Any effort by the author to produce his own work, whether it be in print, electronic, or other format.
-3
votes
1answer
73 views
Free stock photos for ebook cover [closed]
Following my question here, I am wondering what are the pros and cons of using images/photos from websites that offer free stock photos. I am aware of MorgueFiles.
My goal is to use the images/photos ...
2
votes
1answer
64 views
Is it appropriate to list my website as the publisher of my stories?
Following my question here, I am planning to establish a personal website. It will have basic personal details and synposis of my short stories. The overarching goal will be to use the website to ...
1
vote
2answers
43 views
How do you keep up with all the ebook formats?
There are three main ebook formats that I'm aware of, which look like this:
PDF (you have full control over layout)
mobi (Amazon - fluid...not much control)
epub (Nook, iBookstore...not much ...
6
votes
2answers
116 views
First Chapter for Free?
I am currently working on a novel, and am approximately 45% of the way through (~37,500 words / 100 A5 pages).
Working full time, I am unable to finish my story within the next month, and I plan on ...
6
votes
1answer
61 views
Should I include my email address in an ebook?
I am wondering if it is appropriate to include my email address on the title page of my short stories on Amazon Kindle.
If so, is it wise to use one obtained from say Yahoo because it will not change ...
0
votes
2answers
56 views
Manipulating standard stock photos for ebook cover
I have decided to self-publish some short stories I wrote years ago.
I understand the importance of a good cover. I have known for years that "Don't judge a book by its cover" does not work in the ...
0
votes
2answers
78 views
Do short stories have to be of a particular length?
I have often wondered what determines the optimal length (number of words) of an effective short story.
I am asking the above in the context of epublishing e.g. Amazon kindle.
In the era of ...
1
vote
2answers
56 views
How to indicate that it is a single short story
For Kindle Direct Publishing, the minimum price you can set is $0.99.
I published a short story and wanted to price it at $0.49. This is because it is a short story of about 500 words. Its short and ...
5
votes
1answer
80 views
Ebook publishing
In my search to publish my short stories, I came across a number of sites, each offering overlapping services.
Is it possible for someone to clarify the difference between Kindle Direct Publishing, ...
3
votes
1answer
118 views
What factors to consider when choosing an e-book platform?
Some students that I mentor have written a number of short stories that they want to publish now.
I am totally new in this area. I did preliminary research which indicates that there are now a ...
2
votes
2answers
126 views
When self publishing, are there benefits to making a company to represent your books? Is that then a publishing house?
Is it possible to create a company that acts like a publishing house?
I imagine registering a company and contracting the novels I write under its name, and then putting them on Amazon and ...
0
votes
1answer
125 views
How to elegantly convey the finer nuances of language in written form
I am fascinated by the idea of how to convey, in the written form, as much detail of expressive nuance as you originally intended in your head (i.e. what you hear when first coming up with it). I ...
3
votes
1answer
88 views
How to advertise a free e-book?
I've created a free e-book in online HTML, EPUB, MOBI, and PDF formats.
I've created a small site to advertise this book and an other site (currently supports forums) for the community of readers of ...
10
votes
4answers
372 views
Can a self publishing author use a Pen name/Pseudonym?
I know that an author can use a Pen name/Pseudonym instead of a true name when publishing the traditional way. This is done by signing contracts with the publisher/agent using the real name ...
3
votes
2answers
176 views
Not happy with format of self-published book. How to proceed?
I currently have my book published on Amazon using createspace and Lulu (google weave of the ride). However, I am not happy with the quality of the product.
I don't want a glossy cover, bleached ...
2
votes
2answers
55 views
Do different formats of the same book need to be registered separately?
We're self-publishing a book in both paperback and e-book format. The content between the versions will be identical except for some formatting corrections (mainly white-space) made for the digital ...
3
votes
1answer
68 views
Self/vanity publishing a game manual
I'm writing a player's handbook for a game I'm producing. The game is fully open source, and the manual itself will be online. However, I would like to offer a hardcopy version of the manual for those ...
