Why eBook Self-Publishing Is So Important

While many of us still love nothing better than the woodsy smell and satisfying crackle of a brand-new paperback, there’s no question eBooks also have their place.iPad/iPhone Premium Edition

Whether its an iPad or iPod, Kindle Fire, NOOK or smartphone, an eBook reading device provides incomparable portability. Every book you’ve ever loved or wanted to read can be right there at your fingertips in one compact, electronic toy, along with your daily morning news, monthly magazine subscriptions and even RSS feeds. Some devices even mimic the look — if not the aroma — of the printed page.

Barnes & Noble NOOK EditionAnd, slowly but surely, libraries, schools and other institutions are acknowledging eBooks as an important part of a new era in reading, incorporating eReaders as part of their collections. Because eBooks are inexpensive to produce, virtual libraries give actual libraries the ability to acquire free eBooks, such as works of classic literature and reference books, and beef up their collections in a highly cost-effective manner. The technology also means libraries can “lend” eBooks just as they would a hard copy; at the end of the lending period, the book automatically expires — no need to drive back to return it.

For authors, eBooks represent an opportunity to reach out to a whole segment of book enthusiasts who may be untouchable in the paperback- or hardback-only market. Young readers, college students, parents and others who may be woefully short on personal shelf space are turning to eBooks for practical reasons.

Others are tapping into the unparalleled convenience and immediacy of instantly searchable and downloadableAmazon Kindle Edition entertainment. If you’re selling only hard copies, you’re shutting out millions of potential readers who could stumble upon your book in no time with a simple keyword search.

EBook publishing also increases the odds of sales growth by appealing to the “early adopters” who are embracing a technology that is trending up. Marketing an eBook across several electronic formats further increases your sales potential by exposing your book to readers who may be loyal to specific eReader devices and formats.

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Receive 10% Off Electronic Editions!

Do you have all the necessary e-book versions of your self-publishing book? Now through April 30, save 10% on your choice of an Amazon Kindle e-book edition, a Nook e-book edition, or an iPad e-book edition.


Enjoy greater exposure for your book. The more outlets where your book is available for sale, the greater the chances that your book will be discovered by potential readers. Click here to save 10% on an Amazon Kindle edition of your book with promotion code E10PCT



Enjoy greater control over your retail price. Frustrated with the limitations of hardcopy pricing? Pricing with electronic editions is more flexible (and not dictated by page count or color). Click here to save 10% on a Barnes & Noble NOOK edition of your book with promotion code E10PCT



Enjoy your own Private Label Imprint and Bowker-Approved ISBN. With the iPad edition, you become your own publisher with a unique ISBN and Publishing Imprint for your book. Click here to save 10% on an Apple iBooks iPad/iPhone e-book edition of your book with promotion code E10PCT

Healthy Serial: Amazon Revives the Serial Novel Format

A few of you may remember the “serials,” at the local movie theater: short chapter plays before the feature film that left you with a thrilling cliffhanger you couldn’t wait to see resolved. Before television series gain popularity in the 1950s, movie serials brought patrons to the theater in droves.

A century earlier, Charles Dickens popularized the serial novel with The Pickwick Papers. Several years later, American author Harriet Beecher Stowe’s controversial tome on slavery, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, was released in installments over a 40-week period in 1851-52.

Now, Amazon has announced it is bringing back the once-popular format for Kindle readers with novels released one episode at a time. Kindle Serials launched with the release of eight serial novels to be released in installments, which readers can purchase for $1.99 per subscription.

We at Outskirts Press are waiting with baited breath to see how serial novels go over with modern readers (and writers)! Think releasing an episodic work might be right for you? It certainly can’t hurt to talk to your Personal Marketing Assistant to discuss whether this type of publication will work for your next release, and figure out how to get you to the presses — one chuck at a time, if need be!

