How to Publish an eBook E-Book

Giacomo Giammatteo

• Herausgeber: Inferno Publishing Company
• Serie: No Mistakes Publishing
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2017

Seitenzahl: 171

Beschreibung

Finished writing, and wondering where to go from there? The publishing world is in a state of flux, and you probably need help navigating it. Learn how to upload your book, step-by-step. Learn which retailers you should use, and whether you should use distributors. Learn which distributors to use, and why.

Do you need an ISBN? How about a copyright or a barcode?

Get the answers to these and many other questions from the first in a series of publishing books. And you get it for the price of a few cups of coffee. You'll save ten times that in a heartbeat. 

Leseprobe

How to Publish an eBook

No Mistakes Publishing, VolumeI

Giacomo Giammatteo

Inferno Publishing Company

“© 2017 Giacomo Giammatteo. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the author, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review.

Inferno Publishing Company

Houston, TX

For more information about this book visit my website.

Edition ISBNs

Trade Paperback 978-1-940313-26-9

E-book 978-1-940313-20-7

Cover design by Natasha Brown

Book design by Giacomo Giammatteo

This edition was prepared by Giacomo Giammatteo [email protected]

ISBN: 978-1-940313-20-7

Created with Vellum

To my wife Mikki, for her undying support.

Contents

Introduction

I. Preparing for Publishing

1. Eight Things Every Author Should Do

2. After You Finish Writing

II. Editing, What Makes the Book Shine

3. We Don't Need No Copy Editors.

4. Real-Life Editing

5. After Editing

III. Appearance, Inside and Out

6. Book Covers

7. Formatting

8. Formatting Checklist

IV. ISBNs, Copyrights, and Barcodes

9. ISBNs

10. Best-Selling Authors and Bad Advice (About ISBNs)

11. Do I Need Barcodes for My Books?

12. Do You Need a Copyright for Your Book?

13. Preparing for the ISBN

V. Uploading Your Book and Distribution

14. How to Upload Your Books

15. eBook Retailer Royalties

16. Amazon's Delivery Charges—Comparing Apples and Oranges

17. How to Make Use of Preorders and Why You Should

18. Final Thoughts on Distribution

VI. Print Considerations

19. Print Distribution

20. IngramSpark and CreateSpace

VII. Reviews

21. Reviews

22. Is a Kirkus Review Worth it?

23. Is Kirkus Selling Dreams?

1. Be Honest With Yourself

VIII. Final Thoughts

24. Author Visibility

25. Two Types of Authors

26. Assisted Publishing

27. Closing

Acknowledgments

About the Author

Also by Giacomo Giammatteo

Introduction

Before we start I want to toss out a tidbit of advice. It will give you a clue on some of the things I’ll cover in thisbook.

This list is by no means comprehensive, but it does focus on some of the key issues.

Before you get any ideas about what this book will or won't do for you, let me set the record straight. This book—nor any other book—will make you a bestseller. You have to do that on yourown.

There are books that can help put you on the path, explaining what needs to be done and how to do it, but they can't do it for you. That still needs to come from inside.

Part I

Preparing for Publishing

No matter how long it took you to write your book, I know it was a lot of work. A lot of late nights and missed opportunities, like that play your spouse wanted you to go to, or the movie premiere that your teenage son or daughter had waited so long for, or even that mini-vacation you promised to take the familyon.

Now you can relax, kick your feet up on the Ottoman, and find something good to read. Or canyou?

Is your work done or just starting?

Sure, you’ve finished writing, but there is a lot more to do if you want that masterpiece to sell. A lotmore.

What do you have to do? As I said, a lot. But instead of me trying to tell you here, why don’t you read on and see for yourself. We’ll start with a few things that every author should do before publishing.

Eight Things Every Author ShouldDo

This chapter is included in one of my other books also, one that deals with writing. I felt it was important enough, and appropriate enough to have it in both books.

