Self-Publish Your Ebook : Are you looking to increase the reach of your business? Do you have a message that you need to be sharing with the world?
If you’re a blog owner writer, or an entrepreneur You might be contemplating self-publishing your own book.
A book on its own will not be the deciding factor however, it can be an effective extension of your company or blog.
Entrepreneurs such as Eric Ries (Author of Lean Startup), Nathan Barry (CEO of ConvertKit), Tim Ferriss (4 Hour WW) have utilized books to make money and establish themselves as authority.
In the narrow wedge, there’s an opportunity to design the most memorable business card you can possess.
There are numerous options…
- What is the most effective option for an entrepreneur or blogger?
You’ve heard about Amazon KDP, of course but what about the other services?
What do you think of Gumroad or Inkshares as well as Inkshares, or?
Let’s discuss the most important aspect…
Your options fall into three categories:
- Direct to book retailers:95% of sales are made through Amazon (80 percent), iTunes (10%), Nook (3%), Kobo (2 %)*.
- Aggregators : These platforms let you upload and distribute your ebooks to huge (see the previous paragraph) and smaller ebook stores and libraries simultaneously. It is easier to use, but there is a cost associated with.
- Offbeat : Smaller platforms such as Gumroad, Leanpub, Kickstarter as well as Unbound are more unconventional methods for publishing your work and selling it. They aren’t for everyone, but for certain writers, these platforms work especially well.
A lot of authors I studied did not seem to be able to integrate using Amazon KDP directly + using an aggregator to all of these other services. This is a great place to begin, however opinions will differ from author to writer.
If you’re selling work that requires technical expertise (e.g. programming) I’d suggest using a platform such as Gumroad which you could easily sell the possibility of a set of digital products.
But more “traditional” books may require more “traditional” platforms.
Most Popular Places To Sell An Ebook
Amazon’s KDP
The Amazon store accounts for 80 percent of all ebook sales in countries that speak English.
It’s not surprising the fact that KDP from Amazon KDP is still the most sought-after platform for authors to market their ebooks.
Here you can sell and convert the book you wrote for the millions of potential buyers.
Price:Amazon pays out a royalty of 70 percent on all Kindle titles that cost from $2.99 up to $9.99. For books priced between $2.99 and over $9.99, Amazon pays out only 35 percent (royalty chart below). Note that the 70 percent plan is based on the publisher’s net earnings, while the 35% rate is dependent on the gross cost of sales for the ebook (so 35% may be a better deal).
Additional features KDP Select lets you take an exclusive 90-day digital distribution contract for a fee. In return you’ll have your books listed through the Kindle Lending Library, where Amazon Prime members can “check out” their books absolutely no cost and without due dates. (You receive royalties on each book that you borrow.) You also have the option of Kindle countdown deals or an promotional book for free.
It is also possible to take advantage of creating and using Createspace to create and distribute printed books.
The verdict:Most authors will use Amazon to market their books however the question is whether it’s better to directly to them, or to join the exclusive Amazon program. Experienced writers tend to be hesitant about both , but If you’re just starting out and aren’t concerned about the size of your platform this could be the most convenient alternative. It’s also possible to combine and match this with platforms like Gumroad (see below for more details).
To make your book available for sale abroad via Amazon You’ll need to set up an author account centrally and upload your book to these specific websites:
Apple’s iBooks Author
Apple is expanding and gaining greater market shares.
They are responsible for 10 percent of all sales for ebooks… not a lot however, the appeal of Apple products make it an attractive platform.
Price: iBooks royalty rates are fixed at 70 percent for all prices and for all territories. Publishing with iBooks requires iTunes Producer program, which is only available to the Mac. If you don’t have the program to allow your PC to run Mac applications, you’ll have to follow one of two steps in order to publish your book published on the platform. You’ll either need take a loan on the Mac for publishing, or you’ll need to turn to a third party publisher like Draft2Digital as well as Smashwords.
Review : Worth considering seriously, as in the Apple ecosystem there is a strong indication that it is the iBooks application is used more that even the Kindle app. If you’re using an Mac and you have you have time, click directly here. Otherwise make use of an aggregater (see the section below) to have your books displayed.
Kobo Writing Life
Kobo is only 2 percent of the ebook market this point, but there’s a valid reason to consider the platform: international sales.
Upload your files to Kobo Writing Life and have your book published in more than 190 different countries.
Authors such as Joanna Penn report good sales through Kobo.
Price: Their Royalty rates are 70% when selling within 1.99-7.99 (GBP) (GBP) or 1.99-12.99 (USD) as well as 45percent if they are outside the band.
Review:They have a small coverage within the UK and US however, with their presence throughout Asia as well as the other Americas and beyond, they appear to be suitable for writers who plan to stay. If you’re not an established writer, I’d suggest posting to Kobo through an aggregator, rather than uploading directly.
