Hi Steve - I make a lot of money writing; it's the one thing that I seem to be any good at. Most of my stuff is technology-related, but I think the concepts are the same.
1. Don't write books; the profit potential is almost nonexistent. That said, if you have a unique angle, self-publish, and can afford to spend the time and effort to promote it, your chances improve from a billion to one to a million to one (I've also self-published).
2. Find out who is publishing in your area of expertise. Offer to do some article writing for free, or ask if they have a freelance policy. If you are on time, readable, and technically correct (in that order, oddly enough), it doesn't take long to get a good reputation. It took me about three years.
Eden
· 1 year ago
I would assume that most bloggers have their blogs because they enjoy writing. There is probably a good chance that person had a little dream at one time, even if it was only long ago, of publishing a book. It's a natural extension that bloggers would gravitate toward the book publishing concept.
What I'm curious about is this- given the choice, would you or I choose a more financially successful e-book or a less rewarding, but more well known traditional book that could be found on paper in a book store?
Personally, I would opt for the latter because it's just more cool. :)
LJ author Internet Marketing
· 1 year ago
It does not have to be an ebook versus traditional book dichotomy. What you need to do is to negotiate with your publisher for rights to the ebook. You can then take your ebook and sell it for what you want.
The publisher I use, Outskirts Press, not only gave me rights to the ebook, but also put an ebook link on my author page. We split the profits 50 - 50 if someone buys from my author page. If I sell my ebook on my own page, I keep 100% of the profits.
What is fascinating about this approach is that I can sell my ebook for cheaper than the printed book, but I actually get more per sale otherwise.
You can click on my name in this comment to look at what my publisher set up and how both a printed version and an ebook version sell side by side.
In terms of my opinion on whether one should published a book or an ebook, no doubt about it that you need to do both in the 21st century. The perceived value of a traditional book is much higher than the perceived value of a downloaded ebook. This reason alone is enough to get a book published. My recommendation is that you do both by negotiating rights for the ebook with your publisher.
CraigK
· 1 year ago
I have to believe that getting a book published (print) is a huge accomplishment and status builder. You can always say you are a published author, get financial benefits, and let's be honest, I'm sure it can boost the ego in the short run. I understand what you are saying that publishing companies may or may not promote the book, but that's not stopping you. With online tools like blogs, twitter, etc, you can easily go about promoting your book to you audience and fan base, and from there trying to build word of mouth. If you get published, I'd be glad to buy your book.
Writer's Coin
· 1 year ago
It's definitely a different feeling to have an ebook in your hand vs. a real book. I mean, look at how easy it is to churn out a blog post versus a magazine article. Someone has to approve, want, and pay for your article at a magazine. Whereas in the blog world all you have to do is publish it yourself. Obviously, in fiction it's way different than publishing something like a personal finance book, but I still think fiction is wayyyyy tougher to publish than anything else.
Patrick
· 1 year ago
I much prefer the feel of a bound book, and they are easier on the eyes. An ebook is no substitute for a good novel, in my opinion (at least for the type of reading I prefer for entertainment). But I also like that ebooks can provide a lot of value in a small, easily accessible package.
Ultimately, I would love to publish a novel, but an ebook is something that is much more achievable - at least at this stage of my life.
All Comments
1. Don't write books; the profit potential is almost nonexistent. That said, if you have a unique angle, self-publish, and can afford to spend the time and effort to promote it, your chances improve from a billion to one to a million to one (I've also self-published).
2. Find out who is publishing in your area of expertise. Offer to do some article writing for free, or ask if they have a freelance policy. If you are on time, readable, and technically correct (in that order, oddly enough), it doesn't take long to get a good reputation. It took me about three years.
What I'm curious about is this- given the choice, would you or I choose a more financially successful e-book or a less rewarding, but more well known traditional book that could be found on paper in a book store?
Personally, I would opt for the latter because it's just more cool. :)
The publisher I use, Outskirts Press, not only gave me rights to the ebook, but also put an ebook link on my author page. We split the profits 50 - 50 if someone buys from my author page. If I sell my ebook on my own page, I keep 100% of the profits.
What is fascinating about this approach is that I can sell my ebook for cheaper than the printed book, but I actually get more per sale otherwise.
You can click on my name in this comment to look at what my publisher set up and how both a printed version and an ebook version sell side by side.
In terms of my opinion on whether one should published a book or an ebook, no doubt about it that you need to do both in the 21st century. The perceived value of a traditional book is much higher than the perceived value of a downloaded ebook. This reason alone is enough to get a book published. My recommendation is that you do both by negotiating rights for the ebook with your publisher.
Ultimately, I would love to publish a novel, but an ebook is something that is much more achievable - at least at this stage of my life.