Written by by Carol Wilson
For some writers, putting a good plot, great dialogue and strong character development to paper is the easy part—the huge battle is actually getting their book published. If you have recently finished your book but are struggling finding a publisher to get your work out in the public, you may still be able to your book in the hands of millions of readers. How?
Use of the Three Most Popular Self-Publishing Electronic Companies-Kindle Direct Publishing, PubIt, and Lulu
While all three are different, they serve the same purpose—to get you the exposure you need through an electronic, digital medium. And did we mention the services are absolutely free? That’s right. All three offer free registration and you will still get all of the royalties you earn. You just need to make sure that you investigate all three options carefully since each venue caters to a distinct audience (and once you choose a publisher you must stick with it). That said, to learn a little more about each self-publishing e-agency, continue reading.
1. KindleDirect Publishing
If you choose to use this self-publishing service, your digital book will be available to Amazon Kindle users. And with more than 17.5 million Kindles sold just this year (and a predicted 26 million to be sold in 2012) this is certainly a great option to pursue. Ideally you may also be able to reach iPad and other tablet users if they download the Amazon Kindle app to their devices. Like the other self-publishing companies listed below, Kindle Direct Publishing allows writers to personally set a distinctive price for which their book will be sold for. However, writers can only participate in a 35% or 70% royalty program and the set price must fit accordingly.
2. Pub it
This self-publishing outlet is distributed by Barnes and Nobles and is especially designed to reach Nook users (Barnes and Noble’s very own e-reader). It’s pretty easy to use and self-explanatory: all you need to do is make an account, upload your work in the proper format, submit your cover art and then determine a price. The publishing company also helps you make more sales since it gives you the power to choose what keywords will help readers locate your material.
3. Lulu
Lastly, Lulu (while similar in format) is a great option to consider because it more or less allows you to reach just about everyone (Kindle, Nook and iPad users). But of course readers must be an active member of the Lulu community before they can download a book— and since the site isn’t as popular as the Kindle market or the Nook, it can either be a hit or miss. What makes this option neat however is that users have the option of purchasing e-books or pdf versions of the book.
This guest post is from from Carol Wilson who writes for business insurance. She contributes articles about a variety of marketing, business, stock market, small business topics. She can be contacted at wilson.carol24 @ gmail.com.
