Building an ebook empire is not a bad dream to have when you enter into the world of Internet marketing. The idea of making a steady stream of income for years to come from the efforts you've put forth one day long ago is an excellent plan and ebooks are a great way of doing that as long as you go about building your empire the right way. What are some of the things you need to do when it comes to online publishing for ebooks that will make your ebooks stand the tests of time?
1) Make your ebooks evergreen. Far too often marketers publish ebooks that provide great news and insights that are timely and informative but will only be fresh until technology changes. Unfortunately, technology seems to be changing every day. Choose topics for your ebook that aren't technical or technologically driven in nature so that the topics will be relevant in the future just as they are at the time you introduce your ebook to the market. Consider topics like gardening, home made candles and soaps, grandmas remedies for whatever ails you and other topics that interest you but aren't likely to see sweeping changes in the near future. The goal is to create an ebook that will be as useful in the future as it is today.
2) Make your ebooks readable. Ebooks are a long commitment for your average Internet surfer. The six second rule is long gone when it comes to reading an ebook. If they are taking the time to read your ebook the least you can do is make it as entertaining to read as it is factual. Insert a little bit of humor and have fun in writing it. The more fun you have creating the ebook the more fun your readers are likely to have reading it.
3) Have your ebook mapped out before you begin writing it. There's nothing more frustrating to a writer than to lose where you are going in the middle of your ebook. There's nothing more frustrating to a reader than trying to figure out where you're going with the ebook. Have a clear outline that maps out the direction of the ebook for you. This will save a lot of time and have people standing in line waiting for your next ebook to be released. You'd be surprised how many ebooks seem to lose their way mid stream.
The final bit of advice when it comes to a beginner's guide to writing ebooks for online publishing is to never lose sight of who you are writing for. Your audience is the primary reason to write this ebook. Write for them, make it easy for them to read your ebook, and keep them entertained while they are reading your ebook so they will come back for more the next time you are marketing an ebook. Things like this make online publishing rewarding to you and those who read your work.
We have heard how great self-publishing is, it can give you control on your book and at the same time increase your profits. But is something can really be this good? Are there any downsides or disadvantages with going to self-publishing? The answer is yes, everything has its pros and cons.
Everything is in Your Hands
If you have decided to go for self-publishing, then you should be ready to multitask. Compared with traditional publishing, they have editors, printers, layout artists, cover artists who are available and ready to work for them anytime. But in self-publishing you would have to handle all of this, if you cannot do it all, you have the option to get or hire somebody who can. It would cost you additional, of course. But even if you outsourced, you will still need to oversee it and make sure that it meets your standards.
Time could be a major problem for some self-published authors. There are some writers who have part time day jobs and would need to fit self-publishing schedule to their time. Even marketing and promotion fall into your hands.
Costs
In traditional publishing, the writer would get as much as 5 to 10 % of the sales. But it self-publishing, you can increase the profit to as much as 50 %. But the downside is that you would have to subsidize everything beforehand. It is a risk. You can spend about $5,000 for self-publishing, but you cannot guarantee that it everything will be returned to you.
Most of the times, you would need to get a distributor since book sellers are not that willing to buy books directly from the author. The author would have to get discounts to the distributor and the bookseller, this would be less than your expected 50 % profit. Another problem would be when the book do not sell that much. Aside from less profit, some bookstores would return the book and ask for a refund. Some self-publishers would draft a contract that would not allow returns and refund, in a special price of course.
Competition can be tough. Readers would not easily buy your book. You will need to give them a reason to buy your book over books with the same topic. Marketing and publicity could be a key. And you would have to spend on that, too.
The Reputation
Another problem that self-publishers encounter is the reputation and credibility of being self-published. There are some readers who do not regard self-published books highly. Sad to say, some people are extremely biased against self-published authors, thinking that just because major publishing houses have refused the author, it means the book is not good enough.
The Writer
They say that a book is like a writer’s own child. It would be difficult to criticize and disparage your own kid, right? Because authors would have to do everything, editing included, it can be difficult to be objective all the time. They can protect parts that are not really important or aesthetically weak. They can have difficulties letting go of some parts which are totally insignificant. That is why we have editors. But if an author would be his own editor, then there can be biases.
Self-publishing is a risk, you can spend a lot of money but the returns could be low. But come to think of it, everything is a risk. Risk is part of success.
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