e publishing and how to go about it

[Alex]

I apologize if there is already a thread for this however I'm looking for information on e publishing.

Would I need to go through a publisher or agent, or is it a form of self publishing? Is it worth it? Should I publish paper and e book? How difficult is it, and how would I go about it?

I have looked all over for information and I haven't really found much. Any info that can be offerred is greatly appreciated.

 

[Telcontar]

ePublishing simply means publishing electronically. Usually this is synonymous with eBooks, though I've also heard some people place podcasting of a story under this label (makes sense).

If you are traditionally published then an eBook may also be released, but that is up to the publisher and whether or not they buy those particular rights.

As to self-ePublishing, it is quite easy to do and somewhat more difficult to do well. If you are just starting to look into it, then I suggest doing a search on "Should I Self Publish?" and read whatever you find before making any decision about self-publishing an eBook. I'm sure other people can add to the list of suggested reading...

Just remember - there's no rush to make a decision. Get informed and take your time.

 

[MichaelSullivan]

Self-publishing an ebook is remarkably easy.

* Convert book from word file to ebook format

* Submit to Amazon via DTP

* Submit to Barnes and Noble via PubIT

 

[Alex]

I have been reading up on self publishing. From what I have been told, it isn't as efficient as standard publishing. Can anyone confirm or deny this?

 

[yachtcaptcolby]

Depends on your definition of efficient. With self-publishing, you can get your stuff to market faster because you don't have to spend time finding a publisher and/or an agent. But with the traditional publishing route, you get whatever marketing and editorial resources the publisher decides to invest in your work.

I self-published, mostly because I feel like that's the way this business should work. I wanted to let the market decide if my book is worth people's attention, not some dude in an office who has to sift through a slush pile of submissions and might be afraid of my work because it's a little different. I saw all the bookstores in my area close, and I saw everyone on the subway packing some kind of e-reader. It means I have to invest more time trying to get my book and my name out there, but it also means I'm in control of my own work. There are pluses and minuses to both options and you should think long and hard about the one that's going to work for you.

 

[MichaelSullivan]

I have been reading up on self publishing. From what I have been told, it isn't as efficient as standard publishing. Can anyone confirm or deny this?

What? Self-publishing is much more efficient. My big-six published books take 12 - 15 months to get to market. Self-published can go live in a fraction of the time.

 

[Alex]

Well, I suppose I should have specified more (for that, I apologize). I have read in several places (if I can recall where I will post a link at some point) that self published books don't sell quite as well as traditionally published books. Is there any truth to that claim, or is it just more hot air?

 

[Telcontar]

I have read in several places (if I can recall where I will post a link at some point) that self published books don't sell quite as well as traditionally published books. Is there any truth to that claim, or is it just more hot air?

I suspect that would be a very difficult statement to quantify in a useful way. Personally, if the book is good and packaged professionally (good cover, editing, copy, etc) then I sincerely doubt most people would ever know it was self-published unless they were told.

 

[Alex]

I appreciate all the helpful answers. The prospect of publishing is...nerve racking, to say the least.

 

[ALB2012]

As someone said, e-publishing is instantaneous give or take. Amazon Kindle - watch the formatting and if you want it elsewhere dont sign up for Select. Lulu seems ok, take the free package and you get B and N and I-pad. The only downside is, of course your customers need to own said device or have the app. Lots of people do however. No reason why you can't have printed and e-book if you self publish.

 

[MichaelSullivan]

Well, I suppose I should have specified more (for that, I apologize). I have read in several places (if I can recall where I will post a link at some point) that self published books don't sell quite as well as traditionally published books. Is there any truth to that claim, or is it just more hot air?

It depends. There are a number of "indie success" stories (like myself) whose self-publishing sales beat the "traditional publishing standards" by quite a sizable number. In traditional publishing, a good "average" for a trade paperback release would be 10,000 copies...hardcover 5,000 copies, mass market paperback 50,000 - 100,000 copies. Self-published authors don't sell much in paper but they do sell huge amounts of ebooks. Here is a post that has 170+ authors who have sold more than 50,000 books.

The problem is that many of those sales are at very low amounts: $0.99 or $2.99. At $0.99 the author is making just $0.34 so even selling 50,000 books only results in $17,000 - which is larger than the average advance for a debut author (which is $10,000) but still not generally enough to live on.

For me, personally, I sold 70,000 self-published books (across 5 titles from April 2009 - August 2011 (priced at $4.95 - $6.95) but I also sold 105,000 traditional published books (across 3 titles from Nov 2011 - June 1012). My "rate" of gaining customers has increased with going traditional...but I've been more successful than most. I suspect that I could have had MANY more sales than that if I stayed self-published but I probably would have lowered my sales prices.

One thing to note. Self-published sales at $2.99 actually earn the author more income than a $9.99 traditional published book ($2.09 for self about $1.75 for traditional) so there is that to consider as well.

 

[MichaelSullivan]

You can tell a great deal by looking at Amazon sales ranking (if we can assume that they represent book buying on a more universal level). Kindle books ranked 1,000 - 5,000 are seeing "very respectable sales" and there is a good mix of both self and traditional in those ranges. For traditional they also have print sales to add on to that...but the lower royalty they get on both print and electronic make that a bit of a wash. In other words at say 1,500 ranking I suspect that the income from a traditional author when tallying up their print + ebook income will about equal the income of ebook only from self-publishing.

As to "identifying" a self-published book...that is usually done with pricing. Almost all of the $0.99 and $2.99 are indeed self. If you price higher than it would mask that aspect more.