How to Publish Copies of Your Book
Self-publishing is all the rage these days, especially eBooks. An eBook can be created right in your computer in a matter of hours if you have a manuscript. Keep in mind that the most popular eBooks are aimed at a niche market.
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Things You'll Need
- A finished manuscript
- Microsoft Word or comparable software
- Graphic software
- PDF software
- Internet access
Instructions
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eBook Publishing
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Make sure your manuscript is error-free. Make sure your manuscript is as error-free as possible. Run spellchecker and read it aloud to find errors in grammar and syntax. Make sure your title is specific, memorable and exclusive. Search Amazon for your title to make sure it hasn’t been used.
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Use graphic software to create a cover. Using graphic software, like Photoshop, create a cover that will grab your reader’s eye. If you are unfamiliar with graphic software, check with a community college for a student who might be interested in earning a little money to design front and back covers for you. Remember, on most sites your cover will be small, so design it to look good when it appears just larger than a postage stamp.
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Format your manuscript in the style you want it to appear. Using your word-processing software, format your manuscript in the style you want it to appear. You will want it single-spaced and probably right-justified and hyphenated. If you want a full 8.5 x 11 inch page, you may want to consider two columns, which will make it easier to read. If you want a smaller size, 5.5 x 8.5 is a popular choice. MS Word and other word-processing software have many formatting features.
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There are several popular services through which you can publish your ebook. If you use a service to help you publish, there are several you can investigate. The most popular is Lulu (http://www.lulu.com/). Another is Book Surge/Create Space (http://www.booksurge.com/), an offshoot of Amazon.com. The services have guides to help you publish your book. As good as these companies are, they’re in business; they make money selling services to authors. Make sure you buy what you need and not what the service says you need.
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You can purchase your own ISBN or have a service do it for you. Secure your own ISBN (International Standard Book Number), the number/barcode that appears on the back of books. The ISBN secures your copyright. Lulu and other companies sell the ISBN; however, if you invest the $99 for a single ISBN and do the paperwork yourself, you can be your own publisher. There are about a dozen outlets that sell ISBNs.
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There are factors to consider when pricing your eBook. Pricing an eBook is a dicey matter. Some services price it and that’s that, but in other cases, the price can be negotiated. You don’t want it price too high and kill sales, but you don’t want to give it away either. Through a service, you’ll earn about 35 percent royalty per copy.
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You'll have to market the book yourself. The book is published. Now the hard work begins. Marketing. Marketing. Marketing. The service you used won’t market your book. You have to it. Depending upon the subject of your book, you can search out sites and blogs where likely readers can be found. Post a little about your book in a forum or advertise on the site. Facebook has some advertising options as does Google.
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References
Resources
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