Online Publishing Platforms: What You Need to Know

For many freelance authors, online publishing platforms are a blessing. However, the landscape is constantly changing and there are countless changes happening within it that can leave newbies confused. Now, despite all these changes, it is still one of the best mediums for self-publishing, as long as the authors stay up to date.

That being said, there are five things that generally remain constant regardless of any developments when it comes to eBook publishing. These are things you should be familiar with before you even start self-publishing, as it covers many of the most important aspects of the process.

Shall we start?

· Let’s talk about who owns and maintains the right to anything you post online. It is a common misconception that people think that it is transferred to the chosen distribution service at the time of publication. However, that’s not true. Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing, Smashwords, and Barnes & Noble Nook, just to name a few, are not exclusive to and do not hold any rights to your work. What this means is that you can use their services simultaneously and delete your work at any time. You can also make revisions and even change the price of your book at any time you want.

· Please note that there are single device and multi-device publishing platforms available for you to choose from. If you are familiar with both, you can use them together. Some good examples of these would be BookBaby and Smashwords; both are services that are capable of distributing your work to different types of electronic reading devices. On the other hand, you have Amazon’s Kindle, which is a single device (Kindle Reader) publishing service. Which is better? This really depends on your own preferences. Of course, opening your work to as many readers as possible also means adapting to the different media available. However, for beginners, it might be best to stick to just one device and get familiar with it first before branching out.

· Let’s talk about the details. Some of the most successful eBooks can attribute some of that to the eye-catching covers they can have. Think from the reader’s perspective. As a new author, his name doesn’t carry the same weight as other more popular writers, yet. Book covers play a huge role in getting someone’s attention, so keep that in mind when putting together your own.

· What about royalties? Amazon tends to favor prices between $2.99 ​​and $9.99. Writers who publish directly with Amazon Kindle get 70% in royalties if the price of their book falls within those given ranges. However, if you price higher or lower, you will receive 35% in royalties.

· Lastly, consider looking into Calibre. This is free eBook conversion software that will allow you to change the format of your book to a file type that will fit many different types of eBook readers. However, if you’d rather move this particular job to a secondary part, consider BookBaby. They would convert your files for a nominal fee and without any additional work on your part.

There you have it, just a few of the essential things every new writer should know about publishing eBooks online. We hope this was able to enlighten you!