Ian Dawson's Blog - Posts Tagged "ebooks"
The Field - From Word Doc to Paperback, Part Two
My mind was made up, I was going to self-publish The Fieldas an eBook. I began to research different methods and companies that specialize in taking a manuscript and turning it into a professional finished product. I came upon www.BookBaby.com and after a few clicks knew that they were the company I wanted to partner with.
I emailed my editor, Kathleen, and told her that after long last I was going to publish my novel. She suggested I reach out to cover artist Steven Novak at http://www.novakillustration.com. I did and after a couple email exchanges, I decided to use his services for my book cover.
Things were starting to fall into place.
Steven sent me a list of what he needed in order to get an idea of how the cover should look. This being my first time doing this, I went WAY overboard with the materials I sent him. Luckily, I’m sure he has dealt with first-time authors before so he whittled my over-the-top ramblings into an initial cover concept. We then worked over the next two days to fine-tune the cover into what the final cover became.
I was very excited with the final product, and was excited to share it with people. Now that I had the cover, I could take that and the manuscript and begin the process on Book Baby of creating an eBook. And that’s exactly what I did, but before I did anything, I copyrighted my manuscript. This is a very important thing to do that I highly recommend to all self-publishers. While you do retain the rights to your work when you publish with Book Baby, it’s always good to have the official copyright on your side as well just in case. Visit the site here: https://www.copyright.gov/registration/ (FYI, it doesn’t let you do it on the weekends or holidays)
Copyright in, I submitted my manuscript and cover to Book Baby. There is a lot of other extra information that it’s important to have on-hand as you go through the process: a short description of your book, a long description of your book, and metadata keywords.
They use this information on the various sites like Amazon, Apple iBooks, and Barnes & Noble. Some use the short version of your novel’s description, others use the longer version. Think of either one as the blurb that you would want on the back of your novel if it was a hard cover or paperback.
My original short description:
When fourteen-year-old Daniel Robinson is abducted during a summer game of hide-and-seek, his life quickly changes from one of fun to one of survival. Daniel must find the courage and strength to escape his two captors and get back home no matter what it takes. Will Daniel make it out alive, or is this one nightmare too real to escape?
My original long description:
A summer of adventure becomes a summer of terror when fourteen-year-old Daniel Robinson is abducted by two older boys during a game of hide-and-seek with his best friend Kyle. Daniel soon finds himself at the mercy of his captors, doing whatever he can to survive and escape before his fate is sealed. Can Daniel make it out alive, or is this one nightmare too real to escape?
As Kyle comes to the realization that something bad may have happened to Daniel, he sets out to find his best friend and bring him back to safety. With nothing but his teenage instincts to guide him, will Kyle’s quest to find his best friend result in a happy ending or end in tragedy?
In his first novel, author Ian Dawson draws from his real-life experiences to create an action-adventure story about unconditional friendship, courage, and determination.
Welcome to The Field.
Metadata are keywords that Amazon and other sites use to categorize your novel based on its content. That way people looking for books about the topic you have written about are likely to have it pop up when they search. Once Book Baby has these three things, they tweak them to make them for better search optimization on the various sites. Tomorrow I will let you know what metadata Book Baby and I decided on, and how I decided on the pricing for my eBook.
I emailed my editor, Kathleen, and told her that after long last I was going to publish my novel. She suggested I reach out to cover artist Steven Novak at http://www.novakillustration.com. I did and after a couple email exchanges, I decided to use his services for my book cover.
Things were starting to fall into place.
Steven sent me a list of what he needed in order to get an idea of how the cover should look. This being my first time doing this, I went WAY overboard with the materials I sent him. Luckily, I’m sure he has dealt with first-time authors before so he whittled my over-the-top ramblings into an initial cover concept. We then worked over the next two days to fine-tune the cover into what the final cover became.
I was very excited with the final product, and was excited to share it with people. Now that I had the cover, I could take that and the manuscript and begin the process on Book Baby of creating an eBook. And that’s exactly what I did, but before I did anything, I copyrighted my manuscript. This is a very important thing to do that I highly recommend to all self-publishers. While you do retain the rights to your work when you publish with Book Baby, it’s always good to have the official copyright on your side as well just in case. Visit the site here: https://www.copyright.gov/registration/ (FYI, it doesn’t let you do it on the weekends or holidays)
Copyright in, I submitted my manuscript and cover to Book Baby. There is a lot of other extra information that it’s important to have on-hand as you go through the process: a short description of your book, a long description of your book, and metadata keywords.