4
votes
7answers
295 views
How many errors should I expect from a proofreader?
I hired a proofreader (typos, commonly confused words, minor grammar issues etc) to look at my work, which I plan to self publish.
She found most typos, but from a 66,000 word novel, missed about 10. ...
1
vote
1answer
139 views
How to publish my Research Publication
I do have little research experience on "Web Security" and I made some inventions in that. I have patented my inventions and now when I was trying to apply for Masters by Research in Information ...
4
votes
3answers
230 views
Can a literary agent be hired?
I've sent my manuscript to tens of literary agents. Strangely enough, I received no positive response.
My question: Can I hire a literary agent? If yes, how much it costs?
Are there other ways ...
8
votes
5answers
563 views
Self publishing: Do I still need to follow the arbitrary word count limits?
I am thinking of going down the self publishing path. Now looking at most agents and publishers websites, it seems the expected word count for most novels is around 70-90K.
Now these word counts may ...
8
votes
1answer
550 views
What binding and paper should be used on a self-printed novel?
The last time I printed a book I just needed something done cheaply and quickly. The print store used very bright, glossy office paper (the same that they use for office documents) and used ...
9
votes
2answers
187 views
Are online critique groups a good substitute for editors?
I'm thinking of self publishing. Now what all the blogs tell me I have to do is hire a professional editor, who will see any plot / character holes, other story problems etc. (For the moment, I'm not ...
3
votes
1answer
543 views
How critical is selecting an imprint for a self-published book?
I'm about to self-publish a book through CreateSpace and they want me to give them an imprint.
(I know, I know, "you're not likely to make any money by self-publishing" and all that, but for the ...
5
votes
1answer
123 views
What printing methods and quality can I expect of POD companies?
Due to the growing popularity of POD, many small companies are coming to the market, and makes this business very competitive. However, I hardly see comments on the quality of printing (paper, ...
2
votes
1answer
95 views
Is self-publishing a good option? [closed]
Is the self publishing route one that is considered acceptable these days? Specifically, I am writing short stories, and there is no real chance of getting a publisher to look at short stories without ...
3
votes
2answers
242 views
Do I need an LLC to self-publish a political book in Florida?
Do I need to form an LLC to self-publish a political book out of Florida? Although, I have tried very hard not to break any laws, I am worried about frivolous or spiteful lawsuits. I am trying to do a ...
10
votes
3answers
1k views
How to handle taxes for a self-published book
I'm thinking of publishing a book on kindle, but I don't currently have a business set up. Do you need a business to publish a book? I'm curious as to how to handle US taxes for the royalties. I ...
3
votes
2answers
302 views
How can I put something in book format without “publishing” it?
I have a friend who has written a series of great nursery rhymes. I would like to put these rhymes into a book as a gift for my friend, but I don't want to give up my friend's first publication ...
9
votes
3answers
164 views
What do publishers do for me?
I'm writing a book, and it's my first one. It seems to me that the following things need to happen to publish my book:
Finish the book
Design cover (a friend is helping)
Edit manuscript (help of ...
8
votes
2answers
631 views
Kindle self-publishing, automatically update
I have a couple of small ebooks available on Amazon via Kindle direct publishing - I've just found a mistake in one of them so I fixed it and have reuploaded the file. I'm assuming that everyone who ...
4
votes
6answers
739 views
How do I create a book cover for my self-published book for under $500?
I'm a self-published author, I write non-fiction. I would like my book to have a reasonably good cover and stand out among others, but I'm not ready to spend more than $500 on it. What are my options?
...
10
votes
2answers
394 views
Is publishing to Amazon Kindle-alternative eBook markets worth the time and effort?
I have published a few collection Kindle eBooks, and am planning on publishing at least 3 more in the not-too-distant future. While my experience with the Kindle marketplace has been mostly positive, ...
6
votes
3answers
138 views
Front-matter or back-matter?
