Thursday, 12 January 2012
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E-Books - 5 Top Questions - A brief Intro to Digital Media for Authors Who Haven't Got an idea
I am a fairly techie person. I'm on the computer a lot, sometimes I think it would be more practical to have a microprocessor implanted directly into my brain and so i wouldn't have to spend time at my desk constantly. But although I'm pretty expert with the Internet, social networking, WordPress, webpages, etc., there are two areas by which I'm a small late bloomer. One is mobile technology (I'm going to be talking much more about that inside a later article). I only just experienced my first "smart" phone (a Blackberry) under Six months ago. Even though I work with authors ALL the time, the second area to which I'm admittedly a late bloomer may be the world of digital format books -- eBooks.
Actually, both of these things (mobile technology and digital format books) are very, very much related, and if we authors do not have a clue about the subject, and how they interact, we're quite likely to miss on half (if not 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 appear to have caught on faster than here in Europe...but we're making up ground fast).
I used to think an e-book was just a Pdf that was pretty much a duplicate of your print book. Or more until a few years ago, which was true. Then, along came the Kindle, along with a totally new market exposed. However, "smart" mobile technology, for example iPhones, iPads and so a number of other formats entered to the scene. It is a confusing quagmire of technology, and it is VERY easy to get overwhelmed using the options.
And so i thought I'd write a really basic summary of some of the practical considerations for eBook creation and distribution for authors who're self-publishing.
Question 1:
Must you bother publishing your book in an e-mail if you have a print edition?
Answer:
Yes!!! Amazon actually sells MORE Kindle eBook sales than it sells print books! Can you believe I did not even own a Kindle until some time ago? What was I thinking? Besides high sales volume, the simple truth is you can charge less making must more in royalties on an eBook than the usual paperback book.And lastly, eBooks don't have to be so long as print book to ensure they are salable. I have bought some excellent eBooks that couldn't happen to be a lot more than 30,000 words, but were worth every penny I taken care of them.
Question 2:
What eBook formats exist? Which format must i use?
Answer:
There are lots of formats, but the two you should be worried about most are Kindle (a bespoke format from Amazon) and the ePub format, which is often used by ipad and other companies.
Kindle may be the big leader in eBook sales (having been around for nearly Five years now), but ipad is doing currently nearly one fourth of all eBook sales finally count. Also, the ePub format works with many other cellular devices besides the ipad. You should use BOTH formats, as well as PDF.
Question 3:
Where do I have to visit setup accounts for an eBook?
Answer:
My suggestion is to use THREE: Amazon (for Kindle), Lightning Source AND Smashwords for other electronic formats. All of them distribute to completely different channels (the only real overlap I have found between LS and Smashword Kobo).
For Kindle, visit the Kindle Direct site and obtain started. Be SURE to read almost all their guidelines before submitting anything. You don't have to come with an ISBN, however i think it is a good idea to possess one.
For Lightning Source, visit their home page and download their listing of "CoreSource" Fulfilment partners (there are probably about 60 of these, including MBS Books, Lulu, CyberRead, The Book Depository, Kobo and many more. They deliver eBooks in Adobe Acrobat digital ebook reader, Microsoft Reader, and Palm eBook formats. You may need a new ISBN for the eBook version.
If you visit the Smashwords website, you'll see their distribution partners on their webpage as Apple iBookstore, Barnes & Noble, Sony Reader Store, Kobo and also the Diesel eBook Store. Again, you don't need an ISBN, however i think it is a lot better to use your own, because it associates your book along with you like a publisher, and not with Smashwords.
Question 4:
How do you get my book into digital format for Kindle and ePub? Will i just upload my PDF of my print book?
Answer:
Nope. Each company has their very own formatting guidelines and it's Vitally important you follow them. If formatting isn't your "thing" someone will help you prepare your book for gifs. Smashwords may even give back a list of suggested formatters, who are all quite reasonably priced.
The Kindle Direct website is a bit confusing (I think it's because their gradually updating their information), but when you hunt around it enough, you may have a of suggested places where one can get your book formatted for Kindle. The one I have been using is known as "LiberWriter" (LOVE the name!) at http://liberwriter.com/. You can look at them out for free, after which if you wish to use their services, it's $25 to use their do-it-yourself conversion, and $50 to possess them format and convert for you personally. They also actually react to personally to customer service requests (always a plus).
Question 5:
Let's talk about money. How do I price my book, and what type of royalties am i going to 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 sells for $15.95, then price your eBook around $7.95 or less. If, however, you're using this book more or less as a promotional tool (instead of a proper "book"), consider selling as low as $0.99.
Regarding royalties, it is going like this:
Smashwords
Wholesale compensation = 60% of retail (when sold on sites apart from their own)
Example: if your eBook is selling for $7.95, the writer would get $4.77.
