-Everybody is doing it these days, so it must be easy. Right?
If you’re thinking of self-publishing your book and you did research on the web, you may be convinced that publishing the book is a piece of cake. Well, that’s not exactly true. Or even vaguely true.
- My ebook has to agree with a formatting standard I never heard of?
Yeah, that’s right. Ebooks have to be formatted in accordance with the Epub3 standard. Get this free download to learn how to do it. https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/52
- Wow! Look at all the typos the packager says I have in my manuscript. But I went through it three times and didn’t find anything wrong with it.
Editors exist to eliminate this problem. You have to learn to use them. And pay them!
- Keywords? What are keywords. Why isn’t my book title good enough?
Keywords are what the search engines look for. And your keywords should be what readers will type into search boxes. Google has a keyword tool. https://ads.google.com/home/tools/keyword-planner/
- My book is available on Amazon. How come no one is buying it?
Thousands of other books were published the same day as yours. No one knows about your book. You have to tell them about it. This is called marketing. Book Marketing Fundamentals has details on this and many other topics. https://www.amazon.com/Book-Marketing-Fundamentals-Hank-Quense-ebook/dp/B08FJ9J6V2/.
- I posted about my book on Facebook and other places. How come I don’t sell any books?
Social media posts on sites like Facebook don’t sell books. If successful, the post will deliver visitors to the book’s landing page. That’s where the sale takes place. Or not. You can find out more about landing pages here
- Why can’t I use my ebook cover for a paperback edition?
An ebook cover can be used for the front cover on a paperback. But a paperback cover consists of three parts: the front cover, the back cover and the spine that connects the two. If you hired a cover artist to make the ebook cover, that artist should be able to make the paperback cover.
- Packager? What’s a packager? Is that like a publisher? Wait! I’m the publisher.
Packagers are an integral part of self-publishing. Here is a link to a page with a video that explains more about publishers and packagers.
- My book was published by Kindle. Why isn’t the paperback edition available in bookstores?
The publishing industry has a standard discount that bookstores use. Kindle will not allow the bookstores to discount that deeply. Kindle also will not allow book returns. These two issues are why bookstores refuse to order and stock Kindle paperback books.
Actually, all these issues could be avoided by using the book, Self-publish Your Book In 10 Steps. https://www.amazon.com/Self-publish-Book-10-Steps-Blueprint-ebook/dp/B09L6DZCMH
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