eBook Publishing
Not so very long ago writers who published their own work were referred to - with some contempt - as 'vanity' authors by the offline publishing houses.
The argument was that if a writer's work had any merit, it would somehow rise to the surface and meet with the approval of some anonymous literary editor who was completely divorced from personal or commercial considerations.
Which doesn't really explain how it is that chefs, actors and even the occasional semi-literate model have managed to have heavily promoted works of dubious merit published, while others of far greater talent have languished in the shadows of publishing house rejection.
The internet has changed all that.
Now, anyone can write and publish an ebook at little cost, present it to the public and let them decide whether or not it has merit.
The world of literature has joined, or perhaps that should be re-joined, the age of personal choice.
Let's make a comparison between the two - offline and online ebook publishing, and let's also look at the 'print to order' market.
Publishing Offline
Are you famous? No? Mmmmmh, pity. Not much point in submitting a do-it-yourself manual then, unless of course you happen to be an expert in your field.
Whoops! Sorry. That should read recognized expert in your field. Which means if the publishing house reader hasn't heard of you, well.........
The what?
Lesson number one. Most manuscripts sent to publishers are not read by an editor at all. They are farmed out to readers who may or may not read them. They tend to get paid either way, so what the heck.
But you're writing fiction, right?
Okay. Same deal, different process. It's your synopsis that gets rejected. It's based on your life experiences spanning 50 years and has just been rejected by someone straight out of college with a degree in exam-passing.
But what if, after two years of struggle, your manuscript has been selected for this year's publishing quota? You have a cash advance and an assigned editor to guide you through..........what, exactly?
Why, the publisher's idea of how your book should be, of course. You don't think you actually own these ideas any longer, do you?
No way!
Lesson number two. You've accepted the money - now you have to earn it. As a matter of fact, not only do you have to do it their way, you also have to sell the finished product in order to ensure they get their money back.
Sorry. Whatever you may think (or have been led to believe) publishers do not sell the books they produce - that's the job of the distributors (who may not be the slightest bit interested) and you.
And what do you get after all this hard work?
Your name in print and a tiny portion of the price of each book sold. Go for it, Tiger!
Publishing eBooks Online
Publish an ebook online and you are in control of the entire process from start to finish.
You decide on the subject, how it will be presented, what your target market is, how much it will sell for and where and when it will be published.
You will also still have to sell it, but what the heck.....at least you get 100% of the selling price.
That's right. ALL the money belongs to you - unless you set up an affiliate scheme, but more on that later.
And selling it is really not that difficult as long as you have a reasonable marketing plan to start with. Which is one of the things we are going to be talking about here.
So. Have I convinced you to at least give it a go?
Don't think for one moment you don't have something to write about which is of value to other people. Literally everyone has a story to tell and as a species we just love a great story.
eBook Idea 1
Have you moved inter-state and had to solve the logistical problems of doing that? Lot's of other people are going to be doing the same thing. Solve their problems for them with a neat little "how-to" booklet.
eBook Idea 2
Do you have a collection of original recipes that could solve the problems of a family with picky eaters for kids? There are parents out there who would kill to get their hands on it. I have one article about that on my website and it gets more visits than any other page!
eBook Idea 3
Have you forgotten more about collecting sea-glass than most folks will ever know? There are other keen collectors who will pay for that information.
What's that? You don't believe me? You don't think such a thing as sea glass even exists?
Okay. Enter "sea glass" in a Google search and see what happens, or simply visit this Google page. Now do you believe me?
You see that idea, hobby, or specialty that you thought was of interest only to you is probably shared by millions of people all over the world.
And you can quickly and easily publish a book about it that establishes you as an expert and that you can sell online.
I know that for a fact because I've already done it and I'm no literary genius. What's more, I can also show you how to do the same thing (with the help of a few friends who also helped me).
I'm going to show you exactly what I did, step by step. I'll tell you about the software I used, (some of which I'm still using) and show you where you can get free trials that you can check out for yourself with no obligation.
I'll give you examples, too, of what is easily achievable. In fact, just as a start, download this free e-book on first aid for cooks. It will give you an idea of what you can do with no technical skills of any kind.
(Click on the link, follow the instructions, then come right back).
Ready to Move Forward?
Great.
The first step is easier than you think.
You need to plan what you are going to do, have all the tools in place that you need - and then just do it.
Yes, you might need some help with that and there's plenty available. As a first step I suggest you fully understand the difference between the two methods (or formats) of publishing an ebook online.
Which of these you choose will determine what software you need to get the right result. Choosing both (which is what I did at first) will mean installing two different ways of compiling your book.
Please click here,online publishing formats, for more information.
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