Apple, Barnes & Noble, Alibris Self-Publishing

Apple, Barnes & Noble, Alibris offer writers self-publishing books (e-books)

If you have wanted to publish your writing, the best time to self-publish is now!

Apple, Barnes & Noble, Alibris, Amazon’s CreateSpace.com and others now make available self-publishing features for many aspiring authors.

Electronic book reader devices, smart-phones and eBook high volume sales have influenced the Book and E-Book publishing Industry as well as the Print On Demand publishing capabilities.

Apple is just one of the latest companies to offer writers features to self-publish books (e-books) in their iBookstore application.

Since the iBookstore application is included on the iPad, users can easily review and purchase electronic books.

If you would like to learn more about self-publishing, you can obtain information and assistance from ‘aggregators’, such as Bibliocore, and LuLu.com’s Apple Approved application.

Apple and other companies have developed special arrangements and predetermined fees with ‘aggregators’ for authors and artists who want to self-publish and sell their products.

 

Bibliocore is one of several aggregators

Biblicore platform offers features and capabilities to publish e-books in the Apple’s iBookstore.

Some Basic Requirements

• An ePub formatted book that has passed the 1.0.5 ePub check
• Contains no unmanifested files
• Has its own ISBN number.
• Cover art, at least 600 pixels “along the larger axis.
• Fill out metadata
• Set the sale price.

Biblicore versus Tunecore

Biblicore self publishing executes in the same way that “Tunecore” does, except that it publishes eBooks versus music.

Tunecore has been available for musicians who self-publish their music for sale on Amazon, iTunes, and eMusic. The artist retains all copyrights, as do their revenues. The company requires an upfront flat fee to publish the product.

Tunecore has now extended their publication services to e-books through Bibliocore.

Once you have made your upfront payment, the e-book is then distributed to Apple’s iBookstore.

The author retains all copyrights, and Bibliocore receives royalties.

 

 

Lulu.com Apple Approved Aggregator

Another favorable aggregator that merits discussion is Lulu.com. Apple has approved Lulu as an aggregator of content for the iBookstore.

Lulu.com designed a one-stop solution for publishers selling their books on the iPad

Lulu.com has assisted authors and self-publishers for many years under various style platforms and formats. Now, a writer can earn additional revenue by submitting material to iBookstore sales. This and others latest (Print On Demand) self-publishing enables authors more avenues to publish their works.

What does Lulu offer?

• Document conversion to Apple-ready ePub format.
• Automatic listing in Apple iBookstore
• ISBN
• Automated sales reporting
• Automated payments
• Distribution to other retail channels in all formats (paperback, hardcover, and eBook)

Lulu is a leader in open publishing.

Lulu.com assists writers to create their own works. They are powered by an Internet retail site, global distribution system and social content discovery engine. The Lulu.com platform helps individuals or companies create and monetize content in a variety of formats. This includes physical books and eBooks.

Lulu lets content owners retain complete creative and copyright control and gives them 80 percent of creator revenue when products sell. One million, plus creators, publish with Lulu.com at a rate of approximately 20,000 new projects per month. They sell to buyers around the world through Lulu.com Internet site, available in six languages, and through Lulu’s distribution partners such as Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com.

 

 

Alibris recently launched Author Stores

Alibris recently launched Author Stores. This is a program to assist self-published authors an avenue to promote and sell their books in many marketplaces and online stores.

The following is from an Alibris press release:

Author Stores give publishers of all kinds a new, unparalleled distribution channel. Once signed up to sell through an Author Store, authors and publishers merely need to list their books once and they will be promoted and sold worldwide to eager shoppers through the following sites:

Alibris marketplaces:

http://www.alibris.com/

http://www.alibris.co.uk/

www.alibris.com/library

 

Alibris features:

• ·         Personalized biography and photo for building an author’s presence
• ·         Blogging functionality for reader engagement and marketing
• ·         Custom URL for widespread promotion
• ·         Custom merchandising and catalog tools for highlighting latest titles and backlist
• Direct e-mail contact for building reader relationships

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Barnes & Noble plans to launch e-book self-publishing

Barnes & Noble plans to launch an application on its web site that enables independent publishers and self-publishing authors to sell digital versions of their books that can be read on some e-reader devices.

