Anyone self-published an eBook? - Now Published!

Olgar Shiverstone · Feb 18, 2012

I'm considering self-publishing some material I've written (non-fiction, professional) as an eBook via Kindle, Nook, or Apple iBooks, perhaps with a future print-on-demand offering.

Has anyone done this? Any pointers? Is one of the sources better than others?

I've looked at both Kindle and Nook FAQs, but would appreciate actual user feedback. Cursory survey has me ignoring Apple due to their exclusive I-get-control attitude.

Edit: I finally did it, and got the book completed and published both in eBook and print! Details on the process in some of the posts below.

For those interested, the book is titled: Soldier / Geek: An Army Science Advisor's Journal of the War in Afghanistan

Summary said:
In 2009, an Army Major deployed a small team of specialists to Afghanistan to identify new technologies needed to fight the war. Traveling from Forward Operating Bases to Combat Outposts, braving rockets and IEDs, fighting the Army bureaucracy more than the enemy, this small team worked to improve everything from robots to mine-resistant trucks, boots, and parachutes. This journal of the team’s deployment provides an insider’s view into the lives of deployed soldiers and the complex process that delivers new equipment and weapons to the combat zone.

[ame=http://www.amazon.com/Soldier-Geek-Science-Advisors-Afghanistan/dp/1470187892/ref=sr_1_cc_2?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1332591860&sr=1-2-catcorr]Print version via Amazon.[/ame]

Print version via Createspace.

[ame=http://www.amazon.com/Soldier-Geek-Advisors-Afghanistan-ebook/dp/B007E16CFU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1330397804&sr=8-1]Kindle version via Amazon.[/ame]

Other eBook formats via Smashwords.

trancejeremy · Feb 19, 2012

I haven't done it myself (though someday I will, once I finish editing/proofreading my 4 novels - it's more fun to write than proofread), but one good place to ask or find info is over at Mobile Read. It's one of the better websites for e-readers and e-books

They have a forum for self publishing & writing

Writers' Corner - MobileRead Forums

Most people go with Amazon and Smashwords, the latter can get your stuff on B&N and iBooks

MoogleEmpMog · Feb 20, 2012

Add me to the list of people interested in hearing others' experiences. Hopefully in a month or so, I'll be able to share my own, since as soon as I get my cover art squared away I'll be self-publishing a novel in this way.

Richards · Feb 22, 2012

My oldest son wrote a novel he self-published on Kindle. It's called "The Second Death," and it takes place in Hell.

Johnathan

Ebonyr · Feb 22, 2012

Olgar Shiverstone said:
I'm considering self-publishing some material I've written (non-fiction, professional) as an eBook via Kindle, Nook, or Apple iBooks, perhaps with a future print-on-demand offering.

Has anyone done this? Any pointers? Is one of the sources better than others?

I've looked at both Kindle and Nook FAQs, but would appreciate actual user feedback. Cursory survey has me ignoring Apple due to their exclusive I-get-control attitude.

Here's a great blog post article on 15 easy steps to self-pub - Karen Baney 15 Easy Steps For Publishing Your Book To Kindle

Radiating Gnome · Feb 22, 2012

I published a book about blogging through Createspace (and then on Kindle) last spring. It was a relatively easy process -- I did the cover myself (with my beginner+ photoshop skills), etc.

I'm helping a friend who's a poetry professor launch a new poetry annual using the same tools.

The Print-On-Demand and E-book world has really turned the publishing world on it's head, but one thing that has become clear to me is that the one thing that the big houses still have is marketing power. You're going to have to do a lot of work (or get very lucky) to promote your self-published work. Actually getting the work produced is the easy part. And it's also the predictable part -- the marketing stuff is alchemy, unfortunately. You can use the same ingredients as the next guy and succeed while he fails.

But the only guarantee is that if you don't try, you can't succeed.

-rg

Olgar Shiverstone · Feb 28, 2012

So I'm working my way through Kindle and Smashwords now. Fairly easy so far. Some things I've learned:

- Smashwords formatting is a little tougher to do than Kindle, but it's a good place to start. Once you format for Smashwords, formatting for Kindle is easy. Unfortunately, I did my Kindle format first

- The Smashwords tutorial is pretty helpful.
- The Kindle tutorial is good, but out of date (for example: you don't have to convert your .doc file to HTML).
- Kindle takes 12 hours to publish; Smashwords a few minutes.
- I'm having trouble with my cover in the Kindle format, so the 12-hour time is killing me.

More to follow once I finally get everything set up and running -- I'll let everyone know if I succeed. Then maybe I'll look into print-on-demand.

I've got to thank Shamus Young of TwentySided for turning me on to this (he's publishing his new novel [ame=http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007AKDFM8/ref=s9_simh_gw_p351_d0_g351_i1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=1ME92TMSQJPW9VH8D5G5&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=470938631&pf_rd_i=507846]The Witch Watch[/ame] this week).

El Mahdi · Feb 28, 2012

BemarcCheman said:
My oldest son wrote a novel he self-published on Kindle.

Reported as a Spammer or Spambot. He's very subtle. I even gave him XP in another thread... :blush:

JediSoth · Feb 28, 2012

I published my debut novel, [ame="http://www.amazon.com/Wings-Twilight-World-Calliome-ebook/dp/B005U6WPB6/"]Wings of Twilight[/ame], last October using Kindle Direct Publishing, CreateSpace (for a PoD print version) and Smashwords (for all other e-readers). I pretty much did everything myself except creating the artwork and editing (never, never, never self-edit and expect it to be "good enough"; it reflects poorly on ALL us Indie publishers).

Pricing varies, but actually publishing your work can be done for very little money if you don't need fancy cover art (I spent $1500 in total, nearly $1,100 of which was cover art, maps, & editing expensives). I could've done it cheaper, but there are various reasons why I didn't.

I paid for Copyright registration and for a block of 10 ISBN #s. It's not strictly necessary to purchase as many I did (you can buy one at a time, but it's more cost effective to buy them in blocks). This was as much of a "hidden" expense as I discovered.

I also found that setting up the PoD version was the easiest, but I have a background in professional printing layout and such, so my work experience probably helped.

Thus far, I've sold about 50 copies since October 10th. That's not counting the 20 or so paperbacks I've handed out personally as gifts/promotional copies. I have 8 reviews on Amazon, 6 of which are 5-star. In all, I don't think that's bad for a debut author doing it all himself.

I've had people all over the world buy my novel. Many of them have told me how much they enjoyed it, and that motivates me to write more better than the $115 of income I've received from sales so far.

Richards · Feb 29, 2012

El Mahdi said:
Reported as a Spammer or Spambot. He's very subtle. I even gave him XP in another thread...

I'm confused...you've got a quote from my post above, but it's attributed to a "BemarcCheman," who I don't see as having posted here. Am I missing something? (Was there another post in this thread that was since deleted?) The original poster asked if anyone's self-published an eBook, and I answered that my son had. I'm pretty sure that's not spamming, and I'm certainly not a spambot.

Johnathan