I'm stepping into the way-back machine today to highlight a series I wrote back in 2009 about selling your eBook without a publisher. Back then I was just getting started with self-publishing. A lot of people were. I used the series of posts primarily as a way to familiarize myself with the various retailers, services, and how to actually produce an eBook. I've learned a lot since then. Still learning, in fact. But I think this series is still relevant. In fact, I think I could expand on it. For example, Kobo and CreateSpace are missing as retailers and service providers, respectively. Both are used by yours truly. But, for now, here is the 8 part series in its original form broken down by post. - Selling Your eBook Without a Publisher, Part 1: Introduction
- Selling Your eBook Without a Publisher, Part 2: E-book Formatting
- Selling Your eBook Without a Publisher, Part 3: Book Covers
- Selling Your eBook Without a Publisher, Part 4: Amazon.com
- Selling Your eBook Without a... [More]
This is the final post in a multi-part series about self-publishing your eBook. Posts include: 1. Selling Your eBook Without a Publisher, Part 1: Introduction
2. Selling Your eBook Without a Publisher, Part 2: E-book Formatting
3. Selling Your eBook Without a Publisher, Part 3: Book Covers
4. Selling Your eBook Without a Publisher, Part 4: Amazon.com
5. Selling Your eBook Without a Publisher, Part 5: Smashwords
6. Selling Your eBook Without a Publisher, Part 6: Scribd
7. Selling Your eBook Without a Publisher, Part 7: Lulu
8. Selling Your eBook Without a Publisher, Part 8: Selling Strategy (this post) This post is about selling strategy. What I mean by this, or rather what I don't mean, is marketing or self-promotion. Both of those topics are important, and in fact this topic probably crosses over into those, but what I'd like to talk about here is this: I've listed one eBook on Amazon, Smashwords, Sc... [More]
 The wait is over. Apple debuted their all-new entry into the tablet market and it is called the iPad.
I wanted to post this as a follow-up to my post of a couple of days ago where I wondered if the iPad was really the "Kindle-killer" everyone was thinking it might be. Even now, I don't think the question has been answered as there are people continuing to argue both sides with others who believe the two can happily co-exist. We may not know for sure until the iPad is actually released for sale in a couple of months.
Personally, I think there's room for both. The only crossover in functionality is both devices' ability to act as an eReader. The iPad has the advantage of a backlit color screen, but only 10 hours of battery life. The Kindle has the advantage of eInk, which while black and white is so crisp it's like you're reading a page from a paper book. Also, there's no eyestrain with eInk and the Kindle can literally last for weeks without... [More]
 For the most part I keep topics related to technology and software in particular confined to my technical blog. This blog is, after all, about my literary pursuits. But every once in a while a topic emerges that blurs those lines. Of late, there's been no greater such subject than eReaders, eBooks, and the resulting changes in the publishing industry.
Now, the game is about to change once more as Apple is set to unveil their version of the tablet computer this
week. Tablets are nothing new, but they've failed to gain a foothold beyond utilitarian use. There's no doubt Apple's products are revolutionary, evolutionary, and everything in-between (look no further than the iPod or iPhone). Now, if the sheer number of rumors hold any weight, Apple is about to change the eReader market.
Or maybe not.
Rumors News reports price the Apple iPad iSlate (or whatever they wind up calling it) at $499 and up $1000. Yet in an informal poll conducted by Retrevo, 70% o... [More]
This is the next post in a multi-part series about self-publishing your eBook. Posts include: 1. Selling Your eBook Without a Publisher, Part 1: Introduction
2. Selling Your eBook Without a Publisher, Part 2: E-book Formatting
3. Selling Your eBook Without a Publisher, Part 3: Book Covers
4. Selling Your eBook Without a Publisher, Part 4: Amazon.com
5. Selling Your eBook Without a Publisher, Part 5: Smashwords
6. Selling Your eBook Without a Publisher, Part 6: Scribd
7. Selling Your eBook Without a Publisher, Part 7: Lulu (this post)
8. Selling Your eBook Without a Publisher, Part 8: Selling Strategy The next ePublisher I want to look at in this series is Lulu. 
What is Lulu? Lulu is a bit different from the other ePublishers I have featured so far because in addition to offering traditional eRetailer services, Lulu also sells traditional books by using the magic of POD. POD, or Print on Demand, is a service where a paper book i... [More]
This is the next post in a multi-part series about self-publishing your eBook. Posts include: 1. Selling Your eBook Without a Publisher, Part 1: Introduction
2. Selling Your eBook Without a Publisher, Part 2: E-book Formatting
3. Selling Your eBook Without a Publisher, Part 3: Book Covers
4. Selling Your eBook Without a Publisher, Part 4: Amazon.com
5. Selling Your eBook Without a Publisher, Part 5: Smashwords (this post)
6. Selling Your eBook Without a Publisher, Part 6: Scribd
7. Selling Your eBook Without a Publisher, Part 7: Lulu
8. Selling Your eBook Without a Publisher, Part 8: Selling Strategy Unlike Amazon, which I talked about in the previous post in this series, I know next to nothing about Smashwords. That, therefore, is the point of this post: to do some research into what Smashwords is and what it can offer as an electronic self-publishing platform. What is Smashwords?Smashwords is best described by this excerpt from their About page: Smashwo... [More]
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