eBook publishing and formatting – where do I start?
If you want to begin your publishing journey via eBooks there are a lot of options and platforms available to you.
Once you have written your book and had your manuscript polished it will be time to publish your book and share your message.
Most platforms require you to have an image of the book’s front cover as a jpeg, as well as the inside pages in the correct file format to upload, before your book can be published on the world wide stage.
So you will need to have your front cover designed to be the best FACE for your audience and genre.
As your front cover is normally displayed on these ‘stores’ as a thumbnail image you will need to ensure the book title can be read on a small image. Also ensure your fonts and imagery suit the genre of your book and audience. If the reader (potential buyer) cannot decipher what your book is about and it doesn’t grab their attention in a few seconds – they won’t go any further and simply scroll to the next one.
You will also need to have your eBook formatted. I usually outsource this to an eBook formatter as they do it all of the time, and I am not interested in spending time formatting my books. I prefer to use professionals who get this right for me first time, so I am not uploading my files only to find they have been rejected. You can do this yourself however and each platform will have its own specific guidelines that you need to adhere too. If you plan on doing a lot of books it may be worth investing your time to fine tune the skill.
Depending on your publishing dreams there are a lot of different options for publishing your eBook.
You can choose to publish direct to an eBook online store (such as Amazon KDP) or you can use an eBook distributor (like Smashwords) that will make your book available (distribute) in the online stores. This service saves you uploading to all of the different online stores direct.
Of course you can also choose to publish your PDF or ePUB on your own website too. The majority of platforms will accept an ePub version of your eBook- this is the most widely used format as it is industry standard.
KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing) is the Amazon platform to publish your book digitally for distribution. You can upload it yourself and choose which two categories you would like your eBook to go into. You need to choose the relevant category so your reader can find your book.
Once you have your jpeg of the cover and your formatted manuscript file, you simply create and account, upload your files (MOBI is the preferred file format but don’t compulsory anymore) and your book is available within 24 hours for purchase.
Having your book on Amazon KDP doesn’t mean only people with a kindle can read your book. The eBooks can be read on basically any electronic device with the use of a kindle reader app. You can also have your book available for pre-order in the kindle store.
Smashwords acts as a distributor to most online stores (except to Amazon). In this case you would set up an account and upload your word document according to their style guide. Your document is then passed through a meatgrinder and is available in a multitude of formats where it can be distributed for you. Again it is free for you to upload but their is a percentage paid by the author for the service on book sales.
Each digital publishing platform has its own specifications for your inside page and book cover files. Some of them require your manuscript as an ePUB, .MOBI or word. Once you decide where you would like to publish you will need to find out the formats that can be uploaded for your eBook to be distributed. Then have your polished manuscript (one that has been edited and proofread)- converted to the format required. I usually get ePUB and MOBI files, although not necessary this gives me hassle free uploads and the best reading experience for my audience.
Most online stores are free to publish your book direct to their customers and they take a percentage of any sales for this service. Win Win.
Of course there are so many more options than I have mentioned here, and it all comes down to making the choices that will give you the publishing outcome for your book.
Time to GET PUBLISHED and share your message.
Share your message. Make a Difference. Leave a Legacy
Fiona Jones
9 times Best-selling author of The Millionaire Books, Publisher and founder of Author Express
www.AuthorExpress.com