Writinghood > Online Writing

How to Write Publish and Promote Your Own E-book

by Darlene McFarlane, Oct 7, 2008

Publishing your own eBook can be fun and profitable. Whether you decide to write and promote your book on your own or use an online publisher, there are pros and cons to consider before you begin.

Your eBook need not be long.  In fact eBooks are easier to handle if they are not too large.  Buyers will be downloading your eBook and not all computers have the capability to download large files with ease.  Rule of thumb for eBook size is often between 10 and 50 pages although you have the last say about the size of your own book.  The smallest eBook I have seen for sale was 5 pages and the largest was over 700 pages.

The first thing you should decide is whether or not you are going to write, publish, and promote your eBook on your own or use an online company.

Writing an eBook for Self Promotion

Writing your eBook for self promotion can be done on your own computer using Microsoft word or another similar program.  Once your eBook is written, you will need to convert it into a downloadable format for publication.  PDF or Portable Document Format is the most widely used format for eBook publishing because

  • It is fast and easy to use.   
  • It is secure which makes it almost impossible to transmit a virus. 
  • Your book page only needs to be set up once and following pages will automatically be set as you work.
  • Pages are automatically numbered for you.   
  • Pages can easily be edited right from your document. 

    You can convert your eBook to PDF free of charge here

    Copyright

    Even before your eBook is finished, it is your copyright and you own all rights. Every written word belongs to you.  For this reason it is important to add a copyright symbol to your book.  This can be done by using the number pad on your keyboard.  Choose where you want to add your © then with numlock on, hold down the Alt key and type 0169.  You can also insert the copyright symbol from the symbol menu in your word processor.  Then to make your eBook really your own, you may want to register for an official copyright.  You can do that here.

    Once your book is finished it's time to promote it.  If you choose to promote your eBook on your own you will need a strategy.

    Promotion

    One way to promote your eBook is through eBook directories.  The advantage of using eBook directories is your book will be seen by people who are interested in buying eBooks only.  Some eBook directories will let you add your book for free but depending on your goal you may wish to use a paid site.  A good free eBook directory is EBook Palace where visitors can add their eBook directly to the directory.  EBook Palace accepts a wide range of format such as PDF, .exe, html, palm, and more.

    Payment

    If you don't have an account with PayPal you will have to register.  Once you sign up, you can buy a PayPal button.  Simply copy and paste the HTML code for your button onto the pages where you will be advertising your eBook. 

    Once you have a PayPal button you can:

    • Add your eBook to your blog. 
    • Exchange eBook advertising with other bloggers to get more exposure but keep in mind that whatever your eBook subject is, you will do better advertising on a blog related to your book material.
    • Advertise from your own website.  If you don't have a website you might consider building one.  There are many free websites such as Bravenet,
      SynthaSite or Wetpaint.
    • If you have your own website or blog, consider a banner exchange with other webmasters and bloggers.

    • Add your eBook button to forums and groups you belong to.
    • Ask webmasters with website material similar to your eBook theme to donate space for your ad.   Some may want payment for the service but you will find many owners who are looking for content and will be happy to display your eBook ad for free.
    • If you are promoting using a website you can submit your site to search engines like the ones below.

    Publishing Your eBook using an Online Publisher

    If you would rather work with an online publisher Lulu Publishing is the easiest program to use and it is totally free for eBook publication.  You will use Lulus software at no charge and be taken step by step through the writing procedure from start to finish AND you will be given a free storefront to display and sell your eBooks.  You can set your own book price and for each eBook you sell, Lulu will charge a commission of 25 percent per book sold.

    Lulu will do their best to promote your eBook but to attract as many prospective buyers as possible you will probably want to advertise on your own as well.

    The only drawback to publishing with an online company is that you receive your payments on their time.  In Lulu's case you are paid once every three months.

    Check here for Part Two of the series.

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    Comments (34)
    #1 by Jane Gilgun, Oct 7, 2008
    Thanks for writing this. It is very helpful. I have several e-books and would like to let other people know they are available. Two are free downloads of books useful in child welfare work.

    Jane Gilgun
    jgilgun@gmail.com
    #2 by papaleng, Oct 7, 2008
    this will be a helpful tips since I'm planning to make a book.
    #3 by Josey, Oct 7, 2008
    I am unfamiliar with the e-book thing, but this seems like great information. I have some stuff I would love to have published. Thanks so much! I will stumble this too.
    #4 by C. Jordan, Oct 7, 2008
    Thanks for that information Darlene
    #5 by Glynis Smy, Oct 7, 2008
    This is one of the most informative articles I have read in a long time regarding publishing your work. I published my book through LULU but now I know more thanks to you Darlene,I will investigate more for book no 2. Thanks, thumbs up!
    #6 by Balzac, Oct 7, 2008
    This is great information! Thank you for sharing. Your writing is always interesting and important for those of us who are beginners on these matters. Nice work, Darlene. Take care.
    #7 by Darlene McFarlane, Oct 7, 2008

    Jane Gilgun, I am glad you think this article will help you. The good thing about free eBook downloads through Lulu.com is you don't have to pay commission.

    papaleng, I am glad you found the article helpful. Once you have published your eBook I hope you will post it on your Triond profile page for us.

