Michael Esser's...
Real Life Tips for:
Writing, Publishing, and
Promoting Your Own Books.
(On a budget of almost zero.)
BOOK TWO: Publishing
Written by:
Michael E. Esser
Copyright 2011 Michael E. Esser
Smashwords Edition
ISBN: 978-1-4658-1615-3
Smashwords Edition, License Notes
This e-book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This e-book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy.
All Rights Reserved.
Copyright 2011 Michael E. Esser
TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER ONE: Copyright developments and the Internet
CHAPTER THREE: Pros & cons: self-publishing e-books
CHAPTER FOUR: E-books vs. print
CHAPTER FIVE: How do you create an e-book?
CHAPTER SIX: How to profit from e-books
CHAPTER SEVEN: What is an ISBN?
CHAPTER EIGHT: Can I buy my own ISBN?
CHAPTER NINE: Should I buy my own ISBN?
CHAPTER TEN: Creating a book project plan
CHAPTER ELEVEN: Setting book level goals
CHAPTER TWELVE: Setting the price of my e-book book?
CHAPTER THIRTEEN: Setting the price of my print book?
CHAPTER FOURTEEN: Research my book's price?
CHAPTER FIFTEEN: How do I research my market?
CHAPTER SIXTEEN: eReaders: An Introduction
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN: eReaders: Top 10 things authors should know about eReaders
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN: Kindle overview
CHAPTER NINETEEN: Kindle What Authors Should Know
CHAPTER TWENTY: Amazon: An overview
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE: Amazon: Getting Started
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO: Amazon: Costs and Royalties
CHAPTER ONE: Copyright developments and the Internet
A lot of new writers worry about their work being protected…
Especially when that content is going to be posted on the internet. Right away they become concerned about whether or not to copyright their work but often aren't really sure what that entails.
So what should authors know, avoid, and consider when applying the copyright laws in the age of the Internet?
Well
first, according to the U.S.
Copyright office
your work
is protected by copyright laws the moment it is created
and fixed in a tangible form that is perceptible either directly or
with the aid of a machine or device.
This means that as soon as your original work is created in a real, touchable form like the text of a blog or website, a photo, or a video, it is automatically protected by copyright. As the creator of this work you don't even need to display a copyright symbol or do anything special.
The copyright is implied upon the creation of the work.
Although, if you're trying to protect your own work, it is diligent to have a copyright notice posted at the end of your work. For images and videos you can add watermarks or include your copyright in the alt text.
An example of the standard copyright notice is:
“©2011 COMPANYNAMEHERE. All rights reserved.”
Call it a deterrent or the text equivalent of the “No Trespassing” sign. Either way it's just a good business practice to include this copyright notice with everything you create.
On the opposite end of the copyright is the possibility of you infringing on the rights of others like when you're doing your research and find exactly what you need.
In this instance you have the ability to use the content under what's called, “Fair Use.” This doesn't allow you to copy the entire piece but instead grants you the option to legally use a short excerpt from it. In addition, it's also a good idea to cite the source of the excerpt with a link to the origin of the content as this will ensure the copyright owner your legitimate intention while still making your piece look well researched.
Once you've published your work how do you track if someone has stolen from you?
The answer, especially being an individual or small business, is that you'll probably only find out about an infraction by accident. You'll either by searching out your own content and come across the copycat or will be tipped off by an existing customer.
That is unless you hire a company like FairShare or Copyscape to help you track your web pages and scan for violations. These services make it possible for small businesses like yours to find and confront the plagiarist who threaten your brand.
CHAPTER TWO: Print on Demand
In the days of the dinosaurs before man stood upright there existed a publishing system that moaned and groaned with an inconsistency that not only hinder many would be authors but hemorrhaged money with almost every project it produced.
I know a bit dramatic, but still the truth. Before there was print-on-demand publishing there was traditional publishing. How it worked was you wrote a book, made copies of chapters, got publishers addresses, and sent off the copies with a cover letter. You crossed your fingers and waited. If you were lucky, no wait, extremely lucky you heard back from them for revisions and possibly an offer to publish it. Maybe six months to a year goes by and maybe your book is published and maybe it hits the shelves with some degree of marketing and you sell a few copies.
That game has changed.
With print-on-demand publishing the publish house’s that have sprung up have the ability to keep your book in a virtual inventory with machines that only print off a copy of your manuscript once its ordered. No more need for stocking the shelves with the hopes they don’t get sent back for credit. This new system has made a way that authors from around the globe can now publish their work with complete control of the final product.
That includes everything from designing your cover to where and how you market your masterpiece. Because you’re in charge you will also notice that you’ll be receiving a larger portion of the profits as well. Usually going from a commission of 7-10% to somewhere in the 50-80% range. That huge!
The turnaround time from finished product to doorstep is no longer six months at best. Because of this new system I’ve finished writing and editing a book on Saturday, submitted it to Lulu.com, and had it in my hands by Friday. Not to mention that by Monday it had an ISBN and bar code assigned to it and had already been sent off to the major online bookstore’s for distribution and e-book downloads. They handle all the orders, financial transactions, and deliveries. When it’s all said and done at the end of the month they write me a check.
