Have you ever heard of Amanda Hocking?
Doesn’t sound like a big name in the world of literature.
But if you wish to be an author, you need to know her story. She is about to become your inspiration.
Amanda was sitting with many unpublished books for years…
Why?
Incessant rejections from publishers.
Like her idol, Stephen King, she wanted to publish her first book by the age of 26. She had just turned 27… she was getting desperate…
On April 15th, 2010, she decided to make all of her books available to Kindle readers on Amazon’s website in little hope of making some cash for a trip.
Little did she know, she was selling nine copies a day of each of her books within a few days…
By January 2011, she was selling more than 100,000 a month…
Of course she earned way more than required for one trip.
Her life became one big success trip after that one decision – of making an ebook.
For every 100 print books sold through the site, Amazon says it sells 114 titles for its Kindle e-reader device.
Book industry is undergoing a “Paperwhite revolution”.
The Paperwhite Revolution
Times are changing at dizzying speed.
Not many people actually go to old bookstores to hunt for lost book treasures anymore, like we used to when we were young and our parents used to before us.
Sure old bookstores have a charm and that’s why your physical book matters.
But think about it –
…what is the safest way for you to ensure that 5 years after you’ve published your bestseller, how many bookstores will actually carry it? Or whether your publisher will even bother about it?
10 years later…?
50 years later…? What are the chances of someone glancing at your book in an old bookstore and realizing that your book changed their life?
The safest bet are ebooks.
For all the voracious readers out there, Ebooks are the new normal, they are cheaper and lighter and in the new non-sedentary world, hard copies mostly sit on a bookshelf for years..
E-books are the first choice of not only readers who cannot carry an enormous pile of books everywhere they go, but also the environment friendly ones..
Humans are smart.
First we made books to store and spread knowledge.. very smart.
Then, we made ebooks… again, too smart!
It suddenly opened up a world of possibilities.
The invention of the eBook brought along a digital publishing boom, allowing readers to instantly buy and carry books anywhere, on any device.
And then came the Kindle in 2007.
Before, you would want your book on the shelves of every reader.
But now, along with the shelf, you also want your book in their pockets or travel bags.
Why you need to publish an ebook
- Faster Delivery and Easier Accessibility
The entire process of publishing and printing is a long and tedious journey (link the self publishing vs traditional publishing blog here)..it takes sometimes more than a year..
And an even bigger challenge is for first-timers.
Either it is finding a publisher or self-publishing, the nuances are many.
Ebooks are fast, they get your book to the reader in less than a week. The process is way more simple and the results, even way better!
Sometimes I wonder, why is it taking so long for George R.R. Martin to release the next book..
Who knows?
The fans won’t mind an Ebook with 3D illustrations of dragons, you know.
#justsaying
- Interactive Elements
Remember reading a book and scribbling notes on the margins.
All authors must have wondered what their readers scribbled… what are they thinking about a character or a plot twist..
That is possible with an ebook.
You can request readers to provide their comments and feedback.
This is an invaluable marketing tool that lets you respond more personally to the potential customers.
- Flexibility
Ebooks give a wide variety of options to the readers to customize their reading experience…
From fonts, background color, to brightness…
E-books also help you be a more inclusive author. These personalization features help readers with visual impairment access your book on a kindle or any other electronic device.
Pinching in and out to adjust the size of the text in your book is a different level of happiness!
- Environment Friendly
There isn’t a better time to care about nature than now. The number of trees that are cut down every year is increasing exponentially.
It’s not only about that paper. You save a lot of money too.
With the digitization of books, the paper printing process is eliminated which means, more money saved.
- Cool Marketing Tool
“Ebook giveaway”- yes!
You are sitting on a long list of potential readers, but don’t know how exactly to catch their attention and get them interested…
Send them free ebooks!
Which eBook Format Should YOU Pick?
You have mainly two options- EPUB and AZN.
EPUB is the most common format for ebooks. In fact, so common that the word EPUB is used as a synonym for ebook these days.
AZN is Amazon’s own format that it sells.
AZN largely differs from EPUB versions and also has special features which makes it harder to share and pirate. Amazon also has its own authors platform, called Kindle Direct Publishing. This platform automatically converts EPUBs into AZN which makes the author’s life easier, they only have to worry about having their ebooks in EPUB format.
Avoid These Common Mistakes by Ebook Authors
- Target Audience:
With millions of books to complete with, you should aim to get discovered by the target audience. Whatever the topic of your e-book, make sure that you know exactly who will buy your book and where you can find them online.
- Book Cover and Title:
Often the most amazing books go unnoticed, especially while browsing on a screen. Aim for a compelling book cover (we can add book cover blog link here) and title, sometimes even the tiniest of things, like your font can get you noticed.
- Less Marketing:
Just because it is online, doesn’t mean it will automatically reach people, and especially the right readers.
Online world is rather more brutal, because the options are uncountable. So, market your product right on all social media platforms, get a book trailer made (link to book trailer blog) and don’t forget the invaluable – email list.( link to the email list blog here)
Let’s get your book on every kindle out there!