EBooks

Ebooks are a growing phenomenon and can be an extra selling point for new authors. There are a number of online book distributors internationally, but they generally do not get involved in editing, designing or producing the book, and the author can usually set the price (though the distributor may have a minimum price limit).

Some distributors are highly selective about what books they will offer for sale; others will accept most manuscripts. This type of e-publisher/bookseller provides an excellent alternative for the author who is primarily self-published, but doesn’t wish to go through the hassle of setting up his or her own online “bookstore”, accept credit cards, fulfill orders, etc. This also enables a self-published author to avoid registering as a retail business, as the author receives royalties from the distributor rather than direct sales from customers.

And as with print sales of self-published books, marketing yourself is the key. What this means when selling your book through ebook channels is online marketing: writing reviews and networking and publicising the book on blogs and online forums. If you don’t make this effort, then your book is just one of thousands filed away on a server somewhere and no one will know it is there.

In addition, be aware of online publishers who obtain licensing rights over the books just like commercial publishers and pay authors in royalties. Established e-publishing sites have a rejection rate of over 90%, and good editing and excellent design remain imperative.

In South Africa, you might create a website to promote and sell your books through, and offer a price for a print copy and a price for a PDF version of the book which can be emailed through to your customers.

Self Publish SA can assist authors in making good choices.