Guest: Bethany Ramos
The publishing industry is definitely changing, and today, these great changes center around e-books. Even the hottest bestsellers on the shelves are being formatted to e-readers so that they can be enjoyed by readers anywhere on devices like the Kindle.
Speedy Publishing Process
Perhaps one of the greatest benefits to e-reader publishing is that it is electronic and virtually instantaneous. Books that are formatted to e-readers can be sold and downloaded from websites like Amazon, so they potentially reach an even greater reader base. For the many readers out there that are interested in a new book but don’t want to go to the bookstore or library to get it, all they have to do is download the publication to their e-reader in a few moments. This puts quick money in the pocket of the author to generate even greater online sales.
How Does E-Reader Publishing Work?
If you’re interested in publishing your book to an e-reader through a website like Amazon, you will firstly need an Amazon account. There you will find a prompt to publish on the Kindle by using the digital text platform available through Amazon.
If you are self-publishing to an e-reader, it is important that your book is completely edited before publishing. Amazon does not edit any publications for the Kindle, so ensuring that your book is up to par is your responsibility. This editing should be much more than just running a spellcheck. Make sure that you and several trusted people in your life have read through the book numerous times to ensure that it is in its best condition.
From there, Amazon will allow you to upload your e-book as a word document, text file, PDF, or HTML. However, it is best to only use PDF as a last resort since it may be difficult to format for the Kindle. You can then upload your book to the Amazon digital text platform, where you will be redirected to a dashboard to help you publish your book directly. One handy feature is that you don’t have to publish your book immediately; you can upload it and leave it on the dashboard as a draft until you are ready for the final publication.
Once your book is ready for publication, you can publish it to e-reader format with the simple click of a button. Your e-reader book will be available for purchase on Amazon within 72 hours, and you can view your sales and downloads directly through the Amazon dashboard.
This is a similar process that publishing houses now use to convert best-selling books into the e-reader format. Perhaps one of the greatest benefits to publishing to the Kindle is that any author has the opportunity to share their work with the world. If you are interested in self-publishing, then an e-reader publication may be the best choice for you.
Making your work available online in the digital format will help you to reach new reader bases that you may not have been able to market to if your book was in the traditional form!
Bethany Ramos is a full-time freelance writer that co-owns her own business, The Coffee Bump. For a great selection of the Bodum French Press, check out Bethany Ramos’ website today!
