# Publishing eBooks



## katlupe

I wrote my first eBook in 2007 and sold it on my own website. I sold some copies, one to a famous, wealthy person and the others to homesteaders or people who wanted to be. It is really just my story and how I did it. Nothing unusual for someone who came from the life of luxury to being self-reliant. This year, I put it on eBay and am still selling there where it comes as a disc instead of digital, per eBay rules. I added a cookbook of my recipes also. Both have a sold a few copies. But.............not like I hoped! 

Then three weeks ago, my husband bought me the Kindle Fire. In using it, I discovered Kindle Direct Publishing. I now have both of those books, My Homesteading Journey, and Breads & More and added another one, The Pantry cookbook to the Kindle store on Amazon. I listed them there for only .99 because I read a book by John Locke, called How I Sold 1 Million eBooks in 5 Months. Took his advice about the pricing, cheaper brings more sales on the kindle. For one thing, the people who get a brand new kindle for Christmas will want to load it up with books. How many can they afford at higher prices? So I am selling them at the low price to get more sales. 

It is working. I have sold more books in a week than the whole time on eBay or on my own site. 

If you have a book that has been rejected by publishers or one sitting in your computer doing nothing, what would it hurt to work on it a bit and sell it as an eBook for .99? I remember SuzieM had written about selling stories there on this board sometime back. 

Most of us on this forum have knowledge that can be turned into an eBook. Like Ken's book. What a great way to bring in a bit of money to your homestead!


----------



## Pam6

I posted a link to your My Homesteading Journey book on my Facebook page! Hopefully you will get some hits...and buys! 
Ok, found the other two and added links in the comments for them!


----------



## katlupe

Pam6 said:


> I posted a link to your My Homesteading Journey book on my Facebook page! Hopefully you will get some hits...and buys!
> Ok, found the other two and added links in the comments for them!


Thank you, Pam! It will be helpful I am sure. If you link to it with your affiliate account, you will make a few cents! :banana:


----------



## katlupe

I am already doing some of the things she tells about in this article. Not paid reviews though. At this point, I cannot afford them. But I am happy with KDP! :bouncy:

How I Became A Bestselling Authors


----------



## tweezle

Another place to look to self-publish is at Smashwords They do not limit to only the Kindle but offer various formats including .epub, .pdf, etc. This is good to reach others that have other readers. The books that are published there are also offered on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.


----------



## katlupe

tweezle said:


> Another place to look to self-publish is at Smashwords They do not limit to only the Kindle but offer various formats including .epub, .pdf, etc. This is good to reach others that have other readers. The books that are published there are also offered on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.


My friend wrote a novel that is on Smashwords and they told her it would be on Amazon, but it still doesn't show up there. I read it, and want to review it there for her as I loved it. I check every day and still not there. I will go back to Smashwords and check their information out. 

I cannot complain about the sales on Amazon in the Kindle store. I am doing better than I expected there. Of course, my price is probably helping. I have other books in the works right now.


----------



## katlupe

I am finding the eBook publishing to be so much easier on amazon. Selling books while I sleep is nice! Nothing to package up. No customer problems. If someone here has knowledge about goats or chickens, I bet you could sell some eBooks about them. People love them!


----------



## katlupe

My first review of my book, My Homesteading Journey! And it was a good one!!!!


----------



## Pam6

WOOHOO!! Congrats Katlupe! That is awesome!!


----------



## Murramarang

After reading this thread I decided to complete my small book (16 pages) on telecommuting and get it up in the Amazon Kindle site - it took a little research and mucking around, but its up and I am pleased as punch. My guess is I will not sell many even at 99c. But is was a great learning experience and maybe I will write some more.
Thanks for push along! Appreciated.


----------



## katlupe

Put the link here so we can check it out! I think you will sell more at .99 then at a higher price. I read some books on using the lower prices and it makes sense to me. You see all those people who got kindles for Christmas want to load it up with books. But how many can they afford at $14.99? $9.99? $4.99 or at $0.99? All I know is that I am selling more books than I ever dreamed at this price! I am happy! People are emailing me asking questions! It is good. So I am working on another one.


----------



## Pam6

Murramarang, congrats on getting an ebook published!

Katlupe that is awesome that your sales have picked up!


----------



## Halfway

This an awesome and informative thread. Thanks for sharing Kat...and best of success!


----------



## Murramarang

Here is the link to my first eBook 

Its a quick read - just 16 pages - on how to start telecommuting. I know there are other books on the same topic , but I hope some people might like the idea that its a quick summary rather than a 80+ to 250+ page book (way too many pages if you are just trying to get started)....


----------



## lonelyfarmgirl

I have been thinking about this for a while. Everytime I talk to my mom she tells me to write a book. My life is a juicy story. I lived thru 7 divorces before I was 18, lived on the streets with a baby, grew up in ghetto schools (I'm white), well indoctrinated in white trash youth, dirt poor, then turned it all around, now we have a farm two businesses, my child is fine, and I am happily married. 

I have actually been reading Luis Rodriguez new book. He is a new York times bestseller (grew up an LA Chicano gang member) and I am surprised at the straight forward simplicity of his book. Almost like he is just talking about his life. No literal embellishment. Just telling it like it was.