Now, not only is it such an eye opener to just how easy it is to publish this way that now there is no excuse not to let the creative juices flow. The process doesn’t cost you a dime. Plus, with Facebook, Twitter, and the product web page that the print-on-demand publisher provides for the product your marketing plan is full of targets that also won’t cost you anything but the effort to find a like-minded, target demographic within those online communities in which to tell about your book.
A couple words of encouragement. Just the fact that you’re here, reading this, right now means that you have a desire to publish something. Use that desire, create the best product you can, and get it out there. No excuses.
CHAPTER THREE: Pros & cons: self-publishing e-books
If you're an author looking to publish your work with the least resistance self-publishing is a very viable solution.
With it the ability to get your project uploaded and instantly deliverable to your readers is one of the biggest benefits of the e-book format.
But other than quick delivery what are some of the other benefits of self-publishing and what's the downside, if any?
First, the idea of self-publishing means that you'll be responsible for editing, formatting, pricing, and promoting your books yourself.
Now depending on your point-of-view this can be seen as either a pro or a con.
On the positive side you'll be in complete control your manuscripts content and its cover. That means every part of your story will be just as you intended it and your cover design will be just as you envisioned.
The downside to this is that you have to do it all yourself and the ideas or suggestion a professional editor might interject will be missed. Not to mention having an expert marketer designing a book cover that has all the successful elements.
But just because you’re self-publishing doesn't mean you have to do it alone. You can hire a freelance editor and cover designer to assist you in developing your best. But of course this will cost you out-of-pocket.
Another pro when self-publishing your e-book is that you are in control of setting your price point as well as any discounts you'd like to offer. Because you don't have to share your profits with a publisher, and instead only pay a small portion to the website helping you to reach your readers, you keep more of the proceeds. This means you can choose how much you'd like to make off of each sale by setting you per sale price accordingly.
The con here is that because you're self-publishing you'll have to do all the marketing. There will be no team of experts spending their days working for your success. You'll need to create a plan that includes social media, soliciting reviews, writing and submitting press releases, and more.
Most of the e-book self-publishing websites like Smashwords and Lulu do offer you additional help by distributing your e-book to the top retailers. Of course like anything you can pay to have these things done for you but be sure to take into consideration the fact that you're trying to turn a profit.
CHAPTER FOUR: E-books vs. print
When you finally complete the process of writing, editing, and rewriting your book what should the diligent author do next?
Well, if you don't already have a deal to publish your book with someone else and don't feel like playing the waiting game to get one then it's time to move on to the self-publishing stage.
The options available for self-publishing are competitive and can be confusing to the beginner. The idea here is that you have a finished product and just need to get it in the right formats so you can make it available to new readers. Whether you're going to charge for it or give it away is completely up to you but depending on the format you choose can be costly.
The first format we all dream about getting into is print.
Not only is it the format we grew up idolizing and for that reason it’s the most prestigious. The ability to hold your finished work in your hand is a huge pay off for all the time poured into its creation. Not to mention the pride you get from autographing your first copy for your first fan.
What are the drawbacks of self-publishing for print?
Well, cost can become a factor. Every book you receive regardless if you are selling it of giving it away is going cost you. One benefit though is that as the author you'll receive them at cost with discounts being given for bulk orders.
If you don't plan to handle any physical copies then the cost will be minimal as long as you use a do-it-yourself publisher like Wordclay or Lulu. All they require is that you order a proof copy to ensure the finished product is exactly what you want to be sold to others.
E-books on the other hand are what are new and hot. They're the tech savvy choice for millions of readers especially with iPad’s, smartphone's, and Kindle's flying off the shelf.
The benefit to publishing in the e-book format is that your book becomes instantly available to your audience. Plus, all of the most important places your e-book needs to be won't cost you a dime. Especially when you use online publisher Smashwords and then publish directly the Amazon Kindle website.
Does an author need to choose print or e-book or should they do both?
Honestly, the most professional and business smart thing to do as an author is to publish in both formats. It's not going to cost you anything but your time and the rewards can last a lifetime.
This way those die hard paper readers can order their copies. While with e-books you'll remain competitive and able to reap the reward of those instant deliveries and sales. Plus, when you want to get a couple copies shelved in your public library or on the shelf of your favorite small bookstore you'll have that option. But, still be able to refer online reviewer, interviewers, and press to the readily available electronic version.
CHAPTER FIVE: E-book publishing: How do you create an e-book?
When searching through all the possible options one has when it comes to self-publish there are a few things to take into consideration.
If you’re the do-it-yourself type there are two great options available. First, if you want to be in print your best bet is to try a service like WordClay. Their online tools let you customize everything from the cover design to the internal text all from their website. But, if you want to go the digital route WordClay suggests a great e-book service called, Smashwords.
Smashwords allows you to upload your writing to their online service. There the online program, named the “Meat Grinder” will convert your file into all of the different formats any popular reader would require. These include .EPUB, PDF, .RTF, .PDB, .MOBI, LRF and TXT, as well as into online HTML and JavaScript formats. One think to note that while you can simply add images to your pages like usual because of the different file types and versions you’ll never really be able to completely control them like you can in print.
What this means for the author is that you format the manuscript following their guidelines and they’ll do the rest for you. This also includes the instant creation of a product page from which sales and downloads take place.