A self-publishing portal known as “PubIt” will open in the summer of 2010 for Barnes & Noble, the world’s largest bookseller and they are joining the ranks of Amazon.com.

The PubIt service offers authors the ability to upload and sell content through B&N’s website and eBookstore.

This application enables independent publishers and self-publishing authors to sell digital versions of their books that can be read on some e-reader devices.

The PubIt application enables distribution of digital books via Barnes & Noble’s electronic bookstore. After setting up an account via the PubIt site, www.barnesandnoble.com/pubit, authors and publishers will be able to upload files and cover art. The application will then convert the data into ePub, a standardized format supported by several e-book readers, including Barnes & Noble’s Nook, but not Amazon.com Inc.’s Kindle. Barnes & Noble will then load the e-book to its site and consumers will be able to buy and download the work.

 

 

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Placing your books into the different online book stores is not the only challenge that face authors. Obtaining visitors and getting exposure is necessary to sell any books and or e-books. That is where working with the different companies and aggregators can be helpful.

It is important for you to understand the publisher and sales marketplace. An author normally requires assistance in the marketing and even sometimes book tours.

Although various pre-publishing services are available, it will be important to learn the best opportunities for marketing, royalty percentage on each sale, getting a cover designed, generating press releases, getting an ISBN and the launching exposure for the product.

However, if you are ready to become an “indie publisher”, companies like Smashwords can distribute to multiple stores, including Barnes & Noble, Amazon, and now the iBookstore, saving aspiring authors even more work.

Publishers have been watching the music biz carefully, and have hopefully learned some lessons. They’re about to face the same pressures: infringement gets easier, disintermediation means that publishers aren’t the gatekeepers to quality work they once were, and digital storefronts can soon start dictating terms to you if they grow too powerful.

Print-on-demand has done its own disintermediation work for the last five years, but the sheer ease of the new devices and the digital storefronts, along with their recent popularity, look set to bring a whole new level of entrepreneurial activity to the book world—and that probably means more pain for traditional publishers.

 

 

There are rumors that Google over time will program their own software to read their eBooks on devices like an iPhone or iPad.

Such future eBook viewers and readers are different than Amazon’s digital book business read on its Kindle e-reader.

The project is Google’s attempt to crack into the market of distributing current and backlist works.

There is no doubt that the Kindle from Amazon will also be a choice for eBook readers as well as the iPhone,.

Many cell phone users would rather do everything they possibly can on their iPhone or electronic gadget.

This includes reading content and accessing online books via text and audiobooks.

There is no doubt the next few years will see a rapid convergence to smaller electronic devices for reading ‘E-content’ online.

The current market seems to suggest in its analysis that the iPhone, Barnes & Noble, MobiPocket and Kindle will be among the primary contenders; however, Smartphones, PDA’s and mobile Readers, Sony, Spring Design and IREX are close behind. I expect to see more and improved devices to satisfy the growing requests to access online ‘E-content’.

People continue to read e-books in greater numbers when electronic books are improved and available on less expensive devices.

Nevertheless, it is my prediction based upon observation and research that over the next few years, e-book readers will increase by greater numbers than in years prior.

This makes it a very exciting time for aspiring and existing authors to become self-publishers in the electronic format eBook pioneer era.

There are a few different easy ways to publish your e-Book to Amazon or to create your eBook for the ‘MobiPocket’ reader.

How Can You Create Your Digital Product?

The easiest and quickest way to begin is to write your material using a word processor and converting it to a PDF or HTML format.

Now, you may be thinking that you know very little about word processing formats, nothing at all about creating PDF or HTML formats.

You do not have to be a technical genius. Just follow simple instructions to save or export your material in formats you can upload to Amazon.com and be sold to Kindle readers.

I have received emails and questions from writers who do not have a Kindle or other type device that reads these particular type formats.

It is not necessary you purchase any e-reader device to be able to write content for the specified device.

This apparently is somewhat confusing to some; as they do not fully comprehend the process in creating the actual e-book.

I will discuss the details in further posts; however, in this article I will make you aware of your opportunities and the software you can obtain at no charge to achieve your eBook creation.

