Finally, an A-to-Z Guide on eBook Publishing
929220
At last, a highly comprehensive guide is available on the topic of eBook publishing. Wogahan has created an A-to-Z guide, one that's packed with must-know info on eBook publishing and then some. I found the content extremely helpful and easy to absorb. This book is a time-saving tool, and a must-have resource guide for any author.
1839679
As a visual learner, the way this book details each process step by step and provides screenshots not only made it a joy to read, it also helped me absorb the information.

William provides valuable information about editing your own work and free tools you can use to aid you in the process.

There is an excellent chapter covering the need to use publishing software rather than a word processor to make your book print ready. While there is a great deal about software such as PagePlus X4, I was a little disappointed that there was no mention of Calibre, a free and open source e-book editing tool that is used by many self-publishers.

Overall William's book is extremely comprehensive and covers all you need to know regarding creating and self-publishing your book. I highly recommend this to writers new to self-publishing.
4771538
This well written and organized book walks you through the step by step process of setting up a home based book business. The author thoroughly covers all of the important categories:
1. Which books to buy or avoid
2. How to set book pricing
3. Creating a system for shipping and fulfillment
4. How to get listed on Amazon.com
5. How to set up the legal end of a home business

With the current state of the economy, this book will bring value to those looking for a full-time operation as well as those looking to earn a supplemental income. Very detailed and comprehensive, Online Bookselling covers all the bases.

Stacie Vander Pol, author of "Top Self Publishing Firms"
3816729
As someone that writes, publishes, and formats ebooks, I can confidently say without a doubt that this is a great guide to getting started in ebookery. It's a wild ride, but with this author as your guide, it can feel like a pleasant glide in the French Riviera.

My advice to readers that have no experience putting together ebooks is to read through this without stopping and trying to implement something you've learned. There is tons of information, so try to just absorb it first. Then take a breath, and tackle your project systematically, but organically if that makes any sense.

Regardless, the time is now to join the ebook revolution and get some royalty checks coming in. No matter who you are, or where you are starting from, take advantage of guides like this, trust me, you'll be so glad you did a few months down the road. This ebook is a guide you can refer back to as you progress.

I advise you to make use of bookmarks because there's a long check list involved in Indie publishing. Good luck!
61451
I've been using digital multimedia technology for over 20 years and have mastered, more or less, many different authoring programs. Each time that something new comes along, it's painful to readjust to the new software. Any help I can get is appreciated. This book is well written, well illustrated, and doesn't attempt to do anything except help you with the software and the results of your production efforts---exactly what one needs. It's an excellent book and valuable well beyond what you will pay for it. I might add that I have it in the Kindle edition, which is a very attractive and functional ebook. Out of about 6 books on the same topic that I own, this is the most useful.
1815856
This is an amazing book and one I've been waiting for! Simple, to the point, factual, immensely helpful!! If you're wanting to publish an ebook but don't have a clue where or how to start, this books for you!
2452763
I'm not an author, but I read lots of ebooks, all by writers whose last names aren't Rice or King.  After four years as a Kindle reader, I continue to be awed that so many unknown authors are publishing such outstanding books.  Of course, there are many reasons for writing and publishing a book.  Many non-fiction ebook authors have no other goal than to tell their stories to inform and help others.  Book sales are important to them only in terms of "spreading the word."

This lady is a former marketing exec and consultant who is now  a full-time writer.  She addresses independent authors who want to make money from their writing.  This is the third in a series and if the first two are as good as this one, I think they would be of help to anyone trying to promote an ebook.

She has tested a number of different marketing systems and reports her success (or lack of success) with each.  The information is clear and easy-to-understand and could save you a lot of time and a ton of money. Trial-and-error works, but why waste your resources when you can take advantage of another's experience?