This chapter is not about self-publishing; it's about publishing. No matter which path you decide to take, it's the same. There are no fences.

We (self-publishers and traditional publishers) compete in the same market for the same audience. We use the same distributors and retailers, and the same readers buy our books.

But while my opinion of the eight things every author should do may apply equally to a self-published author or a traditionally published one, the process of how to achieve those steps is often dramatically different.

Below is my list. (These topics will be covered in detail later in thebook.)

Write a great book (See my other book, NoMistakes Writing, Volume II, for advice onhow.)Find a great editor.Create a great cover.Make sure the layout and formatting are superb.Write an irresistible description and premise.Proofread, proofread, proofread.Price the book as if it's worth something.Let the world know you're there.

I know what you're thinking—I've seen bestsellers that weren't verygood.

I have seen that also, but more times than not, they weregood.

You may also say to yourself, I’ve seen bestsellers that had mistakes inthem.

I have, too. But once again, most don't. I've seen Oscar-winning movies that I felt were terrible while great ones (IMO) didn't get anod.

It's true. When it comes time for awards and sales, everything is subjective. The worst book or movie (in your opinion) may sell thebest.

Take a look at some bestsellers—At the time of this writing, Gone Girl has 43,000 reviews, and yet, 13,000 of them are rated either one or two stars. Fifty Shades of Grey has an amazing 66,000 reviews but 20 percent are one– or two–star rated.

A lot of factors determine a book's success, and the ones I've listed above don't come close to covering all the bases, but these are the ones I felt were some of the most important. Let's look at them one at atime.

Write a GreatBook

This is, without question, the number-one priority. I know that many mediocre books have made it to the best-seller list, even dominated the list, but I've always believed that if you're going to run the race, you should enter your best horse.

How do you dothat?

Make your charactersreal.Make your plot sizzle.Make your dialogue crisp.Make your story enthralling.

Quality

In my opinion you should never sacrifice quality—for anything.

Not to meet a deadlineNot to save moneyAnd certainly not because you're too lazy to fix a mistake

Do whatever is necessary to produce a perfectbook.

No matter how you try, it won't be perfect. No matter how much effort you put into it, a typo may pop up here and there, but if you set out with a mission to produce a perfect book, you'll come close (Ihope).

Find a Great Editor (orTwo)

I included this as one of the top things to do for a reason. I don't know of any author capable of producing a top-notch book without some kind of editor. Even editors use editors.

Let's look at the editing process.

Content editorLine editorCopy editorProofreader

Content Editor

A content editor is standard fare with traditional publishing houses. It’s a service that publishers provide to authors for better or worse. Content editing is expensive, normally in the neighborhood of $1,200 to $2,500, or more for a full-length novel. I don't view this as an absolute necessity, but most authors need something, even if it’s a small army of beta readers.

Line Editor

A good line editor will point out problems with paragraph structure, sentence flow, dialogue issues, and clarity. Many line editors combine their services with copy editing, but technically they are different beasts. Before you engage an editor, ask them for a sample so you understand what they will provide. That way, you’ll have it spelled out in a contract.

CopyEditor

If there is one service you cannot do without, it's copy editing. A good copyeditor will fix grammar problems, punctuation, consistency issues, and issues with sentence structure.

In general, they will ensure that you follow the rules that don't bend. I did a post on copy editors which you can seehere.

And if you're wondering how important this service is—I would sooner cut my arm off than put out a book without going through a copy editor. If you find a good copy editor, hang onto them1 and don't ever let go. (As mentioned above, copy editing and line editing are often offered as one service.)

Proofreader

This is another critical service. Proofreading deals with typos, grammar, spelling, and any other mistake not caught in the process to date. Even when you think you've got it nailed, a good proofreader will often find a stray mistake. They're worth what you paythem.

Create a Great Cover

Everyone has heard the saying "You can't judge a book by its cover." And yet that's exactly what happens millions of times each day. Readers choose, and buy, books based on their covers. Sometimes it's not the cover alone that is the deciding factor, but the cover quite often is the impetus for taking the nextstep.

