Aug 15, 2012 an exact postings name why selfpublished books look selfpublished on the createspace forum a few years ago made me determined to learn as much as i could about traditional publishing standards to avoid this stigma. With the rise of selfpublishing as a viable alternative to regular publishing, it becomes no agent will want to represent a selfpublished ebook unless the book is no longer selfpublished. Lots of writers want to dive into self publishing, to reap all the rewards for themselves when they put a book out, and i have to admit, 70 percent. Use our self guided resources to get started publishing ebooks and paperbacks. A table of contents is strongly recommended, but not a rigid requirement. Back matter can include an about the author page or bibliography. Using back matter in your ebooks correctly by adam on 10302012 in blog, self publishing today id like to talk about something that i dont see talked about in too much detail on the web. Gain comprehension of how more complicated back matter like an index and notes section can function in an ebook utilize vendorspecific buy links to boost your sales and author brand pick up a copy of front matter, back matter, and metadata and improve your publishing level of knowledge to give you a professional edge. May, 2020 publish and sell your ebooks if you can use a word processor, have a book written or have an idea for one, and want to see your name in print, you just might have what it takes to succeed in self publishing. Before i dive into the guts of this story and its a long one, so you might want to grab a snack, i want to thank ida hallgren who noticed in my bio that id selfpublished ebooks, and asked. This is especially important when selfpublishing on a deadline, selfimposed or not.
Selfpublishing on kindle and amazon kdp and other retailers. If youve looked at a lot of selfpublished books, you already know that authors sometimes go to press before they have really absorbed all the conventions of book making and the advice of publishing professionals in fact it surprises authorswho havent noticed the mistakes that creep into their booksthat these same mistakes are quite obvious to people in the book business. This is especially important when self publishing on a deadline, self imposed or not. When i signed the contract for may day back in 2004, ebooks were barely a spark in jeff bezos eye. Authors use their back matter to offer readers further context or information about the story, though back matter can also be extremely simple. How to find the best publishing companies you can trust. The dominance of amazon and kindle in the ebook market is well known. Paperback book publishing paperback book printing bookbaby. Its all about the reader skilled workman posted on march 1, 2016 by david bergsland march 1, 2018 today, in this third post on formatting, i want to talk about many things which have been lost in the rush toward ebooks. Lets take a look at the numbers that matter sales and royalties. Im one of them see my post, how my book became a selfpublished best seller. There is a natural assumption that this is a worldwide phenomenon and that ebooks and selfpublishing must always lead to the kindle store and amazon authors.
All lessons are taught by multitime bestselling author, iain rob wright, who is widely respected in the world of selfpublishing and dedicated to sharing knowledge amongst authors. How to write the front and back matter of your kindle ebook. For your own sake, dont hire anyone or buy anything related to selfpublishing until you read this. Self publishing with amazons self publishing services you can reach millions of readers worldwide and keep control of your work. Selfpublishing watch what the big boys and girls do. We make it easy to do book self publishing, with help from start to finish on perfect bound, spiral, and hard cover printing.
Book back matter what to include in the back of your book. Since then, kobo has become well known as one of the major self publishing platforms in the industry. We tend to spend all of our time writing the main content of the book and fail to factor in the extra time required to write and organize the front and back matter. Jana oliver is taking a break this month, so lets dip into the archives for a very important aspect of self publishing many authors overlook. How to self publish a book in 9 easy steps a free self publishing guide. Book promotion expert ben cameron always says writing the blurb is the hardest 100 words youll ever write, and many authors are also stumped when it comes to writing the front and back matter another task that usually falls just when youre feeling least like writing another word, after completing your books final edit. There are many different ways to publish your book, and you need to do the research on what your target demographic is, and what the most popular avenues are to reach that audience. Its fast and easy to independently publish your print book with createspace, your digital book with kindle direct publishing and create an audiobook with acx. Additions to your other titles will update automatically. Jun 24, 2011 back then, self publishing was frowned upon it still is, to an extent, but i hoped that by actually getting my books into the hands of the public like this, id develop a readership, build up. Solutions are practical, his best practice guidelines sensible and their rationales well explained. Whats it matter the front and back matter of a book. In particular, by its almost everpresent social media mentions.
May 27, 2015 book promotion expert ben cameron always says writing the blurb is the hardest 100 words youll ever write, and many authors are also stumped when it comes to writing the front and back matter another task that usually falls just when youre feeling least like writing another word, after completing your books final edit. Self publishing mastery covers absolutely everything involved in becoming a successful self published author. All lessons are taught by multitime bestselling author, iain rob wright, who is widely respected in the world of self publishing and dedicated to sharing knowledge amongst authors. As an independent author or small press, you never want to pass up the opportunity to advertise yourself. When i first decided to start selfpublishing, i thought the major sticking points for returning to a contract were royalty rates and the price points for digital books.