As an avid reader of "indies" I love to see SPA's flourish and become successful.  I'm impressed with KINDLE CASH SYSTEM by Nick Vulich, who has some excellent advice on how to sell your book(s) both on Amazon and other places.  I also love FOOLPROOF KINDLE COVERS by Dee Ankary, which walks you through the process of creating an outstanding cover that will grab the attention of potential buyers.  Writing the book is only the beginning.  If you want to reach a wide audience, you MUST promote your work. These three talented people have been through the mill and are generously sharing their wisdom.  I'd take full advantage of it!
3886883
Carolyn has provided 38 chapters of very helpful information.  Doesn't matter if the reader is a hopeful author, about to be published, or a writer who's been around.  Chapter 3, for example, gives down-to-earth advice on how to build a media kit--before you need it.  There's even a chapter on how to better use Amazon's many features!  Carolyn includes a sample media release and query letters on requesting radio interviews and feature/news stories. She has made the book very reader friendly with bullet points for key items and sub-headings that make it easy to find information. The Frugal Book Promoter is the kind of how-to-do-it guide to book promotion that will become well thumbed from frequent use.  At least, the book is in my household.
1559581
Recently I had the pleasure of being a beta reader for APE: Author, Publisher, Entrepreneur-How to Publish a Book by Guy Kawasaki and Shawn Welch. It is easy reading, packed with tips, tools, links, actionable steps, and a supporting website (APETheBook.com,) along with warnings of the pitfalls of self-publishing.

Historically, traditional publishers successfully blocked the door to publication for many authors until digital publishing changed the game. With direct access to their readers via platforms such as Amazon Digital Publishing authors can now enjoy faster success and higher profits.

Kawasaki turned to self-publishing when he discovered that a traditional publisher could not handle an order for 500 ebooks. He became a convert, and enlisted the aid of Shawn Welch to help him understand the complexities of publishing ebooks. Welch created and and produced Kawasaki's book, What the Plus!: Google+ for the Rest of Us

Kawaski strongly believes

  ". . .self-publishing enables you to determine your own fate. There's no need to endure the frustration of finding and working with a publisher. You can maintain control over your book and its marketing, receive a greater percentage of revenues, and retain all rights and ownership."

But he does not suggest that self-publishing is easy. Without guidance, it can be confusing,  inefficient and unnecessarily expensive.

APE makes it clear that to self-publish successfully, you must be willing to don all three hats: author, publisher and entrepreneur.

APE begins with four good reasons and two bad ones for becoming an author. The desire to make lots of money is one of the two bad ones since earning great wealth from book sales, though possible, is rare.

Whether you are writing your first book or fifth, APE will enlighten, inspire and empower you. It is loaded with details about preparing your manuscript, ballpark costs of self-publishing, publishing options, copyright issues, digital rights management and valuable self-promotion techniques, such as how to pitch bloggers and reviewers.

APE offers us publishing Plans A, B and C and urges us not to get stigmatized when we can't find a traditional publisher. He chucks out the stigmatized phrase "vanity publishing" and ushers in a new one.

  "Self-publishing could change from stigma to bragging point--maybe we could change the term to "artisanal publishing" and foster the image of authors lovingly crafting their books with total control over the process."

By crowdsourcing the editing of APE, the authors attracted hundreds of writers, coaches, entrepreneurs and bloggers in the field who gave priceless input to help catch errors and build in real-life examples, anecdotes and sources.

You will learn in one chapter details on navigating Amazon and from another chapter, tactical and practical guerilla marketing techniques.

The section on becoming an entrepreneur is the most valuable section for the self-publisher.  Here you will learn how to create your profile and platform using the major social media sites, as well as details on creating a press release, virtual book tours and using social networks designed especially for writers and readers.

While APE shows us how to self-publish, it does not discourage traditional publishing, nor harnessing the power of  a traditional PR launch.

If you're looking for a get-rich-quick road to self-publishing, this isn't it.

If, on the other hand, you want a content-rich, user-friendly, comprehensive and up-to-the-minute guide for navigating the self-publishing waters, get APE today. It's the new self-publishing bible.
3382540
Not only is this book thorough and complete, there are links on every topic throughout the book. I learned things that I had been wondering about, and I learned things I hadn't known existed. It is well-organized, clear, and concise. This book makes a great crash course and a great reference to self-publishing Kindle ebooks.
2646448
This is a very informative step-by-step guide. Everything a person needs to know to publish on Kindle is contained in the book. Very helpful to me.
579493
I am interested in getting some ideas published and downloaded this ebook. The book was laid out in an easy to read, logical fashion. The author takes you from the very beginning of laying out your idea and how to get it down on paper through the best steps of publishing and getting it on-line with the steps of having it published on multiple websites for the most income. I appreciated the fact the author also lead you to other books on topics he felt were better dealt with by other authors so you can learn more (he gave location and price as of publishing).

