Publishing E-Books For Dummies

Publishing E-Books For Dummies

by Ali Luke
Released September 2012
Publisher(s): For Dummies
ISBN: 9781118342909

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Book description

Publish, market, and sell your own e-book Although creating an e-book seems fairly straightforward, it is not. You need to select and create a variety of formats that will be read on a variety of e-reader devices--and market and sell your book in a variety of ways. Before you take the plunge, get this practical guide. With clear instruction and sensible advice, it will help you navigate the often confusing, time-consuming, and costly world of self-publishing an e-book. The book gives you solid marketing tips for selling your e-book, including using blogging and social media and how to build an online platform. It also discusses key technologies you'll encounter, including Smashwords, iBooks Author, Amazon, Microsoft Word, Open Office, Calibre, WordPress, E-junkie, and others.

  • Helps readers navigate the confusing, time-consuming, and often costly world of self-publishing an e-book

  • Provides both technical how-tos as well solid marketing advice on how to sell your e-book using Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, and other social media sites

  • Covers essential technologies, such as Smashwords, iBooks Author, Amazon, Microsoft Word, Open Office, Calibre, WordPress, and E-junkie

  • Explores e-book devices, including Kindle, Kobo, Sony Reader, Nook, iPad, and other tablets

  • Delves into the nitty-gritty of e-book formats Before you self-publish your e-book, start first with Publishing eBooks For Dummies.

Note: The ebook version does not provide access to the companion files.

