Digital Pubbing

Exploring the ins and outs of the publishing industry

Self-Publishing

EPUB3 Read Aloud Code

by

Per request, I'm posting snippets of code to use to enable read aloud functionality on an iPad. You usually do this for children's books in EPUB3. Above is a sample of the SMIL file you will need to include. Remember to make a SMIL file for each "page." And don't forget to add it to your OPF! Below is a sample of the extra code to include in the HTML file. You will also need … [Read more...] about EPUB3 Read Aloud Code

11 Tips for Writing

by

Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons, by Ildar Sagdejev Author Colson Whitehead wrote an article in the New York Times outlining 11 rules on the art of writing. Among them include showing AND telling, write what you know, and of course, don't worry much about rules. Read the full list here. … [Read more...] about 11 Tips for Writing

Marketing Tips for Self-published Authors

by

As a publisher, I send our authors a checklist of things they can do to help promote their book. I think it's important to get our authors as involved as possible, partly because the more people helping out, the more people will be reached, and the more books we can potentially sell. Many of our authors have also published books or are in the process of publishing a body of … [Read more...] about Marketing Tips for Self-published Authors

EBook Conversion for Self-Publishers

by

There's a wide range of ebook conversion services out there, from tools to let you do it yourself to companies that will produce the whole ebook for you. Below is a list. (NOTE: I have not used all of these services). Remember: it's important to test your files on all devices you use. Books will look different depending on format and device. Validating is also important. If a … [Read more...] about EBook Conversion for Self-Publishers

Self-publishing ebooks: Why maximizing distribution matters

by

New technologies and startups have made it easier than ever to self-publish ebooks. But they don't make it any easier to make a living writing. The most important thing you can do as a self-published author, however, is to make sure your ebook is available through as many retail channels as possible. (FYI, ebook sales accounted for 20% of book sales in 2011, up from 10% in … [Read more...] about Self-publishing ebooks: Why maximizing distribution matters

EBook Design

by

Just like regular books, the design, both interior and exterior, of an ebook is important. To see an example of what I mean, see Carolyn Jewel's post, Why eBook Formatting Matters – A Case Study. She includes examples of how her ebook looks on different devices, as well as what a well-formatted ebook looks like compared to some that was converted automatically. Auto-generated … [Read more...] about EBook Design

Self Publishing: Cover Design

by

Book covers are the most important marketing aspect of a book. People will make impulse purchases if they like the book cover; the cover is what gets a book attention. Covers that are white backgrounds with large text tend to look amateurish. You also want covers that persuade people to buy the book, with good flap copy. Use the template from Para Publishing to write effective … [Read more...] about Self Publishing: Cover Design

An Interview with Mark Coker, CEO of Smashwords

by

I was very fortunate to be able to sit down and talk with Mark Coker, CEO of Smashwords. Smashwords is a site where you can convert ebooks and distribute them through at least seven outlets, including the Smashwords ebookstore. We spent the last hour of BEA discussing self-publishing, the beginnings of Smashwords and where it's going, metadata, ebook distribution, and even the … [Read more...] about An Interview with Mark Coker, CEO of Smashwords

iAuthor

by

Three weeks ago, Apple launched an exciting new app: iAuthor. It sounded very promising. Using iAuthor, you can drag and drop to make enhanced ebooks. iAuthor and iBooks2 were released on the same day with the intention of making it easier for students to use interactive textbooks. All textbooks sold on the iBookstore are priced at $14.99 or less. But anyone can use iAuthor to … [Read more...] about iAuthor