Ebook Publishing: The More Fun You Have With It, The Better the Outcome
by Amy K. Jones
Ever notice how much better chocolate chip cookies taste when the baker really, really loves creating wonderful tasting treats? Well, ebook publishing need not be any different. The more fun you have creating an ebook, the better your product will be. Keep your spirits light and resist the (very human) urge to over-complicate the process. There is no right way to present your story; if there was, someone else would have done it for you, no? So, don’t bother tormenting yourself with doubt.
Make sure your story is easy to read grammatically, spelling-wise and layout-wise, so it‘s palatable to the masses. You are the creator of this masterpiece, so it’s up to you to show the love. (This is where Sigil comes in handy.) And once you’ve got your story looking just the way you want it to, attack the cover image selection process with gusto. Listen to your instincts; the image you choose should give you goose bumps. Play around with a few things you like, then sleep on it. You’ll wake up one morning and just know that one of those images, or one you weren’t even considering, is absolutely perfect for your book.
Now, and here’s probably the hardest part of the publishing process you’ll run into: let it rest. That’s right, set that wonderful creation to the side, physically and mentally, and move on to other things. The longer you’re willing to leave your book alone, the better. Cookies smell absolutely wonderful when they’re almost finished baking in the oven, right? But if you grab the tin out much too soon, the cookies look a little icky and don’t taste very good. The same is true with a book that’s prematurely submitted for publication. Let it ride until you’ve forgotten nearly every word inside that document.
What to do while you’re waiting for your book to rest on the virtual bookshelf? Well, as an ebook publisher, you’re going to need to do some book promoting and that’s bound to include the creation of a website. Creating a website takes time and patience, and is loads of fun, so go create a space online that will compliment you and your masterpiece. (This is where Weebly‘s free websites come in handy.) By the time you’ve finished that, you’ll have no doubt joined a forum or two, so relax and enjoy chatting with your new buddies for a while.
Was that the timer? Are the cookies done? Alright then, you can now safely pick up that book and give it a read through. Just read it like you would any other book - for enjoyment of the content. (This is where that Calibre Program comes in super-handy. Just upload your .epub and you‘ll be able to read your book just like it will appear to those who purchase it and read it on their e-reading devices.) Any glaring grammatical, structural, or layout issues can be fixed when you’ve read your story cover-to-cover, so to speak.
Still like the story and the way you’ve presented it in your document? Does it need a little tweaking? Well, go on and give it the attention it deserves, and when you’re finished, give it another read. Now, if it’s solid and you’re feeling light-headed with excitement, go ahead and submit it to an ebook publisher or offer it for sale on your website.
Finally, you have a product you can smile over and be proud of every time you see it. Go and look at it frequently; it’s an accomplishment you’ve invested a lot of time, excitement and energy in, and you have every right to feel exceedingly proud of yourself. While it may seem that the whole world has an ebook for sale, in truth, considering the number of people inhabiting this earth presently, relatively few people actually produce a book. Plus, while there are lots of books out there, only so many of them will fall into the same category as your masterpiece (provided you aren‘t a writer who writes to the market instead of for it), so you can rest assured that the effort really was worth it. And, as an avid reader, I can assure you that there simply aren’t too many books out there. Many of us can read several books in a week, some can even read and enjoy several at a time.
Life is more enchanting when books are a part of it. I can’t wait to read yours - and I can only hope you had a blast creating it!
Copyright 2011 Amy K. Jones
Author of ‘Strange Association’
by Amy K. Jones
Ever notice how much better chocolate chip cookies taste when the baker really, really loves creating wonderful tasting treats? Well, ebook publishing need not be any different. The more fun you have creating an ebook, the better your product will be. Keep your spirits light and resist the (very human) urge to over-complicate the process. There is no right way to present your story; if there was, someone else would have done it for you, no? So, don’t bother tormenting yourself with doubt.
Make sure your story is easy to read grammatically, spelling-wise and layout-wise, so it‘s palatable to the masses. You are the creator of this masterpiece, so it’s up to you to show the love. (This is where Sigil comes in handy.) And once you’ve got your story looking just the way you want it to, attack the cover image selection process with gusto. Listen to your instincts; the image you choose should give you goose bumps. Play around with a few things you like, then sleep on it. You’ll wake up one morning and just know that one of those images, or one you weren’t even considering, is absolutely perfect for your book.
Now, and here’s probably the hardest part of the publishing process you’ll run into: let it rest. That’s right, set that wonderful creation to the side, physically and mentally, and move on to other things. The longer you’re willing to leave your book alone, the better. Cookies smell absolutely wonderful when they’re almost finished baking in the oven, right? But if you grab the tin out much too soon, the cookies look a little icky and don’t taste very good. The same is true with a book that’s prematurely submitted for publication. Let it ride until you’ve forgotten nearly every word inside that document.
What to do while you’re waiting for your book to rest on the virtual bookshelf? Well, as an ebook publisher, you’re going to need to do some book promoting and that’s bound to include the creation of a website. Creating a website takes time and patience, and is loads of fun, so go create a space online that will compliment you and your masterpiece. (This is where Weebly‘s free websites come in handy.) By the time you’ve finished that, you’ll have no doubt joined a forum or two, so relax and enjoy chatting with your new buddies for a while.
Was that the timer? Are the cookies done? Alright then, you can now safely pick up that book and give it a read through. Just read it like you would any other book - for enjoyment of the content. (This is where that Calibre Program comes in super-handy. Just upload your .epub and you‘ll be able to read your book just like it will appear to those who purchase it and read it on their e-reading devices.) Any glaring grammatical, structural, or layout issues can be fixed when you’ve read your story cover-to-cover, so to speak.
Still like the story and the way you’ve presented it in your document? Does it need a little tweaking? Well, go on and give it the attention it deserves, and when you’re finished, give it another read. Now, if it’s solid and you’re feeling light-headed with excitement, go ahead and submit it to an ebook publisher or offer it for sale on your website.
Finally, you have a product you can smile over and be proud of every time you see it. Go and look at it frequently; it’s an accomplishment you’ve invested a lot of time, excitement and energy in, and you have every right to feel exceedingly proud of yourself. While it may seem that the whole world has an ebook for sale, in truth, considering the number of people inhabiting this earth presently, relatively few people actually produce a book. Plus, while there are lots of books out there, only so many of them will fall into the same category as your masterpiece (provided you aren‘t a writer who writes to the market instead of for it), so you can rest assured that the effort really was worth it. And, as an avid reader, I can assure you that there simply aren’t too many books out there. Many of us can read several books in a week, some can even read and enjoy several at a time.
Life is more enchanting when books are a part of it. I can’t wait to read yours - and I can only hope you had a blast creating it!
Copyright 2011 Amy K. Jones
Author of ‘Strange Association’