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Help with publishing

Lucas

Troubadour
Hello. I would like to start work to publish my book.

Can someone help me with how to start?
 
Read these books:
APE: Author, Publisher, Entrepreneur-How to Publish a Book: Guy Kawasaki, Shawn Welch: Amazon.com: Kindle Store
The Indie Author's Guide to the Universe: Jeff Bennington: Amazon.com: Kindle Store
Amazon.com: Let's Get Digital: How To Self-Publish, And Why You Should eBook: David Gaughran: Kindle Store
Amazon.com: Think Like a Publisher eBook: Dean Wesley Smith: Kindle Store

By the time you're done, you'll have a good primer. ;)

But the short version? You will need to:
- Arrange for skilled editing of your work.
- Have someone make covers, unless you're a professional graphic designer.
- Learn how to convert your book from DOC to EPUB and MOBI (recommend Jutoh, unless you write in Scrivener, in which case their exporter works OK).
- Learn how to produce print books, if you want a print on demand version alongside the ebook (some writers do, others don't, it's a personal decision).
- Upload your ebook to KDP (Amazon), Pubit (B&N), Kobo Writing Life (Kobo), and either Smashwords or Draft2Digital (Apple, and Smashwords hits some smaller spots too).
- If doing a print book, I'd suggest Createspace for your first time, just upload the PDF, pay $10 for an ISBN and $25 for extended distribution (gets it out in all online bookstores, and other bookstores can in theory order it too). Easy-peasy. Lightning Source is also a good option, but not until you're more experienced/skilled.
- Set up an email list so you can announce new releases, make sure you add a link to the email signup in the back of the book.

That's pretty much it. Then, marketing, if you're doing any (the Tao of DWS would say not to, but this is debated), and writing the next book. The more professional your work, the more it will sell. The more amateurish it is, the more likely it will sink into the mass of mediocre ebooks out there. The more books you write, and the faster you release Good Quality books, the more each will tend to sell. In other words, the better you are and harder you work, the better you will do.

Good luck. Will answer any specific questions as you get them - I've been doing this a while, although I'm no Michael Sullivan for sales. ;)
 

Devor

Fiery Keeper of the Hat
Moderator
Kevin, great post.

If you'll expand on those points and polish the formatting in a new thread, I'd love to make it a sticky.
 
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