They use this information on the various sites like Amazon, Apple iBooks, and Barnes & Noble. Some use the short version of your novel’s description, others use the longer version. Think of either one as the blurb that you would want on the back of your novel if it was a hard cover or paperback.
My original short description:
When fourteen-year-old Daniel Robinson is abducted during a summer game of hide-and-seek, his life quickly changes from one of fun to one of survival. Daniel must find the courage and strength to escape his two captors and get back home no matter what it takes. Will Daniel make it out alive, or is this one nightmare too real to escape?
My original long description:
A summer of adventure becomes a summer of terror when fourteen-year-old Daniel Robinson is abducted by two older boys during a game of hide-and-seek with his best friend Kyle. Daniel soon finds himself at the mercy of his captors, doing whatever he can to survive and escape before his fate is sealed. Can Daniel make it out alive, or is this one nightmare too real to escape?
As Kyle comes to the realization that something bad may have happened to Daniel, he sets out to find his best friend and bring him back to safety. With nothing but his teenage instincts to guide him, will Kyle’s quest to find his best friend result in a happy ending or end in tragedy?
In his first novel, author Ian Dawson draws from his real-life experiences to create an action-adventure story about unconditional friendship, courage, and determination.
Welcome to The Field.
Metadata are keywords that Amazon and other sites use to categorize your novel based on its content. That way people looking for books about the topic you have written about are likely to have it pop up when they search. Once Book Baby has these three things, they tweak them to make them for better search optimization on the various sites. Tomorrow I will let you know what metadata Book Baby and I decided on, and how I decided on the pricing for my eBook.
The Field - From Word Doc to Paperback, Part Four
Yes, yes. I’ll admit it. The last post was pretty technical. Metadata. Pricing. Websites. While they aren’t exactly sexy topics, they are important parts of the self-publishing puzzle, which is why it’s a good idea to know about them. So, today, let’s talk about a few more exciting topics.So, you’ve submitted your manuscript, your cover, and input all the important info needed to launch your eBook on various sites. Well, while you’re toiling away at your website, a busy group of people in another part of the country are converting your Word doc or other files into a polished and professional-looking eBook.
The nice thing about Book Baby (and I’m sure other self-publishing sites do it, too) is that they constantly email you to let you know the progress of your book. You can also check the status of your project on their website as well. I was very excited to get the email announcing that my proofs were ready for me to view. I will confess that when I opened the file for the first time and started to go through the pages I jumped up and down (I really did this, I’m not lying). It was an exciting feeling to finally see what I had written converted into a format for others to read and enjoy on their tablets or phones.
That part done and approved, I had to wait for the book’s official release onto Amazon and other sites in order to move on to the next step: reviews.
Readers’ Favorite (https://readersfavorite.com) is a site that works with Book Baby and allows you to do a number of helpful things with your book. You can sign up for their Press Release program, you can participate in their Book Exchange Program, and you can have your book reviewed. Now, you have to pay for the reviews, but I found this was a helpful way to get new eyes on my book and to get some legitimate reviews to use on my Amazon page and website. I paid for three reviews, having no clue what I would get.
About a week later I got all three reviews back and they were all very positive, five-star reviews! But, me being a skeptic about things, I did do some digging to find other reviews written by these particular reviewers and they weren’t just handing out five-star reviews across the board. That added to the legitimacy of their reviews, which was a good thing!
I set up a profile on Readers’ Favorite, and then took the time to add myself to a few others as well. I worked on my Amazon Author’s Profile and my Goodreads Author Program Profile (https://www.goodreads.com/author/prog...) to get my name and book out there. The more ground you cover the better.
The Field by Ian Dawson was officially launched as an eBook on July 4, 2018, and I was pretty excited. But other than my family, friends, and co-workers, how could I get others to buy the book? In a word: Publicity. In more words, stop by for tomorrow’s post!
The Field - From Word Doc to Paperback, Part Seven
Here are a few takeaways and final thoughts I have about self-publishing The Field:It’s important for your own creative sanity that once you make the leap from your novel being your baby to publishing it either as an eBook, a paperback, or both, it is now a viable, marketable product. This means that you have to put distance between you the author and you’re the person trying to market and sell what is a now a viable commodity.
