Writing and publishing an eBook could be the opportunity you’ve been waiting for to start your career as an author. Regardless of what style you’ve opted for and what the theme of your book actually is, launching an eBook isn’t as easy as just finding an eBook distribution website and publishing an unrevised draft there.
The process of making your eBook available to readers worldwide needs to be taken seriously from the start. Being negligent of a few details, overlooking important publishing steps can affect your success and your reputation as an author in the online environment.
So what are a few important things you should know on the matter? What mistakes could put the success of your eBook launch at risk? Here’s what you should be avoiding.
#1 Writing your book description last-minute
The description is what intrigues readers to get into the actual book’s content in the first place. If your book’s description doesn’t excite, you are less likely to drive interest and determine people to buy it. Therefore, you should be putting enough attention into writing it, and not wait until last-minute to cover this task.
Don’t go for the standard story summary, write a description that actually builds expectation and shows a potential buyer why they need to get your book. Allow yourself sufficient time to put together a fantastic description because writing it might take you a few days, or even a few weeks.
#2 Believing you don’t need an editor – not hiring a proofreader
If you’ve put a lot of hard work and time into this book, spotting mistakes can be difficult. You’re already extremely familiar with the layout and content of the book, so some big-picture issues could easily go unnoticed, not to mention typos, missing words, grammar and spelling mistakes.
Hiring an editor might seem like a luxury, but it’s the type of luxury you can’t afford to skip. Even if your budget doesn’t allow you to opt for a full edit, professional proofreading is still critical here. You don’t want your reader to buy a book that isn’t edited to perfection. So, searching for some best websites is advised. Having a professional go over the content will allow you to reach the writing quality you desire.
#3 Neglecting formatting
Your manuscript might be ready, but to turn your written content into an actual book, you need to assess formatting requirements properly. Picking a layout, a font, and relevant images should be done carefully, considering these factors can influence the readability level of your book.
Select the specs correctly. Your readers should be able to transfer the book into multiple eBook formats. The right formatting approach will prevent the end-project from having that unappealing self-published look.
#4 Designing your own front cover
Even if you’ve written a brilliant book, what potential buyers will see first is the cover. The front cover, together with the book description, will help you actually sell the eBook. This isn’t the type of task you should handle yourself unless you are an expert in graphic design and Photoshop.
Find a professional who can help you make your cover instantly attractive to buyers. Think about colors, fonts, and clarity. If your eBook looks amateurish, readers could even neglect an excellent description and put off buying it. This is particularly true if potential buyers don’t have any knowledge of you as an author.
You have free cover creators online, but it’s wiser to invest a bit of money and handle this task professionally – it will go a long way.
#5 Not getting your website/blog ready before the launch
If you don’t want to lose any promotional traction, make sure your website is ready or your blog is updated. Your eBook launch might be your first contact with a wider audience. This is your opportunity to build a loyal group of readers and having a blog or website ready for them will allow you to establish the author-reader connection you are aiming for. You can later use the website to promote potential forthcoming releases. A blog or a website can be excellent promotion tools
#6 Overlooking your social media activities and details
The power of social media can be used to your advantage. Your accounts on all popular social channels should be representative of your new status as an author. Some of your readers will probably look you up and follow you on social media networks to keep up with your activities and learn about your projects.
If your existing accounts don’t reflect your status, make the necessary adjustments. Change your usernames, add or remove certain posts and fine-tune your accounts so you can make the most of them in terms of self-promotion.
#7 Next to no marketing
Consider every single advertising opportunity before you actually launch your book. Marketing is critical for self-published authors. The right tactics here can help you gain the recognition you desire and increase your sales once the book is released.
Just writing a blog post and publishing it on your website won’t be enough. You can’t expect an explosion of initial sales if you’ve had next to no marketing. From Facebook ads to affiliations with famous bloggers, find marketing solutions with high potential and direct some of your resources to promotion. Doing this on time can help you gain visibility and have sales coming as soon as your book is made available on Amazon or at the eBook retailer of your choice. Finding A Good Affiliate Program can help you market your E-book even in a better way. There are a few good ways to check for affiliate programs. You can also use a service like ClickBank.com or CommissionJunction.com. Each of those free services contains thousands of companies searching for affiliates like you to promote their products and services. And once your search for the right network is over you need to find the best affiliate tracking software to keep a check of your marketing campaigns, its optimization and further detection of fraud traffic if any.
#8 No sales funnel
Finding a publishing service is the final step to take here, but one of the most important ones at the same time. With an automatic sales funnel in-check, customers will be sent to you without you actually doing anything. Amazon is usually the preferred option for eBook authors, being such an influential website with lots of exposure. You can use Amazon’s publishing service Kindle Direct Publishing. If you want to explore other options, Smashwords and Draft2Digital are two other popular eBook distributors to look into.
Bottom line
Being part of the self-publishing field is just as exciting as it is challenging. When you are launching an eBook, you need to assess every single detail to ensure your future success as an author. Because with limited experience you can easily end up making some critical mistakes, it’s important to inform yourself properly with sufficient time before the actual launch and take the necessary course of action. The suggestions highlighted here will help you start on track with your publishing and boost your odds of appealing to a wide audience of readers.
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