For the sake of instruction, since most of you already have your manuscripts in a word document, it’s almost more effective to give you the top five formatting mistakes. This way you can go through your manuscript and correct them before you move forward.
First, look out for improper Indents. You don’t want to use the tab key or space bar spaces to create first line paragraph. This can cause all sorts of errors in the conversion process.
Second, watch out for repeated paragraph returns or the ones created by hitting the enter key. You never want to use more than four consecutive paragraph returns because this can create blank e-book pages especially on small-screens.
The third formatting culprit is improper paragraph separation. Paragraphs require the first line of the paragraph to be indented. Otherwise your text runs together and it becomes impossible to distinguish between paragraphs.
Next, don’t use fancy non-standard fonts, colored fonts, and large font sizes over 16pt. All it does is leave you with an e-book that looks amateurish.
Finally, one element first time publisher’s neglect or get wrong is the copyright page. Smashwords has specific requirements for this page that you need to follow if you want them to distribute your e-book.
Basically what they want is the first page of your book to contain this:
Book Title
By Author Name
Copyright 2011 Author Name
Smashwords Edition
Smashwords Edition, License Notes
This e-book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This e-book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy.
With e-books page numbers are no longer relevant because no matter what you do to your book it's going to look different on each e-reader.
So don’t sweat the small stuff and you’ll soon find the pleasure associated with this wonderful, instantly gratifying medium.
CHAPTER SIX: How to profit from e-books
The idea of publishing an e-book is a huge leap for would be writers.
In the past the only opportunity a budding new author had at getting their work published was to either get a book deal with a traditional publisher or pay to have their work self-published.
But now that's all changed with the invention of digital readers and the thirst for content has never been greater. This means that new indie authors can compete for the first time ever.
But how do I do it? Where do I begin and how do I profit you ask?
First you need to have a complete, edited, and revised manuscript. I know it sound like a no-brainer but the importance here is that you don't want to instantly release something that can be picked apart for silly oversights.
Especially when the comments that will inevitably be posted can be like cancer for your new project before it even gets off the ground.
Next, we need to get the manuscript uploaded to a credible online publisher. Some suggestions include Smashwords, Lulu, and of course Amazon Kindle. The idea here is to make your book available on multiple platforms and locations so that no matter where a reader is seeking you'll be there. Plus these places will be the collection point for all royalties and profits.
So now that you've got a live e-book you need to get to selling.
To successfully achieve our goal we need to give our audience what they want, when they want it, and for a price they'd be willing to happily pay. To achieve this we don't need to look any further than indie publishing sensation Amanda Hocking.
Amanda was a struggling writer who had been rejected again and again. But instead of quitting she looked at what she was doing and made the appropriate changes. Her first books were dark and more felt like what she thought she wanted to write about. Frustrated she physically went to the bookstore and research what was on the shelf where she wanted to be. What she found was hundreds of books that seemed to follow a common trend.
So she went home and decided to write her own version of what the people obviously wanted. Not only taking into account the theme but also the serializing of the storyline. From this came the “My Blood Approves” series that went on to sell a million copies.
But what other than writing books in a popular genre did she do to be successful?
Well, she made sure that the first impression the reader got of her books were a positive one by making her covers attractive and enjoyable. Then she didn't price herself out of the market by offering her e-books for between 0.99-$2.99. This made given the new series a chance an easy decision for the newcomers.
As far as marketing goes she discovered the wonderful world of the book bloggers. There she simply contact them asking if they'd be willing to review her book. Many did and recommended here work to their fan base generating an onslaught of new readers rushing to her sites to make downloadable purchases.
In addition, she credits her constant self-promotion and accessibility to here success.
She states on her blog, “I'm on Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, Amazon, and KB. I'm anywhere I can be. I always try to respond to readers, even though most of my responses are lame.”
The moral here is if you want to profit from selling you e-books look to someone who already has and follow their footsteps.
CHAPTER SEVEN: What is an ISBN?
When it comes time to publish your written work there is a technical concern you cannot ignore and that's your books ISBN.
ISBN stands for International Standard Book Number. What it does is give a unique numerical identifier to each edition of a published book. This means that one ISBN is assigned to the paperback edition of your book while a different one will be assigned to the hardback edition. This also applies to the e-book edition of it as well.
The life of an ISBN starts from the early planning and production stages all the way through to publication and promotion.
The ISBN also plays a big part in your sales and distribution. First, it’s the unique number used to track sales analysis and rights management. It's also used in organizing bibliographic data storage and library information management.
The ISBN system is recognized in over 170 countries throughout the world.
ISBN's are used for a broad range of publications and media. They are not just for printed media, but are also used to identify audio books on CD and DVD, as well as other electronic media. For example computer software that is used for educational purposes as well as publications that's component is text based.
ISBN's aren't used for products not based on a text based publication. Things unsuitable for the ISBN system include ongoing and unfinished work, like newspapers and periodicals. Other products that don't require an ISBN include: personal resumes, advertising leaflets, printed music, art prints without text, and emails.
