I have been published on Amazon for almost a year. I started my journey on Createspace.com, which is owned by Amazon, to publish my book "12 Steps To A Lighter Pack". It was a very easy process; in fact, the hardest part of the process was writing the book itself.
On Createspace, you do all the work, I mean you do EVERYTHING. On Createspace you are not preparing your book for digital, although you can go digital from here. You will be setting up your work to be a paperback and can make the book available in bookstores across the nation. Because you do the writing, editing, and the cover design, if you write a book that is marred up with comma splices and type-Os, it will be published that way. Make sure you go over your work many times, and even ask others to look it over, to eliminate any embarrassing mistakes.
Once you have the work in the correct format, meaning the right margins and other criteria set forth by Createspace, you click a button and upload it. If you are interested in self-publishing, give them a try. After you complete the process, you click a button and send it to Amazon.com. It is as easy as that -well you know there is a little more to it than that. The bottom line is, that it is all FREE. Once you send your book to Amazon, the paperback as well as the Kindle version is instantly available.
Once you are at Amazon, you can set it up so that your book is all over the world, or you can specify the, what they call, "Territories" and you can be world-wide.
Once you are set up at Amazon, you can also sign up for the KDP program they have which has some benefits to the program. Here are the benefits they have listed directly from their site:
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Why Enroll in KDP Select?
- Earn higher royalties
- Maximize your book’s sales potential
- Reach a new audience.
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That all sounds great, and it truly is awesome. Keep in mind I am not here to be negative of Amazon's KDP program. As a new author, I benefited from this program in many ways. If you read deeper into their FAQs, you will find this question:
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What does it mean to publish exclusively on Kindle?
Answer: When you choose to enroll your book in KDP Select, you're committing to make the digital format of that book available exclusively through KDP. During the period of exclusivity, you cannot distribute your book digitally anywhere else, including on your website, blogs, etc. However, you can continue to distribute your book in physical format, or in any format other than digital. See the KDP Select Terms and Conditions for more information.
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Smashwords
Recently I ran across another site where I can publish my book digitally. The site is Smashwords.com.On the Smashwords site, you are able to get your book published in the following formats and markets:
*****This is taken from their site directly*****
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Apple - If you have an iPad, iPhone or iPod Touch, download Apple's free iBookstore app, and then search for your book there.
Barnes & Noble - Visit the B&N Nook store at http://www.bn.com
Diesel eBook Store - http://www.diesel-ebooks.com
Kobo - Kobo has various free "apps" you can download for virtually any device, including the iPhone, iPad, Android devices and more. Or, visit them on the web at http://www.kobo.com
Sony Reader Store - http://ebookstore.sony.com
Baker & Taylor's Blio.com - http://www.blio.com.
JUST TO NAME A FEW...
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As you see, your book will be available to more retailers that sell digital books like the I-Store, Barnes and Nobel Nook, Kobo and many more. I had never even heard of Kobo until I saw this listed on Smashwords.
My point to all of this, is that I enrolled in the KDP program on Amazon, and I set the program to renew. My enrollment period, which is three months at a time, will expire today, May 16th of 2014. As of today, my book "12 Steps To A Lighter Pack" will be available on smashwords.com You can get a copy HERE:
I have been proud to be able to be a part of the Amazon world and will stay with Amazon because my book is doing quite well just from the sales I received through Amazon.com. However, it is time to branch out and Smashwords is my next step.
After May 16th, 2014, "12 Steps To A Lighter Pack" will be available on Smashwords.com and eventually available in the Apple Bookstore, The Nook via Barnes & Noble, Diesel eBook Store, Kobo, Sony Reader Store, Baker & Taylor's Blio.com, and Aldiko... and many others
My only roadblock to being a available on all these new retailers was my books cover. I have worked with a graphic artist to re-work my book's cover to meet Smashwords guidelines and hope to have the cover finished and ready to upload by the 16th. (update) - The cover is within guidelines and now I am working on the formatting of the book.
So if you know someone who is using one of the devices listed above and not using the Kindle, they will soon be able to get my book as well. Please pass the word along.
-Steven Lowe
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