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Virtual Reality in the Hardcopy World

When new authors first begin to contemplate self-publishing a book, visions of that thick, solid, hardcover volume must surely dance in their heads. Nothing beats the sensation of holding your first book in your hands and cracking the crisp pages for the first time. But it’s important for authors in this modern book publishing climate to remember the vital role ebooks play in the success of the book.

There are a few very compelling reasons you may wish to start with an ebook and then work your way to a hardcopy edition.

  • It’s easier. Designing and formatting for the electronic format is easier than designing and formatting a hardcopy book. So, formatting your ebook is an excellent way to get your feet wet before diving into the hard copy.
  • It’s quicker. Publishers can make an ebook available to consumers in a virtual instant, via electronic upload, compared to physical books, which must be ordered, set for print, produced and distributed before being put up for sale.
  • It’s an easier sell. Ebooks are far less expensive to produce than hardcopy editions, so can be priced lower. If your hard copy is priced at $13.99, the ability to also offer an ebook for $4.99 to millions of Kindle, Nook and iPad users is a priceless advantage in a highly competitive marketplace.

If you currently have a hardcopy book for sale, converting it to an ebook format is a simple and cost-effective proposition — and one that could provide a much needed boost in visibility and sales!

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Top 5 reasons to distribute an iPhone/iPad e-book using new Outskirts Press option

For the first time, self-publishing authors can now conveniently distribute an e-book edition of their book through the Apple iBooks bookstore while owning the files, the ISBN, and all the royalties.

Up until recently there was no simple, convenient way for self-publishing authors to create and distribute e-book editions of their books through Apple’s iBookstore without losing all of the control and a lot of the money. That changes with the launch of a new service from Outskirts Press, the fastest-growing full-service self-publishing and book marketing firm.

Here are the top 5 reasons authors are distributing e-books through Apple’s iBookstore and using the new iPad/iPhone Premium Edition with Private Label iBooks Distribution from Outskirts Press to do it:

1. Dramatically increase the book’s exposure

Over 70 million electronic Apple devices have sold and the sales figures keep growing. iPhone revenues account for over half of all smart phone revenue in the United States. Simply put, it is a huge market that cannot be ignored, especially for authors interested in broadening the reach of their book. Like with many other e-book formats, readers who find your book in the iBookstore can begin reading immediately after purchase. Not only does this reduce author cost – based on the cost of print books – but it also cuts reader costs down substantially with the elimination of printing and shipping costs.

2. Lead the e-book market

Apple’s iPad is at the forefront of the e-book craze. According to engadget.com, “[The iPad] is the first e-book reading experience we’ve seen that seems to truly understand the visceral, sensual enjoyment of holding an actual volume in your hand.” Unlike Kindle, which only offers black and white text, reading on the iPad/iPhone is appropriate and engaging for all books — black and white or full-color. In addition, Apple is forecasting that over twenty-eight million iPads will be sold by the end of this year. This will put all the books available in the iBookstore at the fingertips of even more readers.

3. Full ownership and control

Unlike other submission services, The iPad/iPhone Premium Edition with Private Label iBooks Distribution option from Outskirts Press registers an exclusive ISBN in the author’s name and an exclusive Apple account in the author’s name (or uses the author’s pre-existing Apple account). This means the author, and only the author, is the true publisher of record for the iPad edition. The author holds all the control, and keeps 100% of the royalties paid by Apple. “Not only can authors now publish under their own name or imprint with this new option,” said Outskirts Press Vice President Kelly Schuknecht, “they also have full control over their retail price. Apple takes only thirty percent. The Authors keep the remaining seventy percent, and it is deposited directly to their account. There is no middle-man taking a cut.”

4. Convenient and easy

Authors who have tried to create an .epub file themselves or attempted to navigate Apple’s daunting submission process know how challenging it can be. No longer! Outskirts Press takes care of all the behind-the-scenes leg work for authors and lets them sit back, collect all the money, keep the .epub file, and bask in all the glory that comes along with exposure over seventy million iPad and iPhone owners. “In the beginning, I looked at working directly with Apple myself on this project. After reviewing everything that was involved– time and money– it was clear that I was way ahead, once again, letting the experts handle it all for me,” stated David A. Koop, author of Cancer: It’s a Good Thing I Got It, in reference to the new service from Outskirts Press.