Whenever your eBook is sold Around the Smashwords site, you receive 85%. In other words, in case your eBook is selling for $7.95, the writer would get $6.76.
Lightning Source
LS take 7.5% taken from net (quite simply, the author 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 instance, if your eBook is selling for $7.95 and wholesale discount is 50%, net world be $3.98, and the author would get $3.68. Of course, you could set your discount in a much lower rate wholesale discount in order to acquire a higher profit (example: at 30% discount, you would receive $5.14).
Kindle
You will get up to a 70% royalty rate from Kindle, minus "delivery" costs. Deliver costs are in accordance with your file size. On Amazon.com, the delivery price is $0.15/mb. So, if your eBook that's 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 should be between $0.99 and $9.99. If it's higher or lower, you're restricted to 35%. That means that you will actually make More income selling your Kindle at $9.99 than you'd if you were selling it at $18.99, and you could possibly sell a load more Kindle versions of your book if you price it as low as is reasonable. For instance, I make only about $5.00 per print copy of my book that sells at $24.95, however i make almost $7.00 on my small Kindle sales that are priced $9.99.
ALSO: The 70% royalty is NOT valid in most countries. If you select 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 for example US, UK, Canada, Germany, Italy, France, Belgium, Switzerland, and many more. The 70% royalty is NOT valid (at this moment) for sales made to residents from the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Australia, New Zealand and several other countries. See Kindle Direct for the latest listing of sales territories that qualify for the 70% royalty.
Please be aware, these prices and calculations are correct as of this writing, and could have changed ever since then.
The important thing idea with eBooks is to buy your book In as numerous formats, and in as numerous distribution channels you are able to. Ensure that links to where people can buy these products is very visible and simple to locate in your website.
I really hope this short introduction has given you a bit more details about the practical why, how and where of eBooks. There's a LOT more to speak about, especially how to make probably the most of your eBook format and how to sell it off. But, we'll save that for an additional day.
I would very much thanks for visiting hear about your personal experiences, so please LEAVE A COMMENT BELOW or drop me a line via my website contact page to let me know what you've learned on your own eBook adventures.
And do subscribe to this RSS on Article dashboard for more information and insight into the field of writing, publishing and book promotions.
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E-Books - 5 Top Questions - A Short Intro to Digital Media for Authors Who Haven't Got an idea
I'm a fairly techie person. I'm on the computer a lot, sometimes It could be more practical to possess a microprocessor implanted straight into my brain so I wouldn't have to spend time at my desk all the time. But although I'm pretty expert using the Internet, social networking, WordPress, web pages, etc., there's two areas by which I am a bit of a late bloomer. The first is mobile technology (I'll be talking more about that inside a later article). I only got my first "smart" phone (a Blackberry) under 6 months ago. Even though I work with authors ALL the time, the 2nd area to which I'm admittedly a late bloomer may be the realm of gifs books -- eBooks.
Actually, these two things (mobile technology and gifs books) are extremely, very much related, and when we authors do not have a clue about the subject, and just how they interact, we are most probably to miss out on half (if not more) in our potential book sales. Actually, many of my clients and colleagues have been enjoying #1 bestseller status in eBook rankings much more quickly compared to paperback (particularly in the united states, where eBooks appear to have caught on faster than here in Europe...but we're making up ground fast).
I did previously think an eBook only agreed to be a Pdf which was kind of a duplicate of the print book. Or more until a few years ago, which was true. Then, along came the Kindle, and a whole new market exposed. However, "smart" mobile technology, for example iPhones, iPads and thus a number of other formats entered to the scene. It's a confusing quagmire of technology, and it is Super easy to get overwhelmed with the options.
So I thought I'd write a VERY basic introduction to a few of the practical considerations for eBook creation and distribution for authors who're self-publishing.
Question 1:
Do you need to bother publishing your book within an e-mail for those who have a print edition?
Answer:
Yes!!! Amazon actually sells MORE Kindle eBook sales of computer sells print books! Are you able to believe I did not even own a Kindle until a few months ago? What was I thinking? Besides high sales volume, the truth is you can charge less and make must more in royalties with an eBook than the usual paperback book.And lastly, eBooks don't have to be as long as print book to ensure they are salable. I've bought some excellent eBooks that couldn't have been more than 30,000 words, but were worth every penny I paid for them.
Question 2:
What eBook formats exist? Which format must i use?
Answer:
There are many formats, but the two you need to concern yourself with the majority are Kindle (a bespoke format from Amazon) and the ePub format, which is often used by ipad along with other companies.
Kindle may be the big leader in eBook sales (having been around for nearly Five years now), but ipad is doing currently nearly one fourth of all eBook sales finally count. Also, the ePub format is compatible with a number of other cellular devices besides the ipad. You should use BOTH formats, in addition to PDF.
Question 3:
Where do I have to go to setup accounts for an eBook?
