Jason Matthews's Blog, page 31

Story HD is Google E-Reader, Good Business?

A couple of weeks ago, Google finally released its e-reading device, or more accurately, someone else's e-reading device, and you may have already seen it over the months while browsing the shelves at a local Target. It's the Story HD by iriver, uses e-ink technology and retails for $139.99. That's a comparable price to the latest Kindle ($139) and less than the WiFi plus 3G Kindle at $189. (Story HD currently has no 3G option, and newer Kindles should be released soon.)

Perhaps some of us were expecting Google to actually build its own device from scratch, but this partnership with iriver makes pretty good sense. The company has been around for twelve years making MP3 playing devices and similar products, recently adding e-readers to its menu with the first generation Story. The Story HD is the latest version, although it looks primitive compared to recent Nook models and Kobo readers. The iriver company also has a soon to be released touch screen version called the Cover Story (image below). They look like fine products for the price. The Story HD has a full QWERTY keyboard, 16 adjustable grayscale factors,  and boasts a screen resolution of 1024 x 768 . The Kindle's is just 800 x 600. The difference means the Story has a pixel density of 213 while the Kindle's is 167 pixels per inch. Will that make a big difference to readers? Probably not much as reading text is what most people do, and that pixel difference will be less noticeable for text than for images. Also brand loyalty seems pretty entrenched, so Kindle or Nook owners are unlikely to jump off their bandwagons just for clearer picture books and cover images.

Early reports are that its functionality is quite comparable to any e-reading device in terms of battery life, processor speeds and memory, but the usability is a bit inferior to the Kindle or Nook. Story HD has letter keys like small slivers instead of the rounded Kindle letters. There is also no side bezel button for turning pages, by far the most common action required with e-readers and a comfortable place for fingers. Instead the Story HD has page turning abilities beneath the screen, which sounds like a tad more of a challenge. (Oh are we really that lazy?)

What iriver does have going for it is a partnership with Google, a major player in the market with over 3 million titles already in the Google eBookstore. Although, Nook and Kobo (and others) can read epub books via Google's store, so it may not be enough to generate sales in numbers that really matter. As an Indie author who doesn't have much respect for the way Google handles Indie authors and their uploading process, some skepticism remains in me whether this will make much of a splash in an already crowded market for not only Kindle or Nook, but Kobo, Sony, iPad, other tablets and e-readers and even other devices like cell phones.

One thing for sure, this industry never rests.

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Red Moon Chronicle for Indie Author Interviews

Red Moon Chronicle is a terrific new blog dedicated to sci-fi and fantasy books, and to the creative minds of upcoming Indie authors. The site typically has an Indie interview every day of the week. The blog is run by Wayne Gerard Trotman, British author of Veterans of the Psychic Wars. Wayne is a multi-talented individual; he's also an actor/director/filmmaker, photographer and composer of electronic music, much of which is on display in his film, Ashes to Ashes.

What's great about Red Moon Chronicle is the fact that it's relatively new, but because Wayne is so proficient at generating new Indie author interviews daily, the site is growing quickly. I just had the pleasure of having an interview published by Red Moon Chronicle, which focuses on my first novel, The Little Universe.

For other Indie writers looking to branch out with good exposure and to make quality connections, you can reach Wayne through his website.

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Sell Ebooks on Amazon or Barnes&Noble, Formatting for Kindle or Nook

For Indie authors who sell ebooks on Amazon Kindle, the place the go is kdp.amazon.com. For self-publishing at Barnes&Noble on the Nook, it's Pubit. Because Amazon and Barnes&Noble are the best e-publishing retailers for my books, it's important to look good on each e-reading device. Not surprisingly, the upload process is primarily the same but there are a few important differences. Do not upload the exact same document to each book seller. Read this first.

Most indie authors work with Microsoft Word (.doc), and it's my opinion this is the simplest way to upload for selling ebooks. If you work with MS Word (or many similar substitutes like Open Office), this advice will help format a version of your ebook for both Kindle and Nook.

