How to Choose an E-Book Publisher

Many authors of today are sending their books to e-publishers instead of traditional book publishing houses. E-publishing houses often accept books that are on unique subjects and they are often shorter than a traditional book. There are several ways to e-publish your book: through subsidy publishing, self publishing and traditional publishing houses.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• Unpublished manuscript

1. Read information at the publisher's website. Fortunately with e-publishing, most e-publishers place royalty and editing information at their website so you will know this upfront.
2. Look at the other books at the website. See if there are books in the same genre or subject that you are writing.
3. Consider taking a "test drive" and purchase an e-book from a potential publisher to see what their books look like and how well they are edited. This may give you a better idea of what the publisher is like than anything else.
4. Ask other friends or business associates that write if they have had experiences with e-publishing. See if there are e-publishers that they would recommend.
5. Edit your manuscript so it is as perfect as it can be. Get it professionally edited if at all possible.
6. Decide which publishing choice appeals to you the most. Each type of publishing has different benefits.
7. Submit your manuscript to the potential publisher and wait for a response. Follow their instructions to the letter to ensure they will respond as quickly as possible.
   
   

Tips & Warnings

• Many e-publishers do not do book promotions, therefore, this is something you will need to be proactive about to ensure that your book sells. Be sure to ask what type of promotions a publisher does once they have shown interest in your manuscript.
• Some e-publishers will also publish print books called P.O.D. (Print On Demand). This option can be very appealing to customers who also like print books.
• A subsidy (or vanity) press is one where you pay a fee to get your book published. Although typically they will accept just about "anything" and this means your book is published, it does not mean that your book will sell.
• Check out what the e-book publisher's website looks like, because this website replaces a brick and mortar store. If the website is not attractive, people may not be tempted to browse and then buy your book.