Connecting Readers and Writers discussion

I need some advice.
At the moment, my new humorous novel "Sunderwynde Revisited" is available only in paperback. I should make an electronic version available, but not owning any variety of Ereader myself, I was wondering: Would uploading the book to Kindle be enough, or should I find someone who knows what they're doing and get it formally Epublished?
Any thoughts?

That depends. The kindle is about 60% of the ebook market right now, plus there are kindle apps for virtually every operating system/device out there. So you hit the majority of readers on the kindle. Amazon also offers promotional deals like free days on the kindle to those who are exclusive on their platform. So if promotional give aways are part of your marketing strategy that can be worth it. Otherwise Smashwords is a fairly easy epublishing site and they sell multiple formats for almost any ereader/device.

I found Google books and nook VERY easy to get in shamelessly easy, even. You can do it. You need to create a .pdf, .epub (Adobe InDesign), a secure .pdf and an XML (Microsoft) of your text, also look up how to put your text into a spreadsheet. You will need to be able to do this in order to get on nook! Go to http://bn.com (look for the link at the bottom which reads "for publishers" and http://partner.google.com to get your read on!
Also visit my blog, I have compiled some of the other ideas I have had for getting it out there...since you're promoting before our debut date, you are at an advantage to try many different things... ONWARD!
http://mzvpain.deviantart.com (blog)

Thanks for the advice. It looks like I'll be trying my hand at Smashwords. Hopefully, it won't lead me to trying my hand at Smashcomputer!

I agree with V, B&N and Google Books are simple, easy ways to publish elsewhere, plus you avoid Smashwords taking an extra 15% of your royalties. But then you can still publish to Smashwords to hit other places (like Kobo, iBooks, Sony, etc.) Plus I would add that it shows your readers that you want to make your books available to EVERYONE, EVERYWHERE. Absolutely avoid the Kindle Select program, it's a nasty attempt by Amazon to monopolize the market.

Personally I publish to Createspace for print, and Kindle, Nook, Google Books and Smashwords for ebook. I've done this for my 13 books with significant success. Hope this helps and good luck!

Well, "Sunderwynde Revisited" is now available in a Kindle edition. Other e-formats will follow. Thanks again to everyone for your helpful advice (e-vice?). It is much appreciated!
Regards,
Joel Bresler

Put it out wherever you can. It will get you more exposure. Good luck!

David Said: But then you can still publish to Smashwords to hit other places (like Kobo, iBooks, Sony, etc.)

And you can upload your book direct to Kobo now using their Writing Life program. So you don't need Smashwords for Kobo either! It's supposed to be easy, although I haven't used Writing Life, so don't take my word for it. There are some good points, like a higher profit margin than Amazon for books priced less than $2.99, but they only pay twice yearly. Anyway, something to think about.
Read my blog post on kobo pro's and con's here: http://rachaelrippon.blogspot.com.au/... or find it out for yourself on their website: http://www.kobo.com/writinglife

Please don't just put the book out through Kindle. While Amazon does have the lion's share of the ebook market (and the Kindle itself is a superb little gadget), they're doing some fairly sneaky things to try and get a monopoly. People shouldn't be bullied into using them exclusively. Also, they use the .MOBI ebook format while pretty much everyone else has settled on .ePub. Putting out an ePub version of your book out in at least one other store would give all your non-Kindle fans a chance to get an electronic copy. Smashwords has been recommended and, while not perfect, it is pretty good at getting your work into several places (and in several formats, including .MOBI) at once without too much trouble.

With regard to your question about getting your book "formally" e-published, that's another matter. Paying for help might get you better results, but it's not as though Amazon is the only place you can publish an ebook yourself. If you're confident you can do it at Amazon, you can do it at Smashwords or Kobo or anywhere else.

Thanks for the feedback. I did put "Sunderwynde Revisited" on KDP Select, figuring I could try the giveaway promotion and see if that was worth anything. On the plus side, I was able to upload a simple Word document, which not even a complete incompetent like me could screw up that badly. I'll upload to Smashwords in the fall. In the meantime, I'm going to try and accumulate reviews and ratings, etc., and just generally get the word out.

Joel wrote: "Thanks for the feedback. I did put "Sunderwynde Revisited" on KDP Select, figuring I could try the giveaway promotion and see if that was worth anything. On the plus side, I was able to upload a ..."

I've been on KDP Select with both of my books and have been very happy. Not only do the free promos increase sales, but you also get paid every time someone borrows your book.

No, you'll want it available in all ebook formats. Although Amazon is where a lot of the books are sold, you can't afford to ignore Barnes & Noble and the Apple Bookstore at least. In fact, my biggest royalty check to date has come through Smashwords, and they publish everywhere BUT Amazon. I say go for an e-publisher, or self publish it through KDP Select and the Barnes & Noble self publisher at least.

Joel wrote: "Thanks for the feedback. I did put "Sunderwynde Revisited" on KDP Select, figuring I could try the giveaway promotion and see if that was worth anything. On the plus side, I was able to upload a ..."

Smashwords also takes a plain old .doc file (though you have to follow the formatting instructions in their style guide), so I imagine you'll have no trouble there. KDP Select does actually sound like a pretty good deal in some respects--it's still a transparent attempt to get Amazon exclusive books, but at least they give you something in return. Best of luck! I've downloaded samples of your books, by the way--Letters to be Read in a Heavily British Accent in particular sounds pretty funny!

Damon wrote: "Joel wrote: "Thanks for the feedback. I did put "Sunderwynde Revisited" on KDP Select, figuring I could try the giveaway promotion and see if that was worth anything. On the plus side, I was able..."

Thanks! "Letters" is unusual. It really appeals to some, and others it leaves pretty flat. Parts of it still crack me up, but then I have always been the biggest source of my own amusement.

Good luck. I'm a little late to the post, already got some good advice. I think for readership and exposure, Kindle is great. The bottom line is people reading.