Manual page breaks in MS Word documents work great on Kindle for creating new chapters (or for new pages during the title area, copyright and disclaimers, Table of Contents, etc). Manual page breaks will start a new Kindle screen and give the look of a new chapter beginning. For some reason, they don't work the same when uploading to Pubit. For the Barnes&Noble Nook version of the same document, change all of the manual page breaks to section breaks. Unfortunately this needs to be done one at a time, since Microsoft Word doesn't have a global replace feature for section breaks like it does for manual page breaks. If anyone has a solution for this, I'd love to hear it.

The other main difference is the size of the images. For some reason unknown to me, the same image (e.g. 3″ wide by 3″ high) will come out dramatically different on the Kindle screen as it will on the Nook. On Kindle, it will be huge, taking up nearly the entire width of the screen. On the Nook, it will be fairly small. Why? I have no idea, but because this happens to my documents in the Preview mode it's something to take note of.

Preview mode? Yes, thankfully there's a preview feature when uploading ebooks to both Amazon Kindle and Barnes&Noble Nook, so you can see what your document will look like on both devices before e-publishing. Whew, at least they don't leave us in the dark.

My recommendation is to spend plenty of time with the preview feature at each ebook retailer. Double-check the Preview, which is how it should look on the device to a purchaser, page by page to make sure the formatting looks good, the new chapters start on a new screen as they should, and images are the proper size.

(An oddity in the Preview mode for the Nook is that it only advances one page at a time. For the Kindle you can zoom ahead to any location, which is quite handy for checking the final pages like the About the Author section. I really wish Pubit would add this feature for the Nook's Preview.)

Another small difference is that the size of the cover you can upload to Barnes&Noble's Nook is limited. The site says, "Please make sure that your cover image is a JPG file between 5KB and 2MB. The sides must be between 750 pixels and 2000 pixels in length." It's not that big of a deal, but you may have to play around with some programs to adjust your cover image as I had to. This doesn't seem to be a problem at Amazon, although it makes sense that there must be some limits there as well, though it hasn't affected my covers yet.

Any other things to take notice of between the two ebook retailers? Just leave a comment.

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Indie Authors, Good Editing Will Sell More Ebooks

Self-published authors who want to sell ebooks, listen up; the consensus in the Amazon Kindle forums is primarily that there's "more editing needed for Indie authors." Visit the Kindle forums (or fora for fancy-pants literature types) for a great place to learn many things: how all the nuances of Kindles work, publishing-world happenings, great new releases and often complaints of what Indie authors are promoting as salable ebooks on par with traditionally published ones.

The main complaint about Indie writers is lack of editing, which results in typos, grammar errors, bad dialogue, overuse of things like adverbs, plot issues and a long list of "pet peeves" from the average reader. Of course, there are no exact rules to writing as it is an art-form and many wonderful new stories are produced by nontraditional authors. However, when enough readers complain about the same things… it's a safe bet they're onto something. Poor craft or execution leads readers to mentally trip over your sentences and lose focus on the message within.

Solutions abound. Unfortunately, not all Indie authors have the same means (money) to hire the best help (editors), but there's a list below to suit any budget. Here's what can be done to help any manuscript get in shape for Amazon Kindle, Barnes&Noble Nook, Apple iPad, Smashwords and a host of other ebook retailers:

1. Hire a professional editor if you can afford it. Rates vary dramatically so research will be needed. Pro editors abound in writing forums or can be recommended, so ask around at places like Authonomy, Goodreads, RedRoom, and such. Maybe you can find a high-school English teacher wanting part time work as an alternative to an expensive full time editor.

2. Hire another editor if you can afford it. Why? Two heads are better than one.

3. Repeat until the money gets low.

(For many Indie writers, myself included, skip down to step 4.)

4. Get familiar with online resources designed to help with grammar and more. You can Google terms like "English rules," "grammar," and even things like "that vs. which." Here's a place I found using this method – http://www.grammarbook.com/english_rules.asp. Many more exist for free advice.

5. Use spell-check to make sure words are spelled correctly. It's easy to miss your own obvious typos no matter how many times you read it!

