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March 6, 2015

Publishing an E-book


By Terri Reid


I published my first e-book in 2010 and it was a great time to be an indie author. We were all so excited about the new possibilities of reaching people all over the worlds through the channels of Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple and Smashwords. Have things changed since then? 

Yes, they have.  When I first started there were less than a million e-books available on Amazon. I just quickly checked Amazon’s numbers (unscientifically) and there are over two million fiction books and there were 70,000 new releases in the past thirty days.  The dance floor is definitely more crowded!

So, how do you publish a successful e-book today?

Here’s some information that has helped me. I hope it will do the same for you.

When you start, learn from people who have already walked the path. Find forums where indie authors hang out and ask questions. That’s the best way to learn. One of the places I used when I started was www.kindleboards.com –

Listen to the professionals. E-publishing is relatively new, but there are some folks out there who take the time to be “in the know” and, thankfully, they are willing to share what they learn. 

Two of the ones I enjoy are: http://jakonrath.blogspot.com/ - This is Joe Konrath's blog called a Newbie's Guide to e-publishing. There is a lot of great information there.  http://davidgaughran.wordpress.com/ - This is David Gaughran's blogsite - it is also filled with all kinds of great information.

What’s next? Marketing! From my experience, these are the most important things you can do to market your book:
1. Have a great book! (I know this seems like a "duh" comment - but so many people mistakenly think they can push out an “almost perfect” book - just as long as they get it out. WRONG! You only get one chance to make a first impression.) And consider writing a series, because you will have your readers coming back for the next installment.
2. Have an author's Facebook page. Call in some favors, have your friends and family “share” the link to your new book. Post about your book’s successes, but don’t be obnoxious about it.
3. See if you can get bloggers in your genre to read and review your book. This will give you more visibility.
4. A great cover design is CRUCIAL. Too many times a cover screams -"Look what I did with Word Art and Photoshop!" You are a professional author now; don't short-change your book to save money. In this case a book IS judged by its cover - NEVER forget that. 
5. A website is nice - I have one - but it has nowhere near the hits I have on Facebook. I would say if you can create your own, great! But, in my opinion, Facebook, Twitter and even Pinterest will give you a lot more bang for your buck. 
6. Pay some money for a marketing push at places like BookBub, Read Freely and others. Best of luck!!! I wish you so much success!

Best of luck!!! I wish you so much success!
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Terri Reid is the author of the Mary O’Reilly Paranormal Mysteries. An independent author, Reid uploaded her first book “Loose Ends – A Mary O’Reilly Paranormal Mystery” in August 2010. By the end of 2013, “Loose Ends” had sold over 200,000 copies and, has consistently ranked as one of the Top Ten books in Amazon’s ranking of Ghost Stories in the Book/Literature & Fiction/Genre Fiction/Horror/Ghosts section and in the same area in the Kindle eBooks section. She has thirteen other books in the Mary O’Reilly Series and has enjoyed Top Rated and Hot New Release status for many of them in the Women Sleuths and Paranormal Romance category through Amazon US. Her books have been translated into Spanish, Portuguese and German and are also now also available in print and audio versions. Reid has been quoted in a number of books about the self-publishing industry including “Let’s Get Digital” by David Gaughran and “Interviews with Indie Authors: Top Tips from Successful Self-Published Authors” by Claire and Tim Ridgway. She was also honored to have some of her works included in A. J. Abbiati’s book “The NORTAV Method for Writers – The Secrets to Constructing Prose Like the Pros.” Her social media links are: Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/pages/Terri-Reid-author/179591462080204?fref=nf website – www.terrireid.com  and Twitter - @terrireid10

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