Table of contents

  1. Cover
  2. Table of Contents
  3. Title Page
  4. Introduction
    1. About This Book
    2. Conventions Used in This Book
    3. Foolish Assumptions
    4. How This Book is Organized
    5. Icons Used in This Book
    6. Where to Go from Here
  5. Part I: Getting to Know E-Books
    1. Chapter 1: Introducing E-Book Basics
      1. Creating a Successful E-Book That Readers Will Love
      2. Publishing Your E-Book on Different Platforms
      3. Marketing Your E-Book Online
      4. Comparing Different E-Book Readers
    2. Chapter 2: Joining the E-Book Revolution
      1. Choosing Between Traditional Publishing and Self-Publishing
      2. Self-Publishing Case Studies and Success Stories
      3. Making Your E-Book a Bestseller
    3. Chapter 3: The Minimum You Must Do to Write an E-Book
      1. Discovering What Your Audience Wants
      2. Planning and Plotting Your Way to Success
      3. Finding Your Motivation for Writing an E-Book
      4. Setting Aside Time Regularly to Write Your E-Book
      5. Solving Common Problems in Writing E-Books
  6. Part II: Creating Your E-Book
    1. Chapter 4: Formatting Your E-Book Manuscript in Word
      1. Fixing Inconsistent Formatting in Your Current Manuscript
      2. Applying Styles in Microsoft Word
      3. Adding Headers and Footers
      4. Creating Sections with Different Header and Page-Numbering Schemes
      5. Using Page Breaks to Separate Your Chapters
      6. Fixing a Disaster of a Manuscript by Reformatting the Entire Document
      7. Setting Up Formatting from Day One
    2. Chapter 5: Designing a Professional E-Book Cover (Without Spending a Fortune)
      1. Planning the Cover If You’re Designing It Yourself
      2. Using Paint.NET to Create the Cover
      3. Finding and Working with a Cover Designer
    3. Chapter 6: Creating an Instant E-Book Using a PDF File
      1. Turning Your Microsoft Word Document into a PDF File
      2. Deciding Whether to Use Only the PDF Format
    4. Chapter 7: Creating an Interactive E-Book with iBooks Author
      1. Installing the iBooks Author App on Your Computer
      2. Importing the Text and Images of Your E-Book
      3. Adding Multimedia Elements to Your E-Book
    5. Chapter 8: Creating MOBI or EPUB Files with Calibre
      1. Turning Your Document into an HTML File
      2. Installing Calibre on Your Computer
      3. Converting Your E-Book Using Calibre
      4. Saving and Viewing Your E-Book File on Your E-Reader
  7. Part III: Creating Your Website
    1. Chapter 9: Using WordPress to Set Up a Website or Blog
      1. Establishing a Strong Author Platform with a Website
      2. Setting Up Your WordPress.com Account
      3. Changing the Design of Your Website
      4. Planning and Writing Your Website’s Pages
      5. Deciding Whether to Include a Blog
    2. Chapter 10: Crafting an Effective Sales Page for Your E-Book
      1. How Sales Pages Help You Sell Your E-Book
      2. Overcoming Common Myths and Misunderstandings About Sales Pages
      3. Including Crucial Elements on Your E-Book’s Sales Page
      4. Designing and Creating Your Sales Page
      5. Considering Selling Your E-Book Only via Your Website
  8. Part IV: Selling Your E-Book
    1. Chapter 11: Pricing Your E-Book Effectively
      1. Pricing Your E-Book As a Self-Publisher
      2. Working Out How Much Money You’ll Make
      3. Pricing Your Nonfiction E-Book
      4. Pricing Your Fiction E-Book
      5. Pricing Your Book for Maximum Profit on Amazon
    2. Chapter 12: Using E-junkie to Sell and Deliver Your E-Book
      1. Joining PayPal So That You Can Receive Payments
      2. Signing Up for an E-junkie Account
      3. Getting Your E-Book onto E-junkie
      4. Adding the Buy Button to Your Sales Page
      5. Considering Other Shopping Cart Options
    3. Chapter 13: Listing Your E-Book on Amazon's Kindle Direct Publishing
      1. Deciding Whether to Sell Your E-Book at Amazon
      2. Creating Your Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) Account
      3. Filling In Your E-Book’s Information Correctly
      4. Setting the Rights and Pricing of Your E-Book
      5. Reviewing Your E-Book After Publication
      6. Using Amazon’s Author Central to Increase Sales
    4. Chapter 14: Using Smashwords to Distribute Your E-Book to Other Retailers
      1. Getting an ISBN for Your E-Book
      2. Creating Your Smashwords Account
      3. Adding Your E-Book to Smashwords
      4. Distributing Your E-Book via Smashwords
      5. Getting Paid by Smashwords
  9. Part V: Marketing Your E-Book
    1. Chapter 15: Marketing Your E-Book via Amazon and Other Online Stores
      1. Crafting a Compelling Blurb That Helps Sell Your E-Book
      2. Letting Great Reviews Encourage New Readers to Buy
      3. Categorizing Your E-Book Correctly at Amazon.com
      4. Modeling the Success of Other Authors in Your Genre or Niche
      5. Using Price Pulsing to Boost Sales
    2. Chapter 16: Promoting Your E-Book on Facebook and Twitter
      1. Setting Up a Facebook Page for Your E-Books
      2. Encouraging People to Like Your Facebook Page
      3. Using Your Facebook Page to Engage with Your Readers
      4. Connecting with Fellow Writers on Twitter
      5. Spreading the Word to Readers on Twitter
    3. Chapter 17: Promoting Your E-Book on Goodreads
      1. Setting Up a Goodreads Account
      2. Finding Readers Who Might Enjoy Your E-Book
      3. Getting the Word Out About Your E-Book Without Stepping on Toes
      4. Responding to Reviews of Your E-Book on Goodreads
    4. Chapter 18: Using Blogs and E-Mail Lists to Promote Your E-Book
      1. Selling Your E-Book via Your Own Blog or E-Mail List
      2. Approaching Book Bloggers for a Review of Your E-Book
      3. Writing Guest Posts for Relevant Blogs
      4. Being Interviewed on a Blog
      5. Being Interviewed on a Podcast
      6. Advertising on Blogs and E-Mail Lists
  10. Part VI: The Part of Tens
    1. Chapter 19: Ten Common E-Book Problems - and How to Fix Them
      1. I Have So Many E-Book Ideas That I Don’t Know Where to Start
      2. I’m Only Partway Finished, and Now I Have Writer’s Block
      3. I’m Struggling to Edit My E-Book
      4. I Have No Design Skills and No Money to Pay a Designer
      5. The Formatting of My E-Book Has Gone Wrong
      6. No One Is Buying My E-Book
      7. No One Is Reviewing My E-Book
      8. Reviews of My E-Book Are Critical
      9. No One Is Reading My Blog
      10. I Want to Write My E-Book — Not Market It
    2. Chapter 20: Ten Tips for Editing and Proofreading Your E-Book
      1. Finding Free Editing Help
      2. Ensuring That Your E-Book Flows from Chapter to Chapter
      3. Keeping Paragraphs Short and Clear
      4. Fixing Confusing or Awkward Sentences
      5. Cutting Unnecessary Words
      6. Spell-Checking Your E-Book Carefully
      7. Avoiding Common Spelling Mistakes
      8. Printing Your E-Book Before Proofreading
      9. Hiring a Professional Editor or Proofreader
      10. Letting Go of Editing to Make the Leap to Publishing
    3. Chapter 21: Ten Ways to Enhance Your E-Book Sales - or Your Career
      1. Updating Your E-Book After Receiving Feedback
      2. Writing a Sequel to Your First E-Book
      3. Creating Audio and Print Versions of Your E-Book
      4. Launching a New Career As a Coach or Consultant
      5. Approaching Agents (Or Publishers) to Represent Your E-Book
      6. Using Your E-Book As the Basis of a Digital Product
      7. Partnering with Another Writer to Sell E-Books Together
      8. Becoming a Freelance E-Book Writer
      9. Creating Merchandise Based on Your E-Book
      10. Turning Your Nonfiction E-Book into an Online Course
  11. Cheat Sheet

Product information

  • Title: Publishing E-Books For Dummies
  • Author(s): Ali Luke
  • Release date: September 2012
  • Publisher(s): For Dummies
  • ISBN: 9781118342909