If you want to purchase ISBN's on your own the biggest catch is that they need to be purchased in blocks of 10, 100 or 1,000. The total cost will range from $275 for 10 ISBN's to $1,875 for a block of 1,000 ISBN's
There are also two fees involved. The first is a registration fee. The registration fee is to allocate you a publisher prefix along with a block of numbers, one for each publication.
The second is a processing fee. The processing fee covers the processing of your application and its cost depends on how quickly you need your application processed.
In the United State you must by your ISBN's from R. R. Bowker. Bowker can also help you to produce your bar codes. Bar codes are something that you need to create as a self-publisher. Especially if you ever intend to sell you book in stores.
To obtain a single ISBN you need to get your book published through one of the many online companies like AuthorHouse, WordClay or Lulu.
These organizations exist to help new self-publishing authors to publish their work. Some companies may even offer you a free ISBN in addition to the option of buying one through them that is then instantly assigned to your book. They make dealing with ISBN's part of their service.
CHAPTER EIGHT: Can I buy my own ISBN?
If you're looking into buying an ISBN or International Standard Book Number then you must be preparing to become a publisher. This means that you have some sort of written work you want to publish on your own and need an ISBN to complete the process. You can do this entirely on your own or choose a service provider to assist you in the process.
Becoming one’s own publisher isn't a simple process.
This task entails you running every aspect of your publication from concept and creation to sales and distribution.
With today's technology and the level of services provided online the idea of the do-it-yourself publisher no longer needs to be so inundating. Especially with resources like WordClay, CreateSpace, and Lulu that all help facilitate the publishing process while letting you control every aspect along the way. Lulu even lets you convert your book into an e-book with just a few clicks.
All of these services allow you to use your own ISBN if you already have one. But, they also give you the option of purchasing one through them. The cost for a single ISBN will probably run you around $99.00 and take a few weeks to receive.
If you’re still insistent you can purchase your ISBN's in blocks of 10, 100 or 1,000 in the United States from the only authorized dealer R. R. Bowker. The cost will range from $275 for 10 ISBN's all the way up to $1,875 for a block of 1,000.
There is a registration and a processing fee involved. The registration sets you up a publisher prefix along with the block of numbers and the other pays to process your application.
If that's not in your budget then you have another option. There are services like Lulu and CreateSpace that can help. These publishing services offer you the ability to obtain an ISBN for each of the projects you create through them for free.
The catch to these free ISBN's is that when you obtain one you are granting publishing rights to the service to act as a publisher on your behalf to retailers and wholesalers globally.
All the control and royalties remain yours. When you weigh the services they provide to the benefits you receive, especially when you don't have to come out of pocket for anything, you'll find they present a pretty good deal.
CHAPTER NINE: Should I buy my own ISBN?
One of the most confusing problems new writers seem to confront when trying to publish their new work is the ISBN.
The use of the International Standard Book Number and its purpose seem to cause a considerable amount of stress when deciding to buy your own.
Nowadays with the internet offering such great publishing services to new authors the decision on whether to purchase an ISBN really depends on a few different elements.
First what are your intentions? Are you just publishing one book or do you have major plans to publish another one anytime soon? Next, are you really interested in starting a publishing company and if so do you really understand all it entails? Or do you just want to write? Finally, do you have the budget to buy a block of 10 ISBN's, which start at around $250?
If you are planning on publishing multiple titles, would like to set up your own publishing company, and are not on a tight budget then you should by the block of ISBN's that fits your budget.
What this does is make you the publisher on record for your work. That enables anyone searching to locate the publisher for any book. Also this gives you control of the bibliographic record and more importantly the metadata attached to the book that is used by search engines to drive traffic to the title.
On the other side of that if you do only plan to publish a few books, are not interested in creating a publishing company, and really don't have the money to put out before ever earning a dollar then a free ISBN might be what you really need.
After all there are no reasons why you couldn't publish books using a free ISBN from a respectable company. By having their name on your work it doesn’t impact the ownership or copyright. You will still have all the control over your content just without the added cost.
Even if the book is a success and you decide later that you’ve changed your mind and want to publish more editions you can still buy your own ISBN block after the fact.
That way you can still use the great services of your publishing service but upload your own ISBN number in that step of the process. That way you don’t have any added hassle or need to revamp the process you've found to be successful for you.
CHAPTER TEN: Creating a book project plan
When first attempting to make it as an author you might find yourself with a lot of questions about logistics. Thinks that relate to how your book will be published or what kind of money you should expect to make. Maybe you haven't identified your target audience or decided what formats you'll publish in. That's where a project plan can help authors dot the i's and cross the t's.
But, what's included in in an author’s project plan?
First thing you need to decide for your plan is how you intend to publish your work. Meaning do you plan to submit query letters and samples to traditional publishers or maybe you'd like to investigate the self-publishing industry for a quicker turn around and product launch.
If you choose self-publishing you're next decision will be to either use a guided print-on-demand service like Author House or a completely do-it-yourself like WordClay.
Next, for your plan to succeed you need to identify who your target audience is. This is where you need to think about who is most likely to read your book. You can define it by age group, lifestyle, and genre but mostly you need to think about what makes them unique. It's that uniqueness that's going to drive your writing and your marketing.
