That which was I thinking? Besides huge sales volume, the simple truth is you are able to charge less and make must more in royalties with an eBook than a paperback book.And lastly, eBooks needn't be so long as print book to ensure they are salable. I've bought some excellent eBooks that couldn't 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 many formats, but the two you should concern yourself with the majority are Kindle (a bespoke format from Amazon) and 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 eBook sales at last count. Also, the ePub format works with many other mobile devices besides the ipad. You should use BOTH formats, in addition to PDF.

Question 3:

Where must i go to set up 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 completely different channels (the only overlap I have found between LS and Smashword Kobo).

For Kindle, visit the Kindle Direct site and obtain started. Be SURE to read all their guidelines before submitting anything. It's not necessary to come with an ISBN, however i think it's a good idea to possess one.

For Lightning Source, visit their home page and download their listing of "CoreSource" Fulfilment partners (you'll probably find about 60 of these, including MBS Books, Lulu, CyberRead, It 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 the eBook version.

If you go to the Smashwords website, you'll 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 do not need an ISBN, but I think it's a lot better to use your own, because it associates your book along with you as a publisher, and not with Smashwords.

ebooks

Question 4:

How do you 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 very own formatting guidelines and it is Vitally important you follow them. If formatting is not your "thing" someone can help you prepare your book for gifs. Smashwords will even send you a summary of suggested formatters, who are all quite affordable.

The Kindle Direct website is a little confusing (I believe it is because their gradually updating their information), but if you hunt around it enough, you may have a of suggested places where one can get the book formatted for Kindle. The main one I have been using is called "LiberWriter" (LOVE the name!) at http://liberwriter.com/. You can look at them out for free, and then if you wish to use their services, it's $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 a plus).

Question 5:

Let's talk about money. How do you price my book, and what kind of royalties am i going to receive per sale?

Answer:

The short response to how you can price your book is at LEAST 50% LESS than your print version. So, if your print book sells for $15.95, then price your eBook around $7.95 or less. If, however, you use this book pretty much like a promotional tool (as opposed to a proper "book"), consider selling for as low as $0.99.

Regarding royalties, it is going like 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.

When your eBook comes ON the Smashwords site, you receive 85%. Quite simply, if your eBook is selling for $7.95, the writer would get $6.76.

Lightning Source

LS take 7.5% taken from net (in other words, the author gets 92.5% of net sales). Net is calculated if you take the list price and subtracting the discount you are giving the distributor. For example, in case 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. Obviously, you could set your discount in a reduced rate wholesale discount in order to acquire a higher profit (example: at 30% discount, you would receive $5.14).

Kindle

You can get up to a 70% royalty rate from Kindle, minus "delivery" costs. Deliver pricing is in accordance with your file size. On Amazon.com, the delivery cost is $0.15/mb. So, in case your eBook that's selling for $7.95 is 5mb in size, your royalty could 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 retail price should be between $0.99 and $9.99. If it is higher or lower, you're limited to 35%. This means that you'll actually make MORE money selling your Kindle at $9.99 than you would should you be selling it at $18.99, and you would probably sell a lot more Kindle versions of the book should you price it as little as is reasonable. 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 choose 70% as well as your Kindle sells to someone who not live in one of the participating countries, you'll 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 isn't valid (as of this writing) for sales made to residents from the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Australia, New Zealand 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 at this moment, and could have changed ever since then.

The important thing idea with eBooks is to get your book OUT in as numerous formats, as well as in as numerous distribution channels you can. Ensure that links to where people can purchase these products is very visible and simple to locate on your website.

I hope this short introduction has given you a little more details about the practical why, how and where of eBooks. There is lots more to speak about, especially how to make probably the most of the eBook format and how to sell it off. But, we'll save that for an additional day.

I'd greatly thanks for visiting learn 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've learned on your own eBook adventures.

And do sign up for this RSS on Article dashboard for more information and insight into the field of writing, publishing and book promotions.

I'm a fairly techie person. I'm on the computer so much, sometimes It could be more practical to have a microprocessor implanted straight into my brain so I wouldn't have to spend time at my desk all the time. But although I'm pretty expert with the Internet, social networking, WordPress, web pages, etc., there are two areas by which I am a bit of a late bloomer. The first is mobile technology (I'll be talking more about that inside a later article). I only got my first "smart" phone (a Blackberry) under Six months ago. Even though I work with authors ALL the time, the 2nd area to which I'm admittedly a late bloomer is the realm of digital format books -- eBooks.

Actually, both of these things (mobile technology and gifs books) are extremely, greatly related, and when we authors do not have a clue about the subject, and just how they interact, we are most probably to miss on half (if not more) in our potential book sales. Actually, many of my clients and colleagues have been enjoying #1 bestseller status in eBook rankings much more quickly compared to paperback (particularly in the united states, where eBooks appear to have caught on faster than here in Europe...but we're making up ground fast).

books

I did previously think an e-book was just a PDF file which was kind of a duplicate of the print book. And up until not too long ago, which was true. Then, along came the Kindle, and a whole new market exposed. However, "smart" mobile technology, for example iPhones, iPads and thus a number of other formats entered to the scene. It's a confusing quagmire of technology, and it is Super easy to get overwhelmed with the options.

