My ebook publishing journey – part 2

As of now, I’ve put 2 of my short stories up online for sale, “Cyber” and “Ugly Night.” They were published on Smashwords, an ebook distributor. Smashwords is the only venue I’ve published my ebooks on so far, so I’ll be dealing with their process for now. I do have an account on Createspace, which is the distribution system for Amazon.com, and I will be adding my ebooks there soon – so more on the Amazon/Createspace process when I have actually done it successfully. I published my ebooks on Smashwords through my publishing company Web of Life Solutions – more on the reasons for using a publishing company to publish your ebooks a bit later on. There are some very good reasons to have an umbrella company to publish your ebooks, either a separate company of your own, or someone else’s.

The two short stories that I’ve put up on Smashwords were stories I’ve had sitting around on my computer for some time, ready to go. I wanted to use them as my trial runs for making ebooks, before I published my longer works. This was suggested by a number of authors, as there is quite a lot to learn in epublishing, and it’s better to make “mistakes” on a shorter piece, than a longer piece. Though, the term “mistakes” is not really accurate.

Since ebooks are in the digital format, everything about them can be changed at any time. Mistakes can be fixed easily, but they will slow you down. As, to make a change in your ebook, you must go back to the original file, then upload the corrected version. In the case of Smashwords, your uploaded file in translated into at least 7 ebook versions, each of which (ideally) should be checked for any formatting errors introduced during the conversion process. So, you can see how updating a file, while an easy and quick process to do in terms of getting the file to Smashwords is concerned, costs you quite a bit more time in the review process.

 

My eBook Ugly Night is now available


My short story Ugly Night is now available as an eBook.

He was out in the big city for a blind date but saw more than he bargained for that night – things that would make him question his view of relationships and the world. A short story.

You can read a free excerpt here: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/55152

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0051OS4YE

More stores.

My eBook Cyber is now available

My short story Cyber is now available as an eBook from Smashwords. Other outlets coming soon. Your purchase helps support this independent author (me!). Please share the link with others. You can read a free excerpt and buy the ebook here: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/55055

Published by Web of Life Solutions.
You can hire them to format, design and create your eBook. They can even setup your online account with distributors to get your eBook to market. http://www.weboflifesolutions.com

Starting my ebook publishing journey

I’ve been on the ebook publishing learning curve lately. There’s quite a lot to know, but I find it a very exciting process! My first real ebook (actually a short story called Cyber) is formatted and has been sent to the distributor. It will be available from the major online retailers soon, after I test out the various formats for quality control.

I’ve had some of my writing available in PDF format before, but now I’m moving into true ebook publishing for devices like the iPhone, iPad, Kindle, Nook, Droid, and others. The main difference between a PDF and a true ebook, is that with a PDF the text style is locked down, while an ebook is dynamic. The text flows and reformats according to the screen size of the device it’s read on, and to the preferences of the reader.

I’m using Smashwords for distribution, as they will get my books to all of the major players like Apple, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Sony, Borders Australia, Angus & Robertson Australia, Whitcoulls (New Zealand), the Diesel eBook Store, and they are adding more all the time. Next, I’ll look into epublishing with Amazon (I already have a DVD for sale there).

It’s an amazing time to be a writer!

Coming soon: Short Stories – volume 1

I realized that I have a backlog of stories that need to get out there, so I’m working on a collection of some of my short fiction. I’m planning to have it for sale here on my site as an eBook, and also through the regular outlets such as Amazon/Kindle, Apple, Smashwords and the like. Also, I’m planning a print version through Amazon. This will be my first short story collection. That’s pretty exciting; at least I think so! I hope you will, too.

Published by Web of Life Solutions.