Ebooks and print-on-demand paperbacks are an effective and surprisingly inexpensive way to publish your work, whether it’s a life story or a business book designed to put your expertise in the spotlight.
Steven Lewis, the ghost writer behind this site, is an expert in self-publishing. He runs the Taleist self-publishing blog; and teaches self-publishing courses.
Epublishing has become mainstream
Christmas Day 2009 was the first time Amazon sold more eBooks than printed books. Today, the world’s largest bookstore sells more ebooks than printed books every day.
Ebooks are everywhere
Most of your potential readers have the technology they need to read ebooks because they just need a computer.
Amazon’s Kindle is the market leader and books bought for the Kindle can also be read on iPhones and iPads using Amazon’s free app.
Apple is in the market with its iBookstore, which will do for books what its iTunes did for music.
There are other players in the market, too, and that’s great for ePublishers. The more Amazons, Apples and Sonys convincing the public of the virtues of eBooks, the more readers for eBook authors and publishers.
Your eBook can be available in multiple formats and online bookshops.
Publish widely
Your ebook in the Kindle (Amazon) bookstore, in iBooks (Apple) and on other platorms (like Kobo) is as easy for readers to find in a search as titles from other publishers.
The playing field is not as level in the offline world, where publishers can pay to have their favoured titles prominently displayed and booksellers will not deal with self-published authors.
Online self-publishing means you don’t need to find a publisher, booksellers welcome your title, and you set the cost of the book, keeping royalties for yourself.
You can also give your eBook away for promotional purposes.
Physical books, too
Direct publishing extents to paperbacks, too. Print-on-demand means your physical books can be produced for direct distribution by you, or also stocked by the world’s largest bookstores.
Social promotion
Word-of-mouth is given an adrenaline shot by readers on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and the review sections of booksellers like Amazon.
Self-published books have a better-than-ever shot at being noticed without sharing revenue with a publisher.
Attract a publisher
Self-publishing does not rule out finding a traditional publisher or bookseller. Evidence of success makes it easier for publishers and booksellers to take a risk on unknown authors.
There are high-profile stories of authors finding publishers and movie deals after self-publishing online.
Start here
Contact the ghostwriter to find out how I can help you to get your story written, published and promoted as an eBook for you to distribute to your readers in Australia or internationally either directly or through Amazon (Kindle), Apple (iBooks) and others.
I can also help you promote your title with Facebook Twitter and other powerful social tools.
