Writing and publishing an e-book is so easy today, literally anyone could do it—and they do. First-time authors are publishing and selling their work, positioning themselves in the marketplace. Books that have been out of print are coming back as e-books.
The upside to having an e-book—or, better, several e-books—is tremendous.
But before you start planning to dash off your magnum opus this weekend, here are some things you should know about writing e-books.
1. There’s a lot of junk out there.
Just because anyone can write and publish an e-book doesn’t mean that everyone should do so. You owe it to yourself and your readers (you know your target readers, right?) to learn what’s out there already, and figure out how you can make your work stand out.
E-books haven’t changed the basic rules of writing and publishing. You still must know what you’re trying to say, to whom you’re trying to say it, where those readers are, and when and how you will get your work into their hands.
You must think things through first, before you start writing. Make sure your book is as well-written, professionally edited, and well-designed as it can be before you start converting files and daydreaming about royalty checks.
2. E-books are growing in popularity.
Not everyone has or wants an e-reader. Some prefer the feel and smell of a printed book. Creating an e-book doesn’t prevent you from producing a printed version.
Still, e-books have changed the publishing industry. In many cases, people are ready to trade that feel and smell of a printed book for a device that has a seemingly limitless number of books (think of the space saved). Another advantage is that with an e-reader, one can adjust the font size for easier reading.
3. There’s more than one platform to consider.
Amazon has the lion’s share of the e-reader market, but e-books are not limited to the Amazon Kindle. You have other options, including the Barnes and Noble Nook, iBooks and Smashwords are other options.
Yet another option is simply to create a PDF and sell or distribute that. Think in terms of your audience when thinking about how best to proceed here. How do they expect to get the information?
Consider these things when planning to write and publish your e-book.
