Self-publishing questions (and answers, hopefully)

[thaddeus6th]

I’m looking to self-publish in the nearish future, and I’m sure plenty of other people here are looking to do the same. Whilst writing and redrafting is time-consuming it’s simple work. When it comes to the technical nitty-gritty of self-publishing I’m less certain, and I hope that this thread can help provide some answers for me and other prospective authors in the future.

Is an ISBN number required and, if so, how is it acquired? Is just one needed (for a single eBook sold through different shops)?

Does an author automatically have copyright over their work, or is registration needed (and if so, how does this occur)?*

Marketing an eBook can be tricky. Does anyone have good tips, such as magazines sample chapters can be submitted to or other advertising techniques, for a new writer?^

Amazon’s very well-known, but what are other good sites (whether in addition to or as alternatives to the giant bookstore) for an author to sell eBooks?

As the agent/publisher quality control/filtration system gets bypassed increasingly more, would a Chrons forum specifically for and about self-published authors help readers find good self-published books and allow a dedicated place for writers to advertise their wares?

If publishing through Amazon (or other sites) is it possible to create a pen name, or is the choice between using a real name or creating a new account?

How important is a cover for an e-Book? What sort of prices are reasonable, and are there any dedicated websites out there, or should a writer hunt down specific artists?

What format (or formats) should a writer opt for? Given the wide range of e-Readers how many, and which ones, should be catered for, and how are such formats created?**



*I think authors automatically get copyright, but I’m not certain.

^There are a few marketing/review suggestions here:
http://www.sffchronicles.co.uk/forum/533199-book-review-websites-pr-for-free.html

**I’ve got a Kindle, and the format’s made by e-mailing a document to a certain address which then replies with the appropriate format. It can also read PDFs, though I don’t know how to make those.


Many thanks to those who are able to help answer these questions. If anyone has other questions about this sort of thing that I missed, please do ask.

 

[Mouse]

Is an ISBN number required and, if so, how is it acquired? Is just one needed (for a single eBook sold through different shops)?

You don't need an ISBN if you're just selling through yourself or, say, Lulu. If you want to sell through book shops, Amazon, everywhere else, then yes, you need one.

You can buy them in bundles of ten, I think. I use Lulu so I get a free ISBN assigned to me.

Does an author automatically have copyright over their work, or is registration needed (and if so, how does this occur)?*

Depends which country you're in. I haven't registered my copyright. You do need a copyright page though to even get an ISBN. (Basically just have the C symbol and 'all rights reserved' and your name.)

Marketing an eBook can be tricky. Does anyone have good tips, such as magazines sample chapters can be submitted to or other advertising techniques, for a new writer?^

Can't help there. I suck at marketing.

Amazon’s very well-known, but what are other good sites (whether in addition to or as alternatives to the giant bookstore) for an author to sell eBooks?

I use Lulu and Smashwords. Both free.

If publishing through Amazon (or other sites) is it possible to create a pen name, or is the choice between using a real name or creating a new account?

I don't know about Amazon specifically, but I imagine you can use whatever name you like. I know you can on Lulu. I published a book with two others and listed all three of us as the authors.

How important is a cover for an e-Book? What sort of prices are reasonable, and are there any dedicated websites out there, or should a writer hunt down specific artists?

I used DeviantArt for my covers. Aspiring artists are cheaper. You can advertise in the forum, say what you want and how much you'll pay (I paid £30 for a wraparound cover for my first book, but I used an American artist, so paid in dollars...), then wait for the tons of responses! Just browse the galleries and see what you like.

What format (or formats) should a writer opt for? Given the wide range of e-Readers how many, and which ones, should be catered for, and how are such formats created?**

As many formats as you can manage! Smashwords tells you what they're all called and how to format for Kindle (if I remember rightly!).

It can also read PDFs, though I don’t know how to make those.

Download 'doPDF.' It's free. All you do is then press print on your file and select print to file instead of print to an actual printer and it creates a PDF.

Hope that helps!

 

[Scott R. Forshaw]

You seem to know what you're talking about, Mouse. How are things going for you? Have you had much success?

 

[thaddeus6th]

Thanks for the response, Mouse

 

[Mouse]

You're welcome.

Scott, do I really? Blimey! Things have been on a hold for a while as I've been busy writing my third novel and I've had some actual paid work from an online publisher writing character stories, which I've had to get on with. So I've not really done any marketing or promoting or anything for my two self-published books.