5. All authors can do it, regardless of where they published

It’s fast, easy, convenient, and all authors (self-published or otherwise) can take advantage of this new service, regardless of where the hardcopy edition was published; although authors who have published with Outskirts Press save 15%.

For all the details and to order conveniently and securely online, visit http://outskirtspress.com/p/ipad

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Authors Can Stay Connected with the Free Self-Publishing App for the iPhone 4 From Outskirts Press

With the Blogging News feature of the new Outskirts Press app, authors can be updated almost daily with self-publishing tips from those in the know about pertinent topics ranging from the importance of cover design to book marketing tips.  Feeds from Twitter, which also display a panorama of unique publishing tips, are updated throughout the day and offer another avenue for authors to feel part of the publishing world.

Connect with the author community right from your iPhone.

“Because authors often feel so isolated, they can easily begin to feel like Roy Orbison’s ‘the only one’,” said Outskirts Press Vice President Kelly Schuknecht.  “Our new app is an easy way for authors to conveniently stay connected to the writing, publishing, and marketing communities without having to suffer the expense of weekend writers’ conferences or the inconvenience of travel.  Best of all, the app is completely free!”

Besides the ongoing connection to the Blogging News and Twitter feeds, the Outskirts Press app launches new author book videos approximately every week and it features newly published authors every other business day, along with direct “Buy Buttons” to purchase the featured authors’ books from Amazon.   There are already dozens of Outskirts Press authors featured through the app that itself is an effective new tool for Outskirts Press authors to use to promote themselves and their publication(s).

The Outskirts Press iPhone app offers a continuous treasure trove of information for all authors, regardless if they’re still working on their first book or if they’ve just celebrated the release of their tenth.

The app can be downloaded from www.outskirtspress.com/apps, and it works for iPhones running iOS4 as well as iPad 1 and 2.

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Good News from Amazon for International Self-Publishing Authors

Amazon recently announced the expansion of it’s Digital Text Platform (DTP) to allow Kindle format submissions from international authors, removing the obligation to have a US bank account in order to participate in the program.  Previously DTP was only available to authors and publishers based in the United States.  This is great new for international authors! 

If you don’t have a Kindle format yet, what are you waiting for?  Outskirts Press makes it easier than ever to make your book available for Kindle users everywhere, including the free apps provided by Amazon for PC, MAC, BlackBerry, iPhone and now iPad users.

Outskirts Press authors can purchase the Amazon Kindle Edition at any time easily and conveniently from within their Author’s Center

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Self Publishing Authors on iTunes

Outskirts Press published authors can save 10% this month on the Enhanced Audio Excerpt option with iTunes distribution. 

By submitting the audio file through RSS distribution and iTunes with keywords, you increase the chances of potential customers learning about your book (or even stumbling accidentally upon it) in a wide variety of venues and platforms.

The optional Enhanced Audio Excerpt with iTunes Distribution marketing service offers a two to three minute audio recording of a section from the author’s book, recorded by book marketing guru and Blog Talk Radio host Sally Shields. This option is ideal for authors who may be comfortable recording their own audio, and the Enhanced Audio Excerpt is distributed and syndicated just like a Podcast, which includes availability on multiple content sites, including iTunes.

View and listen to examples on iTunes:

 The Daugher-in-Law Rules by Sally Shields
21 Bizarre Short Stories by Jose Cepeda Garcia

Published Outskirts Press authors can save 10% on the Enhanced Audio Excerpt option right now and receive a free 30-minute telephone marketing consultation with Sally Shields. Order from your Author’s Center by clicking here and enter the the Promotion Code: RELAUNCH10 in your shopping cart.

The 10% discount code for these options will expire in February, so now is the time to order from your secure Author’s Center by clicking here. 

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