6. Look up big words, homonyms, sayings, words with multiple meanings and also uncommon words to make sure they're being used correctly. (E.g. is it "say your peace" or "say your piece?")

7. Be very careful with things like clever dialect. Not everyone writes character dialect like Twain or Dickens, and many readers are seriously turned off as their minds labor on how to pronounce every third word.

8. Same with adverbs. Let the reader's mind determine how things happen by using adverbs less frequently than over-explaining every little action. Often a better verb will convey the action rather than an adverb.

9. With dialogue, try to keep it flowing. If it's obvious which character is speaking, there's no need to point that out with a tag like, Clara said. If the dialogue explains the manner of tone, there's no need to add, she shouted. These are general suggestions, of course.

10. Double-check little punctuation rules. Indie books commonly have errors like this; "I'm not sure which case to use for tags lines following quotation marks," He said. (The tag line should be lower case, he said.)

11. Beware of passive voice vs. active voice in verbs (she was writing vs. she wrote). In general, readers agree that active voice makes the story come to life. It doesn't mean there isn't a time and place for passive voice, but it's something to watch out for.

12. Get as many friends, family and others to read it as possible, asking for honest critique including editing advice. Look for consistency in comments, and listen to what they say without getting defensive. It takes thick skin to make it as a writer, and some of that thickness is needed when readers point out how it can be made better.

13. Read more. Check for answers to some of your questions (like the lower case example above) in popular books.

14. Does the story have plot issues? Does it work for the average reader? This is often the hardest thing to fix and an element that can make or break your chances at Indie success. Listen to readers if they have major complaints with what happens in your story.

15. Once you've self-published ebooks, remember that it's simple to update a revised version if new readers identify mistakes and issues. Just takes a few mouse clicks.

Sadly, some readers claim they've stopped reading Indie authors altogether. They say roughly 10% of them are worthwhile, and they just don't have time to read through the rest to find the true gems. That's why it makes sense to go the extra mile trying to get your book in the best shape it can be.

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Amazon Tablet? Is It Really Coming?

Much speculation has been made the past few months on whether, or when, Amazon will introduce a tablet to enter the market and potentially rival Apple's iPad. According to unnamed sources at Taiwan's Digi Times, Amazon says over one million tablets will be shipped in the third quarter of 2011 making Amazon second only to Apple in terms of volume. Wow, really? Hasn't that time period already ended?

Amazon hasn't made an official announcement though a comment from CEO Jeff Bezos telling people to "stay tuned" seems to indicate either commitment to the project or blatant deception. Bezos has also mentioned that the new tablet will in no way replace the Kindle, which would continue to be offered as the best pure-reading device.

While the iPad is clearly the front runner in the tablet industry, Amazon will be joining a slightly crowded field with Acer, Dell, HP, Motorola and Samsung just to name a few. The field is already too large for everyone IMHO, and Apple's dominance/customer loyalty makes one wonder how much of a dent the new Amazon Android tablet could make.

Additionally, Jeff Bezos probably never thought Amazon would be playing catch up with Barnes&Noble, but the brick and mortar company has seen great initial success with its Nook e-ink touch screen reader and Nook Color touch screen, both of which have been winning review competitions with organizations like Consumer Reports and CNET.

Has Amazon delayed too long? Perhaps, perhaps not. The internet power already has a few things going that could help it immensely in a tablet debut. These points come to mind:

1. Amazon customers have a loyalty that matches Apple's. Some claim to buy everything beyond groceries and gas from the online megastore, and that Amazon's customer support is second to none.

2. Amazon isn't new to this game. In fact, just the opposite is true as their R&D for handheld wireless has been around for years. Incorporating the touch screen and adding some functionality in the form of powerful hardware to their existing device doesn't sound like much of a stretch.

3. Amazon already has its own digital content stores for video, MP3 music, App Store for Android, Cloud Player for Android, and (obviously) ebooks. The infrastructure is in place for unparalleled advertising and promotion. If any tablet maker would have a head start coming out into a crowded field, it would be Amazon.