Answer:
My suggestion is to use THREE: Amazon (for Kindle), Lightning Source AND Smashwords for other electronic formats. They all distribute to totally different channels (the only real overlap I have found between LS and Smashword Kobo).
For Kindle, go to the Kindle Direct site and obtain started. Be SURE to read almost all their guidelines before submitting anything. It's not necessary to come with an ISBN, however i think it's a great idea to have one.
For Lightning Source, visit their home page and download their list of "CoreSource" Fulfilment partners (you'll probably find about 60 of them, including MBS Books, Lulu, CyberRead, It Depository, Kobo and many more. They deliver eBooks in Adobe Acrobat digital ebook reader, Microsoft Reader, and Palm eBook formats. You may need a new ISBN for the eBook version.
If you visit the Smashwords website, you will see their distribution partners on their own webpage as Apple iBookstore, Barnes & Noble, Sony Reader Store, Kobo and also the Diesel eBook Store. Again, you don't need an ISBN, however i think it's a lot better to make use of your own, because it associates your book along with you as a publisher, and not with Smashwords.
Question 4:
How do I get my book into digital format for Kindle and ePub? Do I just upload my PDF of my print book?
Answer:
Nope. Each company has their own formatting guidelines and it is EXTREMELY important you follow them. If formatting isn't your "thing" someone will help you ready your book for digital format. Smashwords will even send you a list of suggested formatters, who're all quite affordable.
The Kindle Direct website is a little confusing (I think it's because their gradually updating their information), but when you hunt around it enough, you'll also find a of suggested places where you can get the book formatted for Kindle. The main one I've been using is called "LiberWriter" (LOVE the name!) at http://liberwriter.com/. You can test them out free of charge, and then if you wish to use their services, it's $25 to make use of their do-it-yourself conversion, and $50 to have them format and convert for you personally. They also actually respond to personally to customer service requests (always an advantage).
Question 5:
Let's talk about money. How do I price my book, and what kind of royalties am i going to receive per sale?
Answer:
The short response to how you can price your book is at LEAST 50% Under your print version. So, in case your print book costs $15.95, then price your eBook around $7.95 or less. If, however, you use this book more or less as a promotional tool (instead of a proper "book"), consider selling as little as $0.99.
Regarding royalties, it goes like this:
Smashwords
Wholesale compensation = 60% of retail (when in love with sites apart from their own)
Example: in case your eBook is selling for $7.95, the writer would get $4.77.
When your eBook comes ON 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% taken from net (in other words, the author gets 92.5% of net sales). Net is calculated if you take the list price and subtracting the discount you are giving the distributor. For instance, in case 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. Obviously, you can set your discount at a much lower rate wholesale discount in order to achieve a higher profit (example: at 30% discount, you'd receive $5.14).
Kindle
You will get as high as a 70% royalty rate from Kindle, minus "delivery" costs. Deliver pricing is in accordance with your quality. On Amazon.com, the delivery cost is $0.15/mb. So, in case your eBook that is selling for $7.95 is 5mb in size, your royalty could be: $7.95 X 0.70 = $5.57 - (5 X $0.15) = $4.82.
NOTE: to be eligible for a a 70% royalty your Kindle retail price should be between $0.99 and $9.99. If it is higher or lower, you're restricted to 35%. That means that you'll actually make More income selling your Kindle at $9.99 than you'd should you be selling it at $18.99, and also you would probably sell a lot more Kindle versions of the book if you price it as being low as is reasonable. For instance, I make no more than $5.00 per print copy of my book that sells at $24.95, however i make almost $7.00 on my Kindle sales which are priced $9.99.
ALSO: The 70% royalty is NOT valid in all countries. If you select 70% as well as your Kindle sells to a person who does not live in one of the participating countries, you'll receive 35% for all those sales. It's valid in countries for example US, UK, Canada, Germany, Italy, France, Belgium, Switzerland, and many more. The 70% royalty is NOT valid (at this moment) for sales designed to residents of the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Australia, Nz and several other countries. See Kindle Direct for that latest report on sales territories that entitled to the 70% royalty.
Please be aware, these prices and calculations are correct as of this writing, and could have changed since that time.
The key idea with eBooks is to buy your book In as numerous formats, as well as in as numerous distribution channels you are able to. Make sure that links to where people can buy these items is very visible and easy to find on your website.
I hope this short introduction has given a bit more details about the practical why, where and how of eBooks. There is lots more to speak about, especially steps to make probably the most of the eBook format and the way to sell it off. But, we'll save that for another day.
I would very much welcome to hear about your own experiences, so please LEAVE A COMMENT BELOW or drop us a line via my website contact page to let me know what you have learned on your own eBook adventures.
And do sign up for this RSS on Ezine Articles for more info and insight into the world of writing, publishing and book promotions.
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