Self-Published eBooks Gaining Popularity and Credibility

Print self-publishing has been fairly popular. Xlibris, Create Space, iUniverse. Self-published print books are expensive. This is true for the author, retailer, and consumer. Brick and mortar stores usually unwilling to sacrifice retail space on self- published books. High costs prevented print self-publishing from gaining widespread popularity among readers. Lose money and sell poorly. Books that do sell well may only break even or gain popularity on a local level. Self-published print books are usually just as expensive as a book written by an established author. Self-Published Print Books

1.Print on demand Books are sold from a web site directly to consumers. Little to upfront cost to authors, but books are still costly for consumers. 2.Limited Run A specified number of books are printed for the author. Can cost the author multiple thousands of dollars. Books are costly for consumers. Print Books Business Model

eBooks can be created for little or no cost. Usually can be created for free using free software. Can be sold on most popular ebook web sites with no upfront cost to the author. Amazon Kindle Store, Barnes & Noble Nook Store, Apple iBookstore, Extremely inexpensive. Many times self-published ebooks sell for $ $9.99. Low cost makes readers more likely to choose a self-published book over one written by an established author. Self-Published eBooks

Profits typically split 70/30. Author typically keeps 70% of sale price. Retailer typically keeps 30% of sale price. Barnes & Noble, Amazon, and Apple use some variation of this arrangement. Highly Profitable for Authors Authors can make more money from a self published ebook than by going through a traditional publisher. eBook Business Model

29,000 self-published books in ,700,000 self-published books in was the first year that the total number of self-published books was greater than the total number of traditionally published books. Some self-published titles have been so popular that publishing companies have bought the rights to sell the books in print. Fifty Shades of Grey J.A. Konrath Self-Publishing Explosion

Very Little to No Risk No initial cost for author. No lost inventory space for retailers who carry self-published. Inexpensive or free for consumers. Higher Profit Margins for Authors In the Garden of Beasts J.K Rowling Viral eBooks Fifty Shades of Grey series Started as a self published ebook. Mill River Recluse $0.99 ebook spent 16 weeks on USA Today best-seller list. Amanda Hocking Self-published paranormal romance author who has sold one million ebooks and earned two million dollars from sales. Advantages of Self-Published eBooks

No marketing. One of the major costs associated with traditional publishing is advertising. Increased competition. Millions of potential competing ebooks on the market. Disadvantages of Self-Published eBooks

Apple iBooks Author

Free Useful for creating visual ebooks Cookbooks Textbooks Picture books iBooks Author

Emphasis on interactive components Image galleries Interactive 3D renderings Imbedded video iBooks Author

Other Considerations Only available for Macs Can not use iBooks Author to make ebooks for sale in other stores. iBooks Author