    Josey, more authors are using eBook publishing now. Even authors like Stephen King, Danielle Steele, and Dean Koontz. I can't wait until your book comes out and thanks for the stumble, I appreciate is very much.

    C. Jordan, thanks for the comment and for taking time to read.

    Glynis, I had no idea you already have one book published. I will have to look for it on your Bio. Thanks for the positive comments, you always give me a lift.

    Balzac, your welcomed. I am really still new to this myself. I decided months ago to write an eBook and started out by doing hours and hours of research. My eBook is still in it's early stage but I feel more confident about how to go about it now.
    #8 by valli, Oct 7, 2008
    Great information Darlene. This is very helpful. Thanks for sharing.
    #9 by mdegenhardt, Oct 7, 2008
    Very informative and worth looking into, thank you so much! Michael
    #10 by goodselfme, Oct 7, 2008
    this is filled with detail for ebook. I have wanted to publish. Now thanks to you. I have more info.Thank you
    #11 by BC Doan, Oct 7, 2008
    Very informative article, and you've broke it down to easy steps to consider! Thanks Darlene!
    #12 by louie jerome, Oct 7, 2008
    Some great information Darlene. You make it all sound so easy!
    #13 by Ruby Hawk, Oct 7, 2008
    This is very useful information , Darlene. I would love to publish an E book but I will have to learn so much to do it. Maybe I will one day, great article.
    #14 by Unofre Pili, Oct 7, 2008
    This is very informative Darlene. I wish I could publish an e-book too.
    #15 by Lauren Axelrod, Oct 7, 2008
    Great information Darlene. I have been wondering about these.
    #16 by Melody Arcamo Lagrimas, Oct 7, 2008
    Thank you very much for sharing this Darlene. I learned so many things about ebook publishing. Would love to write one some day.
    #17 by Mike Crowl, Oct 7, 2008
    Well and truly one of the best info articles I've found on Triond. Too many of them are skimpy in what they offer, or claim more than they deliver (!)
    #18 by Kiki Stamatiou, Oct 7, 2008
    A very interesting and informative article.

    Take Care,

    Kiki Stamatiou (Joanna Maharis)
    #19 by Susan B. Anna, Oct 7, 2008
    Thanks Darlene, this is just great, as I was thinking about putting a few of my short stories, and dabbling a bit with e-books.
    #20 by CHAN LEE PENG, Oct 7, 2008
    Great article! Cheers!:-) Take care!
    #21 by PR Mace, Oct 7, 2008
    Thanks for the great tips. I may use them. I am trying to have my book published mainstream first. It is a long road.
    #22 by Athlyn Green, Oct 7, 2008
    Wow! What an informative article. I will be bookmarking it for sure. You've made the process seem so easy. Thanks so much, Darlene. Awesome job!
    #23 by lanne, Oct 7, 2008
    Wow!! I have been reading about this in several places for months now and couldn`t make heads or tails of it. You really have made it sound easy. Great work!
    #24 by Andrew Freyne, Oct 8, 2008
    Thanks for this article, I like it. You have given a lot of helpful information here and I'm certainly going to try and act upon some of the information you have given. I like the idea of possibly writing an ebook. Anyway, thanks for your article. Andrew
    #25 by Anne Lyken-Garner, Oct 8, 2008
    I\'ve bookmarked this. Wonderful info Darlene, it should be on the hot content list!
    #26 by tracy sardelli, Oct 8, 2008
    Gosh your article really makes it sound so easy, thank you for a wonderful user friendly article.
    #27 by sasha duquoitts, Oct 8, 2008
    Awesome information; That was amazing! Thank you so much.
    #28 by nobert soloria bermosa, Oct 8, 2008
    very informative and helpful,thanks Darlene
    #29 by K D Blakley, Oct 8, 2008
    Thanks for a great article! Writing an e-book is something I'd only half-heartedly considered doing, but since you've done much of the background work for me, I'll bookmark this page and plan to follow through! Thanks!
    #30 by Amit Gotal, Oct 8, 2008
    Great article! I was always iffy about the whole concept of getting an e-book published..

    Thanks Darlene!
    #31 by Julie Kovacs, Oct 9, 2008
    Great information! I have 2 poetry books published through Lulu but will try to make my own e-book for the third project.
    #32 by MaryLouise, Oct 9, 2008
    Hi Darlene,
    You are indeed a darling.
    I have just done another two pages (have 3 now ) and I will be able to make it into an e-book I hope with your information. Thank you so much for sharing.
    #33 by Brian Daniel Stankich, Oct 10, 2008
    Darlene, thanks for sharing your info in a clear and easy to read format.
    #34 by Ken Gack, Oct 24, 2008
    I've been thinking about publishing a book for some time now. I hadn't considered an e-book until I came across your article.
    I appreciate your information.
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