Nothing screams amateur like a poorly designed cover. My advice is to do whatever you have to in order to get a cover that draws attention. It's going to cost you money (unless you’re talented enough to do it yourself), but it will be money well spent. Look for details in the chapter for creating covers.

Make Sure the Layout and Formatting Are Superb

Just as the cover makes the outside of your book shine, the way the book is presented on the inside also tells the reader something. When you present readers with nice, easy-to-read fonts, uniform indents, drop caps, maybe even graphic images at the beginning of each chapter—those things tell a reader you care about your book. I have even recently begun including images in the book’s content, and it looks great. You can see it below, and read all about it in my book, How to Format an eBook.

And when that layout presents the same, whether it's read on a computer screen, a Kindle, an iPad, iPhone, or an Android tablet or phone, it makes the reading experience a good one. Your readers will thank you for it by recommending the book to friends or leaving a good review (assuming it's well written). Or by buying the next book you publish.

Write an Irresistible Description

I don't think there is anything short of the cover that is as important to the actual sale of the book than the product description. The book cover makes the reader stop and take a look, but the description is what either hooks the reader or turns themoff.

Take as much time as you need to and hone this to perfection. Run it by friends and fellow authors. And if you're not happy with it, ask for help. Don't publish the book until you have a description that sizzles.

Think about it. There is a reason why companies pay big bucks for people to write advertising copy for their products. They know it works.

Price the Book Like It's Worth Something

"Birds of a feather flock together." It's another saying that's been around a long time, and it's so ingrained in our minds that many people believe it without a second thought. That might have something to do with it beingtrue.

What does it have to do with books?

If you price your books at ninety-nine cents, or God forbid, are continually giving them away, readers will associate you with the “ninety-nine cent or free crowd."

The problem with that is far too many of those books are not high-quality books. After a few bad reading experiences, those same readers associate ninety-nine cent books and free books with poor quality. You don't wantthat.

There is another reason for pricing your books higher. Each retailer has a recommendation engine that matches readers with what the retailer’s algorithms predict that reader will like, such as the "readers who bought this also bought…”

When your books are priced at ninety-nine cents, you're not getting the advantage of the readers who are the big spenders, the ones who buy the books at $5.99 or $7.99 or $9.99 or higher, because the majority of those buyers are not slumming in the free piles. That's a huge disadvantage.

Don't believe me? Look for yourself. Surf on over to Amazon and check out a book that you know was recently offered for ninety-nine cents or given away. Now, look at the other books those customers purchased—they will be listed underneath.

If it follows the typical example, most of those books will be either ninety-nine cents or possibly $1.99.

Now, do the same for one of the best sellers like James Patterson, or John Sanford, or Michael Connelly, or Gillian Flynn. The “also boughts” listed underneath of those books will likely be between $5.99 and $14.99. One hell of a difference.

Let the World Know You're There

Visibility may be...let me re-phrase that…Visibility is the single biggest factor that determines whether your book will become the next bestseller or sit on the virtual shelf.

Your next question should be, How do I become visible?

I sure as hell wish I knew. I only know of two fail-safe methods.

Word-of-mouthAmazon/Apple/Barnes and Noble, etc. recommendingyou

The big question is how do you get either of those to happen. The first is easier to imagine. Write a book people can't stop talking about. The second, short of big bribes or blackmail, is a mystery. If you find out, tell me first. Please?

My Advice

(We'll go into all of this in detail a bit later.)

Try to get honest reviews and don't ever worry about reviews.Think before you price your books.Do not go exclusive on Amazon.Don't check your sales, or reviews, or anything else, every day. Certainly don't do it every hour. Check them once a week and force yourself to abstain on the other days. I know it's more difficult than dieting, but if you treat it like that, it works. Think of all the time you'd have to write if you stopped that nonsense.Get off Facebook! (or simply stop touting your latest review).Stop tweeting! (at least about yourbook).You don't need another picture on Pinterest.