I'm re-releasing a novella of mine as a self-published ebook shortly, and I'm wondering what to do with the traditional "front matter" of the book: copyright information, dedications, ...
3
votes
2answers
145 views
How to associate my screenname with my books?
I've got a lot of history on the web under my screen name, including my writing blog and various pieces of other work scattered about. I'd love to associate it firmly with the self-published ebook ...
3
votes
2answers
880 views
Help Formatting for Kindle Direct Publishing on Mac?
I'm taking up the task of publishing some content to Kindle. I've been reading up on their documentation and been trying to get something to show up in the Kindle Previewer App, using a combination of ...
3
votes
3answers
436 views
Cheap ways a young person can get paper books printed/bound from their manuscript? (Please incl sample costs)
Some budding authors (school aged young people) want to see their creative works in print, as books. I'm prepared to do some of the pubisher's tasks (eg, get some ISBN's for each book, if required; ...
9
votes
5answers
1k views
Why shouldn't I use a pen name?
I don't like my name. I feel like seeing my name on the cover of my novel will be an embarassment more than a moment of pride - I just can't take things I've written under my own name seriously, for ...
10
votes
3answers
279 views
What's the distinction between “vanity publishing” and “self publishing”?
This question came up on the pros and cons of publishing avenues question; when I tried to look it up, I found the results confusing.
For example, SFWA's explanation of publishing types gives the ...
7
votes
3answers
292 views
Pros and Cons of different styles of publishing
I was reading on the meta site that someone thinks we're hostile to self-publishing, and I read over some old questions looking for evidence. I didn't really find signs of hostility, but I certainly ...
3
votes
1answer
116 views
What's a good writer community that mostly discusses self-publishing?
I'm apart of a lot of strong and well read writer communities that mostly discuss traditional means of publishing. However, I want to broaden my knowledge on the nature of self-publishing. Are there ...
3
votes
4answers
756 views
What are examples of fiction books picked up by publishers after being self-published?
I've seen some references to commercial publishers picking up a self-published novel if it's been selling well.
Can you point me to a few specific examples of this happening?
Fiction only, please. ...
5
votes
2answers
159 views
Publishing a Children's Picture book — Question about an App and a Printed version
I've written and had illustrated a children's picture book.
I'm thinking of making this into an App for download from the Apple Apps store.
I'm also considering looking for a publisher to publish a ...
7
votes
6answers
863 views
What are the advantages and disadvantages of digital rights management for self-published authors?
DRM (digital rights management) is being used in just about every electronic format, including files used in electronic readers. My question is whether this is a good thing or a bad thing for writers, ...
9
votes
3answers
272 views
Best e-book formatting process?
The question I would like to ask is this: does anyone else have their own process (or one borrowed from elsewhere) that they use for formatting and then creating their e-books? Are you using other ...
2
votes
1answer
196 views
Can I ask CreateSpace to *not* add a barcode to my cover?
I'm about to publish a book via CreateSpace. For graphical reasons, I prefer to add the ISBN barcode myself at the size and position of my choice. How can I set it up on CS so that they don't add a ...
-2
votes
4answers
269 views
Why zero sales? [closed]
I thought this religious book would be a bestseller. But when I tried to sell it through CreateSpace during a few months it has lead to zero sales.
After this I put it freely available on the Web, ...
7
votes
3answers
199 views
Can I ePublish my out-of-print history book?
Can I assume that the rights to my history book Frontier Theatre (Sono Nis 1983) reverted wholly back to me when the book went out of print around 1992?
The contract was a standard pre-digital ...
2
votes
6answers
397 views
How to make easy and fast money selling a short book (which is available for download)?
This is my first short book, it wrote it to give social awareness.
But I would also like to make some money (to avoid dying of hunger).
Any suggestions?
7
votes
2answers
186 views
Which free licence to choose for my book (manual)?
I wrote a 50 page manual that I plan to release for free. I do not mind if the book is copied, translated, printed, shared, ... I just want two things:
I am the only person who can sell a copy of ...