If you are selling your ebook for 99 cents, how much are you actually getting paid for it? (in your pocket)


----------



## Pam6

lonelyfarmgirl said:


> I have been thinking about this for a while. Everytime I talk to my mom she tells me to write a book. My life is a juicy story. I lived thru 7 divorces before I was 18, lived on the streets with a baby, grew up in ghetto schools (I'm white), well indoctrinated in white trash youth, dirt poor, then turned it all around, now we have a farm two businesses, my child is fine, and I am happily married.
> 
> I have actually been reading Luis Rodriguez new book. He is a new York times bestseller (grew up an LA Chicano gang member) and I am surprised at the straight forward simplicity of his book. Almost like he is just talking about his life. No literal embellishment. Just telling it like it was.
> 
> If you are selling your ebook for 99 cents, how much are you actually getting paid for it? (in your pocket)


WOW! That is a life that is definitely worth documenting!! I am so glad you were able to turn your life around! 
Your mom was married and divorced that many times or was that both or your parents? It sounds like your mom should write a book too!


----------



## lonelyfarmgirl

my mom is on husband 6 and my dad is on wife 3. they both started their 'final' marriages when I was an older teen. She thinks she should write a book too, she would be better at then I would be, but I dont think she is doing anything about it. 

I dont know how I would even put it together. I think about it all the time, but I dont do anything, because my brain goes so much faster than my conscience ability to get it on paper. Its like a block. I cant even talk as fast as I think about what has happened in my life. I think I would need help with the organization.


----------



## Murramarang

I get 35c out of the 99c. Not great - but that's 35c more than I would be getting with it just an idea in my head!

So go do it!


----------



## Halfway

lonelyfarmgirl said:


> I have been thinking about this for a while. Everytime I talk to my mom she tells me to write a book. My life is a juicy story. I lived thru 7 divorces before I was 18, lived on the streets with a baby, grew up in ghetto schools (I'm white), well indoctrinated in white trash youth, dirt poor, then turned it all around, now we have a farm two businesses, my child is fine, and I am happily married.
> 
> I have actually been reading Luis Rodriguez new book. He is a new York times bestseller (grew up an LA Chicano gang member) and I am surprised at the straight forward simplicity of his book. Almost like he is just talking about his life. No literal embellishment. Just telling it like it was.
> 
> If you are selling your ebook for 99 cents, how much are you actually getting paid for it? (in your pocket)


Very impressive indeed!


----------



## lonelyfarmgirl

35c out of 99c? thats pathetic! Not even half. is amazons fees 65%?


----------



## katlupe

lonelyfarmgirl said:


> If you are selling your ebook for 99 cents, how much are you actually getting paid for it? (in your pocket)


$0.35. Not much but I do not have to do anything except write. No packaging up disc to mail. No worrying that it will not work on someone's computer. No worrying about bad feedback. I love it. You can price them higher and make more per book. But I think you get more sales at a lower price. I am more interested in moving up the ranking on Amazon's best sellers' list.


----------



## katlupe

lonelyfarmgirl said:


> 35c out of 99c? thats pathetic! Not even half. is amazons fees 65%?


Yes, but some authors are selling so many books that their checks are over $1000. a month. One guy said he had his book downloaded over 20,000 times in December alone. I read John Locke's book and he made over a million dollars in 5 months on his Donovon Creede series. If you write novels, I think you may do more than I am doing. 

I have 2 cookbooks and one book about my homesteading life. I am working on another homesteading one, that is not personal. Just a how to book. And I am turning my fictional blog into a novel to sell as an ebook.. I love doing it! It is fun, not work and I hope it stays this hot for me. I am just so tired of selling a physical product. 

You can always try it at one price and change it if you want more or less if you think it will sell more. I know I sold my books on my own site for $14.99 and never had a lot of sales. I had some, but not enough to get excited about. Now I have sold over 25 of my homesteading book this month so far.


----------



## Murramarang

Yipeeee....someone bought my eBook! I am 35c richer!


----------



## katlupe

Murramarang said:


> Yipeeee....someone bought my eBook! I am 35c richer!


I have shared it on my FB page, and will tweet it today for you. Do you write a blog? I promote my books on my blog and even have my Amazon affiliate links linked to my books so I make a few pennies if someone does purchase from my links. Promotion is everything!


----------



## katlupe

One thought I have about these fees is that my niece wrote a novel and had to take out a loan to self-publish it. She got turned down by the publishers she sent it to. Then once she had the book, she had to promote it herself. Even take it to book stores and get them to carry it. She hasn't done well at all with it. Takes a lot of her time and she is a stay at home mom who homeschools 5 children. She has not been happy with her experience at all.

Many of the authors in the Kindle store said they were turned down constantly by publishers. Now their books are on the bestsellers' list. They are all happy.

A strategy that many use, is to put their first book up for free. Then the next books in their series are paid. If your readers love your first books they will buy more. I have done it myself. One book I loved was free. Her following ones are $2.99 and I already bought one and will buy the others. Now another author I like sells her books for $0.99. I bought one and just bought her second one yesterday. Her books are not in a series, but I know I like her writing. 

