FIVE MORE LESSONS: EBOOK TO PRINT

FIVE MORE LESSONS: EBOOK TO PRINT

By |

The article I posted three weeks ago, NEW LESSONS: EBOOK TO PRINT, signaled that I was gathering steam toward publishing my eBooks as paperbacks. That journey continues.

So little has changed in the last 420 years. Books are still books!
Printing office, c1600. On the left compositors are at work setting up text using letters from a ‘case’ in front of them. In the centre background type is being inked ready to be printed on to paper in a flatbed screwjack press at center right. Paper is hung up to allow ink to dry before being stacked in a pile by a boy at centre front. A master printer in a fur-lined gown supervises the enterprise. From Nova reperta by Joannes Stradanus (Jan van der Straet). (Antwerp, c1600). (Photo by Ann Ronan Pictures/Print Collector/Getty Images)

Since then, I’ve researched answers to five burning questions which I will share with you shortly in case you too decide to pursue this white whale. Remember, misery loves company.

The following incredible resources revealed the bulk of the answers I sought:

Look, I fear commitment. There, I’ve said it.

My psychoanalysis starts, um, real soon. I acknowledge my fear here and now.

As long as my three self-published books remain Kindle Editions only, I can revise, polish, and massage words, cover art, and cover copy until long after the proverbial cows come home.

Once they go to print, however, I am locking onto irrevocable un-editable paper from which words do not easily wash away.

See what I mean? Fear.

Meanwhile, there is so much to share with you.

In this article, as promised, I’ll cover my findings on the five topics most relevant to me today as I convert my manuscripts from screen to paper:

  1. Barcodes (what, why, but mostly, why not for me?),
  2. ISBNs (what, where, why, and how many?),
  3. Using distributors (aggregators) to dozens of outlets automagically,
  4. Publisher Imprint (what, how, and why am I establishing one?),
  5. Formatting Software for Print Books (free, better, and why best?)

I like lists, so I’m just going to start another one now, beginning with that which perplexed me most:

  • Barcodes:
    • OMG, where do I start? You need to buy a bar code image if you want your books to be sold in large retail stores like Barnes & Noble, but,
    • I’m told not to worry about that now. They’re not required for sales online and other venues (book fairs, give-aways, promos…). Now that’s a relief because they’re not cheap, and I’d need a new barcode any time I change the price of one of my books, except:
      • I could list the price at $0.00 on the bar code, and give the store the flexibility of setting my price with my input. Um, remember fear?
    • A bar code associates my book’s price with my book’s ISBN (keep reading). Bar codes make it easy for cashiers at brick ‘n mortar retail stores to sell my book because that’s what their scanners know how to read, but they can make do from inventory,
    • Bottom line: I’m not buying any bar codes right now. Maybe later. I can also buy them as stickers too if necessary for updating an inventory of printed books I might have stored under my bed in the motorhome (ick!).
  • ISBNs:
    • An International Standard Book Number, or ISBN, uniquely identifies each of my books in several important places:
      • Print-on-Demand (POD) vendors who I might ask to print my books as they get ordered. As someone buys one, the POD prints and ships with the unique ISBN on the back cover. This is an over-simplification, but you get the idea. Example: KDP Print (was CreateSpace),
    • Do I need an ISBN to self-publish each of my books?
      • No, if my book is only an eBook (e.g., Kindle, iBook), but:
        • That locks me into a single sales channel like Amazon if I just use their “free ISBN” (actually, their own ISBN that uses only their proprietary ASIN, or Amazon serial number). That’s where I am today – in Amazon prison.
        • I could play some complex games to get around this single channel limitation without ISBNs. Not worth it.
      • Yes, if I want to:
        • Be listed as the publisher (ISBN owner) instead of the ISBN provider (more on this idea of a publisher imprint later),
        • Sell a print book in a store ,
        • Use a POD that also distributes books to other sales channels (like Ingram-Spark):
          • They’re well-respected, trusted, and offer great resources for self-publishers in their blog (unlike a lot of scammers out there who want to publish your work for a fee IMHO, don’t do that!
        • Get my book listed in industry databases (broader discovery of my title) so libraries can see my book,
        • Use book distributors (“aggregators”) like Smashwords, who both market (on their web site, like Amazon’s but lots smaller) and more importantly, distribute my book to various outlets for me. One upload and they fan my book out from there (for a fee circa 10%). Smashwords, for example, requires an ISBN (will offer one free, but then they’re the listed publisher unless I provide my own ISBN). Either way, they make my book available to libraries and various outlets such as:
    • Other aggregators, like Draft2Digital, require no ISBN, and offer other services, but again, they will be listed as the publisher. So if that didn’t matter to me, I’m in. But what about later? Even now, will I lose control over my book’s metadata? You know, details that describe my book, including subject categories and descriptions? Those are important marketing tools. That’s what’s bothering me. Fear. Okay, so I’m a bit of a control freak too.
    • I want to maximize my flexibility and control, now and into the future, so I’m buying 100 ISBNs ($575) I’m snagging a hundred from the only US agency authorized to sell them (in the US): Bowker.
      • Why do I need a hundred ISBNs?
        • Well, I don’t yet, but I’ll need one for each edition of each of my 3 books, soon to be 5 books: one for the eBook edition, one for the paperback edition, and yet another for the audiobook edition when I create it. That’s 15 ISBNs I already need in the next few months.
        • That means I’ll burn through a lot of ISBNs fast, right now that I’ve committed to them (gulp!). I’ll need more than ten almost immediately.
      • But 100 ISBNs for almost six hundred bucks? Why?
        • One ISBN costs $125. You might find them as cheap as $85 – $99 each if you shop around. Some of those might have limitations. Be careful.
        • Or, if I buy 100 directly from the source (Bowker), they’re effectively costing me only $5.75 each. I only lose out if I don’t use them (non-transferrable).
        • All are assigned to my publishing company (Author One Press, or Author Alley Publishing. I haven’t decided which yet – pending a thorough trademark search, but I must decide before I buy my ISBN bundle and assign them).
        • Don’t worry. I sold a bunch of unused amateur radio equipment to finance this expenditure.
      • I am surprised by how much this enterprise now means to me!
  • Publishing Imprint…
    • What?
      • I am a publisher with one client (author): me (see my working logo at the end of this article),
      • A name displayed to the public wherever my book is sold,
      • The name assigned to my ISBNs.
    • Why?
      • Public record (I chose a name separate from my own, but that’s not necessary),
      • In support of other ventures (such as teaching the craft of writing when Author One publishes non-fiction materials in support of such ventures?),
      • Some say that lends more credibility. Not sure,
      • Separate bank account for revenue and tax purposes,
        • Simplified if your publisher’s name is your own,
      • Take on other clients (authors) some day?
    • How?
      • DBA (Doing Business As) if other than my own name,
      • A formal biz entity (LLC, Incorp, Sole proprietor), or not.
        • An LLC limits my personal liability should I get sued, or…

