eBook Authors: Tips for Self Publishing

1. Into the sun videos Summa Publishing: E-Book Authors Images licensed from shutterstock.com

2. 20 Tips forSelf-published Authors in theeBook Age

3. It’s a whole new world in the first inning eBooks started to gain traction in 2010, so it’s only just begun Dive in now (early) to build your knowledge; you’ll be well positioned in the coming years. 20 things worth knowing…

4. It’s easy to publish an eBook… …the challenge now is getting found if you want to sell books to readers. • Opening an account with Slideshare.com is a smart move

5. Tips to maximize Slideshare impact Create content designed to get you featured; analyse the approaches that they select to feature, big flashy slides with dramatic content. Copy the approach.

6. Tips to maximize Slideshare impact Go PRO so you become a contributor to “Channels” (see the Browse dropdown). You get much higher profile and join a pool of “experts” for only $16/mo.

7. Tips to maximize Slideshare impact Create visually interesting shows with photos/graphics; all text is boring! Embed YouTube videos into shows to illustrate key points; you pick exactly where videos play.

8. Tips to maximizeSlideshare impact Create your own video from a PowerPoint show. Simply save slides as jpegs, use any video editing software, add music, and you can create a very pleasing show quickly.

9. Sign up for Amazon’sKindle Direct Publishing You give Amazon a 90-day exclusive, but you can offer your book free and get thousands of downloads If you’re an unknown author, those “free” books build name recognition

10. 8. Sign up withBookBabyas youraggregator After your Amazon exclusive expires, BookBaby can handle distribution to all other eBook retailers. BookBaby keeps 0% of your royalties…it’s a good company. It costs only $249 for the premium package

11. 9. Write several books: More product gives readers more options. One book can generate $200/month in royalties; upload five and your income jumps to $1,000….BETTER!

12. 10. Nonfiction is more WWW searchable You can target nonfiction books much more easily since people enter specific search words You can use your blog, and Amazon’s Listmania to boost your Google ranking

13. Here’s an Amazon Listmania example I created this Listmania to promote my eBook Author Guide. Listmania can result in high Google rankings. And, Amazon runs Listmania lists all the time in the left column.

14. 11. Use GoodReads An account with GoodReads is free for authors; you can enter cover art, content descriptions etc. You can also advertise by pay per click. GoodReads reviews are automatically sent to Kobo, Sony, & Chapters Indigo, so you get quadruple impact

15. 12. Get as many 5-star reviews as you can It’s not easy getting a bunch of 5-star reviews, but get every friend, family member, coworker, etc. to buy your book and review it. Good reviews give shoppers confidence and can even discourage, or mitigate, the inevitable 1-stars that some people love to give.

16. 13. Try for book reviews http://www.theindieview.com/indie-reviewers/ Reviews are tough enough to get from people you know, even tougher from known reviewers. The Indie View has a long list of reviewers you can pitch to.

17. Here’s a review pitch that worked http://www.scribd.com/doc/98738476/Invitation-to-Book-Review-Bloggers You may have to send out 50+ requests to get one hit, but if that one gets a lot of eyeballs, it can pay off

18. 14. Scribd.com is another site to use Scribd lets you upload WWW searchable documents PDFs for free. Scribd gets a lot of traffic, so you can get a lot of views

19. Two more sites free coverage Authorstream.com & SlideServe.com Both run slideshows such as this FREE! Do shows highlighting your books’ contents.

20. 15. Sites that promote for free It takes a bit of work, but there are dozens of sites that can help you promote your book. Look here: http://savvybookwriters.wordpress.com/tag/httpwww-scribd-com/

21. 16. Use tags & categories wisely Many authors don’t make use of their 15 tags on Amazon, or don’t think carefully enough about the two categories you are allowed to choose. These help people find your book. DO USE THEM!

22. 17. Get good covers designed; these are your major tools to draw people into your preview copy. You can do them yourself, but if not, pay someone. Go max on the size of graphics and text

23. 18. Use www.myecovermaker.com and shutterstock.com. Make great covers in minutes for less than $20 Shutterstock has the photos myecovermaker has easy-to-use cover software

24. 19. What to charge for your book? What works best 99-cents or higher? I’ve tried every price and cheap HAS NOT worked better. eBooks are affordable: $2.99-$9.99 is the sweet range that returns 70% royalties.

25. 20. Have patience, it’s a marathon Not much happens fast in eBook sales if you’re an unknown author, so keep writing & keep marketing & don’t expect miracles quickly. Give it a good year of steady pushing...

26. There are days you’ll feel like this But, there’s a growing body of eBook marketing knowledge being built; most of it is free if you look for it

27. eBooks have long shelf lives Another great feature of eBooks is that you can update them easily and issue new, improved editions Each new edition is a new marketing opportunity

28. Pick subjects that are in demand, and keep writing while you market. Writing success is a marathon, not a sprint

29. Much more success information in the book at Amazon.comSearch:eBook Author Success Guideby Steve Bareham