MobiPocket Software , a create ebook application, is free software to download.

Open Office Writer is a great application for creating PDF documents that can be uploaded to Amazon for the Kindle and Print on Demand Books.

You can download Free MobiPocket software here.

You can download Free Open Office Suite Software here.

 

I certainly hope that all aspiring writers recognize that now is a chance of a lifetime to write, create and publish your works and materials for digital ebooks.

The very latest considerations to e-Reader Devices increasing are for the following benefits:

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For many the Kindle and Nook eBook E-Reader Devices include features that entice our love for technical gadgets to leave the paper books behind and carry the less bulkier and easier access to our information.

After all, I certainly do not have the ability to re-size text for my reading comfort in a printed book.

Additionally, the Barnes & Noble’s Nook allows readers the capability to read MS Word Documents.

Easier access to a choice of libraries for Amazon’s, Google, Barnes and Noble and others benefit any reader. The demand for information on devices such as e-Readers opens many opportunities for authors.

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If you would like to learn more, you can always contact me for further details.

 

Kindest Regards, B. Robert

Self-Publish Your Very Own Digital Ebooks

Write and Create PDF Ebooks Easily With a Word Processing Office Suite Alternative To Microsoft Office 2007.

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If you are reading this article, I will assume you are interested in the topic of discussion. However, I do not want to provide detail oriented steps at this time for the reason it could appear overwhelming.

Believe me, it is not a difficult undertaking to Self Publish your very own Digital Product Ebooks!

My e-Course provides all the necessary steps to easily write and create a HTML executable eBook. You can read more at http://www.CreateEbooksEZ.com

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There are also other Software Suite alternatives to Microsoft Office 2007 Professional.

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4. Open Office Suite is FREE.

There are other suites, however I mention the above as a beginning.
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I am an accomplished and skilled professional in using Microsoft Office Suites for many years. Nonetheless, currently I have begun to phase out MS Office and use Open Office Suite 2.3 (I also used earlier versions 2.0, 2.1, 1.0).The current version of Open Office 2.3 is wonderful product application.Of course, you must realize there is no perfect software program. Nevertheless, Open Office 2.3 is of great quality, very user friendly, included with fantastic options and features.It really makes word processing and writing a breeze. Thus, allowing easy ebook production.I am of the opinion that Microsoft Office included the options and features in Office 2007 Pro only because the FREE Open Office was too competitive when introduced into the marketplace.

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For example, creating PDF ebooks are as simple as a click to export your content into your eBook PDF format.

It can’t get much easier.

Of course, I am not referring to the executable format. This is a bit different. Nevertheless, you can also create HTML (.ex) formatted ebooks just as easily by saving the file as a web page.

Additionally, there is a bit more to learn such as Table Of Contents, Bookmarks, Links, URL, Video access, insertion of images, special characters, symbols, design and layout considerations and more.

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It is for the reasons above that I have developed a full e-course with Flash Enhanced Annotated Video Tutorials that take you step by step in writing then creating the compilation of an executable HTML style formatted ebook.

I spent long hours and a great deal of effort in obtaining resources that I wished I had available when I was first creating my ebooks.

Additionally, I included many tutorials and resource links that offer instruction on WYSIWYG HTML Editors and access to FTP (file protocol transfer) software.

I don’t stop there. I then provide access for you to obtain PUBLIC DOMAIN material including the instruction for content and images as well.

Truly, I wish I had this complete e-Course, resources and information that I provide when I was struggling in my earlier years to figure out how to create my first ebook!

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Open Office can also export very easily to the MediaWiki free server based software format that allows a user to create and edit the pages effortlessly.

Technology conversion for iPods, various Video formatting such as Flash (.swf) files and more keep the software applications advancing regularly.

This is a consumer advantage.

If you have been wanting to write your ebook in an easy program, you will not find a more simple approach than Open Office Suite 2.3.

You can’t beat the price of being FREE nor the quality of the application software.

My e-course, including Enhanced Flash Annotated Video Tutorials, offers more information and step-by-step instruction to write, create and promote your ebook on the Internet and or CD Product.

If I can answer any questions, please contact me. I am always pleased to assist current and aspiring writers achieve their potential success.

Kindest Regards, B. Robert