Thank you so much for buying Publishing E-Books For Dummies! I hugely appreciate it … and I’m sorry that I need to direct you to this page rather than give you a detailed answer to your question.
Updates Since Publishing E-Books Came Out
There have been, inevitably, a lot of changes in the ebook world since Publishing E-Books came out in 2012. The vast majority of the book still stands; however, these days I recommend uploading your manuscript to Amazon in Word document form, as a .doc or docx (not converting to an .html file, etc, first). Do preview to ensure all looks correct.
Technical Support
Many of the queries I get are technical ones, particularly about Microsoft Word.
Chances are, your question can be answered by a quick Google search. I suggest including your version of Word, e.g. “Microsoft Word 2010” then the topic you need help with, e.g. “Microsoft Word 2010 insert page break”.
If you are decidedly non-techy (and lots of writers are!), then you might want to pay someone to format your ebook for you. BookBaby have a strong reputation in this field. You can also use through marketplaces like Fiverr: here’s an example of someone offering formatting services. (Disclaimer: I do my own formatting and cannot vouch for any particular individual or company in this area.)
Recommended Resources
Here are some books and blogs I highly recommend that may help you on your ebook journey:
Books:
Writing:
Structuring Your Novel, K.M. Weiland (loads of practical examples and specific tips)
Write a Novel and Get it Published, Nigel Watts (a good all-round beginners’ guide, though getting a little dated on the publishing side of things)
Publishing:
Let’s Get Digital, David Gaughran (authoritative, clear guide to digital / self-publishing)
Write. Publish. Repeat.: The No-Luck Required Guide to Self-Publishing Success, Sean Platt and Johnny B. Truant (their specific system may not be quite right for you, but there’s lots of good stuff in here)
Marketing:
How to Market a Book, Joanna Penn (lots of high-level, strategic advice for new authors)
Let’s Get Visible, David Gaughran (covers similar ground to Joanna Penn’s book)
You can read my reviews of these two books here.
Blogs:
The Creative Penn (Joanna Penn)
The Book Designer (Joel Friedman)
Helping Writers Become Authors (K.M. Weiland)
Why I No Longer Answer Individual Readers’ Questions by Email
I know you may be feeling a little hurt or annoyed that I can’t answer your question.
When I wrote Publishing E-Books, back in the first half of 2012, I had no kids. I became pregnant with my first child just as I turned in the final chapters of the manuscript to my editor at Wiley.
Fast-forward to today, and I have two lovely kids — Kitty, born in March 2013, and Nick, born on Christmas Eve 2014. I also have a husband studying a full time PhD, and my business to run (I do a mix of freelance writing, writing and selling my own ebooks, and working with writers through my Writers’ Huddle site).
While I would love to have the time to answer lots of questions about ebooks, the truth is, these days I simply don’t. I’m sure that if you have kids of your own, you can understand why … and if you don’t have kids, you can perhaps imagine!
I’m always happy to consider questions or topic suggestions for the Aliventures blog or newsletter, but most of the questions I get from Publishing E-Books readers are highly specific to one individual’s situation. If your question is fairly broadly applicable, do feel free to send it to me for a blog / newsletter piece. You can find my contact details here.
