Saturday, March 5, 2011

Lesson Learned

All right, ye authors who might ever read this, I've been doing some research the last few days, which is why there was no update yesterday. BUT I think what I've learned might help those seeking the indie publishing route with Kindle or another eBook application.

I was impressed. That's just some of what I have to say about the eBook (Kindle, mainly) publication system. They give their authors either 35% or 70% (depending on whether or not you own the rights to your work and where the work sells...look up their terms and conditions if you have any questions). Before you try the eBook route, please try traditional publishing. For one, good people may lose their jobs due to the high volume of eBook publications. People who would otherwise be selling your book, marketing it, helping you get gigs, and even buying it. We want the economy to do better, not worse.

Now that I am done preaching, one of the things I learned about the Kindle publishing is that you MUST find out whether or not you own the rights to your work. This can be easily done by contacting a copyright specialist. Always cover your butt, because if you're not careful, it might come back to bite you.

Also, note that only a small percent of eBook authors are really successful. It might be a good way to earn some money, but don't expect instant success. Build a platform before you choose to publish with anyone--even eBooks. That means make a Website, meet people on forums, and go out to meet others in the field. Go to bookstores, see if they will let you talk to people as they come in. A good way to cater to both bookstores and sell your work is to offer to hype up the eReaders out there, like the Nook, Kindle, etc. This will give the bookstores a reason to have you meet people in THEIR store. I'm not going to guarantee that this will work--just keep it in mind as a method of trying to sell your work. Remember, if you go through ePublishing, you are going to have to market your own book. You won't have a team from a publishing house to do it for you.

As a final word, do your research. Decide for yourself if you want to write to sell, or if you want to write to write. I know it sounds strange, but don't expect ePublishing to be an instant fix. Talk to an actuary. Learn the statistics and try to decide which way is best for you and your work.

Best of luck, writers!

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