While publishing a book might seem like a heavy task, publishing an ebook doesn’t have to be. The word “book” inspires images of heavy volumes with lots of pages. When you remove the physical considerations that go along with paper books, you also remove the limitations. Due to the format’s flexibility, ebooks can be any length. In fact, very short formats have a track record of selling quite well.
Why would you want to publish an ebook? It can make a valuable resource to incorporate into your lead gen program. A well written book in your area of expertise positions your company as an expert and provides a “hook” to start customer conversations. It can even become a revenue source.
Technical Format for Ebook for Publication
Realize that most ebooks resize themselves per device. You must choose your formatting software accordingly. Publishers, like Amazon, have attempted to simplify the process. They allow authors to upload their books right from Windows Word documents. The on-site software then changes the book into a proper ebook format. While that’s fine, and rather handy, it limits you to publishing only with those who offer such conveniences. To publish widely, and to a range of different publishers, you will need to convert your ebook to one of the widely accepted formats.
- EPUB
- MOBI
- IBA
- AZW
The list looks a bit like an all-caps alphabet soup, but surprisingly little study is required to understand what they’re for and what they do. You should pay even closer attention to who they’re for. Some are aimed at specific platforms or e-readers. If that’s what you want, then use the format those platforms indicate. If you want to publish widely, you’re going to wind up with EPUB or one of its close competitors.
The Giants of the Ebook Industry
Bowker
Bowker sells International Standard Book Number (ISBNs ) for the United States. Every book that you want to offer for sale needs one. It’s like a social security number for your book. It’s how book sellers find our book. Who else sells ISBNs for the U.S.? No one. If you’ve bought an ISBN from someone other than Bowker for your U.S.-published book, they first bought it from Bowker and then sold it to you. An ISBN bought directly from Bowker frees you to use it on any platform. ISBNs from private providers might restrict your book sales to their platform.
IngramSpark
IngramSpark is like a book warehouse for the digital age. Why is IngramSpark a name to know? Because they don’t just stock books for one seller. Their ‘warehouse’ provides your book to almost every outlet imaginable. Once you upload your book to IngramSpark, that book is available worldwide to booksellers small and large, including titans such as Amazon and Barnes and Noble.
Ebook Retail Giants
Amazon is the true giant of the ebook publishing world. That doesn’t mean they stand alone, however. Other big outlets exist, and they’re gaining momentum.
- Amazon
- GooglePlay
- Kobo
- Smashwords
- iBooks (have your Apple devices ready if choosing this one)
To run a full fledge book campaign, you might want to be on all of them. Your resources will determine how many you can use. Beyond money, those resources should include time, patience, and a tolerance for learning curves.
Promoting your Ebook
Book promotion channels for ebooks present a field as wide as the Internet itself. Direct advertising is an option. However, you should also employ social media. Get yourself onto podcasts and Youtube videos, or have bloggers write about you. If you can imagine the outlet, use it. The best way to get your book to the masses, however, is to incorporate it into a complete lead gen strategy.
Start promoting even before you release the book. People should know it’s coming out soon and anticipate its arrival. The danger here is promoting an ebook that you haven’t finished writing. Inserting your book into a market that is waiting for it is much better than throwing it in cold.
When you start learning how to publish an ebook, you will find a whole new world of terms and professional organizations waiting to greet you. It may seem daunting at first, but just keep going. The knowledge you gain will build upon itself rather quickly, until you find yourself quite adept at the process.