eBook Distribution


As the title says this post is focused on eBook distribution. For Print On Demand (POD), there is a whole bunch of players, same good and some really bad. A really good post on the subject written by David Carnoy is here. If you’re just starting out on this journey then David’s post is a valuable use of your time. I really liked;

Creating a “professional” book is really hard.

Barrier to entry may be low, but creating a book that looks professional and is indistinguishable from a book published by a “real” publishing house is very difficult and requires a minimum investment of a few thousand dollars …

On that same page you’ll also find a link to how to publish an eBook. This world of Digital Publishing is changing fast – very fast – so please be aware that what I write here is relevant to this time – it will change. For distribution for “Tag” I have chosen DTP Amazon and Smashwords. Between these two you cover pretty much the whole market for eBooks and they’re both free to join.

Quick Note for writers living outside of the USA. Both of these sites will require you to get an US Tax number. You can do without, however you will then be subject to a withholding tax of approximately 40%. Of the two above, according to everything I read in forums, Amazon is by far and away the most important. Distributing to the Kindle will get you to a market that buys eBooks at the moment authors are saying that the difference between the two is 8 to 1. No doubt that will change as more devices (like Apple’s iPad) come on-line, but that’s how it is right now.

A word of advice; you may be tempted to get your book out there quickly. Remember then that first impressions count – a lot. Make sure that your product is the best it can be, editing, cover plus all the other little bits and pieces that you will need. That’s the reason I have not yet published ~ I’m still working on the product. When I was still trying to get the book traditionally published I was amazed at how long it took to get a book out. Working in the technology space I am used to getting things to “go-live” in 3 or 4 months and suddenly people were talking YEARS. Well, if you go the non-traditional route it doesn’t have to take years but it can, and probably should, take months.

Regarding David Carnoy’s comment above about how much it costs… I am just below US$ 7,000 for Tag. That of course excludes my time and also any of the marketing costs which are coming next.

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About Simon Royle

Thinking about the future, and how to affect positive change for that future.
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