Now, you need to determine what your revenue goal is. That is how much money you'd like to make per sale and a realistic figure on what you want to potentially earn. To figure this out you need to know how much your book will cost to produce and what you can realistically sell it for. It might be hard to pin point exactly how much your costs will be but you can begin to determine your retail price by research other books already out there like yours.
Part of figuring costs as well as the direction of your marketing plan comes from determining what format(s) you will publish in. Whether it's an e-book, print hard cover, print paper back, or any combination of these it's this choice that will determine how you need to plan for distribution. For example, if you choose to just publish online with an e-book you don't necessarily need to be as concerned with brick and mortar as you do need to be with mega-sites like Amazon and Barnes and Nobles.
Finally, button up your project plan by deciding what outside resources, if any, you will use for editing, cover design, marketing, distribution, and sales. If you're a first time author you might want to at least consider a freelance editor and cover designer as the investment can pay for itself especially when it comes to making the ever so important first impression.
CHAPTER ELEVEN: Setting book level goals
Why are goals important for each book project you take on?
The association between goal setting and time management are pretty straightforward especially when it comes to your book project. That is if you don't set actionable goals focused on specific tasks you're probably going to work on things that will simply be wasting your time.
To avoid the confusion of what should and shouldn’t be completed immediately you need to simply look towards your desired end result. For any book project that is a well written and edited manuscript you’d be proud to let anyone read. Not cover art, the fonts, or which head shot you’ll use.
Your goals should include things like a set amount of time to research and plan, set time to write and edit, as well as a time to promote and interact with would be readers.
David Allen, author of “Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity”, discusses the fact that simply the act of setting a goal gives us a new “lens” to view existence through. It’s this new focused point-of-view that will help you to achieve your goals. Meaning you'll see new opportunities that you had never have before simply by setting a target and once you set that goal, you'll start seeing opportunities to make it happen.
What should a 'good' goal include?
The experts are divided on the amount of goals you should set with some of them saying you should have as many life goals as you can think of while others say you should limit your goals.
I think the best advice is to work somewhere in that grey area. You need to set specific goals like, “I will write at least 2 hours a day, 6 days a week until my book is done.” But also need to mind map out all the other complicated details that are a necessity for a writer in today’s market like blogging, tweeting, Facebook time, review requests, press releases, interview opportunities, website themes, marketing, etc.
To be successful you need to visualize what it will take for you to accomplish the goal. Then help it to manifest.
CHAPTER TWELVE: How do I set the price of my e-book book?
When trying to determine the pricing for anything you create it can get tricky. If you don’t value your time and effort then no one else will either. Now make that something you create a book and make it digital so that it can’t even sit on a shelf and some might stress its true value.
But the value of a book regardless if it’s in paperback, hardback, or digital form is its content. From the authors point-of-view there’s the time spent researching, writing, and editing that needs to be factored into a books value. But from the consumer side it’s the purpose that publication serves. Regardless if it’s to inform, entertain, or instruct its value is factored based on its desirability and uniqueness to the market place.
Only from truly understanding both sides can you then justify whatever price you’ve decided on. From that you can then begin a more scientific approach to finding what price point will be best received for your e-book.
The easiest way to go about doing your own market research is by going to the exact same places where you are going to put your e-book.
From the main page of let’s say the Amazon’s Kindle page search out books that might sit on the shelf next to yours. Now start looking at what those authors charge. Remember you’re probably new to the whole process and might want to give new readers an incentive to buy your book so think competitively.
Next, click through a few other book websites to see how the prices vary. For example, one author might charge $2.99 for their e-book on Amazon but only charge $0.99 on Smashwords. This is because Amazon has a minimal threshold that’s higher than Smashwords. This will factor into how much profit you take home.
So the final factor that you want to take into consideration is how much you want to net on each sale. You’ll want to be able to make a decent return on each sale without standing out as overpriced but you also want to be able to capture the volume. So once again you need to discover that sweet spot as it relates to you and your genre.
Books that sell for $0.99 easily out sell any others but you profit will be small. (30% on Amazon and between 47% and 59% on Smashwords) While, by boosting the price to $2.99 on Amazon your profit percentage jumps to a full 70%.
So do your homework, price accordingly, and your sales will thank you.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN: How do I set the price of my print book?
What guidelines should a self-publishing author follow when pricing print copies of their book?
If you are self-publishing your books through an online publisher like Author House, Create Space, or LuLu then pricing your project is completely up to you. The price you set might help those interested reader decide whether or not they want to take a chance on a new author. It might also discourage others.
It’s for this reason you want to make sure whatever you decide to price your masterpiece it’s competitive.
It would be great to simply underprice your book so that you have that advantage of the others in you specific genre but that’s not always possible. There are things you need to factor in when setting your price.
First of them is what the actual printed book will cost you to produce. Now with print-on-demand technology this doesn’t need to be an out of pocket expense unless you really want to maximize your profit margin. Nowadays with this type of technology the orders are processed and produced on a per order basis and the cost for the printing and shipping is taken directly from the consumer.
The maximizing of profits come from bulk sale prices these publishers offer authors when they buy large quantities of their own books that they then turn around and sell themselves. This is a risky process that many early self-publishers found out when they were left with cases of books lining their living rooms with no one to sell them to.
Your best bet is to do a little research and from that research set your printed books price at a level that will cover costs and leave you with a fair return.
