Friday, April 1, 2011

SELF PUBLISHING aka DIY

Self Publishing

There are two ways to self publish your material through Amazon. You can either publish your book as an eBook or you can create a paperback. Both of the two systems are easy and user friendly.

EBook

To create an eBook on Amazon, all you need is completed material, that you have copyrighted, and the willingness to put yourself out there for the world to see. Once you get out there you will available to the world, so I would recommend being ready when you go.

What you want to do is go into the main Amazon page and scroll down to the bottom of the first page. From there you will see a link that says self publish with us. Click there and then click on get started under the Kindle Books tab.

Go to the bookshelf and follow the instructions. They will give you detailed instructions for uploading and creating the downloadable work. You will be asked to select a 30% or 70% option for royalties and set the price for your work.

Within a day or two, your book will be set up and available for anybody with a Kindle or Kindle App to download. From there you sit back right? No.

The next step is to promote and network, something you should have already been doing. I still am not an expert in this, but as I go I am learning.

For example:

On twitter we are now @maleslie11 (Let us know what your twitter tag is and we can follow you)

Facebook we have www.facebook.com/tristenmagic shop (Looking for fans)

Obviously the blog and looking for more ideas and outlets to network.



Paperback

The next way to publish with Amazon is to use their sub-company, Createspace. That is the tab directly above the eBook publishing for Kindle’s tab. You would go there, create a login, and get started. This is somewhat more difficult.

Now you will have to go through the word document of your MS and turn it into a Book. You will have to set the margins correctly, they have help topics for this and templates. Make sure you have alternating page numbers and the pages mirror each other.

For us it was kind of trial and error, but we were able to create the book with two attempts. After you have created the book and uploaded or created a cover with them, then you order a Proof. Inspect the proof, make the corrections you want, or if there are none, make the book available.

You don’t have to buy any copies of your book other then the proofs and it will be available for sale on Amazon and Createspace. What happens is, when JOE CONSUMER buys your book they order it and the company prints it on demand. No stock and no overhead, unless you buy some of your own copies at cost, which we did. Our kid’s school wants us to go in and do a presentation and we should have a few for that and not all networking should be done on the internet.

If you choose the option to pay $39.00 for a membership then the books will cost you less and you will have more outlets to sell with.

Amazingly enough, in one day, we have already sold a few copies. I don’t know what is going to happen, but it has been fun to do so far.

4 comments:

  1. That's so cool. I had no idea you could do print through Amazon.

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  2. Yeah they have some other links and way to sell stuff with them too, but it doesnt' apply to anything that I do.

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  3. I saw your comment on Bryan's blog and hopped over to check out your experience! Were you able to set the price on your print book, or was it set by Createspace? Thanks!

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  4. You are able to set your own price with Createspace, but you have to watch the royalties to other books stores. Depending on the price you set, you may only get a few cents. Who cares at that point though, your book is in other book stores and people are reading it.

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