For some, nothing will replace the tangible experience of turning the pages of a physical book. But, others readers have become accustomed to reading books on electronic readers. The kind of book products an author wishes to publish will depend on the audience and their preferences. Don’t lose out on an important segment of readership by not offering the book in their preferred form.
How to Write an eBook vs. How to Make an eBook
Whether an author is writing a printed book, eBook, or audiobook, it’s best to start at the beginning with a manuscript. Let the manuscript function as the blueprint for the products an author offers to their audience. It’s important to write manuscript first then consider what products the audiences desires. The designing of an eBook requires a clear understanding of how eBooks work. Because eBooks allow the reader to change the view, text size, and other preferences as they read, specialized formatting is necessary. This type of design requires extra care and expertise.
Creating an eBook
Think of eBook design as the refining of the printed book’s layout and design to an electronic format that’s read on a screen. It’s easiest and most cost-efficient to first layout a book for printing and complete the necessary formatting changes and move the material into a malleable electronic format to be adjusted by the reader. It is more time consuming to move text from a manuscript to an eBook format than starting from a print-ready book file.
eBook Publishing
Once eBook files have been created for the desired eBook formats, it’s easy to list eBooks with retail partners on the Internet for sale. While a lot of authors will offer eBooks through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Smashwords, and other popular sites, Redbrush strongly suggests authors offer their eBook products alongside their printed products on their own websites. The more customers driven to an author’s book site, the less money shared with retail partners.
Books, eBooks, and Audio Books
Due to the relative ease with which anyone can produce an audiobook, audiences are becoming more savvy about available products. Knowing that a printed book is still the industry standard, credibility is automatically extended when titles feature a printed edition.
Helpful Hint! Just like different editions of printed books need their own ISBN (International Standard Book Number), eBooks of different formats each require their own, individual ISBN. Be sure to offer at least the two most popular eBook formats for readers to ensure which format an audience member needs for their electronic reader.