4. Price. Because Amazon's main business is online sales for just about anything, they can afford to sell the Kindle (and a tablet), incredibly cheap. This is something that sets Amazon apart from the other Apple competitors. It's conceivable to reduce tablet price by including them with a monthly subscription to other Amazon products and services. When thinking of the possibilities, pricing could get interesting here.

Just recently a Motorola Xoom was my latest gadget expense. Should I have waited another fiscal quarter on Jeff Bezos to explain if he was just kidding around or not? I do love my Xoom, but I certainly would have taken a hard look at an Amazon tablet before doing anything.

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Joan Reeves Can Write and Sell Ebooks Aplenty

Joan Reeves is an author with a story to tell. Actually, that's a huge understatement. Joan Reeves has many stories to tell, stories within her romance novels to thousands of published articles and from personal experience as well. Her books are available as ebooks, paperbacks and hardcover. They can be found in many nations around the world. Joan reports staggering sales in excess of 60,000 copies for the past 3 months. Not bad for an Indie author! (or any author)

As a freelance writer, she's written for clients under her own name, used pseudonyms and has even ghosted several blogs over the years. She's been published the traditional way by New York houses, and she's made the crossover to independent, or indie publishing, where she's the boss. Just One Look has been on the Top 100 Paid list for more than a month, and another of her romance novels, Jane (I'm Still Single) Jones, is also on the Top 100 Paid. The remaining two ebooks, The Trouble With Love and Still The One, fluctuate on and off the Top 100 and consistently perform within the top 200 Amazon titles. Recently she published her 5th ebook, Written Wisdom, the "best of posts" of that same name from her popular blog, SlingWords.

I've read four of Joan's books and can attest to her mastery of the written word. She's a skilled weaver of both character and scene development. Her books are clever, hilarious and sexy all at once. Joan says she writes funny romances "because the world needs more love and laughter." That's another understatement; it comes as no surprise that her books are enjoyed by so many readers.

Joan, what's your writing background in a nutshell?

I think I've been writing most of my life. I loved writing even in elementary school when I won blue ribbons for my compositions. I have to give a shout out to Miss Richard, my teacher, who cut short lengths of blue ribbon and taped the piece of ribbon to papers that rated her blue ribbon award for excellence. Through the years, I started writing novels, but I always put the project aside when I got to chapter 4 because I didn't know what came next. Also, by that time the white heat of inspiration had cooled. Years of doing that left me with the theory that anyone can write 3 chapters of a book. What's hard is going past that first tenth of a book to THE END because that's where the real hard work lies. That's also what separates writers from wannabes.

You've been traditionally published before becoming an indie. What was that experience like, and what made you decide to switch?

I loved getting published. Walking into a store that sells your book and smelling that new book aroma is priceless. I loved doing the book signings and always had good sales. The hard part of writing for print is getting past what successful indie authors charmingly call the gatekeepers. Those are the agents and editors whose job is to keep out the riff-raff, meaning just about everyone who hasn't already got a huge following or the highest of high concept marketing hooks. That's the soul-crushing part of this business.

My stories were like round pegs in square holes. That's not what the big print publishers want. So if you can't deliver a great marketing hook and can't write stories like the popular ones already published–but with something a little different to set it apart from the ones being published–then you really don't have a chance. You get turned down, like George Higgins said, more times than the sheets in a cheap motel.

I made the switch because I got darn tired of being turned down. I believed in my stories, and I believed others would like them. So far, my sales have proved I was right.

You write in other genres but specialize in romance novels. What about this format attracts you?

I love romance novels because I truly believe in the redeeming power of love to change people. A lot of people decry romance novels because they say it's formulaic and it's unrealistic because of the requisite happy ending. Good genre fiction — whether romance, mystery, horror, etc. — is not formulaic just because it fulfills the conventions of the genre. People have favorite genres because there's something specific about the genre that appeals to them.

The happy ending in romance is one of those specific elements that appeal to readers. Maybe it's because when you get a little life experience, you realize that a happy ending in a book is more uplifting than an ending that reflects the grim reality of too many modern relationships. I've been married more than 30 years, and I hit the matrimonial jackpot. I know more women with great marriages than those who are married and miserable or divorced and alone.

