The digital era has brought in a massive transformation in the book publishing industry through eBooks. The significant question here is why should you publish eBooks online? The voluminous hard copies with extensive text and glossy pictures are no more preferred. Instead, users are now shifting towards reading digital versions of books, which promises better access, increased mobility, and overall convenience.
An eBook is essentially an electronic version of a paper book, which rather than being printed in a tangible format, is published in an intangible way. Being cloud-based, these books can be easily carried and instantly updated. They can also be turned into an audio format, thus offering readers a highly enriching and captivating reading experience. These multiple qualities of eBooks have given the publishing industry its much-needed reprieve. This can be certified by the fact that in January 2020 alone, the sale of eBooks online went up by a whopping $75 million in the United States itself!
Although many publishers have already begun to take advantage of this new and incredible opportunity, many still have no idea how to adapt, operate and perform in this thriving epoch of digital book publishing. As a publisher, if you are also struggling with the same, here are five easy steps to help you publish an eBook online right away –
1. Focus on Quality
Just because eBooks are convenient, quick and accessible, does not mean that readers will pick up anything to read. Their appetite for reading is directly proportional to the quality of the content! So, before you get down to the actual process of publishing an eBook online, make sure that the work you intend to present to the world is neat, clean, and spotless.
Run through your manuscript multiple times and have it skimmed by a trained editor. Keep returning to it with a fresh mind so that you can easily spot mistakes if any. An eBook has to be nothing short of an impeccable piece of art. Go out of your way and make it so!
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How to Build an eBook Store
2. Choose a Good Platform
Once you are sure that you have devised a good book, start looking for an appropriate platform to publish it. Currently, there exist a huge number of digital publishing platforms for you to choose from. These range from bigwigs like Amazon and Google to smaller shots like Kobo and Scribd.
However, you don’t have to pick a platform just based on its name. Instead, you have to publish your eBook online with a platform that offers proper copyrights, decent royalties, multiple service options, and broad audiences. Choose a platform that allows users to download eBooks and also create their own eBook library. So, conduct detailed research of the associated contracts before you commit yourself to a particular publishing platform.
3. Pay Attention to Formatting
Next up in the process of publishing an eBook online is book formatting. Although many people might advise you in different ways, ensure that the only thing you prioritize while formatting your book is readability. To put it in simple words, the book has to be made readable for your audience. Therefore, make certain that you stick to standard fonts like Arial, Verdana, or Times New Roman.
Add eye-catching visuals wherever they supplement the text and mark out your pages consistently. Keep your paragraphs short and avoid long sentences. If possible, steer clear of any predefined templates and make your book entirely customizable.
4. Design a Solid Cover
‘Don’t judge a book by its cover’ is an adage that has been tested by the times. Nevertheless, it does not hold true anymore! Most of us indeed tend to judge a book merely by its cover, and this judgment becomes all the more prominent, especially in the case of an eBook.
A well-designed cover of an eBook becomes an instant eye-catcher, whereas a dull cover forces the reader to skim through quickly. This is why it becomes extremely important to ensure that your cover conveys your book’s personality. Make its visuals captivating and its text legible. Choose a color palette that stands out and gives its layout a striking appearance.
5. Gather Little Details
Last but not the least, start paying attention to the little details that would make your eBook a great success. These details largely include:
- Knowing whether you want to publish your eBook online in ePUB or Mobi format
- Initiating proper file conversions so that your eBook is accessible on multiple platforms
- Offer ‘eBook Download’ and ‘eBook Library’ option to users
- Delineating your genre to ensure that your eBook fits into the right category
- Searching for keywords and including them in your metadata to target your audience
- Setting a price that covers your costs without inhibiting your readers
- Promoting your eBook with appropriate marketing and campaigning strategies
And, this is just the beginning. Once you hit the ‘publish’ button, your eBook begins to go places that you could never have dreamed of!
Conclusion
Many people aren’t aware that the idea of eBooks is almost as old as the internet. Right when the world wide web was finding its footings, Michael. S. Hart, an American author, had taken it upon himself to digitize literature by making it available through automated channels in the public domain. He, therefore, created the first versions of an eBook and started distributing them via CDs. Nonetheless, it was only with the launch of a variety of eBook readers that the digital publishing industry actually began to gain credible ground. Today, readers across the globe download and enjoy free eBooks, if available.
The digital publishing industry has reached the landmark of $50 billion, and it is now expected to touch the figure of $56 billion just by the end of 2021. This has happened because the quick access and the long-term mobility of eBooks have turned them into an efficient, resourceful, and convenient alternative for both readers and publishers across the globe.
So, as a publisher, if you too are willing to take on the mantle of publishing eBooks online – the time to do so is now! Here’s how you can publish an eBook online successfully with the right content, technology, and platform.
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