You can build your following. Just keep adding more. From instruction how to manuals, your life, or novels. There is a new market out there. I am not saying that you will end up on the NY Times Bestselling list by writing an eBook. But it is a way for us frugal people who homestead, to earn some money from our homes.

Here is what bestselling author, Tim Ferriss has to say about book publishing:

How Authors Really Make Money


----------



## Murramarang

katlupe said:


> I have shared it on my FB page, and will tweet it today for you. Do you write a blog? I promote my books on my blog and even have my Amazon affiliate links linked to my books so I make a few pennies if someone does purchase from my links. Promotion is everything!


Thanks Katlupe 

I don't have a public blog....so i appreciate any mentions at all!


----------



## Pam6

They even have small portions of the book for free and the whole book costs $2.99. I have downloaded a few books that once you get to the really good part it ends and says go to 'here' to purchase the whole story!!


----------



## katlupe

I think all the books have a sample available. Actually, I showed my brother the sample of my book and it went pretty far before it said to order the book for the rest of it. It gives the buyers a little taste of it, so if they think they might want to read the rest they can.

I have a lot of free ones though. Now that I have replenished my AGC from Swagbucks, I will buy a few more. Though I was supposed to be saving for the ingredients to make my own shampoo before I run out.


----------



## katlupe

Self-Published Authors Find e-Success

Thought this might be of interest here. Mentioned in this article is the fact that some authors have sold their books for $0.99, and still made a lot more money than some of the better paying jobs!


----------



## equinecpa

lonelyfarmgirl said:


> 35c out of 99c? thats pathetic! Not even half. is amazons fees 65%?


Is Amazons fees a percentage or is the % so high on a $0.99 book sale because of a flat fee plus a % ?


----------



## katlupe

equinecpa said:


> Is Amazons fees a percentage or is the % so high on a $0.99 book sale because of a flat fee plus a % ?


It is 35% or 70% of the price you set. No fee that I know of. Here is what it says on the KDP page:


_"If you select the 35 percent royalty option, your royalty will be 35 percent of your list price for each unit sold. If you select the 70 percent royalty option, your royalty will be 70 percent of the list price (but if we sell at a lower price to match a competitorâs price for a digital or physical edition of the book or our price for a physical edition of the book, you will receive 70 percent of our sale price) for each eligible book sold to U.S. customers, net delivery costs, and 35 percent of the list price for each unit sold to customers residing outside the 70% territories listed above."_


----------



## finallymomma

I have started writing a horse romance myself. I plan on epub, as well as POD. If you would like to see a preview my site is 
www.sarahmadderra.com 
I have a FREE first chapter lead. If you choose to read please let me know what you think.
Romance Novel: Story of a abused horse, an abused woman and their road to recovery with the help of a Veterinarian that rescues both from their past.

Thanks,
Sarah


----------



## katlupe

finallymomma said:


> I have started writing a horse romance myself. I plan on epub, as well as POD. If you would like to see a preview my site is
> www.sarahmadderra.com
> I have a FREE first chapter lead. If you choose to read please let me know what you think.
> Romance Novel: Story of a abused horse, an abused woman and their road to recovery with the help of a Veterinarian that rescues both from their past.
> 
> Thanks,
> Sarah


That is a beautiful website you have set up! And the book sounds great! I have sent my email address to receive the sample chapter.


----------



## Pam6

katlupe said:


> It is 35% or 70% of the price you set. No fee that I know of. Here is what it says on the KDP page:
> 
> 
> _"If you select the 35 percent royalty option, your royalty will be 35 percent of your list price for each unit sold. If you select the 70 percent royalty option, your royalty will be 70 percent of the list price (but if we sell at a lower price to match a competitorâs price for a digital or physical edition of the book or our price for a physical edition of the book, you will receive 70 percent of our sale price) for each eligible book sold to U.S. customers, net delivery costs, and 35 percent of the list price for each unit sold to customers residing outside the 70% territories listed above."_


Am I reading this correctly? If you set the price then you get 35% if you want 70% then they set the price and they can change the price whenever they want to?


----------



## katlupe

Pam6 said:


> Am I reading this correctly? If you set the price then you get 35% if you want 70% then they set the price and they can change the price whenever they want to?


I am not sure. I just copied and pasted that from their information. I believe some of these prices has something to do with the international sales. But I am not sure how or why. All I know is that I get $0.35 for each of my books. That is the only fee I pay. I thought, that if you wanted 70%, your book had to be $2.99 or more, but I am not positive on that.


----------



## finallymomma

Thank you for sampling my chapter. Please let me know if you enjoy it.


----------



## katlupe

finallymomma said:


> Thank you for sampling my chapter. Please let me know if you enjoy it.


I have just read this out loud to my husband and son. My husband really liked it. You know why? _You described perfectly, my horse, Georgie Girl, when she was on the track! _She would not race either. She went over backwards in the chute too. In fact, the Fingerlakes track banned her. She was the fastest in the breezes. Would have been a winner. The woman that was in charge there at that time said she was a perfect racehorse. Just would not do it. 