As such, the rights reversion language in my contract didnt mention them. Selfpublishing mastery covers absolutely everything involved in becoming a successful selfpublished author. They introduced consumers to their own brand of tablet back in 2012. Using back matter in your ebooks correctly by adam on 10302012 in blog, selfpublishing today id like to talk about something that i dont see talked about in too much detail on the web. As recently as the 1990s, self publishing meant paying to have thousands of physical books printed. Selfpublishing ebooks my process illumination medium. Lots of writers want to dive into selfpublishing, to reap all the rewards for themselves when they put a book out, and i have to admit, 70 percent. The great thing about selfpublishing is that you can update your back matter whenever you want, so you can build upon your marketing efforts. There arent any definitive rules for how the different sections of front matter in an ebook should be organized, and it is very unlikely that your book will be rejected for publishing based on how you have structured it except for smashwords, the nitpicky ones. Selfpublishing is an excellent option to consider, but like you said, its not as simple as just choosing selfpublishing. How to self publish an ebook in this article, ill go through why self publishing an ebook is a good idea, how to format an ebook for publication, exclusivity vs going wide on multiple platforms, the specific sites available for self publishing ebooks and what information you need, thoughts on pricing, and piracy.
The selfpublished author doesnt need to include any of these. Learn how you can add front and back matter with just a few clicks using kindle create. Perfect binding is the adhesivebased book binding style of choice for most softcover books. This article is featured in prowritingaids new guide, how to go from first draft to published. On the contrary, salvettes book presents a detailed coverage of crucial aspects of front and back matter and metadata and is informed by his experience at his publishing company bb ebooks. The first point to make here is that vanity publishing is definitely not self publishing. How to organize your books front matter by joel friedlander on february 8, 2012 50 comments many writers who think about selfpublishing are taken aback when they start to put their book together for publication. A while back i wrote a column titled selfpublishing. Weve helped thousands of self publishers just like you. It will require you to do all of your own marketing and editing, as well as deal with. If present, amazon recommends that the table of contents be placed in the front matter, stating that incorrect placement of the toc affects the accuracy of the last page read feature. With amazons self publishing services you can reach millions of readers worldwide and keep control of your work. For instance, whenever i launch a new book, i typically update my back matter on the previous book to include an excerpt for the new book. Trading back matter excerpts with other ebook authors.
You can also add other front matter as well as back matter pages, but these arent required. That meant that as long as my murder by month mysteries were available to buywhich they would be forever as long as my publisher had a digital copy availablethat i couldnt get the rights back. Its the internet, and the inexorable rise of ebooks, say authors, that have been the game changers. Exclusivity vs publishing wide for ebooks, print books, and audiobooks. If your main text ends on page 8, your back matter will start on page 9. In other words, they are selling your book to you, the author, and not to readers. Vanity publishers charge you a lot of money to produce your book.
How traditionally published authors can repackage and self. Your ultimate guide to front matter and back matter. This is part of a series on back matter presented by bb ebooks. It is a great facility to have if you publish fiction books in a series. Ebooks have made selfpublishing more accessible than ever. You can choose between traditional publishing, selfpublishing, or vanity and assisted publishing services. If you plan to work with a selfpublishing company, start the production process early on. I set up publishing accounts with ingramspark paperbacks for libraries and bookstores, kindle direct publishing ebooks and paperbacks for amazon, ibooks this one took over a month to set up because of loops on their end, nook, and kobo. See a list of common questions from authors getting started on kdp.
The back matter is the concluding section of a book, and it can contain a whole host of information, and many of these sections are entirely optional. As a selfpublisher, you may want to include a few extra pages at the back of your book, such as a page advertising other products and services you offer, andor an about the author page with a photo and bio. To get ideas, look at books with content similar to yours. How you should be using back matter in your ebooks adam geen. For a comprehensive suite of resources designed to help you take your best book to market, visit kdp university.
Whats it matter the front and back matter of a book the. You need to be sure you can handle the loss youll most likely have to endure, especially with your first books. Bookbaby requires a minimum of 40 pages for perfect bound book printing. How to work with a selfpublishing company bookbaby blog. Various tools for selfpublishing have taken down these barriers for authors who prefer to go it alone. There is a natural assumption that this is a worldwide phenomenon and that ebooks and self publishing must always lead to the kindle store and amazon authors. Use our selfguided resources to get started publishing ebooks and paperbacks. Self publishing book printing book self publishing.
Your ebook should include a title page with your book title and author name. After all, the selfpublishing industry is pretty sensitive to those making mistakes. As recently as the 1990s, selfpublishing meant paying to have thousands of physical. Weve got lots of helpful information on our website, or just give us a call. Make a connection with the company who will produce your book and allay the uncertainty you feel as you ponder the unknowns of the selfpublishing process. Self publish ebooks and not only reach millions of readers on amazon, but also be able to sell your ebook on the largest ebook retail network, introducing your book to more readers worldwide than anyone else. Jun 01, 2012 a while back i wrote a column titled self publishing. How to selfpublish your book through amazon forbes. The back matter also known as the end matter is you guessed it material found at the back of a book.
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