This distancing will also help you in the event your get a negative review or criticism you don’t like. The person may not have liked your product, but they still bought the product and you reap the benefits either way. By taking this more objective and business-like approach to each work, you can then free up your mind to write the next book, and the next, and the next.
Distancing yourself emotionally from your completed project will also help you think more clearly when it comes to the marketing and sales aspects of your work. It’s not at all helpful if you get wrapped up in a minute detail that occurs during the publishing process and your obsess over something that in the end has an easy fix. Case in point: I talked in a previous post about the paperback being priced at $14.63 due to production costs. I agonized over this for half a week, sure that my book was now doomed for failure because it was too expensive. Then, a Book Baby rep suggested I create a promo code to decrease the price. Boom. Problem solved.
I had I been thinking like a salesperson and been more pragmatic than emotional, I could have solved the problem without the needless drama. Leave the drama for the page not the publishing.
Know that if you are self-publishing that you are going to have to do almost everything yourself. Yes, there are sites like Book Baby that will guide you, but when it comes to getting the word out to a wide swath of people, just know that you are the best marketing tool there is. So use social media, your own website, co-workers, family, and friends to get the initial word out. If you want to, you can enlist the aid of a marketing company – like I did with Smith Publicity – to spread the word farther. But again, while they will be assisting with press releases and other aspects, the project is still driven by me and my knowledge and passion for the project.
There are also dozens of videos on YouTube as well as blogs that can give you insights into how to market your book either inexpensively or for free.
Also, make sure that you have the means to afford all the aspects of doing this yourself. There are inexpensive and even free alternatives if you want to publish your eBook on Amazon or even on your own blog chapter by chapter. Don’t go into debt or sacrifice eating or bills to do this. And if you do, make sure you budget and keep track of all your expenses.
So, what would I do differently. Well, for the next book I will definitely publish the eBook and paperback as part of the same project. The reason: it’s cheaper. I could have paid 50% less if I had gone with one of the packages offered through Book Baby that allows you to do both. But I thought just an eBook was easy money. As of this post I have sold more paperbacks than eBooks, so that shows what I know!
I also learned that the best strategy is to budget your time in an efficient manner, especially if self-publishing is a side business and not your full-time occupation. I work six days a week at my main job, so everything involving the book is like having a second job. It’s important to give yourself some downtime and not burn yourself out with everything that now needs to be done on top of all your other responsibilities. Your novel won’t get published any faster if your agonizing over pricing at 4am. Trust me. It’s not worth losing sleep over.
And that’s my self-publishing journey. It was definitely worth all the time, effort, and expense, and I will definitely be doing it again soon. If you have any questions, comments, or further advice you’d like to share, please feel free to leave a comment. I look forward to hearing from you.
Thanks for reading!
Five Ways to Plan Your 2025 Reading Challenge
It’s hard to believe, but 2024 is winding down, and 2025 is quickly approaching. With all the other end-of-year/start-of-year events, I thought now would be a good time to discuss ways to plan a reading challenge for yourself in 2025.
Over the last two weeks, I’ve talked about why it’s important to read books, and challenging yourself to read a certain number of books over the course of a year is a great way to stay motivated and keep reading. Let’s talk about five ways to plan your reading schedule for 2025 and ensure you meet your goal before 2026!
#1 - How Much Time Do You Have?
If you have a busy schedule and your free time is filled with errands and other activities, keep your reading goal small. I recommend planning to read six to eight books over the year, seeing how that goes, and then extending the amount moving forward.
If you have time to binge-watch seasons of TV in one weekend, you have time to read more. I suggest attempting to read 12 or more books during 2025. One book a month may sound daunting, but you'll quickly reach your goal once you get into the reading rhythm.
#2 - What Counts as a Book?
Reading a book to your kids? That counts. Like comic books? Those count. Reading for class? Yep, textbooks or other assigned readings count. If you prefer digital to paper, eBooks count as well.
Don’t be afraid to include all types of books and reading material in your reading challenge. You’ll find that you’ll read much more during the year than you initially thought.
#3 - Is Listening to Books Okay?
