This presentation provides an introduction to ebook publishing for self-published authors. The presentation provides background on four trends shaping the future of publishing, and then follows with a step-by-step checklist of how to publish, distribute, market and sell an ebook. This presentation was given at the Crested Butte Writers Conference June 21, 2013. The presentation that follows, also here on Slideshare, is The Secrets to Ebook Publishing Success. The Secrets presentation builds on this presentation, and provides detailed advice on how to reach more readers by identifying the best practices of the most commercially successful ebook authors.
4. Publishers Said “No”
• Despite great efforts of our
agent, every major NY
publisher said NO (TWICE!)
5. I evaluated our options
1.The rational option
Accept failure, assume fetal position
and cry
1. The irrational option
Believe in ourselves
Mortgage the house and try to fix the
problem
6. My Answer: Smashwords
• * FREE * eBook Publishing Platform
Free ebook printing press
Distribution to major ebook retailers and
libraries
Free learning materials help writers
become professional publishers
8. How Smashwords Works
• UPLOAD
• Word .doc or .epub
• Instant, free ebook conversion
• Instantly for sale
• DISTRIBUTE
• Distribution to retailers and
libraries
• GET PAID
• Author earns 60-80% list
9. 4 TRENDS THAT WILL TRANSFORM THE
FUTURE OF AUTHORSHIP
12. Ebooks as a percentage of US
wholesale trade market
Source: Association of American Publishers, publishers.org. 2012 Smashwords estimate
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012
13. The market share slide underestimates
true impact of ebooks
The previous slide is based on dollar sales. Since
ebooks are priced significantly lower than print
books, the unit volume percentage (or,
percentage of words read in the ebook format) is
much higher.
Within the next year, it’s likely that more book
words will be read on screens than on paper.
Follow the eyeballs. If your entire list isn’t
already in ebook format, do it now!
Follow the eyeballs.
15. Why ebooks are hot
• Screens offer better reading experience than
paper
•
Changeable font size A B C D
• Ebooks offer better consumption experience
• Lower cost than print
• Convenient sampling and purchasing
• Huge selection
17. In the Past, Publishers Controlled
Everything
• They controlled the …
• printing press
• distribution
• knowledge to professionally publish
18. Today, Authors Have Free Access
to the Tools
• Authors have …
• FREE ebook printing press
• Democratized ebook distribution
• Unfettered access to the knowledge of
professional publishing best practices
19. Publishers losing their monopoly
• Writers no longer need publishers to
publish, distribute and sell
• Writers asking two questions:
1. “What can a publisher do for me that I can’t
do for myself?”
2. “Will a publisher actually harm my ability to
reach readers?”
21. Indies are hitting the bestseller
lists
• Self-published ebooks scaling all the
bestseller lists
• Retailers giving indies seat at merchandising
table
22. Prediction
Within 3 years, most NY Times
bestselling ebooks will be from self-
published authors
- June 21, 2013 by Mark Coker
23. Advantages of Indie Authorship
• Indie ebook author advantages
• faster time to market
• creative control
• lower expenses
• better distribution to global market
• immortal ebooks never go out of print
• lower prices to consumers
• earn more per book
25. Indie Ebook Authors Earn Higher
Percentage of List Price
• Indies earn more at lower prices
• At $2.99, indies earn ~$2.00. Traditional author
would have to price over $10 to earn $2.00
• Lower price = reach more readers = more sales at
higher profits per sale
• Traditionally published ebook authors at
disadvantage with high prices, low royalties
60-80% 12-17%
Indie Traditional
27. Self publishing was once seen as the option of
last resort for writers.
Now it’s increasingly viewed as the option of first
choice.
Successful indies are setting the example, and
inspiring the next generation of authors.
As the previous stigma of self-publishing
disappears, there’s rising stigma attached to
traditional publishers.
