How to Write and Publish an Ebook - Top Tips

How to Write and Publish an eBook – Top Tips

Are you interested in writing your own ebook for fame or fortune? I was fortunate to get some pointers recently from author Jeff Beard on how to write and publish an ebook. I had some pretty basic questions that Jeff was able to answer easily. Hopefully some of the top ebook writing tips will help you too!

Q: How did you go about getting an ISBN and how much did it cost?

A: You can pay for an ISBN or have one assigned to your book for free. If you use the free publishing services of Createspace (an Amazon company) or Smashwords, they will give your book a free ISBN. You can also purchase a custom ISBN. The web is full of opinions about whether to use a free ISBN or purchase one. I use the free one from Createspace . I like free, and it fits my purposes for now. On a sidebar, Createspace and Smashwords are the two most popular sources (and best) for self-publishers getting their books out to the marketplace. Their sites have a lot of helpful tools and articles to walk you through the process.

Q: Did you create your own book cover art?

A: My son, created my covers. I told him what I wanted to emphasize and then handed the project over to him. He knows the science of fonts, color, resolution, design, and all the other details that are needed for printing. He is a freelance designer and animator, and the co-founder of White Ibis studios based out of Orlando, Florida (www.thisiswhiteibis.com). White Ibis is also creating a book trailer for my two books. Book trailers are getting popular for writers and publishers. White Ibis can be reached through their website. Whoever you have to design your cover, make sure that they learn the requirements, including the gutter size, pixels, and etc. for the size of your cover.

Q: How did you end up selecting the actual size of the physical book?

A: Pretty simple. The type of book (fiction or non-fiction) and the number of pages are the two major deciding factors. I use the 6 x 9 because it is the recommended size for fiction. It is also easy for the reader to hold and read. My first book is a novella and my second is a full novel. I used the 6 x 9 for both sizes. Instructional manuals and other types of non-fiction are usually larger. Createspace is full of helpful articles for choosing the best size for the type of book that you’re publishing.

Q: Is there any special formatting I need to know about? I am just using Microsoft Word so far…

A: Many writers use Word. I used it for my first two books. There are some formatting do’s and don’ts that you’ll want to know about before you get too far into the formatting with Word. I learned this the hard way and spent too many hours removing and changing formatting when it was time to upload my Word manuscript to Createspace and Smashwords. Both of these self-publishing services have formatting requirements and their manuals will help walk you through most of the mine fields with Word. I am pretty sharp with Word and have even taught classes on it, but I spent a few bucks and purchased a self- publishing template for Word. You can take your book and copy and paste into the template and be on your way. It dressed the formatting up to the professional look that was missing. You can also download a free copy of their guide for book formatting in MS Word at www.bookdesigntemplates.com Earlier this year I purchased a writing tool called Scrivener. This is a writing program that helps authors manage and organize their documents, ideas, notes, metadata, and a bunch of other stuff that writers have to do to make their work presentable. There are other word-processing tools for free that are pretty good. I researched and decided that the $40 was worth it. If you’re curious about Scrivener, there are videos on Youtube, or go to http://www.writersstore.com/scrivener/. If you’re comfortable in Word, stick with it. There are many writers, especially non-fiction, who use Word. But, I would take a few minutes and research how to use, and how not to use, Word for writing books.

Q: Were there any challenges in going from digital (eBook) to physical that would be good to know about?

A: The formatting is obviously different so there can be some challenges. One way to avoid many of the challenges is to purchase the eBook template from www.bookdesigntemplates.com. I ended up using it to reformat my already published novella and I used for my novel. It was easy and professional. I only needed one ebook template for all my books. Spare yourself a lot of frustration trying meet the conversion requirements. The templates are inexpensive and a time saver.

This site provides a great, free tool for converting books to various eBook formats. I have used this to test my eBook formats – http://calibre-ebook.com/

Q: How have sales of digital compared to physical?

A: Digitals blow my print sales out of the water. I don’t have a beachfront estate in Hawaii with a private eye driving my Ferrai 308 GTS, but my book sales have gone international. At least one copy. The book market is bending to the eBook.

Q: Have you tried other distribution channels besides Amazon? If so, what has your experience been with those?

A: Smashwords will put your book in all of the book distribution channels. A person can order your book from Barnes and Noble and the little book shop on the corner. Your books can be downloaded from ITunes, for Nooks, Sony, and any other e-reader. Amazon, including their Kindle, has the largest share of the eBook market. Most of my book sales, paperback and digital, are through Amazon. Createspace is the door to Amazon and the Kindle digital books. Smashwords will help put your books in all of the other markets and distributors. Did I mention that you can publish through both services free? They get a small % of each book sold through their site. You don’t have to purchase books or put any money up front. The paperbacks are printed when ordered and they send you the royalties. Over the last year or two, these two companies have developed their process to help authors and to promote the self-publishing field.

Q: Did you order physical copies of your book to “test drive” before actual finalization?

A: I strongly recommend “test driving” a printed copy before finalizing. Createspace allows you to purchase proof copies. Do it. Go through your proof copy carefully. I will add that using the templates that I mentioned above took care of the formatting. If your editor did his/her job, and the book cover was created correctly, the finalization should be easy. Three “musts” for anyone self-publishing:

Have your manuscript professionally edited. You may be a good writer, even a great one, but you read with your mind, not your eyes. Editing doesn’t have to be expensive, but it does need to be done. It is important to know what kind of editing you want and/or need for your book. Yep, there are different types of editing a of manuscript. My editor is Sandy Anders. She’s professional, detailed, easy to work with, and … well let’s just say she’s a “Strunk & White” writer. She can be contacted at: sandyanders53@gmail.com.
Get a few people to read your draft and get honest, critical feedback
Don’t hesitate to rewrite, and rewrite until you have it right. Don’t publish until you are completely satisfied. I remember reading a blog on Scribblepreach.com about the secret of effective writing. The blogger pointed out that “Roald Dahl admitted he rewrote/altered/edited his first chapters 150 times before he reached the last. Michael Crichton rewrote his novels in entirety 6-7 times each. Hemingway rewrote the ending to ‘Farewell to Arms’ 39 times.” We need to be patient and get it right.