I will definitely be buying your book if you publish it in the kindle store!


----------



## finallymomma

I appreciate your positive feedback. I am so glad your family enjoyed it, and that my description was able to help you relate to your experiences with your horse. Yes, I will be publishing it as an ebook. You will love the cover as well.
I will be sending folks and update and notice when it will be released. I am finishing up Chapter 12. Please feel free to join me on facebook everyone.
www.facebook.com/SarahMadderra
Hope to see you there.


----------



## vicb66

I am just beginning to research this but have any of you looked at Clickbank? It seems like a great way to self publish and it's also a way to generate sales.


----------



## katlupe

vicb66 said:


> I am just beginning to research this but have any of you looked at Clickbank? It seems like a great way to self publish and it's also a way to generate sales.


I was an affiliate of Clickbank for a number of years. As for publishing my books there, I am very happy with Amazon and will just keep writing and adding books there. I am not sure what the terms are with Clickbank, but I believe you have to set up a web page for a sale page. I do not want a sale page for each book. I am sticking with my blogs for that. At least for now.


----------



## Irish

Hello. I'm a newbie here. Finally, I was okay'd to post! 

Anyway, I've been following this post for quite a while, even though I wasn't yet a member. I have been inspired enough to start my ebook about my cowgirl exploits in cooking. So, I downloaded a template and have been working on it. I've signed up with Amazon and am making a stab at a weebly website. 

So, thanks to you posters, I have found a whole new world out there!! I'll have to work on my sig line, but, I'll get it done.


----------



## katlupe

Irish said:


> Hello. I'm a newbie here. Finally, I was okay'd to post!
> 
> Anyway, I've been following this post for quite a while, even though I wasn't yet a member. I have been inspired enough to start my ebook about my cowgirl exploits in cooking. So, I downloaded a template and have been working on it. I've signed up with Amazon and am making a stab at a weebly website.
> 
> So, thanks to you posters, I have found a whole new world out there!! I'll have to work on my sig line, but, I'll get it done.


Welcome to our community here, Irish! And I am glad you came to this thread. Publishing an eBook is a wonderful way to generate an income from home. 

I have done so many different ways of making some money on the computer. You know like eBay, Amazon, Bonanza, my own websites, etc. But I like this way the best so far. I am presently working on another eBook. 

Good luck with your eBook and let us know when you get it up there!


----------



## Irish

Katlupe, was it the hardest step to do the first one?? I'm kind of 'afraid' to publish the thing! I'm going to offer it for free, just to get my foot in the door and get over the 'afraid' hump. Then, maybe, it gets easier? Or not as hard?? I think I'm being my own worst enemy here. 

Then, I think, what can be sooo hard about this?? Just is. Heh....

Just checking to see if my sig lines worked, also my avatar pic...


----------



## Irish

Just checking....ignore this message...


----------



## Dtwarrow

Not a big poster on here, but i wanted to say thanks for the good info. I published a book on smashwords called The Epoch Scheme. It says it takes 2 weeks or more for the book to reach all the formats supported, so i believe that means it will be a few weeks before it can be found via nook or Kindel etc... Only been a week and a half so I am not sure yet but i will keep you all posted in case you want the info. If it does not work out well I may go with Amazon for my second novel. We shall see.
thanks again


----------



## katlupe

Irish said:


> Katlupe, was it the hardest step to do the first one?? I'm kind of 'afraid' to publish the thing! I'm going to offer it for free, just to get my foot in the door and get over the 'afraid' hump. Then, maybe, it gets easier? Or not as hard?? I think I'm being my own worst enemy here.
> 
> Then, I think, what can be sooo hard about this?? Just is. Heh....
> 
> Just checking to see if my sig lines worked, also my avatar pic...


I just checked out your blog and it worked fine! Congratulations on the eBook! It is scary at first, but once you get it up there and see it selling you will be very pleased. The thing is that you can put it up for free on Amazon, but eventually they will pay you for those downloads. They divide a huge amount of money, like $600,000. between all the books that were downloaded for free. So you get a piece of that! In the end you can make some good money on it but you cannot have it anywhere else for sale. Not even on your own site.


----------



## Pam6

Irish said:


> Katlupe, was it the hardest step to do the first one?? I'm kind of 'afraid' to publish the thing! I'm going to offer it for free, just to get my foot in the door and get over the 'afraid' hump. Then, maybe, it gets easier? Or not as hard?? I think I'm being my own worst enemy here.
> 
> Then, I think, what can be sooo hard about this?? Just is. Heh....
> 
> Just checking to see if my sig lines worked, also my avatar pic...


After you get it published send me a link and I can list it as one of the Free Kindle Downloads of the day!


----------



## Irish

So much to learn, Katlupe! 

Thank you very much, Pam6!! Will do!


