eBook Publishing A Primer on Planning, Publishing & Marketing eBooks Publishers & Writers of San Diego June 25, 2011Presenter: David Wogahn, Sellbox.com

Todays agendaand a survey:1. The Landscape A brief survey a. 3 Big Decisions b. Dont be an amateur 1. Who has an e-reader? c. Insights & Hot Topics 2. Who buys ebooks?2. Publishing a. Document formats & 3. Who sells ebooks? prep 4. Who has done their b. Conversion own ebook conversion? c. Selling d. Metadata3. Final Thoughts a. Tools b. Pre-Launch Marketing c. Words to the Wise David Wogahn Publishers & Writers of San Diego, June 25 2011

The three big subjective decisionsevery ebook publisher must make:1. How much?2. Use DRM (Digital Rights Management), or not?3. Cover design David Wogahn Publishers & Writers of San Diego, June 25 2011

Self-Publishing: Now An Option ofFirst ResortDont be an amateur:1. Invest in a cover I thought that if I can2. Invest in an editor make a profit at 99 cents, I no longer have to prove3. Invest in your pre-launch marketing Im as good as them, rather, they have to prove they are ten times better than me. -Independently published author John Locke, Amazon Kindle Million Club member David Wogahn Publishers & Writers of San Diego, June 25 2011

Insights, Trends & Hot Topics1. Impulse buying: driven by low prices2. Collecting: because they are cheap3. Grazing: no need to finish/return to later4. Social reading & marginalia: virtual sharing5. Lending: becoming easier6. Multi-format buying: e versions driving print book sales7. Autographing: clumsy; a feature in progress8. Spam: a by-product of success David Wogahn Publishers & Writers of San Diego, June 25 2011

Document Formatting & Prep1. JUST WRITE!...and ignore design2. Use style sheetsfor easier conversion3. e vs. pebook layout is evolving4. Use color images5. Heading 1for automated TOC generation6. Version controlin case you need to roll back7. Read the Smashwords Style Guide David Wogahn Publishers & Writers of San Diego, June 25 2011

Conversion Option Examples DIY tools + selling, e.g. B&N Nook (Pubit); Amazon Kindle (KDP) Calibre Smashwords vs. Bookbaby [different models] Developers and Consultants David Wogahn Publishers & Writers of San Diego, June 25 2011

Selling eBooks1. Amazon2. Apple3. Barnes & Noble4. Diesel5. Google6. Sony7. Many, many more David Wogahn Publishers & Writers of San Diego, June 25 2011

Metadata: Information aboutInformation (three examples) David Wogahn Publishers & Writers of San Diego, June 25 2011

Metadata: Be Consistent & DocumentWebsite, e-stores, newsletters, press release boilerplate, discussion boards, bio, photos, etc.1. Titles2. Descriptions3. Keywords4. Categories David Wogahn Publishers & Writers of San Diego, June 25 2011

Recommended Tools1. MS Word2. Text editor (Notepad)3. Smashwords Style Guide, smashwords.com4. Calibre, calibre-ebook.com5. Marketing, Google tools: Alerts Adwords Keyword Tool David Wogahn Publishers & Writers of San Diego, June 25 2011

Pre-Launch Marketing1. Metadata ready and consistent2. Update bios, author pages, social profiles3. Gifting copies4. Reviews/blubs5. Press release David Wogahn Publishers & Writers of San Diego, June 25 2011

Buy my book How can I contribute? Where do people that write like you, read your type of writing, buy your type of bookshang out online? Start participating in these communities now, even before you publish. David Wogahn Publishers & Writers of San Diego, June 25 2011

Words to the Wise1. Keep your final manuscript final, and safe (including graphics)2. Focus on writing, not presentation3. Be anal about your metadata4. Dont spread your marketing efforts thin. Pick a coupleideally those your audience usesand master them. David Wogahn Publishers & Writers of San Diego, June 25 2011

ePublishing and Sellbox.comSellbox works with businesses and publishers on epublishingstrategies, ebook marketing and ebook conversions.Our specialty is working with digital first authors: businesses,associations, non-profits and individual writers seeking to leveragethe economic advantages of epublishing. In addition to generatingrevenue, project objectives may also include epublishing to createmarketing awareness, education, or cost savings.sellbox.com david at sellbox dot com (760) 814-1416 David Wogahn Publishers & Writers of San Diego, June 25 2011