Creating an eBook is a great way to reach an even larger audience. However, it's important to do it right, or you risk turning off potential readers. I asked Joel Friedlander, an award-winning book designer and the author of A Self-Publisher's Companion: Expert Advice for Authors Who Want to Publish, for the three the most common mistakes he sees indie authors make with their digital efforts. Here's what he had to say:
To learn more about Joel, visit www.TheBookDesigner.com. You can also follow him on Twitter (@JFbookman). In a future post, I'll ask him for his thoughts on mistakes to avoid when self-publishing a print book, so be sure to check back.
-Maria
Maria Murnane is the best-selling author of the romantic comedies Perfect on Paper, It's a Waverly Life, and Honey on Your Mind. She also provides consulting services on book publishing and marketing. Learn more at www.mariamurnane.com.
This blog post originally appeared on CreateSpace.com. Reprinted with permission. © 2012 CreateSpace, a DBA of On-Demand Publishing, LLC. All rights reserved.
Thanks for sharing this advice. I'm collecting all of it in order to make a decision about which way I'll go, and every little bit helps.
Thank you for the head's up! I just trimmed out most of my front matter in my book Fabulous in Flats, and uploaded the new version a few minutes ago! http:/ / www.amazon.com/ Fabulous-Flats-Putting-forward-ebook/ dp/ B00A5SWXUC/ ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1354667555&sr=1-1&keywords=%22fabulous+in+flats%22
There seem to be bad news for self-published writers, coming from Amazon.
http:/ / www.derekhaines.ch/ vandal/ 2012/ 11/ self-published-authors-get-ready-youre-being-dumped/
I wonder if the above 3 advices, although definitely sensible, are already outdated. Would anyone self-publish in 10 years? Or would it cost too much, so only rich would be able to do it?
I have no idea which way I'll eventually go when I'm ready, but I love reading everything I can about the options and best practices. Thanks for sharing, Maria.
@Anne, definitely not. Many authors these days self-publish only e-books. I have a webinar right here on SheWrites that explains the steps for both traditional and self-publishing if you'd like to check it out. Here's the link--
http:/ / media.beaconlive.com/ viewitem?bckt=99837
So, this may be a silly question, but here it goes anyway: Do you have to have a print book to have an e-book? I am so new to this whole thing, and never really considered self-publishing. Still trying to learn about all the various publishing avenues.