Is it wise to publish a novel as an e-book, and how would I do it?
I'm considering publishing my novel as an e-book (since I'm very techy) before I take the usual "paperback" route. Is this a wise choice?
Also what would I need to do? (steps).
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Do you know how to self promote? Are you already good at it? Are you interested in learning how? Are you highly disciplined? Are you a DIY kind of person?
Those are important questions if you are thinking about self-pub. If self promotion/marketing is something you have the discipline to do and passion to excel at, then self-pub becomes a much more interesting option because it does give you a lot of personal flexibility. Your work lives and dies on YOUR merits as a writer and promoter.
I self-pub info products and I am passionate about marketing and promotions. I am fascinated by why people buy things and how to engage people so they will buy MY things. I also really like doing things myself. I love the idea of self-pub as a result. Where do you stand?
There is a lot more to it than what I've mentioned here, but I didn't see any other answers addressing this aspect specifically.
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Should I e-publish?
It depends heavily on your goals, on the effort you're willing/interested in investing, and on your skill with the various abilities involved with e-publishing.
If you aim to eventually sell your book to a traditional publisher, then do not e-publish. Traditional publishers will very rarely buy manuscripts that have already been published elsewhere - including as an e-book.
If you're asking about publishing an e-book with a traditional publisher, then in this day and age, they'll probably handle that themselves. You can ask all about it when you've got an agent and a contract.
If you're planning on self-publishing both e-book and hardcopy, and are hoping to achieve commercial success then an e-book version is probably a good idea. Since in self-publishing you'll be doing all your own marketing and distribution, it's a huge benefit to be able to market a product you can distribute online - something potential readers can get their hands on easily - rather than a physical book that most people just won't come into any contact with. The trick here is, as with most internet marketing, you'll be starting out as a very small fish in a very big tidal wave. You'll have to do a ton of work marketing your book, making it visible, setting it apart from the millions of other self-published books. You'll also need to make sure, on your own, that your work is top-notch and professionally presented - otherwise you'll get bad responses from the people you got with your marketing.
If you don't care about commercial success or being traditionally published, but simply want your work available, then you can whip up an e-book, and let it float around the internet. People will read it or they won't; you can put as much or as little effort as you like into marketing it; it will exist and be available - just probably nothing more than that.
How do I e-publish?
I don't know the details, but there's tons of services and e-book sites that'll take you through the minimum requirements. You'll probably want more than the bare minimum, though. Here's an excellent essay by Nancy Fulda offering a "Mini-handbook on independent publication", covering a lot of what you'll need (and want) to do if you decide to go the e-book route.
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