How to put your precious manuscript out there as an e-book

Are you an author who wants to publish independently using e-books? I'll try and start you off on the right road ;-]

Ingredients you will need

• One lovely manuscript, as polished as you and your editing buddies can make it, as an electronic document, ideally in Word. Remember this at all times: version control is essential for all your docs.
• A professional-looking front cover as a jpg file.
• A product description - check pages like this and this to see what I mean.
• Miscellaneous other things to spice and season - think about which genre your book is in, what tags best describe your book.

Amazon

I've published 3 books on Amazon (2 of mine, 1 for a friend) and it feels like I've got the hang of it now. Key points for Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP):

• the best format to upload is html. I've tried uploading Word docs to KDP but end up with formatting problems that I can't fix like centred titles, uncontrollable indents etc.
• I use Word to finalise the formatting and then save as a html. The 'nuclear option' is best - copy paste the entire manuscript into Notepad or some other text editor, then paste back into a blank doc of whatever word processor you use. That will get rid of any bad format habits you may have.
• Then format all the chapter titles, indents etc to be uniform. Easiest is to 'select all' and format everything the same e.g. Times 12 pt first line indent 0.5cm, then step through the doc and format the titles how you want them. If you have a lot of italics or strange font switches then you'll have to pick them all out individually, best to avoid.
• Don't use page numbers - keep the header and footer empty.
• Add disclaimer, copyright etc. in title page.
• If you like then add some links to blog, website, other books at end of the manuscript
• Amazon doesn't need an ISBN. They allocate an ASN number that becomes the Amazon reference
• Upload your html doc and step through all pages on the preview facility. This isn't exactly how it will look on Kindle but it's close. Watch out for any blank pages, misaligned text, html code, anything that shouldn't be there or looks odd.
• Proceed through the KDP process, click publish and then about 48 - 72 hours later go and buy your own book on Amazon. Download to your Kindle or Kindle for PC and step through the whole book. Go back immediately and make changes to the doc that you uploaded, keep tight version control, upload corrected version. Best to get it right before folk start to pick up your book from Amazon. If you find serious issues then 'unpublish' during the revision process. Get it right, your reputation depends on it.
• Things that go wrong include having two copies of the front cover in the Kindle book (KDP lets you tick a box to include your jpg within the doc), forgetting the disclaimer / copyright / contact details, typos etc (that confirm the public's worst thoughts about poorly edited indie authors).

Smashwords

I've published 2 books on Smashwords. They insist on a Word doc but the results seem to be more predicatble and better than KDP. You won't sell a lot of copies direct on Smashwords but they distribute to Barnes & Noble, Sony, Apple itunes, Diesel etc. I thought nothing was going on with my Smashwords efforts but just found the other week that I've given away (mostly) and sold (a handful) 1200 copies of Peril at B&N, 50 at Sony and 25 at itunes without even trying. Smashwords produces the mutiple format types required for all the different e-reader devices and also has voucher options which are useful for free giveaways.

Ignore Smashwords at your Peril

Who are you? Whoooo are you? I really wanna know.

There are blogs that have an audience of authors, blogs that have an audience of book readers and blogs that just aim to inform, entertain, thrill, shock, annoy or share knitting patterns. This is one of the latter.

Now, I've knitted PERIL at Smashwords for all and sundry. Smashwords needs no explanation to seasoned indie authors and, as one of the last indie authors in the world to go on Smashwords, I'm not going to try and teach my grandmother to suck eggs (don't do it, Grandma, there's salmonella and other nasty things inside.) But for book readers and novice indie authors I'd like to take a few moments of your eye time to explain what it's about. Back to the knitting analogy.