The last time I looked (and this was probably sometime last year!) I'd managed 200 downloads. I got an email from Lulu the other day saying I had some £4 odd revenue, so I guess some are still selling somewhere.

 

[Glynn James]

I think Mouse pretty much covered most of what I would have said, but I can pipe up about a minor success doing this.

I went this route, having not spoken to an agent or a publisher. it just seemed right at the time and I could do it myself. Since April this year I've sold just under 2000 copies of the four books I have up.
I love this self-publishing lark, and I love being able to just write and publish whatever I want, but I'd still like to talk to publishers and agents!

As for marketing - a lot of it doesn't work very well! The most success I've had was with posting my first book free on feedbooks.com - that led to a lot of sales of my other books and to finding a whole bunch of folks who signed up to my newsletter and now quite regularly buy my new releases.

I must admit my reason for going this route was because agents and publishers didn't bother to reply to my submissions (not even one reply). I originally thought this was because the book was bad, so went away all dejected and found a place to put it out for free. The response was the opposite of what I expected, so I went ahead with Kindle Direct / smashwords etc. Love it.

Will this hurt my chances with agents/publishers? I wasn't aware that I had any

 

[JAJackson]

For myself I am going the way of 'Smashwords'. There is a long doco on formatting but once followed properly should see my work on a number of platforms. They do provide ONE ISBN if you meet their special guidelines. Once I actually have the book uploaded I will know more and provide feedback.

 

[thaddeus6th]

Thanks, and welcome to Chrons

 

[JAJackson]

I wish to add one more comment to self publishing via Smashwords. I ended up 'opting out' of the Amazon and going with them directly. There is a very easy to follow video on how to format 'your' book. Mind you, Amazon is so large that even a new release disapears into obscurity. GL Also Amazon does not need an ISBN...

 

[thaddeus6th]

Yeah, someone else I knew went that route. I think I might just let it be shipped by Smashwords, but thanks for the info nevertheless.

 

[AlcubierreWarp]

Just a note for anyone who has a CANADIAN address when requesting an ISBN:

Libraries and Archives Canada provides ISBNs for FREE to publishers and self-publishers. All you need to do is create a publisher account on their website and then request the ISBNs from there.

Make sure you request the ISBN in advance as it takes 5 to 10 days to create an account, and a few more days to get a block of ISBNs.

 

[WJCherf]

I must be a rebellious Yank, because I too went this route with my trilogy after literally years of stonewalling on the part of the mainstream publishing industry.

What I have found to date was that I sold about 60% as ebooks and the remainder as paperbacks.

Again, Smashwords is first rate with Amazon as a backup for the ebooks.

Createspace.com, a subsidiary of Amazon, handles my paperbacks.

I have never looked back.

Now for the marketing piece that Mouse begged off upon. Social sites, blogs of interest (like this one), getting reviews from blogging sites, building a website, are the usual ways.

But do not forget a very, very important detail: word of mouth. Yes, your emal address book is a gold mine. Those who love your work, enlist them as enthusiastic missionaries to further spread the word. Create a buzz!

 

[JandenHale]

I would also say to go through Smashwords for your ebooks. Once everything is approved (vetting your formatting so the book comes out okay in various formats) it'll go up on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Sony, Apple, Kobo, and others. You don't need an ISBN except for inclusion in the Apple store, but sometimes Smashwords has those and you can get one for free. Other times I hear they have the for like $9.95, which is much better than paying the full $125.

You don't need to register your book in order for it to be copyrighted (at least in the US). Here, a work is copyrighted the moment you type it onto the computer. You can find more info about that on the US Patent and Trademark website. I don't have enough posts to put the link up.

For marketing, definitely have a website. People will want to check your stuff out. I also use Facebook (a page for the books as well as my own) and Twitter. Then try to get reviews, interviews, etc. through blogs, podcasts, magazines. Even if they're small. Ever mention adds up over time. And wherever you can, keep mentioning your stuff. Some forums allow you to put links in your signature. Can't do that here, so I used the book cover as my avatar. Marketing is by far the most important aspect after you're done writing. Just like the book isn't going to write itself, it's not going to market itself either.

 

[Jacob Larch]

lot of useful advice on this thread, thanks!

 

[thaddeus6th]

No problem, Mr. Larch (although I think all the useful bits of info were given by other people ).

Incidentally, I've now got a site up and running. Book's yet to be released, but I'll be sure to jump up and down and point at it when it is.

http://thaddeuswhite.weebly.com/index.html