----------



## bradc

It's really very simple to epublish. I have several short stories and novels on amazon, smashwords, and barnes & noble. If you want to be on amazon you should go straight through KDP. Smashwords isnt yet sending to amazon, unless I missed the change. Also it is very easy to move your books to paperback with createspace. Good luck. It's really a lot of fun. If anyone is interested there are links to my books on my blog


----------



## katlupe

bradc said:


> It's really very simple to epublish. I have several short stories and novels on amazon, smashwords, and barnes & noble. If you want to be on amazon you should go straight through KDP. Smashwords isnt yet sending to amazon, unless I missed the change. Also it is very easy to move your books to paperback with createspace. Good luck. It's really a lot of fun. If anyone is interested there are links to my books on my blog


There have been quite a few eBooks I bought that were published by Smashwords but don't know if the authors put them there themselves or Smashwords. 

Yes, I use KDP for my books and it is simple. One of my books was first published in 2007, but I did it all myself and sold it on my own website. Didn't get this many sales! I love how the sales keep coming in.


----------



## Onegreenguy

So how long of a period does KDP retain exclusive digital publishing rights? I couldn't find that on their web site.


----------



## Maura

You guys pushed me over the cliff. I'm prepping two books for Nook.

I know 35c or 35% of list sounds like nothing, but if your book was with a publisher, you wouldn't get more than 15% of the _profit_ If the retail price of your paper book is $20, the bookseller probably paid $12 for it, the distributor paid $6 for the book. 15% of $6 is 90 cents. 15% after printing and other costs?


----------



## katlupe

Onegreenguy said:


> So how long of a period does KDP retain exclusive digital publishing rights? I couldn't find that on their web site.


You have the digital rights. You can take it off anytime. Or you can publish on another site.


----------



## John_Canada

I'm looking into this again as my $47 ebook has slowed and I always knew one day I would sell on Kindle for $2.99 or even $1.99. I know this is old thread but has anyone got updates? Better to sell now? Worse? Any progress report would be awesome.


----------



## motdaugrnds

Well, this thread is blowing me away...I've been trying to find out "how" to create a eBook.

I discovered such a book requires extensions on the file that my Note Tab Light does not provide; thus I need to get some type of program that will actually let me compose the book. (I don't like Microsoft Word. I don't have Office.)

Would sure appreciate suggestions as to what program would work well to create such books.


----------



## John_Canada

Trying to piece things together myself M. I found you can make an .epub file to be readable across most readers except kindle. For that you need their interpretter called Kindlegen.

I had all my files in PDF, ODF (open offce, check that out as MS office replacement) and neither make a job of converting it to usable format. I have taken to rewriting from scratch into a pgm called Sigil but their is A LOT of CSS work and learning the way it displays (IT IS A PITA) to make it look good.

Anyway, doesnt seem to be an easy way to do this so I am piecing things together and making my one book into a solid format. I'm thinking of selling for $1.99 but may go one way or the other. Will see how things progress....good luck.


----------



## motdaugrnds

Wishing you the best, John Canada. I did download some type of reader from Amazon so that I could read their book as to how to create a kindle ebook. If I ever get the time to stretch what little brain I've got left, I'll read it more in debth. Just from a cursory review, I learned I needed to use a tool I did not have to create the book "before" I could turn it into a form Kindle would accept. Thus, I'm presently writing the book (with pictures) into Microsoft Word....Did I say I hated MW!!!.....

It is so nice many here are doing so well with their ebooks. I hope one day to join them in their success stories.


----------



## AnnieinBC

I've just written another eBook on Making your own wine. I've used Word for all 3 of my ebooks and not had any problems. I hope using Word this time works better for you. 

I quite like it because of the font sizes, etc I can put in, for headings etc. I do remember the first time I uploaded a book, my pictures were far too big. That created some extra work for me. When it is being uploaded, Amazon will let you know if your pictures are fine or need to be reduced.


----------



## motdaugrnds

Annie, would you please tell me what you do in Microsoft Word to get the different pages, i.e. dedication page and/or a little historical data you dont' want in the body of the book.

I actually created the dedication page and a historical data page and the meaty part of the book...all 3 in Microsoft Word. What I winded up with actually 3 books...ugh


----------



## sfsbhs

Is it possible to do any of this off googles word processing in chrome?


----------



## maddy

Forgive me for asking, but what is an "e-book?" Is it something you buy and then print off the internet? Is it the something that requires a special device to read--e.g., "Kindle?" I went to the Amazon website looking for the answer, but I see no category for e-books. Where would I go on Amazon to see what is there?

Are e-books typically similar in content to hard-cover, or do they tend to be shorter works? Just trying to get a feel.

Thanks. This culture has somehow passed me by in so many ways!


----------



## Ceilismom

maddy said:


> Forgive me for asking, but what is an "e-book?" Is it something you buy and then print off the internet? Is it the something that requires a special device to read--e.g., "Kindle?" I went to the Amazon website looking for the answer, but I see no category for e-books. Where would I go on Amazon to see what is there?
> 
> Are e-books typically similar in content to hard-cover, or do they tend to be shorter works? Just trying to get a feel.
> 
> Thanks. This culture has somehow passed me by in so many ways!


You can print off an e-book, or you can just open the document on your computer and read it. Most (all?) that I have purchased outside of Amazon are in PDF format, so if you have a PDF reader (like Adobe) you can read them. I have downloaded books like Pride and Prejudice, Anne of Green Gables as e-books. Some appear to be scans of each individual page of the hard copy. Depends on where you get them from.

