Creating and Publishing Your Own E-Book: HOW?

 

EAgle Prods (new)Article Title: Creating and Publishing Your Own E-Book: HOW?

Author: Craig Lock
Category/Subject: Self-publishing, publishing, E-books, digital books, digital publishing, Amazon, Kindle

Web sites: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005GGMAW4 http://www.creativekiwis.com/amazon.html and http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/craiglock

The submitter’s blogs (with extracts from his various writings: articles, books and new manuscripts) are at www.craigswritingarticles.wordpress.comwww.nzwriter.wordpress.com www.sawriter.wordpress.com http://craigsblogs.wordpress.com

(Other articles are available at: http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/user/15565 and http://www.ideamarketers.com/library/profile.cfm?writerid=981

Personal growth, self help, writing, internet marketing, spiritual, ‘spiritual writings’ (how ‘airey-fairey’), words of inspiration and money management, how boring now, craig)

Publishing Guidelines
We hope that the following article may be informative and helpful to your ezine readers, or on your web site. If it helps others “out there in cyberspace” , then we’re very happy.
This article (as with all my articles) may be freely published.

“We share what we know, so that we all may grow.”

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CREATING YOUR OWN E-BOOK

Here’s how…

INTRODUCTION

Though nobody really knows where the digital publishing model is headed, Amazon already claim that they are selling more ebooks than traditional books. My good friend and associate Bill and I believe e-books are the way of the future and this will keep the “greenies” happy not having to cut down trees (see my article ‘The Future of Electronic Publishing originally written about twelve years ago).

*

Here are some hints based upon my experiences as a “non-techno” in getting my books published with Amazon (to the great consternation and surprise of my “techno-geek” associate and good friend, Bill).

Firstly a bit of background. Initially I was approached by Europe’s largest digital publisher (XiiXin) to publish my books with them. I found the process so simple, I thought, why not give the far more well-known Amazon Kindle a try.

But HOW?

From my experience, the Kindle publishing process is simple and way less-time consuming than you might expect. The process is quite enjoyable and satisfying too …even though I’m no “computer nerd”. And I hope that opening statement encourages you to give it a try.

As a first step, you create a your book in Microsoft Word doc. file. (Standard font size, like New Times Roman, but Amazon use a default font anyway). (I tried the Mobipocket Creator, free, getting my ebook ready for upload; but soon gave up (as I have great difficulty following instructions – story of my life) and simply uploaded “as is”. So upload your book file at kdp.amazon.com and set your price (you get 70% of the sale proceeds). The entire process won’t take long, even for a “non-techno”, like me. If you’ve already published a print book, or use a PC and the internet regularly, you’ll find the process “easy peasy”.

Amazon will convert your Word doc automatically to a digital book format, that can be easily read on the Kindle e-book reader.

You can make amendments to your book at any time and republish it. I’m continually updating my books and it’s really simple. In the meantime, the previous version will remain available for sale on the Kindle store.

The Kindle help files are brief and written in straight-forward English. Just follow the instructions on the web site. Simple!

You then upload a cover picture (it has to be at least 500 pixels quality on the longest side).

Give it an appealing (and short) title and ake a table of contents, Then write some “blurb” about your book.

‘What’s it all about?” – so that readers on the web site are enticed to want to read more of your “work of art, your unique creation”.

There’s a Previewer to see what the text will look like being read on a Kindle, once you’ve uploaded it (“nice and easy”).

However, if you strike problems (as we inevitably do at times), just persevere and you’ll find a way. “Presto!”

Then SAVE and PUBLISH. Voila!

If you are an unknown author, you’ll have to market your book online (and perhaps off-line too). And that’s the hardest part, being found in the “vast realm of cyberspace” (see my e-book on internet marketing for more “info”). I might suggest that your ebook can be freely promoted using Facebook, Twitter and your own web site, but there are many other “freebie” avenues. My preference is writing articles in your chosen area of expertise and publishing them online. Most effective!

I’ve been uploading my books (all 54 of them!) to Amazon over the past month and made quite a few sales already… so that’s greatly encouraging. Though I haven’t given up my day job yet. Ha ha! But am dreaming on…

Finally…

Good luck * to you in publishing and promoting your digital book(s)

You CAN do it

Craig Lock (Eagle Productions)

‘Carpe diem’ = “seize the moment” in this new area of digital publishing and the “digital economy”

* and didn’t someone once define luck as “where preparedness meets opportunity”

About the submitter::
Craig has been writing for the past fifteen years. He believes in (and loves) helping others to find their passions and gifts… through encouraging people to reach out for, then accomplish their “wildest” dreams. He truly believes people can overcome obstacles, rise to any occasion, and accomplish their dreams in life with enough FAITH and PERSISTENCE.

The various books that Craig “felt inspired to write” are available at: http://www.creativekiwis.com/amazon.html and http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005GGMAW4

All proceeds go to needy and underprivileged children – MINE
What’s the definition of an aspiring author?
A waiter!