How do I conduct a competitive price research?
The easiest way to go about conducting your own competitive price research is by going to the exact same places where you are going to put your printed book. One of the largest e-retailers is Amazon. So from their main search page look for books that might sit on the shelf next to yours. Next, start looking at what those authors charge. Remember you’re new to the print world and want to give new readers an incentive to buy your book so think competitively. Also take into consideration word counts and pages as this might help justify your pricing to a potential consumer.
If the top sellers are selling their similar books for $14.95 then try setting your price somewhere between $9.99-$12.95. This gives your potential readers that reason to give you a shot. Not to mention you’ll still be able to take home between 30%-50% of the sales price making for a better than average return.
A little research will go a long way here. Plus, remember you can always adjust your pricing anytime you see fit after all you are self-publishing.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN: How do I research my book's price?
After pouring your sweat and maybe even a few tears into your book project and arrive at a finish product you can be proud of you need to understand the journey has just begun. If you're doing this on your own now is when you'll need to plan distribution, social media marketing, traditional marketing, press releases, review requests, a blog tour, the setting up of your own blog if you don't already have one, and more.
But before any of this can happen your book needs to be made available for order and for that you need to set a price. This is why we're going to go over the process of conducting your own competitive research so you can best price your book.
First on your list is checking out the competition.
This is important because you'll want to see the average price point for books like yours both in print and e-book format.
Essentially what you want to do is snoop around the Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Borders websites. While you're there you want to seek out those books that are most like yours. Search out your genre and find books that have similar themes, page counts, and overall appeal because those books are going to be the ones you're competing with.
But don't stop there.
Now seek out the top titles in your genre and see what they're going for. If you're not sure what they are you can check out the USA Today, New York Times, or Amazon's top lists. (Amazon's is actually updated hourly.)
You might have to click through a couple pages to find something that relates to yours. But if you get through the list and don't find anything even close to yours you might want to consider why that is. You' might have to rethink your target market or at least how you're going to approach the market.
Also, be sure to note the difference in how the prices vary in both hard and soft copy format as well as in the e-book format. This way you too can not only see the scope of products but the difference in their pricing.
With this information you will not only give yourself perspective on who your real competition is but also be enabled to make a calculated decision on your books price.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN: How do I research my market?
If you have written a book that you’d like to get out into the market one of the first things you need to do is conduct competitive research.
What this means is that you need to go out into the world, or virtual world, and seek out the competition. The idea behind this type of research is that by knowing the competition you’ll be better prepared to compete. You don’t want to blindly attempt releasing your book to the world overpriced and under desired. This will only leave you discouraged and frustrated.
The solution to overcoming this dreadful scenario lies in conducting a competitive research study of your own. Your research needs to at least touch on pricing, topic and genre trends, other authors, and the best possible distribution channels.
Price research is the basic process of searching out other books similar to yours and noting what is being charged for them.
This will not only help you when pricing your book but will also show you an average threshold of what the consumer is willing to pay for your product. To make your research better you should also note page counts, cover design, and notoriety of the author so that you can gauge your findings accordingly.
Next, you need to do a basic topic search for top titles and top authors in your specific genre. You can do this a few ways. First you can Google specific terms like, “top authors in the zombie genre”, “Average sales for vampire books”, or “top selling genre for books.”
A second way is to go through the bestsellers lists put out regularly by USA Today, New York Times, of even the hourly updated Amazon list. These lists are great at giving you some perspective and really showing you the state of your desired genre. From what you see you can then determine if that sector is growing or shrinking and what the truly popular themes are.
When researching where to sell your book the best answer is everywhere you can get it and in at least e-book and paperback format. That means you should set your book up on Amazon’s Kindle page, Smashwords distribution page, Barnes and Nobles, etc. Also get it up on Scripted, Lulu, Create Space, Good Reads, etc. Then also make sure to create a Facebook page and twitter account for them so you can promote these locations to the world.
Finally, a great source for finding agents to help you is agentquery.com. It boasts itself to be the most trusted source for literary agents and it’s an extremely easy site to use. Simply find the heading, “Writers” and click, “Submitting to Agents” and follow the prompts. It would also be a benefit if you read the other information they provide regarding everything from scammers to query letters.
Conducting competitive research as an author will do one thing if nothing else make you more competitive and that’s what it takes to make it in these competitive times.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN: eReaders: An Introduction
In the new digital age there seems to be a new hot piece of technology being introduced all the time. In the world of literature one of these inventions is called an eReader.
An eReader is a computerized tablet style device. This popular device has been specifically designed to hold books in a digital format that when displayed can be easily read. One of the keys to the devices success is that the displayed format very closely mimics that of a real paper book. While being able to contain whole libraries of titles in one easy to hold and easy to carry device.
As an author you really need to take into consideration this new device for several reasons.
First, with the popularity of these devices the consumers are being put into a mindset that has them hungry for more and more titles to fill their new devices. The idea and comfort of reading from these devices has sparked a new generation to return to literature as both a source of entertainment and a convenient way to increase knowledge.
For any author the prospect of more people enjoying their medium is a good thing. What this means is there is a whole new market for your work. As a matter of fact e-book sales have equaled or surpassed traditional sales in 2011.