The ones from Amazon are in Kindle format (and I believe are listed there as Kindle books rather than e-books), and you can download a Kindle reader program from there, for free.


----------



## motdaugrnds

Maddy, the easiest way I know how to define an eBook is that it is an electronic book (not paperback). It is created uwing specific programs and published via specific publishers.

I've just written my first and it was such fun that I'm looking for a better way to create more. Initially I used Microsoft Word and published it thru the Amazon Kindle Bookstore.

At this time I'm looking at Scrivener as an editor program to create more eBooks; yet I'm not sure how adaptable it is with the computer I use, i.e. a Windows XP with Internet Explorer verison 8.

I urge all who enjoy writing to try your hand in creating eBooks. We DIYer who homestead with a variety of projects could actually be of help to those who want to homestead.


----------



## mistletoad

AnnieinBC said:


> I've just written another eBook on Making your own wine. I've used Word for all 3 of my ebooks and not had any problems. I hope using Word this time works better for you.
> 
> I quite like it because of the font sizes, etc I can put in, for headings etc. I do remember the first time I uploaded a book, my pictures were far too big. That created some extra work for me. When it is being uploaded, Amazon will let you know if your pictures are fine or need to be reduced.


Annie, do you know offhand what size the images should be? And what resolution do you use? Is there a recommended size and resolution?


----------



## motdaugrnds

I just picked up Sigil and am exploring its use. So far I'm like it a lot because I can see how the images will look to the e-reader.


----------



## AnnieinBC

motdaugrnds said:


> Annie, would you please tell me what you do in Microsoft Word to get the different pages, i.e. dedication page and/or a little historical data you dont' want in the body of the book.
> 
> I actually created the dedication page and a historical data page and the meaty part of the book...all 3 in Microsoft Word. What I winded up with actually 3 books...ugh


Sorry it has been a bit since I was here last. Maybe you have had your questions answered already, but here goes....

You want your ENTIRE eBook in one document. Don't split them into separate files. 

To make a New Page (like the dedication page) hit Control, then hit Enter while hitting the Control key. Type your dedication. Hit Control, Enter again and it will give you another new page. 

Type whatever is next... Body of the ebook, let's say. Just type it all, insert pictures wherever you want them. Any time you want something starting on a New Page, it's Control, Enter again.

You can even do a Table of Contents where Word will automatically paginate it for you, no matter what changes you may make. 

I find Word awesome for writing eBooks and really don't know why anyone would buy special software if they already have MS Office on their computer. Once you get the hang of it, it is easy to use and what you see on your onscreen document will be exactly how the eBook is formatted once it's uploaded.

(I should say that I used Word for years when I worked in education and so it could be I have a more "in depth" understanding of how it works. But I'm no brainiac, so if I can do it, I think anyone can!)

Good luck and you can always PM me or send me an email if you have questions. My site is in my signature and you can find an email address there.


----------



## AnnieinBC

mistletoad said:


> Annie, do you know offhand what size the images should be? And what resolution do you use? Is there a recommended size and resolution?


I am thinking 512K but I could be wrong. You can do a search over on the KDP help pages, and the info should come up for you.


----------



## AnnieinBC

The whole 35 or 70% royalty is confusing to me. I have chosen the 35% royalty. What I do know about the 70% royalty is that YOU are charged a bandwidth rate each time the eBook is downloaded.

I remember when I published my latest eBook, there was a step in the royalty decision process that showed me the download fees I would have to pay, if I chose the 70% option.

I could be wrong, but it seems to me if I write an eBook with LOTS of pictures (which my eBooks seem to need to help get my point across), then I would be charged for that.

So, small eBook with lots of pictures? I would choose the 35% option. An eBook with lots of info, but few pictures - I would likely choose the 70% royalty. I think the book cost needs to be within certain parameters too.


----------



## AnnieinBC

motdaugrnds said:


> I just picked up Sigil and am exploring its use. So far I'm like it a lot because I can see how the images will look to the e-reader.


I don't know why you weren't able to see the images (correct size) when using Word.

When I want to insert a picture in the body of the eBook, I go to Insert on top of screen, choose the photo and it gets inserted. Then if I want to reduce the size of the photo, I click on the picture and go to the top right corner of the picture and resize it like that.

Of course, this could all be a moot point by now, if you are using Sigil. But hopefully this info can help someone else.


----------



## John_Canada

Annie, I tend not to use word, mostly OpenOffice but I found it to not convert very well to ebook format.

I have had a nightmare of a time using Sigil cause I have been hand coding the book to make it as simple code as possible. The problem is with knowing how someone will view the image. In other words, a Kindle Ink will have different pixel size than say a desktop version of kindle. I have been using percentages of screen size in the code instead.

The other problem I am having is in over-all size of the book being limited to 50 megs (cant get a kindle mobi ebook to open past that size on my android). Also the images needed to be under 127k each. Talk about a pain!

If I had to do it again I am sure I would try word next time or just hire someone to format it.

Oh well, live and learn.


