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Named to "Writer's Digest 101 Best Websites," this #SharingwithWriters blog is a way to connect with my readers and fellow writers, a way to give the teaching genes that populate my DNA free rein. Please join the conversation using the very tiny "comment" link. For those interested in editing and grammar, go to http://thefrugaleditor.blogspot.com.

Friday, August 21, 2015

3 Most Important E-book Components Plus One--An Absolutely Free Offer


Three Neglected E-Book Considerations ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A Web site owner was asked what the “three most important components are for publishing a professionally produced e-book” and he referred the question to me. As long as I was figuring out the answer to this all-important question, I figured I’d pass it along to you but the question was just too hard to answer in its original form. I took the liberty of qualifying it with an introductory clause and here it is. 

Because a self-publisher must be a jack of all publishing trades and because many readers are still not comfortable with e-books, I believe the three most important components are:

1. The cover. Visuals are powerful tools. A great book cover may be even more important for an e-book (even though it's virtual) than for a paper book. It will probably be the only visual a reader will have to connect the reader to the author's (and publisher's) credibility.

2. Great editing. Too many authors and e-book publishers think that great editing is merely the process of eradicating typos, but it's a lot more. It's grammar. It's the conventions of writing (like punctuating dialogue correctly). It's even the formatting.

3. Formatting. I list this last because most e-book services like Amazon, Createspace, BookBaby etc.  make it clear that it is essential and provide guidelines for getting it right.  I provided expanded step-by-step instructions for publishing on Kindle in the Appendix of my multi award-winning book on editing, The Frugal Editor (http://bit.ly/FrugalEditor).

PS: The fourth most important component of e-books is marketing. No e-book—no book!—is truly published if it hasn’t been marketed. It’s part of the publisher’s job no matter how it is published or who the publisher is. And if it is self-published, marketing is as much the author’s job as the writing of the book.
And right now that information on how to do that is free because Bookbaby is giving it away as part of their valuable service to authors everywhere. They know how important marketing is! Time is limited so go to  http://bit.ly/1JVMv8n to grab your own copy instead of paying the usual Amazon price of $14.57. 

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 Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of This Is the Place; Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered; Tracings, a chapbook of poetry; and how to books for writers including the award-winning second edition of, The Frugal Book Promoter: How to get nearly free publicity on your own or by partnering with your publisher; The multi award-winning second edition of The Frugal Editor; and Great Little Last Minute Editing Tips for Writers . The Great First Impression Book Proposal is her newest booklet for writers. She has three FRUGAL books for retailers including A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques. Some of her other blogs are TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com, a blog where authors can recycle their favorite reviews. She also blogs at all things editing, grammar, formatting and more at The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor .

2 comments:

  1. All four of those are important. Take one away, and the book has little chance for success.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Diane, next time you come by. leave a link for your valuable blog. Know my subscribers would be interested!

    ReplyDelete

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