E-Books - 5 Top Questions - A Short Intro to Digital Media for Authors Who Don't have an idea
Actually, these two things (mobile technology and digital format books) are very, greatly related, and when we authors don't have a clue about them, and how they work together, we are quite likely to miss on half (or even more) of our potential book sales. Actually, a lot of my clients and colleagues have been enjoying #1 bestseller status in eBook rankings a lot more quickly compared to paperback (especially in the united states, where eBooks seem to have caught on faster than within Europe...but we're catching up fast).
I did previously think an eBook was just a PDF file that was kind of 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 opened up. However, "smart" mobile technology, such as iPhones, iPads and thus many other formats entered onto the scene. It is a confusing quagmire of technology, and it is VERY easy to obtain overwhelmed using the options.
And so i thought I'd write a really basic introduction to some of the practical considerations for eBook creation and distribution for authors who are self-publishing.
Question 1:
Must you bother publishing your book in an electronic format if you have a print edition?
Answer:
Yes!!! Amazon actually sells MORE Kindle eBook sales than it sells print books! Can you believe I didn't even own a Kindle until a few months ago? That which was I thinking? Besides high sales volume, the simple truth is you can charge less making must more in royalties with an eBook than a paperback book.And lastly, eBooks needn't be as long as print book to make them salable. I've bought some excellent eBooks that couldn't happen to be 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 lots of formats, however the two you need to be worried about most are Kindle (a bespoke format from Amazon) and also the ePub format, which is used by ipad along with other companies.
Kindle is the big leader in eBook sales (being around for almost Five years now), but ipad is catching up with currently nearly one fourth of eBook sales finally count. Also, the ePub format works with a number of other mobile devices besides the ipad. You need to use BOTH formats, in addition to PDF.
Question 3:
Where must i visit 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. All of them 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 obtain started. Make sure to read almost all their guidelines before submitting anything. It's not necessary to come with an ISBN, but I think it's a good idea to possess one.
For Lightning Source, go to their home page and download their listing 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 WILL need a new ISBN for your eBook version.
Should 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 also the Diesel eBook Store. Again, you do not need an ISBN, however i think it is a lot better to use your own, because it associates your book with YOU as a publisher, and never with Smashwords.
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 very own formatting guidelines and it is Vitally important you follow them. If formatting isn't 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 reasonably priced.
The Kindle Direct site is a little confusing (I believe it's because their gradually updating their information), but if you hunt around it enough, you'll also find a of suggested places where one can get your book formatted for Kindle. The main one I've been using is known as "LiberWriter" (LOVE the name!) at http://liberwriter.com/. You can test them out for free, after which if you want 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 personally. Additionally they actually react to personally to customer support requests (always an advantage).
Question 5:
When it comes to money. How do I price my book, and what type of royalties will I receive per sale?
Answer:
The short response 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, you're using this book more or less like a promotional tool (instead of a proper "book"), consider selling for as little as $0.99.
Regarding royalties, it is going like 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 author would get $4.77.
Whenever your eBook is sold Around 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% obtained from net (in other words, the writer gets 92.5% of net sales). Net is calculated if you take their email list price and subtracting the discount you are 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 can set your discount at 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 price is $0.15/mb. So, in case 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 it is higher or lower, you are restricted to 35%. This means that you'll can even make More income selling your Kindle at $9.99 than you'd should you be selling it at $18.99, and you would probably sell a load more Kindle versions of your book should you price it as being little as is reasonable. For example, I make only about $5.00 per print copy of my book that sells at $24.95, but 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 a person who not live in among the participating countries, you'll receive 35% for those sales. It's valid in countries such as US, UK, Canada, Germany, Italy, France, Belgium, Switzerland, and many more. The 70% royalty isn't valid (as of this writing) for sales designed to residents of the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Australia, New Zealand and many other countries. See Kindle Direct for the latest report on 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 get your book In as many formats, as well as in as many distribution channels you can. Ensure that links to where people can buy these products is extremely visible and simple to locate in your website.
I hope this short introduction has given you a bit more information about the practical why, how and where of eBooks. There's a LOT more to talk about, especially how to make probably the most of your eBook format and how to market it. But, we'll save that for another day.
I'd very much thanks for visiting hear about your personal 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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