----------



## motdaugrnds

I managed to get my first eBook published via Amazon Kindle Store using Microsoft Word to format it and Kindle to upload cover and preview it all. I was able to see all the images placed in that booklet by inserting them into the microsoft document. It was still a pain!

I am using Sigil and it is a pain too! It readily accepts txt and html files and creates pages wonderfully easy; however, when I "save" it in the .pub format, it automatically puts in coding I have no idea how to work with. Then when I use the "validate" button to make sure all coding is correct for uploading it to an eBook publisher, many "pink" items show up below it telling me coding I had not put in needed to be corrected. Ugh!!! Seems I have to go in and delete much coding just to get the document corrected for publishing; and that is coding I had not even put in myself but was automatically put in by the Sigil program. (I have not been able to get Sigil to respond to my inquiries about this.)

Thinking now about getting the "Scrivener" Editor for $40........


----------



## Seeker

I'm a traditional publisher struggling with the ebook concept - because my books are in full color, highly illustrated, yada yada...

Maybe I just don't have the energy anymore, I did make pdfs/flash copies of them, because that allowed me to keep all the quality.

www.secondstar.us - yes they are free. I guess I still hope people will read the "free", then buy the traditional print copies.

So maybe for me free is the new way to go - I guess I just want people to read the stories. Still, I'm waiting for ebook technology to catch up...

(that said, my one book that is traditional, I'm putting into ebook format... a self help book on dealing with infertility issues)


----------



## MoonRiver

Does anyone know how to make something like a definition display when you mouse over a word?

What I really want to know is how dynamic a book can be. Can it have the same features as a web site? Things like video, audio, hyperlinks, mouse over events, etc?


----------



## MoonRiver

MoonRiver said:


> Does anyone know how to make something like a definition display when you mouse over a word?
> 
> What I really want to know is how dynamic a book can be. Can it have the same features as a web site? Things like video, audio, hyperlinks, mouse over events, etc?


I've got a partial answer to my question(s). HTML support is limited in the Kindle, so until Amazon adds the additional HTML support I can't do some of the things I want to do. Much of what I want is included in the EPUB 3 spec's.


> The EPUBÂ® specification is a distribution and interchange format standard for digital publications and documents. EPUB defines a means of representing, packaging and encoding structured and semantically enhanced Web content â including HTML5, CSS, SVG, images, and other resources â for distribution in a single-file format.





> EPUB has been widely adopted as the format for digital books (eBooks), and these new specifications significantly increase the format's capabilities in order to better support a wider range of publication requirements, including complex layouts, rich media and interactivity, and global typography features. The expectation is that EPUB 3 will be utilized for a broad range of content, including books, magazines and educational, professional and scientific publications.


http://www.idpf.org/epub/30/spec/epub30-overview.html

So just like Microsoft and Apple created their proprietary web browsers that slowed down web development innovation by not conforming to standards, Amazon is doing the same with the Kindle.


----------



## John_Canada

Well finally got the first book published but sooooo confused on it. Didnt know whether to put DRM or not, they are charging .15 per meg DL as Annie said (eats away a huge part of the royalty on picture rich book), lending is turned on but wont show on sales page. Resubmitted with a few account changes and have to wait another 12 hours.

Is there a way to give someone a coupon or something for a free download of it? Do I get charged the DL fee even tho it would be free?

You know, I have 5 books published in the traditional manor and wow was this even harder than any of that.

Time to write more!


----------



## MoonRiver

John_Canada said:


> Well finally got the first book published but sooooo confused on it. Didnt know whether to put DRM or not, they are charging .15 per meg DL as Annie said (eats away a huge part of the royalty on picture rich book), lending is turned on but wont show on sales page. Resubmitted with a few account changes and have to wait another 12 hours.
> 
> Is there a way to give someone a coupon or something for a free download of it? Do I get charged the DL fee even tho it would be free?
> 
> You know, I have 5 books published in the traditional manor and wow was this even harder than any of that.
> 
> Time to write more!


Have you looked at the Kindle html guide? It looks like it would be fairly straightforward to add your own html. Once you have created the html and css for your 1st book, you should be able to reuse it fairly easily.

I bought an ebook on using html to create an ebook and it has a lot of good tips on where the problems are and how to get around them. Also covers how to format for other e-readers.


----------



## motdaugrnds

I finally got the "KindlePreviewer" downloaded, installed it per instructions and pulled it up to use. Then I chose to "open book" and opened the html file of an eBook I had already uploaded to Kindle and got published. (I wanted to see how it was looking.)

Well, this was such a disappointment in that this KindlePreviewer apparently needs to keep both margins straight, which means some of the words have numerous spaces between them. I have no idea how to change that in this Previewer and am wondering if that is how ALL E-BOOKS look to readers.


----------



## rusticfarmer

lonelyfarmgirl said:


> 35c out of 99c? thats pathetic! Not even half. is amazons fees 65%?


When I went to a publisher with my book "Homesteading on Rustic Farms" after all costs a $20.00 book would put less than $0.65 in my pocket per book.


