How To Do Your Own eBook Distribution – UPDATED
Kindle, Kobo, iBooks, Nook, Sony, Blio…. UPDATED FOR MARCH 2014
Here are some questions that keep authors up nights:
1. What is the best way to get my ebook up on all the major platforms?
2. How do I get set up?
3. What files do I use?
4. Do I use Smashwords? BookBaby?
5. Do I need to pay someone a cut or a fee to do my ebook distribution?
AAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!
Here are the answers:
1. The best way to get your ebook out up on all major platforms is to spend an hour setting up accounts with Kindle, Nook, Kobo, Googlebooks and iTunes. The rest can wait. Seriously. Kindle alone is over 90% of ebook sales; so with Nook, Kobo, Googlebooks and iTunes included? You are ALL SET.
2. How do I get set up? EASY! Here are the links you need to set up your own accounts:
KINDLE
http://kdp.amazon.com/self-publishing/signin
NOOK
http://pubit.barnesandnoble.com/
KOBO
http://secure.kobobooks.com/auth/Kobo/login
iBOOKS
http://itunesconnect.apple.com/ (make sure you have a MAC for this one… they do not let PC’s upload files)
GOOGLEBOOKS
http://books.google.com/partner/add-books-form
3. The files you will need are .epub and .prc. Most ebook platforms use .epub, but Kindle needs a .prc (or .mobi) file to look really good.
If you don’t know anyone who can turn your word document or pdf into a .epub or .prc file, email me at info@newshelves.com and I will get you hooked up. DO NOT pay more than $1 a page for this service. Too many authors are paying WAY too much!
4. You CAN use Bookbaby and Smashwords to do your book. They are both great companies, but they take a cut of your sales and very often the look of your ebook is not as professional or as top line as it should be. If you don’t mind giving up a percentage of your sales, they are a good option.
5. For about an hour of your time as an investment, however, you can EASILY set up your own accounts.
(At this point, I want to remind you all of something we here at New Shelves OFFER EBOOK DISTRIBUTION. We do it every day. I am telling you, you DO NOT NEED US to do your eBook distribution…. You can do it yourselves and save yourself the 50 cents a unit we charge or the hefty percentage that our competition charges. You can do it.)
6. As for the AAAARRRRGGGGHHHHH portion of the process? Here is a eBook account set up worksheet that will allow you to pull all of the information you need into one place before you start and that way you can move easily through the set up process on each platform.
Call me if you need any help.
What’s In A Name?
I have had numerous conversations lately about how and why to name your publishing imprint.
If you are going to be an independent or small publisher, if you are going to take on the time, expense and trouble of publishing your own book instead of letting a vanity press do it for you, you need to know the following about the name of your endeavor:
- Bookstores ARE willing to stock books by independent authors who have published themselves
- Bookstores are NOT all willing to stock books that look like they were published less than professionally
- Having the author’s name as the publisher name, or naming the publishing entity in a similar vein to the title of the book will look amateurish
- Avoid this… come up with a professional sounding, independent book publisher name for your new small business. This is small business… name it as such
- you MUST register the name with Bowker and make sure all of your materials and data uploads contain the name exactly as you gave it to Bowker.
Enjoy being treated like a professional!
How to Sell and Market Your Book All on Your Own
I recently had a session with a client and there were so many good ideas that I thought I would share what I could.
The main ideas to come out of today’s session were:
- Make sure you always have a copy of your book with you. Spend time every day dropping off signed copies of your books to store managers
and/or following up with manager who got your book last week. - Keep doing events, get creative. Remember that events are about exposure and stocking… not just about sales that day.
- Learn the rules of distribution and sales and follow them!
- Keep finding reasons why the press should write about you.
- Constantly write articles and submit to the large web and print media organizations.
- Reach out to bloggers on your topic and offer a guest post.
- Participate in discussion groups on line every day.
- Give away books every chance you get. Send them to the media, to reviewers, to bloggers, to retailers. Keep sending them out. (But make sure you put stickers on your review copies so that they don’t end up getting sold)
If you would like to hear more and get more detail about these and other ideas. Check out our other blogs
Want to Find out What Covers You Should be Emulating for Your Newest Diet or Fitness book?
I just did the research this week and here is a link to the covers that were most mentioned by book buyers and librarians as ones to emulate when designing diet and fitness covers.
Click on link below to see the rest!
http://www.pinterest.com/newshelvesbooks/family-fitness-covers/
Time to Change?
