These days, you can publish your work without making large initial investments. With the help of online publishing channels (for example, Amazon’s Kindle platform), writers themselves can now publish books. In this article, you will learn how to take advantage of online publishing.

Two types of online publishing services

  • Single channel: With this type of service, you will publish your work on a single channel. Amazon’s KDP (i.e. Kindle Direct Publishing) program belongs to this type.

  • Multichannel – Services of this type sell books through multiple retailers.

Important note: the multi-channel approach is not recommended if you are new to the desktop publishing game. That’s because it requires hefty upfront fees and sales deductions. It would be best to start with a single channel reseller like Amazon.com.

Prepare your work

Regardless of which publishing service you choose, you need to format your work and make sure you have the correct file type. With Amazon, you can use the following file extensions:

  • PDF

  • MOBI

  • DOC / DOCX

  • ePUB

  • KPF

  • TXT

  • HTML

The following tools can help you format your book:

  • Sigil – Use this free software if you want to format and / or edit your ePUB books.

  • Caliber – This is a free program that you can use to convert your book files.

  • Scrivener – This word processor offers powerful formatting features. It is a paid program, but its easy-to-write features will surely help you write and publish books.

Create a book cover

This aspect is probably one of the most complex. Your book needs a cover that is relevant and attractive. It would be great if you could design the cover yourself. However, if you don’t have the time, resources, or skills, you can hire someone to create a cover for you.

Make sure your chosen cover looks good regardless of how it is displayed on the reader device. That’s because people can change the color and size of the digital materials they are reading. For example, a reader can view your book using a black and white screen.

Increase sales

The following factors determine how much money you will make from posting online:

  • The quality of the book: If you wrote a great book, chances are that many people will want to read and buy it.

  • General visibility of the book: the term “visibility” of the presence of the book in the market. Obviously, you can attract sales by promoting your book. For example, you can Tweet about your book to inform your Twitter followers. By making your book more visible, you will have a better chance of making money from it.

  • The book cover: It is a well known fact that the cover of a book greatly affects its ability to sell. If you want to sell a lot of copies, use an excellent book cover.

  • The price: this factor is complicated. Selling your book at a high price can scare potential readers. But that will make your book “premium.” However, selling it at a low price will attract sales, but could give the impression that the book is of poor quality.

  • The royalty percentage: Amazon offers two options regarding royalties: 35% and 70%. The option you choose will greatly affect your “take home pay.”

Conclution

You may be able to achieve your dreams of becoming a popular author by publishing your books online. Amazon, one of the most popular companies in the world today, can help you publish your book globally. The things you have learned from this book can be of great help.