----------



## rusticfarmer

I found a free ebook template on the net for free. It works great for formatting and laying things out the way kindle likes them. http://thewebalyst.com/free-ebook-template-for-libreoffice-writer-and-openoffice/


----------



## John_Canada

rusticfarmer said:


> When I went to a publisher with my book "Homesteading on Rustic Farms" after all costs a $20.00 book would put less than $0.65 in my pocket per book.


Very true. I have had 6 published books with McGraw-Hill and Sams and rarely made more than a buck a book on a $40 paper book. Already made more than that on my newest on Kindle.

Working on my second kindle now.


----------



## John_Canada

MoonRiver said:


> Have you looked at the Kindle html guide? It looks like it would be fairly straightforward to add your own html. Once you have created the html and css for your 1st book, you should be able to reuse it fairly easily.
> 
> I bought an ebook on using html to create an ebook and it has a lot of good tips on where the problems are and how to get around them. Also covers how to format for other e-readers.


Moon, I know CSS, HTML and PHP and yes once you get the hang of it, it works but it was a very step curve knowing how it will look on a variety of devices and optimizing everything to get the size down to avoid Amazon's DL charges. Will go quick for next one because I can now picture in my head how it will look across devices and know how to duplicate it. If I had to do it again, I would have hired someone to format it for sure.

The main issue I was having was with Sigil changing stuff on me as I went along and I am used to Dreamweaver autocompleting tags as I type so I do not have to remember code. Next one I will do in dreamweaver and then transfer to Sigil for epub/mobi format just to avoid Sigils limitations and quirks.


----------



## rusticfarmer

Thanks for all the information I received. I really like smash words over kindle for my ebooks. I am having some trouble getting reviews. Any hint on getting some reviews on my books? 
http://amzn.to/18eIgUb
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/376629


----------



## John_Canada

rusticfarmer said:


> Thanks for all the information I received. I really like smash words over kindle for my ebooks. I am having some trouble getting reviews. Any hint on getting some reviews on my books?
> http://amzn.to/18eIgUb
> https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/376629


Sending a message re this, Rustic. Hope my box is not full tho.


----------



## forfreedom

Murramarang said:


> Yipeeee....someone bought my eBook! I am 35c richer!


First of all, congrats! You've taken the real tangible step that many people will not take, instead just "wishing".

But may I suggest that you include some real meat into the preview. Right now as it stands, it only shows some legal disclaimer. I think if you give people a taste of some real content you will get more sales. I might even buy it, but it has to entice me (the reader) :clap:


----------



## katlupe

John_Canada said:


> Very true. I have had 6 published books with McGraw-Hill and Sams and rarely made more than a buck a book on a $40 paper book. Already made more than that on my newest on Kindle.
> 
> Working on my second kindle now.


Could you leave a link to your kindle book?


----------



## John_Canada

Yes! Reached #1 in Real Estate Investing. Only took a very calculated plan and only half way thru that plan. Working on next book.


----------



## John_Canada

katlupe said:


> Could you leave a link to your kindle book?


http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...N=B00GX0ZDGM&linkCode=as2&tag=usodreusowor-20

It will be free until end of year. If you download, will you give me a review if you dont mind?


----------



## dfranck

I could not agree more! Writing is one area where you can make money in your free time by doing something you really love. And epublishing is not just easy, its free in many cases! I currently have three books on sale at Amazon as both ebooks and large format paperbacks. All at zero cost to me! Now I have extra money coming in each month that would be impossible otherwise. Why? Because I am 100% disabled! I currently only have limited use of both hands and no use of my legs. BUT, I wrote and published three books by using voice to text software! For years I struggled with dyslexia and trying to type stories on a manual typerwriter. Now I talk and the words appear on the screen before me.

I'm not trying to sell software, I'll let you find that for yourself. But, to be a "published author" is a wonderful feeling that anyone can do. And make that seed money you need for the new henhouse at the same time!




Donald Franck, Author
http://starlightranchsurvival.blogspot.com/-

"A Private War'
Kindle Format
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002ZCY9YE
Paperback
ISBN: 1492138894
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1492138894

"Darkness Reigns"
Kindle Format
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EOYF38C
Paperback
ISBN: 1492195650
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1492195650

"Go the Distance"
Kindle Format
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HQSEZ96
Paperback
ISBN: 1492277177
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1492277177


----------



## dfranck

One point you should consider if you are a writer is to charge a fair price. That is not to say a fair price just for your reader, but for yourself as well. If you are pricing your book for .99 cents, you might as well give it away for free. The book took you alot of effort to write, cost you hours of your valuable time and money, and you should get something for that. Just editing your own book takes days and could cost you $1 to $3 a page to have it done!

I write 300 to 400 page books and I sell them for $3.99 for Kindle and $9.00 to $12.00 for large format paperbook. So, if your book is 100 pages, sell it for .99 cents as most readers buy chapter books for that right now. Chapter books are under 75 pages normally. If your book is under 200 pages, then $1.99 and so on. Because you have to remember that Amazon still has to make money. At 70%, I get about $2.46 a copy and Amazon gets the rest. A Prime loaner copy is free to the Prime member but I get about .15 cents. Which is about what you get at 35% for .99 cent sales. Start to see my point, I make as much for a free book as you do for a cheap price.


----------

