In a world where shipping times are delayed, and physical book releases are practically non-existent, it can be disheartening to be an aspiring author with a dream of publishing.
Fortunately, there is another option to consider: digital publishing. With digital publishing, you can publish your book and get your story in the hands of readers as directly and quickly as possible. This route has its benefits, especially in the digital era we live in.
Here at The Unapologetic Voice House, we're passionate about helping unspoken voices to be seen, heard, and witnessed, which we achieve through several different publishing options.
In this article, we'll help you understand everything you need to know about digital publishing, and even provide you with seven essential tips for finding success.
Tweak Your Content
Before you even think about digital publishing, you need to write your book. Regardless of the genre, you should aspire to create engaging, exciting content that's easy to read and leaves your audience in suspense.
Many people overthink the writing process, but fortunately, you can always make edits to an eBook once it's published and release updates.
Additionally, eBooks vary in length. Some are as long as a traditional hardcover or paperback novel, while others are much shorter.
Pick the Right Format
When it comes to your eBook, there are three main formatting options to choose from. Your final choice will depend on the type of content you're writing and where you intend to sell your book once it's finished.
Reflowable ebooks are perfect for novels and text-based books. In this format, readers will be able to resize the text so they can quickly move from one page to another.
Fixed-layout ebooks are great for books with multimedia or illustrated content. With this option, your content will be locked into a specific page layout, so the design isn't compromised.
PDFs are viewable on any device and perfect for sharing. Unfortunately, this option doesn't offer many multimedia capabilities, and the file sizes can be quite large.
Because formatting can be tricky, you can work with a professional designer or publisher to format your book, if you run into problems.
Design a Beautiful Cover
You should never judge a book by its cover, right? While this may be true, your potential readers may not be so forgiving.
The cover is one of the most important aspects of any book, so it's crucial to have a cover that's aesthetically pleasing and convinces your readers to buy it.
If you're worried about designing a cover yourself, you can hire a designer or work with a publisher to do it for you.
Describe Your eBook
To sell your ebook, you have to be able to describe it well. When you decide on a title, you also need a compelling book description.
It's essential to craft a book description that grabs your readers' attention and explains how you intend to help them so that you can sell more digital copies of your book.
Set Your Pricing
One of the benefits of digital publishing is the ability to reduce production and distribution costs for a higher profit margin. However, keep in mind that low overhead expenses are reflected in the price of an ebook, as compared to a printed book.
To determine your price, look at similar books in your genre, and where they are sold.
You may also want to consider the length and genre of your book. For example, romance and sci-fi books sell for less than literary or non-fiction books do.
Promote Your Book
As with any printed book, you have to promote your ebook to make any sales. To connect with potential readers, you'll have to spend a lot of time marketing.
From a blog to an email mailing list, there are several ways you can promote your book. You can also use your social media accounts to generate buzz or create a website to build your brand.
Publish Your Book
Once you finally publish your book, you can take a deep breath and relax. Then, you'll need to get back to work because there's still plenty to do!
When to Call in the Professionals
If this list seems daunting, consider working with a publisher – like The Unapologetic Voice House – that can help you take care of all the nuts and bolts.
Traditional and independent publishers typically have several resources at their fingertips to guide (and support) authors through the publishing process from writing, editing, and layout to publishing, marketing, and beyond.
Choosing a publisher is often a very personal decision. To find the right publisher for your book, begin looking for publishing companies that publish in your genre. Then, visit their websites and read their criteria and their book list.
After you've put together a list of your top publishing companies, prepare a query letter to pitch your book. Query letters usually include the following:
- General housekeeping that includes your book's title, genre, and word count
- Your story's hook – a description of your work
- Your target market and why they need to read your book
- Your marketing plan (if you have one)
- A bit about yourself and why you are uniquely positioned to write your story
Share Your Story with Us
Ready to get started with The Unapologetic Voice House? As an independent book publishing company, we offer a blend of both traditional and self-publishing services to provide you with flexibility.
To learn how we can help bring your story to life, submit a query letter today!