Around this time each year, I see people on social media announce they have read 300+ books, and I often wonder how that’s possible. Then it dawned on me: audiobooks! Yes, these 100% count as books read over the year, and if you can listen to them on your commute, at work, at home, or anywhere else, you can knock out a lot of books in 365 days.
If this is a more viable option for you and fits your lifestyle, go for it!
#4 – Make a Game Plan
Once you decide how many books you’d like to tackle in 2025, determine what you plan to read. Things can change over the year, but having a list of books you want to work through beforehand will set you up for success.
Maybe there’s an author you enjoy that you’d like to read more from. Or maybe it’s a genre you’re curious about. Perhaps a non-fiction topic piques your interest or a historical period.
Alternate between physical books, eBooks, and audiobooks, or stick to one medium for the whole year.
Or, maybe you’re like me, with more books than space, and you need to read through what you have!
Whatever you decide, it’s always good to have a basic idea of what you want to read over the next year so you don’t have to guess what’s next. It’s okay to change things if another book interests you, but having other books ready to read is helpful.
#5 – Track It
You can do it on your own with a list on your computer or paper, or you can use one of many reading tracking apps or sites like www.goodreads.com, where you can join their annual reading challenge and write and post reviews of the books you read throughout the year.
These reading challenge trackers also tell you how many books you have left to go and how many books you are ahead or behind in your stated challenge.
Other apps include Bookly, Bookmory, StoryGraph, TBR, and many others you can check out on your phone’s app store.
Final Thoughts
I’m a huge fan of reading, and I want as many people worldwide to read and enjoy books as much as I do. Challenge yourself to read as many books as you’d like throughout 2025 and be amazed by how much you read and learn from January 1 to December 31!
Happy Reading, and I’ll see you next time!
Over the last two weeks, I’ve talked about why it’s important to read books, and challenging yourself to read a certain number of books over the course of a year is a great way to stay motivated and keep reading. Let’s talk about five ways to plan your reading schedule for 2025 and ensure you meet your goal before 2026!
#1 - How Much Time Do You Have?
If you have a busy schedule and your free time is filled with errands and other activities, keep your reading goal small. I recommend planning to read six to eight books over the year, seeing how that goes, and then extending the amount moving forward.
If you have time to binge-watch seasons of TV in one weekend, you have time to read more. I suggest attempting to read 12 or more books during 2025. One book a month may sound daunting, but you'll quickly reach your goal once you get into the reading rhythm.
#2 - What Counts as a Book?
Reading a book to your kids? That counts. Like comic books? Those count. Reading for class? Yep, textbooks or other assigned readings count. If you prefer digital to paper, eBooks count as well.
Don’t be afraid to include all types of books and reading material in your reading challenge. You’ll find that you’ll read much more during the year than you initially thought.
#3 - Is Listening to Books Okay?
Around this time each year, I see people on social media announce they have read 300+ books, and I often wonder how that’s possible. Then it dawned on me: audiobooks! Yes, these 100% count as books read over the year, and if you can listen to them on your commute, at work, at home, or anywhere else, you can knock out a lot of books in 365 days.
If this is a more viable option for you and fits your lifestyle, go for it!
#4 – Make a Game Plan
Once you decide how many books you’d like to tackle in 2025, determine what you plan to read. Things can change over the year, but having a list of books you want to work through beforehand will set you up for success.
Maybe there’s an author you enjoy that you’d like to read more from. Or maybe it’s a genre you’re curious about. Perhaps a non-fiction topic piques your interest or a historical period.
Alternate between physical books, eBooks, and audiobooks, or stick to one medium for the whole year.
Or, maybe you’re like me, with more books than space, and you need to read through what you have!
Whatever you decide, it’s always good to have a basic idea of what you want to read over the next year so you don’t have to guess what’s next. It’s okay to change things if another book interests you, but having other books ready to read is helpful.
#5 – Track It
You can do it on your own with a list on your computer or paper, or you can use one of many reading tracking apps or sites like www.goodreads.com, where you can join their annual reading challenge and write and post reviews of the books you read throughout the year.
These reading challenge trackers also tell you how many books you have left to go and how many books you are ahead or behind in your stated challenge.
Other apps include Bookly, Bookmory, StoryGraph, TBR, and many others you can check out on your phone’s app store.