This means when it comes to your project planning the conversion of your text into the profitable e-book, format is crucial. Checkout the services provided by e-book publisher Smashwords to do this easily, and for no cost to you. They are a friendly online resource that converts your book into a variety of e-book formats that ensures your book can be read on any eReader.
Of the new eReader's on the market some of the most popular models are the Amazon Kindle, the Barnes and Noble Nook which now comes in a full color version, and the Kobo eReader Touch.
Of these the highest selling and most popular device is the Amazon Kindle. One of the reasons is obvious in that Amazon itself is a leader in online book sales. The Kindle device is unique in that the format of the books it reads are proprietary. So, using this to their advantage why wouldn't they lead the world in e-book sales as well.
It’s for this reason that after you upload your book to Smashwords, which will distribute your book to several online retailers. The only other place you need to sign up for individually might be the Amazons Kindle page where you can also upload your work.
Both of these locations allow you to set prices and figure your profits all while creating product pages that you can easily link to from your blog or website.
E-readers aren't going anywhere as a matter of fact they are just going to evolve. You might have noticed we didn't mention the iPad here. That's because the iPad is a tablet PC that is capable being an e-reader but is not a dedicated one. Regardless because of its capabilities it only adds leverage towards you as an author publishing your work in this exciting new format.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN: eReaders: Top 10 things authors should know about eReaders
Authors need readers and these days readers are flocking to the latest innovation in literature the eReader. These devices and the digital e-books they house can not only be a great way to increase your reach but your sales as well.
To do this effectively you need to become better informed about what eReader's are being used, their file formats, and the different ways you can sell to them.
Here are ten things every author should know about eReaders:
What are the biggest ones out there?
Of all the eReaders on the market the most popular have to be the Amazon Kindle, Barnes and Noble Nook, Sony Reader, and the Kobo. In addition to these there is one other device that mainstream consumers use regularly and in growing numbers, the Apple iPad.
What file formats are there?
E-books come in a variety of formats. Each one meant for a specific device. The common format types include: MOBI, EPUB, LRF, PDB, HTML, PDF, RTF, and TXT.
What is the relationship between eReaders and the different e-books formats?
Of all these popular readers the most popular, the Amazon Kindle, uses a proprietary format. Its extension is .MOBI and works for all Kindle devices and Kindle apps.
All the other eReaders use a publication file that uses the file extension .EPUB. Except for older Sony Readers that use .LRF file type.
Just for the sake of covering all the bases there's also Palm reading devices out there that use a .PDB type file extension.
Other e-formats exist that are compatible with PC's, browsers, and word processors. These include: HTML, PDF, RTF, and TXT.
So you want to start selling e-books on Amazon in general?
Of course you want to get your e-book on the biggest online retailer but as of September 2009 their Mobipocket.com website that handles the processing no longer accepts new accounts. But don't worry; you can still sell your e-books through Kindle.
Selling e-books for the kindle?
As mentioned above the Amazon storefront no longer allows you to sell your e-work directly through them. This really isn't true. You see all they've done is folded the service into their Kindle publishing portal. Now when you publish through KDP.Amazon.com author tool your book will be available through both the Amazon.com site and the Kindle store.
Why sell e-books on Smashwords?
Alright, you've gotten yourself on Amazon that takes care of the Kindle. What about all those other devices out there? The solution is simple when you discover Smashwords.
Smashwords not only converts your file into all the needed formats, including Kindle, but it makes them available through their own product pages. In addition, they include your e-book in their catalog and also submit you to all the popular online retailers at no cost.
What is the relationship between making an e-book and selling it?
The process of creating an e-book is a simple one but getting it out into the marketplace is a whole other story. The selling process consists of a serious marketing plan and continued effort on your part.
This plan needs to include social media aspects that promote your links and a blog that digs deeper and attracts new readers. Maybe book a virtual blog tour on popular reviewer blogs. Point everyone who shows interest in your e-book to your links and over time with continued effort watch your sales grow.
What formatting considerations are there when creating e-books for eReaders?
The best advice for the “would be” e-book publishers when it comes to formatting their work for conversion into any e-format is to keep it simple. This means no fancy fonts or spacing that might cause converters to create errors in your document.
For an in-depth look at all the things to consider when creating an e-book checkout Smashwords Style Guide.
How do they interact with each other? For example, do they all have proprietary file formats or can my reader download a book on my iPad and access it from my Kindle?
If you are dealing with any eReader other than the Kindle then yes the books are interchangeable. But if you go to the Kindle store you can download their reader app that allows you to read Kindle formatted books on other devices including your PC.
Do I have to make my e-book available in every reader’s format?
This question seems kind of unnecessary especially because if you're selling your e-book then you are in business. If you're in business then you need to be versatile. Now, in being flexible you had the opportunity to sell your work in multiple formats, that serve multiple platforms why wouldn't you? (Especially if it wasn't going to cost you anything.)
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN: eReaders: Kindle Overview
Amazon's popular eReader the Kindle has gone through some changes over the last four years. In this overview will get caught up on the evolution of this innovation in literature delivery and see how it fits into our readers lifestyle.
The Amazon Kindle was first developed in 2007 for Amazon by Lab126.