30. Checklist for Publishing an Ebook
Finish a super-awesome book
Format the book prior to conversion
Prepare cover image
Prepare the metadata
Ebook conversion to multiple formats
Pricing
ISBNs
Copyright
Distribution to retailers, libraries
Piracy
Marketing
31. Finish Your Super-Awesome Book
• Ebook publishing tools make
publishing fast, free and easy …
• … but they don’t make it easy to write
a great book
• You (the author) are the publisher
• Edit, revise, edit, revise
• Involve beta readers (then revise again)
• Hire professional editor if necessary
35. Formatting Secrets
• Forget (some of) what you know
• Don’t try to make e- look like p-
• Ebooks consumed differently than print
• Design for reflowability, small screens
• Less = more with ebooks
36. Reflowability: Ebook devices
(and customers) shape shift text
• Example of Smashwords novel, All Good
Things Die in L.A. by Anhoni Patel
• User-selected options: Font: Verdana;
Background pattern: Stone carving; text
color: Dark Violet; Font size: larger than
normal
38. Create Your Ebook Cover
• Covers are important
• First impression
• Covers are both marketing and content
• Make it:
engaging, matched to target audience
professional
good as thumbnail
good as B&W, greyscale
39. DIY Cover, or Hire Professional?
• Unless you’re an expert graphic
designer or cover designer, it’s best to
hire
• Email list@smashwords.com for low cost
cover designers and formatters
• It’s inexpensive: $50-$150 (Mark’s list) or
under $300 elsewhere (still cheap!)
40. Most of us design terrible covers
As an experiment, I tried to create a cover. It
was an embarrassment!
41. So I Hired a Pro for $45.00
Send email to:
list@smashwords.com
for “Mark’s List”
43. Metadata is information about
your book
• Metadata enables
• Discovery
• Sales reporting
• Author payments
• Some metadata you or your publisher
will create
• Some is auto-generated
44. Metadata = Data About Your
Book
• Auto-generated post-
publication:
• Publication date
• Reviews
• Sales rank
• People who bought X bought Y
• People who viewed X viewed Y
• Sales data
• You Determine:
• Book title
• Contributors
• Book description
• Tags
• Category
• Price
• Cover image
• ISBN
• Language
• Formats
52. What’s an ISBN?
• What it is:
• Unique digital identifier
• A 13-digit number
• Helps supply chain communicate about
book
• Required for Smashwords distribution to
Apple, Sony, Kobo
• What it is NOT:
• Does not connote ownership or copyright
• Does not imply “professional” or “real”
• Not a common discovery method
53. Where to Obtain an ISBN
• Go to Bowker.com
• Expensive unless you purchase blocks of
10+
• Lists you as “publisher” in Books in Print
• Go to Smashwords
• FREE ISBNs
59. Two options for getting your book
on a retailer’s virtual shelves
1. Use a Distributor (such as Smashwords)
• Upload one file, distribute to many retailers
• Time-savings, consolidated payments and tax
reporting
1. Direct to Retailers
• Format for each specific retailer
• Upload to, and manage each retailer separately
• Sony, Diesel, Libraries require distributor
61. Everything you need to know
about piracy
• Don’t worry about piracy
• Obscurity is your biggest risk
• Black hat pirates who steal your book
wouldn’t have purchased it anyway
• Most piracy is accidental – it’s
enthusiastic fans marketing your book
for you
62. Irrational fear of piracy leads
leads to obscurity
• The only reliable method of piracy
prevention is to NEVER PUBLISH
• Anti-piracy measures such as DRM only
limit availability, accessibility and
enjoyment
• Combat piracy by making your book
easier to purchase than steal
• Low, fair price
• Broad distribution
64. Traditional marketing isn’t as
important as you think it is
• Marketing is a catalyst, not fuel
• Your book is your best marketing
• Reader word of mouth determines your success
• Viral catalysts amplify word of mouth
• Build permanence
• Focus on discoverability and platform
building
73. Free Ebook Publishing Resources
• NEW! Secrets to Ebook Publishing Success (best
practices of successful authors)
• Smashwords Book Marketing Guide (how to market any
book)
• Smashwords Style Guide (how to format an ebook)
74. Don’t miss Part II of this
presentation: The Secrets to Ebook
Publishing Success
Learn the best practices of the
bestselling indie ebook authors.
View it now on Slideshare:
http://www.slideshare.net/Smashwords/the-secrets-to-e
75. Thank you for considering the
future!
Q&A
Connect with Mark Coker and Smashwords:
Web: www.smashwords.com
Blog: blog.smashwords.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/markcoker
Facebook: facebook.com/markcoker
HuffPo: huffingtonpost.com/mark-coker
Twitter: @markcoker