And so i thought I'd write a VERY basic introduction to a few of the practical considerations for eBook creation and distribution for authors who're self-publishing.

Question 1:

Do you need to 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! Are you able to believe I did not even own a Kindle until a few months ago? That which was I thinking? Besides high sales volume, the truth is you can charge less and make must more in royalties with an eBook than the usual paperback book.And lastly, eBooks don't have to be as long as print book to ensure they are salable. I have bought some excellent eBooks that couldn't have been more than 30,000 words, but were worth it I paid for them.

Question 2:

What eBook formats are there? Which format must i use?

Answer:

There are many formats, but the two you need to be worried about the majority are Kindle (a bespoke format from Amazon) and also the ePub format, which is often used by ipad along with other companies.

books online

Kindle may be the big leader in eBook sales (having been around for nearly Five years now), but ipad is doing currently nearly one fourth of eBook sales finally count. Also, the ePub format is compatible with a number of other mobile devices besides the ipad. You should use BOTH formats, in addition to PDF.

Question 3:

Where do I have to go to setup 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 totally different channels (the only overlap I've discovered between LS and Smashword Kobo).

For Kindle, go to the Kindle Direct site and obtain started. Make sure to read almost all their guidelines before submitting anything. It's not necessary to come with an ISBN, however i think it's a good idea to possess one.

For Lightning Source, visit their home page and download their list of "CoreSource" Fulfilment partners (you'll probably find about 60 of these, including MBS Books, Lulu, CyberRead, The Book Depository, Kobo and many more. They deliver eBooks in Adobe Acrobat ebook Reader, Microsoft Reader, and Palm eBook formats. You may need a new ISBN for the eBook version.

If you go to the Smashwords website, you will see their distribution partners on their own webpage as Apple iBookstore, Barnes & Noble, Sony Reader Store, Kobo and also the Diesel eBook Store. Again, you don't need an ISBN, however i think it's a lot better to make use of your own, because 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? Do I just upload my PDF of my print book?

Answer:

Nope. Each company has their own formatting guidelines and it is EXTREMELY important you follow them. If formatting isn't your "thing" someone will help you ready your book for digital format. Smashwords will even send you a list of suggested formatters, who're all quite affordable.

The Kindle Direct website is a bit confusing (I think it's because their gradually updating their information), but when you hunt around it enough, you'll also find a of suggested places where you can get your book formatted for Kindle. The main one I've been using is called "LiberWriter" (LOVE the name!) at http://liberwriter.com/. You can test them out free of charge, and then if you wish to use their services, it's $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 an advantage).

Question 5:

Let's talk about money. How do I 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 is at LEAST 50% Under 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 more or less as a promotional tool (instead of a proper "book"), consider selling as little as $0.99.

Regarding royalties, it goes like this:

Smashwords

Wholesale compensation = 60% of retail (when in love with sites apart from their own)

Example: in case your eBook is selling for $7.95, the writer would get $4.77.

Whenever your eBook comes ON the Smashwords site, you receive 85%. Quite simply, in case your eBook is selling for $7.95, the writer would get $6.76.

Lightning Source

LS take 7.5% taken from net (in other words, the author gets 92.5% of net sales). Net is calculated if you take the list price and subtracting the discount you are giving the distributor. For example, in case 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 can set your discount at a much lower rate wholesale discount in order to achieve a higher profit (example: at 30% discount, you would 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 quality. On Amazon.com, the delivery cost is $0.15/mb. So, in case your eBook that is selling for $7.95 is 5mb in size, your royalty could 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 retail price should be between $0.99 and $9.99. If it's higher or lower, you're restricted to 35%. That means that you'll actually make More income selling your Kindle at $9.99 than you would should you be selling it at $18.99, and you could possibly sell a lot more Kindle versions of the book should you price it as being low as is reasonable. For instance, I make no more than $5.00 per print copy of my book that sells at $24.95, however 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 select 70% as well as your Kindle sells to a person who does not live in one of the participating countries, you'll receive 35% for all those sales. It's valid in countries for example US, UK, Canada, Germany, Italy, France, Belgium, Switzerland, and many more. The 70% royalty is NOT valid (at this moment) for sales designed 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 entitled to the 70% royalty.

Please note, these prices and calculations are correct at this moment, and could have changed since that time.

The key idea with eBooks is to buy your book In as numerous formats, as well as in as numerous distribution channels you are able to. Make sure that links to where people can buy these items is very visible and easy to locate on your website.

I hope this short introduction has given a bit more details about the practical why, where and how of eBooks. There is lots more to speak about, especially steps to make probably the most of the eBook format and the way to sell it off. But, we'll save that for another day.

I'd very much welcome to hear about your own experiences, so please LEAVE A COMMENT BELOW or drop us a line via my website contact page to let me know what you have learned on your own eBook adventures.

And do subscribe to this RSS on Ezine Articles for more info and understanding of the world of writing, publishing and book promotions.