In this final post in the series I overview how to take a completed ms and transform it into an e-book. Bear in mind that the market is constantly developing, so I’ve focused on options at a broader level rather than going in heavy with detail. To the best of my knowledge the information here is accurate at the time of writing, but I would expect it to change over time!
When it comes to publishing you essentially have three choices:
– Go direct to publishing platforms e.g. Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing; Barnes & Noble (B&N) (Nook); Borders (Kobo) – this avoids aggregator fees but is more laborious (also see bullet point three below)
– Use an aggregator e.g. Smashwords; Lulu; FastPencil – an easier way to distribute your book to a range of stores but you pay greater commission and some charge up-front fees
– A mix of going direct to publishers and using an aggregator – for example if your aggregator does not distribute to a particular store (e.g. Smashwords are still working on a deal with Amazon) or if you do not have a US bank account (in which case you’re not able to publish direct to Barnes & Noble).
Before you do anything, ensure you have a completed ms (apologies for the lectures in parts 1 and 2 in this series, but all important stuff!). If you haven’t worked into a fresh document and set your own formatting, strip the existing formatting by pasting it into wordpad and then back into a fresh document. The Smashwords style guide is a very helpful step-by step process to getting your document ready and has little hints such as not using the tab bar for your paragraph indents, which can cause weird problems after conversion, but using the paragraph indents and spacing option. You will then need to take this document and use the relevant software to convert it into a format that can be downloaded to an e-reader (e.g. Kindle, Nook etc.). This is discussed in point three below.
Make sure you have a professional book cover (or you may be using a print on demand (PoD) package where this is part of the service), a compelling blurb for the book, and author bio.
The following are the key decisions you need to think about when choosing between your indie-publishing options:
1. Do you just want to produce an e-book or do you also wish to produce a paper version?
Many of the print on demand self-publishers offer e-book options (e.g. CreateSpace, which is an Amazon company, iUniverse, Lulu, Fast Pencil etc.) These companies will have greater fees than if you’re just producing an e-book, although the costs can be wrapped up in the whole package so it’s worth taking a comprehensive view on print and e-book when making your decision.
If you just wish to produce an e-book, it is likely to be cheaper to go to an aggregator that solely operates with e-books or go direct to publishing platforms, but do look at the options offered by PoD companies when making your decision.
2. Exclusivity versus wider distribution
Amazon has been pushing its KDP Select whereby authors receive royalties when customers borrow their novel through the Kindle Owners Lending Library, but the downside is that you need to offer them exclusivity for 90 days, which of course limits your audience. I suspect there may be retaliation in the market, so have a look at what different publishers are offering when the time comes!
There’s a strong argument for making your distribution as wide as possible by not tying yourself down to exclusivity deals (you can still publish on the kindle store without going for KDP Select exclusivity), but the lending option may be appealing to you if you have a low price point for your book and the revenue from lending will potentially be greater. You’ll need to look at such options in the context of your marketing strategy and think about how it fits with your book launch plans.
3. How confident are you in working with different software packages and how sophisticated are your formatting needs?
The DIY publishing options talk you through the conversion process from text document to a file that can be downloaded to the appropriate e-readers. For example Smashwords has an excellent style guide that you can use to put your format your ms before putting it through their conversion software into a range of formats; Amazon has instructions for using Mobipocket eBook Creator, which you use to convert your ms for Kindle; B&N have instructions on pubit for Nook etc.
You do not need to be a computer whizz to follow the instructions in converting your file so don’t be daunted if you’re used to working on computers, as it’s all intuitive. You do, however need to be sufficiently computer literate in following step by step instructions to format your document and be confident picking up software that you’re not familiar with.
If you need support it is possible to pay a freelancer to convert your document for you to the required format (for example Smashwords has a list of freelancers who can do this for you if you’re using their service). Alternatively, you may wish to use an aggregator that offers a more comprehensive service. For example, Publish Green has a tiered fee service from formatting your file for you through to managing and distributing your book for you. They sell themselves on a more bespoke service to enhance the look of your novel. Just be aware that you’re potentially going to pay upwards of $299 for formatting that you could potentially do yourself.
Essentially if you lack confidence or have complex formatting involving footnotes, pictures etc. it is still worth experimenting to see if you can do it yourself, but you may find it beneficial to pay for a freelancer or publishing distribution package that is able to format your ms for you.
4. Upfront costs vs. commission
The publishing platform will take their commission from sales. Some aggregators charge an upfront cost and the commission taken from sales varies (and can be a little hard to decipher as the aggregator will take their commission and the publishing platform will take their commission!)
In choosing between them, related to point two make sure any upfront costs are for services that you require. For example if you’re paying for a package to produce your cover and format the document an upfront fee is understandable. If you’re paying an upfront fee to compensate for their lower commission on sold units you need to weigh up whether your volume of sales makes this a sensible trade-off. Naturally this is difficult to estimate, but it comes down to the range of appeal of your book and the marketing activity you have planned.
5. International Standard Book Number (ISBN)
A final point to mention is whether your chosen platform(s) require(s) you to have an International Standard Book Number (ISBN). You can purchase these in blocks and you require one for each format of book (i.e. e-book, hardback, paperback). However at the time of writing you do not need to have an ISBN to publish direct to Amazon or B&N as they will create their own unique identifier which functions in the same way. Apple’s iBookstore, however does require you to have an ISBN. It is worth bearing in mind that your aggregator may supply an ISBN for free where required by the publishing platform (for example Smashwords allows you to choose whether you assign your own ISBN, or if you wish them to allocate one for free).
In conclusion there is a range of choices of publishing platforms and aggregators – far more than the few I have mentioned in this post! My advice is to really think about what is necessary and to not pay for services that you do not require. For example why pay for somebody to format your ms if you’re able to do it yourself; don’t pay-out for an ISBN before ascertaining if you actually need one. Take the time to look through your options before reaching a decision, but once you’ve decided on your approach, you really can go from completed ms to published e-book in a few easy steps provided you follow the cardinal rule that you have removed any rogue formatting from your ms prior to converting it into e-reader format!
A final word is that blogging and our Limebird site is fantastic for networking. Please feel welcome to use the comments sections in our posts and our forums to share experiences and ask questions (you’re able to start new discussions in the forums). We really appreciate all the people who take the time to visit and read our posts and will do anything we can to support those in the Limebird community whether you go the indie route or traditional publishing house, so do check in and let us know how you get on if you do publish. BUT I’m afraid you can’t just rely on networking – you will need to get out there and promote your book to your target audience if you want it to sell!
Limebird Writers 