Why Self-Publish An eBook First?
So you’ve finished your novel, and you wish to self-publish. You’re faced with a bunch of decisions, not the least of which is whether to publish an eBook first, or a paperback, or maybe even a hardcover, but that would be a bold move.
I chose to publish an eBook initially with the intent of creating a paperback later. Why?
- Early on, I was unsure of the entire process of creating a paperback, so I gave myself some time to figure all that out while my eBook gained some readership,
- This is key: an eBook is easily updated after publishing unlike a printed version of your book (e.g., on Amazon). Armed with some reader feedback and becoming a focused reader of my own published book, I easily can apply additional self-edits. See my earlier article on Author’s Checklist for self-editing. Not so with a printed edition. Once a paperback is published, including committing it to an ISBN (think ‘serial number’ that’s not needed for eBooks, but is required for print versions), it’s essentially a done deal for the life of the title (exception: complex revisions),
- Each ISBN will cost you over $100, or you can buy ten for $250. I’m still putting my nickels and dimes aside for the bundled deal while working on a couple of additional books. Then I’ll put out the paperback edition for one at a time at the lower cost.
So here’s how I put my process to work (in this case study, within Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing, a decent trial platform for independent publishing… a great guided learning experience for new “Indies”):
- I write, edit, and compile in Scrivener (compiles and automatically formats into the .mobi file format most acceptable to Kindle Direct Publishing). You can read my review of the outstanding Scrivener writing software here.
- I sign into Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing site. Note I first had to sign up for a free account. Easy-peasy.
- I click on the “Bookshelf” tab at the top of the page to see my already published books (if any),
- Under “Kindle ebook Actions“, there’s an ellipsis (…). I click on that,
- From there, I click on “edit content“… this will allow me to upload my updated (re-edited) manuscript file (the one that Scrivener compiled for me),
- I click on “Upload Manuscript” after selecting my re-compiled .mobi file off my computer. This is the same process when initially uploading my book, and where I set my eBook pricing for each geography within which I’ve made my book available.
- This is also the same place I’ll define my paperback book if I choose to go that route (later!), including uploading my cover art (see earlier article on this topic here).
- I wait a few minutes for KDP to process my manuscript file. After I’m told my file has been processed, I wait for any misspelled words to be listed (or “No Errors“). So I search for those few remaining misspelled words listed on the KDP site in my Scrivener project file, I correct if necessary, and recompile in Scrivener).
- So I just repeat steps 6-8 above until I’m happy, making any other changes to pricing, whether to participate in Kindle Select/Unlimited, etc.
- Then I make sure I don’t forget to click on “Save Changes”. I’ve forgotten to take this final step before and lost my changes.
- Within 72 hours (and usually less than 24), I’m notified that my book has been (re)published.
- I like to let my baby marinate out there for at least several months as an eBook before even considering killing trees. During that time, I will re-read the entire manuscript a few times in published form (in the Kindle reader app on my iMac, iPad, and iPhone to see how it’s presentation feels, highlighting and notating comments. After each re-read, I’ll use my own Kindle reader notations/comments and other readers’ feedback (book reviews, additional thoughts from beta readers…) to further tweak the manuscript (typos, grammar, etc.) in the Scrivener project file before re-compiling and re-publishing using the process above.
- When I’m finally happy with the eBook, then and only then will I consider creating and publishing the paperback version.
So why publish a print version at all? I have a few thoughts on this:
- Many readers still crave the look and feel of what they consider “a real book”. I don’t wish to exclude those readers,
- There are countless opportunities in my traveling lifestyle to publicize my writing. A business card with my author’s website on it is fine, but I’d like to have a box of my own books on hand (free promos, book signings, when I teach writing seminars on the road, reader festivals…),
- Not all my books will find their way to a print version, but some will,
- Even though arguably less environmentally friendly, holding a printed version of one of my own books in my hands feeds my monumental ego in a more visceral way.
- I still love smelling the paper.
- Insert your own excuse here if you feel the need.
Happy publishing…
With pen in hand, GK