Folks have different tastes in clothes. It's sometimes to do with our shape. Mens' shirts come in different shapes - regular, fitted etc. Collar size according to amount of neck. Jackets and trousers have long, regular and short arms and legs. I've unusually long legs, short arms and a neck that...never mind. Ladies - well you have that infinitely variable thing going on with the upper area and a complexity of hem lengths and cuts of cloth that bewilders the menfolk. Similarly, in the world of fast developing technology (as I slip seamlessly into this improbably comfortable knitted bustier of ebook analogy) there are myriad variations on how people want to read a novel.

We all have paper books and I'm addicted to those. So much so that I end up buying multiple copies of the same one and giving them away. My dinner guests rarely leave empty handed. We serve large portions. The Original Sins anthology is a paper book and people have lapped it up here in Ireland. The last few copies were wolfed down this weekend and therein lies the problem.

Original Sins was a limited edition print of 1000 copies that might never be repeated. What if other people want it? What if someone on the other side of the planet fancies reading a sample or wants a copy and they're all sold out? In fact, this book is almost history already, just one month after being launched! It's like a catwalk dress from a boutique designer. except that high street clothes retailers are unlikely to produce lookalikes. The answer - when all the hard copies are gone we'll turn Original Sins into an ebook. Let's go Kindle.

Groan! Okay, so Kindle is big in the US and maybe 1 in 6 UK adults now own a Kindle, but here in Ireland there are more leprechauns than Kindles. But what is big everywhere is technology. Folks are playing with their Windows and Android phones, iPhones and iPads all over the place. There's an app for this, an app for that. Amazon have Kindle apps for a lot of devices but not everyone wants to do that. Kindle is the front runner in the ebook race but the pack is close behind. That pack includes, as well as the flexible handheld thingummies above, dedicated ebook readers from Sony, Barnes & Noble (Nook) and others. This is where Smashwords comes in.

Smashwords lets the author and reader meet for a little cosy-up on a device of the reader's choice. It offers ten different formats of ebook to suit reader preference. There's no one size fits all approach. Smashwords knits the golden threads of the author's hard work into garments to suit all tastes. I've included a summary of Smashwords' knitwear range, the accuracy of which is limited by my ebook and wardrobe knowledge.

Online reading (html) is the woolly scarf of formats. It's colourful, functional and easily thrown around the neck of your computer screen on a chilly day.

Online reading (JavaScript) is a knitted beret. It looks good on some, less so on others. Depends upon the shape of your head and if your JavaScript is working.

Kindle (.mobi) is the same department store offering that Amazon offer. It's a nice little twin set with matching patterns on the cuffs, collar, waistband and ankles. Delightful, but everybody will be wearing it to the party.

Epub (open industry format, good for Stanza reader, others) is a popular place where people meet, have a drink, another drink, and knit ebooks. Time now please, have you no homes to go to?

PDF (good for highly formatted books, or for home printing) is the good old knitted tank top. It goes in and out of fashion depending upon wear by celebrities. Always functional. Washes well.

RTF (readable on most word processors) is knitwear for those that know what they like and to hell with fashion. There's a drawstring around the waist, for people like me with no hips or bottom, to keep their trousers up.

LRF (for Sony Reader) is an essential knitted accessory for the walkman and woman, PlayStation and flatscreen TV addicts (yes, that is a Sony. I bought it in the Sony shop.)

Palm Doc (PDB) (for Palm reading devices) is a magic knitted bobble-hat that lets you tell the future by reading other people's palms.

Plain Text (download) (flexible, but lacks much formatting) is a raw ball of wool, without knitting needles. Make what you will.

Plain Text (view) (viewable as web page) is a Christmas jumper from your aunt.

Most of the above are dry clean only. Knitting patterns are all available in the excellent free Smashwords Style Guide

Clearly, I've lost the plot. But I've learnt how to spin a yarn.

PERIL is now available in all these knitwear styles and in any colour you like, as long as it's red.

Note for novice indie authors: Smashwords Premium Catalog is a gateway to online bookstores beyond Amazon. Smashwords Distributes your ebook to the Apple iBookstore, Barnes & Noble, Sony Reader Store, Kobo and the Diesel eBook Store.

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