I'll be honest, I just won't read a book with a tragic, sad ending. Why? Because it's too much like the reality we get with our daily news. I've dealt with my father's descent into Alzheimer's, the tragic deaths of my in-laws and my own parents, years of medical problems for my daughter, unemployment, and so many other real life issues. So when I sit down to read, I want a book that's going to let me escape and also to feel good at the end of the story.

I keep those thoughts in mind when I write because I know there are probably millions out there just like me.

How have you done so well with ebooks? What's the secret to your  success?

That's a question everyone wants answered! *LOL* I could answer this in many different ways from "I don't know" to "I was lucky" to "read the blog series I'm doing about this." Probably reading my blog would give one the most definitive answer. Briefly, I'll just say that I did a ton of research first to find out what was selling and analyzed each successful ebook I found to determine, in my opinion, why it was selling. I looked for common denominators, and once I identified those, I created a business plan covering several elements: cover art, pricing, ad copy, promotion, and a publishing schedule. I do discuss all these elements on my blog if anyone wants the long answer.

What role does social media play in your business?

Very little. Though I'm on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter, I spend very little time on my pages there. I feed my blog through these sites because I really have limited time to spend on anything other than writing and family. Most of my marketing occurs with my own blog. I've written SlingWords for more than 6 years so I have a modest, but faithful, following. Anything I learn, I pass it on via my blog because I don't keep secrets. I think everyone should have the best shot at success so I do what I can to help.

You're so prolific. Do you ever hit writer's block? If so, how do you get past it?

Writer's block is created by not writing. The more you don't write, the harder it is to begin writing. I'm actually not very prolific. I'm rather slow, but I am persistent and consistent. You can move a mountain one shovelful at a time just as you can write a book one page at a time. The important thing is to produce content every writing day. My writing days are Monday through Friday. I learned to produce when I wrote for the newspaper because I always had a deadline to meet. When I wrote for print publishers, I had a deadline too. The book manuscript had to be completed by the date stated in the contract. The only difference is that now I set my own deadlines, and I respect them too.

How many books have you published? Should readers begin with a specific title?

I've published five ebooks now. Readers can read in any order they wish. One of my ebooks, The Trouble With Love, is the start of a series: Texas One Night Stands. In July, I'll publish book two of that series. I plan to always make clear on the book title listing in what order series books should be read.

How much are the characters within the books like Joan Reeves?

I'd love to say all the sexy, funny, smart women who people my books as heroines are just like me. Sadly, that's not the case. I think I'm like most authors. We create characters who can say the things we'd never say and do the daring things we'd never do. These fictional people are just so much more interesting and fun than real people because we can move them around like chess pieces in order to create a world where everything works out right.

Do you think more traditionally published authors will join the ranks of independents, and what aspect of that change excites you the most?

Oh, yes. I see this happening every day. I'm on several lists with published authors, and they're all trying to figure out how to make ebook publishing work for them with their backlist and even original fiction. I think all of this is exciting because for the first time digital publishing is giving authors a chance to take control of their careers in a way that's never happened before.

What advice do you have for new authors?

Work hard. Write hard. Believe in yourself and your writing. Learn the narrative skills you need to write compelling fiction. If you retain someone to do some of the work, like copy editing, always check their work. Persist because success may not come overnight. Be prepared to be in this for the long haul. It takes time to succeed.

Do you do your own cover art, editing, formatting or do you hire out for certain things?

I always have an idea for how I want the cover art to look. My daughter is a graphic artist so she makes my vision come to life. In fact, I do everything for myself, and will be doing my own copy editing in the future because I've had poor results in that area. In fact, I'm in the process of line-editing my romance novels to make sure they're corrected.

What new works are in the making that you can tell us about?

I just published Written Wisdom, my first nonfiction, last week. This month, I'm finishing the writing of book 1 of my novella series: The Good, The Bad, and The Girly. I hope to have it ready to publish by the end of July.

I'll also publish book 2 of my Texas One Night Stands series. This one is Romeo and Judy Anne.

Any predictions for the publishing industry, ebooks and indie authors?