I'm not saying to abandon social media altogether, but if you continually bombard friends and followers with reviews or quotes from your book, you will quickly bore those followers. Nobody will listen, and before long they'll tune you out. You'll become like a late-night salesperson hawking vacation getaways over the phone.

Now that you know a little bit about what you're in for, let's get started.

How to Publish an eBook, No Mistakes Guide to Self-Publishing, Volume One of the No Mistakes Publishing series, will take you through the steps of how to publish a book. Writing it is up toyou.

Let me explain that. If you're going to publish a book, you have to write one first. For the purpose of this book, we'll assume you've written your masterpiece and you're ready to publish.

Before we jump into the details of publishing, we're going to cover one topic that should be included in a writing book, although it also belongs here. That topicis...

Editing

Aside from writing a great book, finding a good editor is the single-most important thing you'll do during your publishing journey. No matter how good you are, no matter how much you think you've improved, you still need an editor or even a few editors.

How Do You Know if You Need a Content Editor

You’ve got plot holes/potholes... (There should benone.)Your characters don't resonate with your audience. (Readers should either love or hate your characters, not be ambivalent aboutthem.)Your theme is not recognized right away. (A reader should know what it is quickly.)Your storytelling is lacking. (It should keep a reader reading.)Your dialogue has no spark. (Must be crisp and realistic.)Your reader is confused. (There should be no confusion.)

Copy Editing

This is probably the most important service you will make use of on your publishing journey. To make my point, I’ll do two things:

Include a blog post I previously wrote about copy editing that shows what a good copy editor can do foryou.Include a brief sample of my work, and the associated comments mad by my copy editor.

Look for these under the chapter dealing with editing.

1. As you notice, I use gender-neutral pronouns, such as they or them instead of saying he/she. I make mention of this because a misinformed reader chided me in my No Mistakes Grammar book for doing so, but it is a practice that has been approved of for many years.

After You Finish Writing

Finish the book—Okay, you've done that and had your celebratory drink and a day to relax. Now you're ready to publish your novel…or areyou?

You're not really ready. You may think you are, but you're not. What do you have to do? Here's a short list. It doesn't cover everything you have to do, but it does touch on most ofit.

We just finished a chapter on the things to do to help ensure a good book. Now let’s examine what else you need to do prior to publishing. (And some of the things we’ll cover in the following chapters.)

Reread it and fix what you see wrong. (You may wait a week or so to give it time to grow stale.)Give it to beta readers. After receiving their feedback, take their advice and do any necessary rewrites. If they tell you nothing is wrong, get new beta readers because the ones you have are not being honest. Trust me, your writing is notthatgood.Send it to an editor or two (your choice as to whether to use content and copy/line editors). I prefer to use a lot of beta readers in lieu of content editors, but I always use a copy editor.Make corrections after the edit. There will be plenty tofix.Send it to a professional proofreader, (and ideally have a few others do proofreading and final beta reading). No matter how good an editor you have, a mistake or two will slip in, either during the editing phase or—more likely—during your fixing of the editing.Send it to a professional formatter Make sure to include front material (introductions and notes to readers), as well as back material such as acknowledgments, other books you’ve written, a request to review and join mailing list statements, your author bio, and, if you want, a preview of your nextbook.If time and money are considerations, you could also use a program like Vellum for formatting. It is amazing, and it can make your book shine with only a little learning curve. Read all about it in my book, How to Format an eBook, and learn how to do it yourself in one night, and for a lot less money.Give it a final check when you get it back (or if you’ve done it yourself). Ask a trusted friend or two to read it through and look for those dreaded mistakes. Mistakes can pop up anywhere.Prepare an email to solicit early readers, ones who will not only provide feedback, but an early (and much-needed) review of the book. Offer to give it to them for free if they review it within a certain time frame—three weeks is reasonable.Use a service like Bookfunnel or Instafreebie