Ebook Publishing.

Why it Pays to Self-Publish a Professional Ebook
by Deanne Katz, Esq.
shared from a recent post on Reuters.com

Publishing a professional ebook can be a great marketing step and with the variety of tools to self-publish it's never been easier for a new author. An ebook can also be a marketing tool since it shows the author's expertise and can bring in new business.

The benefits of self-publishing are numerous but there are also pitfalls that are best avoided. Knowing your topic is one thing but knowing how best to get it into the hands of interested readers is a whole other issue.

If you're considering writing an ebook, check out our five helpful tips for self-publishers.

Self-publishing an ebook is relatively simple but making one that will actually sell and increase your market share is more difficult. Make it easy on yourself by following these tips.

1. Pick a niche market. There are a lot of self-published books out there and it's hard for consumers to find the right one. Narrowing your topic helps to decrease competition and steer potential clients to your book. Picking a relatively narrow topic also provides more space to really go into detail and show readers the value of your expertise.

2. Self-publish, don't self-edit. You are the expert on the topic you picked but most new authors don't have experience as editors as well. A good editor knows what will grab readers and what stuff needs to be cut. Hiring a copy editor can also ensure that you don't miss embarrassing spelling and grammar errors that can decrease reader's opinions of your expertise.

3. Design an engaging cover. Despite the tired idiom, people do judge books by their covers and ebooks are no exception. If you aren't the creative or artistic type, get someone else to make a visually exciting cover for your book. Make sure your book stands out (in a good way) when potential readers see it on a small scale - like in an amazon.com list of results.

4. Price it below market value. This part may seem counterintuitive but people are more likely to buy the book if it's cheaper. That may mean fewer book profits in the beginning but it also means wider circulation. That leads to more business which is often the point of writing a professional ebook in the first place.

5. Market the book. Once you've written the book, it's not going to sell itself. Make sure the online sale page looks good and has appropriate tags and images so potentially readers can find it. It may also be a good idea to create a webpage for the book or promote it using social media; even make business cards to direct interested people to it.