This is an amazing time to be an author. There are so many opportunities. I can't think of a downside to publishing your own ebooks. Just be sure you create a quality product. If you don't know and/or don't want to learn about the tasks formerly done by editors, as well as all the other technical things that go into publishing ebooks, then contract the work to someone who can deliver. Ebooks and e-readers are only going to become more popular as time goes on.

Thanks so much, Joan! You've already taught me valuable lessons, and I'm sure more will follow.

Joan Reeves can be contacted through her websites, http://www.joanreeves.com and http://slingwords.blogspot.com. Her books can be found at all major retailers and through her Amazon author page, http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B001K8CIEW.

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Scribd for Indies to Sell Ebooks?

From their website; Scribd is the world's largest social reading and publishing company. We've made it easy to share and discover entertaining, informative and original written content across the web and mobile devices. Our vision is to liberate the written word, to connect people with the information and ideas that matter most to them.

Scribd is not, in my experience, a great place for Indie authors who want to sell ebooks. Why? Because most readers there are looking for freebies.

It is, however, a great place to get lots of reads if you have a free book, or if you want to let readers enjoy the first 25 to 50% of your book for free. Then at the end there can be links for where to buy the rest, like at Amazon.

This idea doesn't always occur to some Indies, that Scribd can be a powerful marketing tool. But it really can provided you have a book listed there for free. For example, I uploaded a very short bedtime story called Shep Dreams of Home to Scribd, and it has received hundreds of views in just the past week. Any number of reads are likely to occur from several dozen to even thousands of legitimate reads.

A few tips on using Scribd effectively for this:

-Notice there is no separate cover image to upload for your document. Visit the site's most recent non-fiction page to see what I mean. Whatever is on the first page of the document will appear to book browsers, so if you have a cover image it alone should be presented as large as possible on the first page of your document.

-If the free book is just part of a longer piece, have an explanatory note at the end that lets the reader know this concludes the free section of this book.

-Have links to your websites and/or retailer links, like Amazon, where the rest of the book can be purchased.

-For authors with multiple books, include a list and brief description of other titles.

-Include something that allows people to contact you, like a link to your blog or website. Including your email at the end of the book is fine, in my opinion.

If you succeed with getting lots of readers because your book is listed there for free, maybe people will like it and maybe they'll buy it or another book of yours. Might as well give it a shot.

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Kindle Ebooks Sell More Than Paperback and Hardcover Combined

Amazon began as an online bookstore, selling hardcovers and paperbacks in July 1995. It boldly announced itself as, "the world's largest bookstore," since it could offer virtually an unlimited number of titles, far more than any brick and mortar store. The claim led Barnes&Noble to file suit over semantics, but that's another story.

In November 2007, Amazon debuted the Kindle and began to sell ebooks. Many insiders watching the developments, both publishers and readers alike, thought ebooks were just a fad or even a joke, some sort of impurity of the written word they refused to endorse, and they resoundingly responded the idea would never work.

In less than three years, July 2010, Kindle ebook sales had surpassed hardcover sales. Another six months later, Kindle ebooks sales moved beyond paperbacks to become the most popular selling format on Amazon.

And now, about four years since the Kindle debut, Amazon readers buy more Kindle ebooks than paperbacks and hardcovers combined. Print is not necessarily dying, but it appears to be destined to a new role, second-fiddle to e-ink. To those who still think ebooks are just a fad; wake up and get over your dislike of technology. It's about the words and the message, not the medium for delivery.

"Customers are now choosing Kindle books more often than print books. We had high hopes that this would happen eventually, but we never imagined it would happen this quickly. We've been selling print books for fifteen years and Kindle books for less than four years," said Jeff Bezos, Founder and CEO, Amazon.com. Since April 1 of 2011, for every 100 print books Amazon has sold, it has sold 105 Kindle ebooks. This includes sales of hardcover and paperback books by Amazon where there is no Kindle edition. Free Kindle ebooks are excluded and if included would make the number even higher.

Skeptics (they're always around) will point out many ebooks are selling for 99 cents and skewing the results. Well, what's the problem with that? Cheaper books mean more availability to everyone. Reading is a good thing, right?