Overall, I believe this is a good book if you're looking to get into the epublishing field. It is a nuts and bolts book that will give you the basics and allow you the chance to start from scratch.
1334103
Detailed plan with step-by-step instructions. Terrific for those new to publishing on Kindle and also helpful for those who've been publishing here a while since there are likely new things you've not yet tried. Do you have to do everything in this ebook? No, and you'll likely customize some of the ways stated here to conform to your own preferences. Even if you just try a handful of suggestions you'll likely see improvements.

The author is honest and knowledgeable and shares what's worked for him. I greatly respect this author and value his work.
3031817
As brands have approached their marketing more like publishers and individuals increasingly leverage social technologies to build their brands, APE offers the emerging class of "brandividuals" a priceless step by step guide to self publishing.

Guiding the reader from Author to Publisher to Entrepreneur is a particularly useful model to help writers see 360 degrees of what's needed to successfully create, publish and promote a book.  Kawasaki and Welch are generous in their detailed explanation of everything from tools, writing and financing a book to editing, distribution and marketing. Virtually every chapter title includes the words "How to", which is an indication of the practical, tactical and actionable nature of APE.

If I'd had a resource like APE before publishing my first book, who knows what might have happened?
853469
Christy Pinheiro and her co-author Nick Russell have produced a very handy guide to beginning a self publishing business. As the title suggests, the book outlines a series of steps to establish a profitable publishing business. The book works as a practical guide for beginners in the industry.

The book can be roughly broken into three sections, each covering a different aspect of self publishing. The first few chapters cover the basics such as: avoiding vanity publishers; the rudiments of establishing a business; and preparing the best possible manuscript by using services like copy editors. The next section deals with: the specifics of publishing using Amazon's CreateSpace; it also briefly looks at other services such as Lulu.com. Nick Russell apparently uses Ingram's Lighting Source for the majority of his own business. The third section deals with marketing a self published book and developing an income using the internet. Potentially the most valuable section of the book, it looks at various strategies. A myriad of examples are given including: using Amazon's features; seeking book reviews; promotion using blogging; establishing a promotional website; and generating income using Google's AdWords  and Amazon's affiliate program.

From a personal perspective, I found Christy's book informative and helpful. This book has restimulated my interest in exploring self publishing, despite the fact that Christy specifically suggests self publishing works best for non-fiction. The only section of the book that had no direct relevance to me (as an Aussie) was some technical material on registering a business in the US and record keeping for US tax purposes.

Finally as this book produced by POD, a brief word about the book's physical characteristics is worthwhile. I was impressed by the overall quality of the book. The paper is of good quality. The printing is excellent throughout with no technical errors or problems such as bleed. The cover is full colour and printed to a standard equivalent to any retail book. The only slight quibble I would voice is that the cardstock used in the cover would benefit from being a slightly heavier weight.
1506851
Finally, the resource I was looking for! This guide gave the details, with step by step instructions and screen shots that got me through. I finally think I have some comprehension of styles. Following the instructions in the book, I was able to make those unruly headers and footers behave.

My one complaint is that the tips given are not presented in the order you should do them. The section that gives instructions on how to set up sections breaks comes after the header and footer section. But at the beginning of the book, the author clearly advised readers to read the whole book, experiment on a sample manuscript (not the one you plan on formatting), and then go back and format your manuscript. Had I followed that advice, I would have saved myself some time.

Another valuable feature is that instructions are given for Word 2007, as well as for older versions of Word. Additionally, information about formatting ebooks is also included.

If you want detailed instructions on how to format, this is the guide for you.
212957
I've attempted to provide some helpful advice via the World Literary Cafe to fellow authors on tackling the marketing and promotion issues involved in this new brave world of eBook publishing (based on my 9 to 5 career experience of publicizing traditionally published business books).  I know a bit about eBook promotion.  I've experienced some success on my own via Social Media and joint author promotions where I did hit the paid Amazon bestseller list (and what Martin shares about the techniques involved in achieving that goal is the real dirt), but I've had no great success with the free promotions offered through Amazon, which has been frustrating.  Well, that's all about to change, now that I've read Martin Crosbie's straight-to-the-point guide telling us how to generate the best results.  He's very clear about what works and what doesn't work, as well as providing extensive lists of resources that are needed for a free promotion that delivers.  I can not recommend this book highly enough.  Thanks, Martin!