Final Thoughts
I’m a huge fan of reading, and I want as many people worldwide to read and enjoy books as much as I do. Challenge yourself to read as many books as you’d like throughout 2025 and be amazed by how much you read and learn from January 1 to December 31!
Happy Reading, and I’ll see you next time!
Reading Question of the Week: Where Are You Reading This Summer?
Summer officially begins on Friday, June 20th, which made me wonder what everyone might be reading this summer. With so many types of books to choose from, I thought we’d explore some of the options available for car rides, plane trips, or hanging out at the beach or by the pool.
Road Trips
If you’re the driver, reading a book is out of the question, but audiobooks are always a great option to utilize as you make your way from Point A to Point B. Depending on the length of your trip you can choose an audiobook that will take you to your destination, or break it up between traveling to and from where you’re going.
I would recommend choosing a book that will keep you engaged and awake, which also means finding an audiobook with an author who doesn’t put you to sleep as you drive.
If you’re the passenger, you can either have a say in what audiobook is chosen, or you can pick any book you wish to read on your road trip. An eBook is also an option, and having a variety of books to choose from can make the journey pass more quickly.
Leaving on a Jet Plane
Planes are good for audiobooks to drown out the other passengers, crying babies, fights, and other hindrances to your enjoyment of your flight. It’s a great way to fully immerse yourself in another world as you fly above ours.
If you choose a regular book, you may want to consider something light since you’ll be lugging it around with you. I would recommend avoiding 1000-page books and sticking with lighter fare for your trip. No need to add more weight to your carry-on and get charged an additional fee.
Like the car trip, an eBook is also an option, but if the flight has strict rules about electronics, this could put a damper on your eBook reading plans.
Beach or Pool
I would avoid bringing books with any value or that you don’t want to get wet (or, in the case of the beach, wet and sandy). Nothing ruins a first edition’s value faster than saltwater, chlorine, or wet sand.
If you want to read an eBook, make sure your device is in something waterproof so you avoid any technology versus water mishaps.
Staycation
Read whatever you want in whatever format you wish. You’re home, you’re in your own space and comfort zone. Enjoy the peace and quiet and immerse yourself in a book!
Have Fun!
No matter where you travel, make sure to put the book down long enough to take in your surroundings and enjoy the scenery. Make memories and enjoy your time with family and friends as you travel this summer, and don’t forget to pick up a new bookmark wherever you go!
Happy Reading, and I’ll see you next time!
Road Trips
If you’re the driver, reading a book is out of the question, but audiobooks are always a great option to utilize as you make your way from Point A to Point B. Depending on the length of your trip you can choose an audiobook that will take you to your destination, or break it up between traveling to and from where you’re going.
I would recommend choosing a book that will keep you engaged and awake, which also means finding an audiobook with an author who doesn’t put you to sleep as you drive.
If you’re the passenger, you can either have a say in what audiobook is chosen, or you can pick any book you wish to read on your road trip. An eBook is also an option, and having a variety of books to choose from can make the journey pass more quickly.
Leaving on a Jet Plane
Planes are good for audiobooks to drown out the other passengers, crying babies, fights, and other hindrances to your enjoyment of your flight. It’s a great way to fully immerse yourself in another world as you fly above ours.
If you choose a regular book, you may want to consider something light since you’ll be lugging it around with you. I would recommend avoiding 1000-page books and sticking with lighter fare for your trip. No need to add more weight to your carry-on and get charged an additional fee.
Like the car trip, an eBook is also an option, but if the flight has strict rules about electronics, this could put a damper on your eBook reading plans.
Beach or Pool
I would avoid bringing books with any value or that you don’t want to get wet (or, in the case of the beach, wet and sandy). Nothing ruins a first edition’s value faster than saltwater, chlorine, or wet sand.
If you want to read an eBook, make sure your device is in something waterproof so you avoid any technology versus water mishaps.
Staycation
Read whatever you want in whatever format you wish. You’re home, you’re in your own space and comfort zone. Enjoy the peace and quiet and immerse yourself in a book!
Have Fun!
No matter where you travel, make sure to put the book down long enough to take in your surroundings and enjoy the scenery. Make memories and enjoy your time with family and friends as you travel this summer, and don’t forget to pick up a new bookmark wherever you go!
Happy Reading, and I’ll see you next time!