* What’s the difference between a writer and a family pizza? The family pizza can feed a rather hungry family of three … or ONE starving writer writing away in his garret munching on a carrot!

The submitter’s blogs (with extracts from his various writings: articles, books and new manuscripts) are at www.craigswritingarticles.wordpress.comwww.nzwriter.wordpress.com www.sawriter.wordpress.com http://craigsblogs.wordpress.com

PS: If you want any help, or advice on the publishing process, please feel free to contact me.

PPS:

Once you have published with Amazon Kindle, you may want to try publishing a traditional paper book (soft copy) with another Amazon associate company CreateSpace… but this “techno-bunny” is not ready for that…YET!

This article may be freely published

3 thoughts on “Creating and Publishing Your Own E-Book: HOW?

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  3. Thanks for the follow/link/like/reblog/comment and/or kind thought(s)

    Hi

    CAN’T KEEP UP…BUT THANKS FOR THE “THANX”
    I’ve had many many hundreds of thousands (“zillions”) of comments on my various other WordPress blogs at https://craigsblogs.wordpress.com/2011/09/09/craigs-list-of-blogs-updated-sept-2011/
    in recent years …true!) …obsessive or WHAT! Am really pleased you are enjoying my writings, as the reason I write is to share. However I am unable to keep up with the comments and was spending entire days just on replies on my various blog pages.

    Though I’m rather “driven”, I still get really, really fatigued (there’s a few books there). so sorry can’t reply individually to all you good people scattered around the planet, but DO try to read as many as possible daily (and even moderate a few when I get a “mo”), I got swamped with comments on my various blogs, so have had to close them off on all of my blogs, except for one or two of particular interest to me – sorry and hope you can understand.

    * “Don’t bend; don’t water it down; don’t try to make it logical; don’t edit your own soul according to the fashion. Rather, follow your most intense obsessions mercilessly.”

    ~ Franz Kafka

    I do really appreciate your liking, linking to and/or following this blog (and “writing in”), so “thanks for the thanx”

    “As we live and move and have our being, so from this vision, we create heaven in our own lives… and perhaps even heaven on earth.”

    – craig (as inspired by Acts 17:28 and the words of Felicia Searcy)

    “Aim at the earth and you may not get off the ground.a

    “Aim at the stars and you may reach the moon.”

    “Aim at heaven and you’ll have earth thrown in…

    and you may even hit the stars.”

    – craig (as inspired by the famous quote by CS Lewis – 24th May 2012)

    “When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return.”

    – Leonardo da Vinci

    “When (or if ever) you arrive in heaven, let faith, hope and love be the wings that carried you there.”

    – as adapted from the inspiring words of Jonathan Edwards, former minister in New England, Massachusetts

    “The Greatest Race: Living by (with) faith, hope and love is the highest podium any person can reach, God’s podium that anyone stand on.”

    – c

    “Having pursued the goals, the dreams set before us and run the race with persistence and endurance, after giving it all. Then one day standing on the summit of life, breathing in the pure sweet oxygen of achievement, totally satisfied in running the greatest race, the race of life one that ANYONE can run and win.”

    from http://racetothechequeredflag.wordpress.com/

    and http://www.godandformula1.wordpress.com

    “If a man is called to be a street-sweeper,

    he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted,

    or Beethoven composed music, or

    Shakespeare wrote poetry.

    He should sweep streets so well

    that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say,

    here lived a great street sweeper

    who did his job well.”

    – Dr Martin Luther King, Jr.

    PPS

    Instead of trying to reply to each one of you, I’ll just keep on writing

    “If the doctor told me I had six minutes to live, I’d type a little faster.”

    The various books* that Craig “felt inspired to write” are available at http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005GGMAW4

    http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=la_B005GGMAW4_sr?rh=i%3Abooks&field-author=Craig+Lock

    https://www.createspace.com/pub/simplesitesearch.search.do?sitesearch_query=%22craig+lock%22&sitesearch_type=STORE

    http://www.creativekiwis.com/index.php/books

    and http://goo.gl/vTpjk

    All proceeds go to needy and underprivileged children –

    MINE!

    “When the writer is no more , the value of your purchase will soar! “

    Don’t worry about the world ending today…

    as it’s already tomorrow in scenic and tranquil ‘little’ New Zealand

    PPS

    “I wish you well on a rainy day
    I wish you rainbows to brighten your day
    To feel your quiet moments with a special kind of warmth
    to remind you that happiness can happen
    when you least expect it.

    I wish you rainbows to make you laugh and smile
    to show you the simple beauty of life
    and to give you the magic of dreams come true.

    I wish you rainbows
    I wish you well.”

    – Larry S. Chengges

    ”Since I can never see your face,

    And never shake you by the hand,

    I send my soul through time and space

    To greet you. You will understand.”

    – James Elroy Flecker (1884-1915)

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