As I draw closer to committing to print (KDP Print and Ingram-Spark because using both maximizes market exposure), I’m refreshing my author bio, product (book) descriptions in (online) stores, writing back cover copy, revisiting titles, and considering series titles, and the differences between book formatting for eBooks and for books in print, I’ll soon make another investment in

printed book formatting software… Good news: several options exist, from free to spendy!

Vellum is top-shelf formatting software for eBooks and Print books. Includes a navigation pane far left, a preview pane in the middle, and the formatted page frame on the right (iPad format currently displayed). Vellum features the best Scrivener integration: I just compile (export/format) my manuscript using the “Vellum Export” (.docx) option in Scrivener and my entire manuscript appears in Vellum in seconds! Very few adjustments are required from there other than choosing some options to customize the look of my book and to generate the output file to be uploaded to POD vendors.
  • DIY Formatting SOFTWARE Packages for Print:
    • Scrivener,
      • Still my author software of choice, Scrivener is good for both eBook and print book formatting, but I wanted more precise creative control (naturally!). Enter specialized formatting software.
    • Deluxe Formatting-Specific Software Option:
      • For something extra than basic eBook and print book formatting in Scrivener, I wanted more control for:
        • Individual page lay-out (for block quotes, lists…), chapter breaks, headers, footers, and ornamental breaks between scenes,
      • Specialized formatting software adds another level of pleasing aesthetics and control for an even more professional look in print.
      • The best (I’m told by industry insiders) is Vellum.
        • Also expensive ($200 unlimited formatting for eBooks,
        • $250 unlimited formatting of eBooks and Print books,
        • Generous full-function formatting free trial, except no “generate” function (can’t create on output file) until I buy a license,
        • Fortunately, I sold enough radio gear so I can afford it,
        • Best Scrivener 3.0 integration, easiest to use, and fast.
    • A more affordable option: formatting templates for MS Word et al (works with any text editor, like free OpenOffice)
      • Here is an informative article on MS Word formatting templates and a few sources for them.
    • There are also free options, more for eBooks than for Print, and less flexible, more difficult and more time-consuming to use (or so I’m told). Since I chose to go with Vellum, I won’t spend much time on these. If you choose a free option, I suggest you Google “free print book formatting software” and do your research.
      • I’ll offer you just one of the better examples: Reedsy Book Editor. I love their idea: to “democratize high-quality book production.” Includes three simple templates: for non-fiction, classic, and romance.
        • Example of a weakness: gotta copy/paste text into the tool. For short stories, no biggie. For 100,000-word novel, kind of a big deal.
        • More oriented to MS Word imports. Wastes a lot of the work that Scrivener has already done for me.
        • NO Scrivener integration. Just sayin’
  • Hired Professional Print Formatting SERVICES:
    • As with cover design, editing, and other author service companies, some will use service companies to format eBooks or Print books. One recommended by best-selling author, Joanna Penn is Ebook Launch:

Enough for now. I’m learning going to press involves making many decisions, especially if you’re a card-carrying control freak with a fear of commitment. If you’re not one of those, you’re on a kinder, gentler path.

Write on!

With pen in hand, Gene

Comments are closed.

Archives