Things I have discovered this last week:
Just because I decided to do something does not mean I need to keep doing it- Just because something is my idea does not mean that it does not hurt
- If something stops being fun, it is okay to stop doing it
- If something is no longer profitable, stop doing it
- Anyone who stops being respectful can go away now
- One’s opinion of oneself should not affect one’s opinion of oneself
So You Think Your Book Belongs in a Store?
It is every writer’s dream to see his or her book in the front window of the local bookstore. It is fun to imagine tall, colorful stacks of your books surrounded by throngs of curious readers flipping through the pages while others rush to the cash register with their copy. Feel free to continue this fantasy as you pound the keyboard, but if you’re interested in turning the vision into reality, then stop writing for a moment and read on.
The Four Questions You Should Ask Yourself Before your Finish your Book:
1. At what retailers do your readers shop?
Are you SURE? (Don’t guess – go to those places and make sure.)
Too often, I find myself assuming that I know something to be true because I believe it to be true. Things that used to be fact a few years ago may not be anymore… but I forget to take that into account. I have learned the hard way that before I make any plan that involves other people or money, I need to CHECK to make sure that what I THINK is actually SO.
2. Do those retailers buy books like yours?
Are you SURE? (See above)
3. How many of your types of books sell each week?
If you are going to be looking for a publisher or publishing yourself, you need to know what books like yours sell for. You also need to know how many units sell each month. That data will be KEY when presenting your book to an agent, a publisher, or a retailer. “I want to sell a million copies” is not a sales plan. It is a fantasy. If I told you that business books helping managers become better leaders only sell 23 copies a month at one of the major airport bookstore chains, what does that do to your financial plan? You NEED the facts to make a solid plan… data, not wishes makes for a successful book.
4. Is your book as good as the ones already there? (Be honest and really LOOK at what is on the shelves already)
- Is your cover as good as the ones on the shelves?
- Are your priced competitively?
- Does your book offer something new to the market?
- Do you have the amount of reviews and endorsements that the books on the shelves do?
- Are you going to spend the same amount of money on promoting your book that their publisher did?
- Do you KNOW what the author and publisher did to promote their book and are you able to give it a similar amount of time and energy?
- Do you have several good reasons why a buyer should risk their profit margin on an unknown author or book when they have proven successes already on their shelves?
Materials and Advice Needed to Launch Your Speaking Career as an Author.
Well, we started off with some terrific advice from Michele DeFilippo at 1106Design about what printed materials do and do not work best for those wanting to have ancillary materials at their speeches. Judith Briles, The Book Shepherd, caught us up on what she does with her materials and then we launched into what you need to do to get started!
Great advice all around on making serious profits on your book by getting booked as a speaker. To Download The MP3, click here on Author Speaking Engagements
- How to turn a free speech into guaranteed book sales
- What role video plays in getting booked
- How to find the associations and organizations with the perfect niche for your topic
- Children’s books… man… we needed another hour on that. But WAIT! We HAVE one. Click Here for our Discussion about Children’s Book Marketing.
Publishing At Sea January 18 – 23rd 2014
Do you want to learn everything you need to know about publishing at once?
Do you want complete access to book industry experts for several days to answer all your questions?
Are you ready to take the next steps with your book and want proven expertise on how to proceed?
We have an amazing opportunity for you to have a great time in the sun, see wonderful ports of call and learn everything you need to know about the book industry. Publishing at Sea provides 5 days with 4 publishing experts that will take you through a complete program to bring your book from where it is to where you want it to be? Take a dream trip to turn your dream of being a bestselling author into reality.
Click Here for More Information!
Children’s Book Advice
Judith Briles, Michele DeFillipo and I had a great time last week talking about the rules for children’s books. Listen to the recording for the full 55 minutes of advice, but here are a few of the highlights:
- READ TO ME picture books should only have a few words on a page if you want parents to read it to their kids, librarians to hold the book up for story time, or teachers to be able to read it to a crowd of antsy 4 year olds.
- I CAN READ books should have no more than 45 words on a page and lots of pictures.
- CHAPTER BOOKS FOR READERS have art (usually one color) at the chapter openers and don’t be afraid to use the occasional word that kids have to look up.
- Children’s hardcover picture books are $15.95 – $17.95
- Children’s paperback books are $7.95 MAX. (And should be closer to $4.95 if you are unknown or the pages are short)
- Chapter books are $3.99 – $4.99. No more.
Want to hear more? Click on the radio below to listen to last week’s MENTORING MONDAY call. The calls are every Monday and available to everyone. Call in next Monday and join the fun. Free consulting and some laughs? How cool is that?
D5 Creation