The Amazon subsidiary created the device to enable users to shop for, download, browse, and read e-books, newspapers, magazines, and blogs through their proprietary device.
Two years later, after the success of the original version of the device, the Kindle 2 was introduced. This slimmer device featured the text-to-speech option that read the books text for you. The Kindle 2 was only criticized for the initial price and lack of expansion slot.
Around the same time in 2009 the kindle DX was introduced. This new Kindle featured a larger screen, a thinner design, and the ability to auto adjusts the page when the device is turned on its side. The device was only able to connect online through Whispernet in the United States and not though a regular wireless connection. The international version released in 2010 corrected this even though Whispernet is really just a rebranding of Sprint's high-speed wireless network working in the background.
Also in January 2010 the “Graphite” version of the device introduced its E ink display technology that boasted a 50% better contrast ratio and a new lower price but still no Wi-Fi connectivity.
Six months later the Kindle 3 or Kindle Keyboard was introduced in two versions. One with Wi-Fi and a second version with both Wi-Fi and 3G connectivity both now featured a small keyboard, headphone jack and a USB connection.
The most recent generation of Kindle's include the lowest priced Kindle to date as well as the Kindle Touch and Kindle Fire Tablet.
This new stripped down version of the popular device now has five hard keys to control its functions and is available in an ad supported version and a non-ad supported version for a slightly higher price. The Kindle Touch features the obvious upgrade of a touch screen while the Kindle Fire is a true tablet running the Android and featuring a color touch screen and is the first Kindle without E Ink display.
Outside the device the Kindle application has been made available for download so that the proprietary files can be accessed on your other eReader devices and PC's.
CHAPTER NINETEEN: eReaders: Kindle What Authors Should Know
There are several opportunities that Amazon and its Kindle device present to new authors. First, in just a few clicks you become an officially published Kindle author. Plus, the idea that your readers can download your book onto their easy to read and portable device is not only a technological advancement but it's attracting consumers in droves.
This means these new authors can finally compete for readers with the best of them like never before.
Also, there is such a variety of Kindle devices available that regardless there's one that fits just about anyone's needs or budget. The Kindle device has been so successful that it’s expanded a whole market of similar devices. And even though these other devices, that including Tablet PC's, use a different file format Kindle offers a free app download that allows these other users to access the Kindle format with ease.
What this means for authors is that once you publish your e-book on Kindle it will be accessible to a plethora of devices and PC's all connected to just what you’re looking for, new readers. Not to mention that the Kindle store is directly linked to all the devices in a way that allows your potential readers to be just a few click from your content.
To get yourself in front of this trend you need to have a completed manuscript and then log on to kdp.amazon.com to upload it. The process is simple, just fill in some details about you and the book then upload your text file for conversion and a digital version of your book cover.
Now, you will be presented with the available choices for both distribution and pricing.
Your options for distribution allow you to select if you want to only sell within the United States or if you'd like to, make your work available in other international markets.
Next, you have to set your price and decide which royalty plan you want to employ for this particular e-book. You have the option to receive 35% of your price and have the option to price the e-book .99 cents and up. The second option is to select the 70% profit plan but can only charge a minimum of $2.99 per e-book.
The option to sell at .99 cents gives your readers a better reason to take a chance on your work and might help you to profit with volume.
This is a good idea when you are relatively unknown and are trying to win over new readers. While on the other hand taking home 70% of your larger sales price means you don't have to sell as many to turn a decent profit.
CHAPTER TWENTY: Amazon: An overview
Based in Seattle, Washington Amazon is one of the global leaders in e-commerce. This Fortune 500 Company was started in 1995 by founder Jeff Bezos in his family garage.
Since then they’ve expanded their available products and international reach.
Today, Amazon offers an almost unlimited list of available products that range from books and electronics to novelty items and hard to find gifts. Their services and business planning have given Amazon a focus centered on technology services, merchandising, customer service, and order fulfillment.
All of this is made possible through the shopping experience they’ve created to feel customized for each customer. Things like suggestions for other popular purchases based on the items they’ve looked at let the customer have the option to enhance their purchase with items they might have otherwise missed.
For the readers who still flock to the internet giant they offer a book discovery resource through their “Search inside the Book” feature. In addition, they’ve made the purchasing process even more convenient using their “1-Click® Shopping” checkout system.
The addition of specialty community features like Listmania which allows you to create various “top lists” and share them with the world. The idea is that others might be able to read your list and take away suggestions for their own possible purchases.
Then there’s Wish Lists a service that lets you keeping track of what you want now but might plan to purchase at a later date. This function act like the ultimate window shopping tool with purchases just "1-Click®” away.
With Amazon’s international reach it only makes sense that they would operate locations in Japan, Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Canada, Italy, and even China.
With Amazon on its current path its continued growth will come in its expansion in the publishing industry, its creation of new technologies like their Kindle product lines, and a continued expansion into more and more markets.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE: Amazon: Getting Started Book Selling
When you want to make your book available to the masses one of the places you want to seriously consider putting it is Amazon. By putting your book online and making it available for purchase on Amazon you almost give yourself the online equivalent to being shelved in a superstore like Wal-Mart. (Although if you follow the right steps it won't be as hard, or expensive, as getting into the big name retail giants.)
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