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1500 Authors, Another Step for E-publishing and Indie Authors

Marti Talbott, indie author, e-publishing enthusiast and regular at Amazon's Meet Our Authors forum has started a new website for indie writers to promote both Amazon and Barnes&Noble ebooks and paperbacks. It's called 1500 Authors and is quickly compiling a list of excellent, new and talented writers. For anyone interested in submitting books, you can choose up to 3 titles. The submission process is quite simple. For readers, it's also a great place to discover upcoming and talented writers where you can search by genre. Here's the website – https://sites.google.com/site/1500authors/home

Visit the site today and you'll see this message;

Welcome to 1500 Authors.com

The books on this website are written by Independent Authors. An Independent Author chooses not to submit their books to publishers because…well, they can make more money without them.

That is fortunately true, however, sometimes it's also because they've tried and haven't been able to get publishers to look at manuscripts. Even fantastic books typically don't get picked up by traditional publishing houses because, with millions of writers submitting, there just isn't room for everyone in traditional publishing houses. Thank goodness for e-publishing because e-publishing has enabled and empowered indie authors like Marti, myself and countless others with great messages to share.

Whether you're a reader, an author or both, please visit 1500 Authors and see what's new to read. Enjoy.

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E-publishing Makes Easy Ebook Edits for Indie Authors

For indie authors who sell ebooks, the finances don't always cover a pro editor, which often results in typos. This is a gripe for many readers, especially when it's not just a few but the typos number in the dozens. As most indies are forced to wear many hats, it's fortunate that a convenient one can be the hat for ebook editor.

This is completely different from the old paradigm of traditional print publishing and a fantastic aspect of e-publishing: the ability to quickly and easily make edits, updates or additions. It happens to my books regularly, as readers will often email with a nice note saying they enjoyed the book and sometimes will even mention a typo that was found. Bingo. That's really helpful to writers who typically want their books to be perfectly free of mistakes.

Sometimes it's not even fixing typos but keeping up with a changing world. Take the example of one of my books, How to Make, Market and Sell Ebooks All for Free. The field of e-publishing is new yet constantly changing, and so this book gets updated regularly. In less than 5 months, Amazon made the following changes, which were all important to include in my book;

1. The self-publishing section of Amazon Kindle ebooks went from being called dtp.amazon to kdp.amazon.

2. They opened Amazon.de for German readers.

3. CreateSpace (Amazon's POD paperback company) gave experienced, self-published authors the option to skip the proof process.

4. France and Japan hit the scene for Kindle readers.

5. Amazon cracked down on Indie self-promotion in the discussion forums and created the Meet Our Authors forum strictly for author promotion.

6. Amazon removed tags from US Kindle ebooks. Tags help browsers search books by subject like on this page.

7. Amazon replaced tags from US Kindle ebooks along with an announcement that indie author tagging parties are no longer acceptable.

Whew, that's a lot of changes during 5 months for just one company, not to mention a few typos found by my readers over that time. Good thing every indie author is her/his own ebook pro editor and can make changes quickly and easily. So where should the changes get made?

Obviously the main document gets fixed with edits, updates or additions. Many authors use Microsoft Word, like I do. Then that document gets uploaded to kdp.amazon, Barnes&Noble's Pubit and Smashwords where it replaces the older version. This e-publishing process typically takes between 1 to 3 days to go live but can take a few days longer at Smashwords depending on their queue. Then for selling ebooks direct from my blog and websites, an upload to 2epub.com is needed to convert formats from word doc to epub and mobi. Then the epub, mobi and pdf files of the newest version of the book gets uploaded to the websites for direct sales and is fixed immediately.

It's really quite simple and usually takes less than an hour to upload a newly edited version to every major retailer, my own sites and even CreateSpace. (CreateSpace paperbacks can also be changed quickly, easily and for free with a new pdf sent in. That just requires a submission approval which usually takes a day or two.)

So Indie authors have no reason or excuses not to fix any problems found with their books. They can be their own instant ebook editor. That's a good thing for a constantly changing world and for writers with plenty of typos.

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