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Bahtatboy Sep 2nd 2012 12:24 pm

Writing an eBook
 
We all know Lil'Jimmy's written one and published it on the Kindle platform. Anyone else? And would Lil'Jim and any others care to share their experience of doing so?

:D

scrubbedexpat141 Sep 2nd 2012 1:00 pm

Re: Writing an eBook
 

Originally Posted by Bahtatboy (Post 10259902)
We all know Lil'Jimmy's written one and published it on the Kindle platform. Anyone else? And would Lil'Jim and any others care to share their experience of doing so?

:D

What are you interested in? Writing one?

If so, what about?

littlejimmy Sep 2nd 2012 1:31 pm

Re: Writing an eBook
 

Originally Posted by Bahtatboy (Post 10259902)
We all know Lil'Jimmy's written one and published it on the Kindle platform. Anyone else? And would Lil'Jim and any others care to share their experience of doing so?

:D

What do you want to know specifically?

It's very simple to do. There are guides all over the internet, including on Amazon's own pages. Just take care with formatting (the kindle conversion can make strange indents and so on) and get someone else to edit/check the manuscript. Then you need cover, unless you're comfortable putting one together yourself. Decide on a price point and upload the bugger. Then bore people to death on FB, Twitter, messageboards like this, and maybe send out free copies for reviews on Librarything or Goodreads. Then sit back and wait for fame, fortune and glory...(perhaps).

Bahtatboy Sep 2nd 2012 1:43 pm

Re: Writing an eBook
 

Originally Posted by littlejimmy (Post 10260001)
What do you want to know specifically?

It's very simple to do. There are guides all over the internet, including on Amazon's own pages.

I've got Amazon's own: did you follow them, or something else?



Originally Posted by Scamp (Post 10259956)
What are you interested in? Writing one?

If so, what about?

Any tosh that will sell. Roulette. Blackjack. Weight loss. Rubik's cube. That sort of stuff.

littlejimmy Sep 2nd 2012 1:52 pm

Re: Writing an eBook
 

Originally Posted by Bahtatboy (Post 10260017)
I've got Amazon's own: did you follow them, or something else?




Any tosh that will sell. Roulette. Blackjack. Weight loss. Rubik's cube. That sort of stuff.

I followed them. I got a program to create mobi files (the kindle format), but I think you can upload Word documents straight up now.

The Black Jack Diet...sounds like a hit!

Bahtatboy Sep 2nd 2012 1:57 pm

Re: Writing an eBook
 
I'm also interested in the time it took. Obviously, writing the thing in the first place is very individual, but once you had it written (presumably in Word), how much faffing around was there to get it actually uploaded and available for punters to buy?

And are Amazon efficient in managing the process, and paying you?

(I'm not expecting to make millions, just interested: I'm impressed with most of what Amazon does in this field, and wonder if their apparent efficiency extends to authors' experiences.)

littlejimmy Sep 2nd 2012 2:07 pm

Re: Writing an eBook
 

Originally Posted by Bahtatboy (Post 10260033)
I'm also interested in the time it took. Obviously, writing the thing in the first place is very individual, but once you had it written (presumably in Word), how much faffing around was there to get it actually uploaded and available for punters to buy?

And are Amazon efficient in managing the process, and paying you?

(I'm not expecting to make millions, just interested: I'm impressed with most of what Amazon does in this field, and wonder if their apparent efficiency extends to authors' experiences.)

I took my blog, which I wrote while I was living there, tidied it up, added some, took some away and then went through it a few times. It took a month or two. With a pro edit (which I had done before the updated version), you could add another 2 to 4 weeks at least.

Amazon are usually spot on, with one or two minor reporting issue. They count up sales in a month then pay you 2 months later. You can track live sales on their KDP site (I became obsessive for a while). For UK sales you can set up an electronic payment straight to your bank account, for US it's a bit more complicated. There are tax issues, but I am not worried as my sale there haven't been great. I just got my first $100 check from them actually. It has picked up in the US recently because they include sales in India now.

They also do a thing called "Select" where your book can be "borrowed" and you get a share of the library pot, and you can promote the book by making it free for 5 days out of the 90 you sign up for. The catch is that you have to stay exclusive to Amazon. Again, that's not an issue for me. I sold a handful through Apple and Barnes & Noble (which meant different formatting and uploading to a site called Lulu.com, but they also do print-on-demand paperbacks)

Any other questions, just let me know. You still have my e-mail address?

Bahtatboy Sep 2nd 2012 2:26 pm

Re: Writing an eBook
 

Originally Posted by littlejimmy (Post 10260044)
I took my blog, which I wrote while I was living there, tidied it up, added some, took some away and then went through it a few times. It took a month or two. With a pro edit (which I had done before the updated version), you could add another 2 to 4 weeks at least.

Amazon are usually spot on, with one or two minor reporting issue. They count up sales in a month then pay you 2 months later. You can track live sales on their KDP site (I became obsessive for a while). For UK sales you can set up an electronic payment straight to your bank account, for US it's a bit more complicated. There are tax issues, but I am not worried as my sale there haven't been great. I just got my first $100 check from them actually. It has picked up in the US recently because they include sales in India now.

They also do a thing called "Select" where your book can be "borrowed" and you get a share of the library pot, and you can promote the book by making it free for 5 days out of the 90 you sign up for. The catch is that you have to stay exclusive to Amazon. Again, that's not an issue for me. I sold a handful through Apple and Barnes & Noble (which meant different formatting and uploading to a site called Lulu.com, but they also do print-on-demand paperbacks)

Any other questions, just let me know. You still have my e-mail address?

Cheers for that. Yeah, same email addresses--drop me a PM if you've mislaid them.

kittycat1 Sep 3rd 2012 7:38 am

Re: Writing an eBook
 
So who from here do you think would write the best book and sell the most?

Bahtatboy Sep 3rd 2012 7:56 am

Re: Writing an eBook
 

Originally Posted by kittycat1 (Post 10261013)
So who from here do you think would write the best book and sell the most?

Knickers in Abayance: Kittycat [1,473 sold, all bought by Millhouse]
Feminazi Financial Tips: Meow [1,380 sold, all bought—and burnt—by Norm]
How I Beat Godwin's Law: Norm [1,029 sold, buyers wished to remain anonymous]
Little and Large, An Autobiography: Dean & Millhouse [2 sold, bought by the authors]
Return of the Native: Mentalist [At £25? You must be joking]

scrubbedexpat141 Sep 3rd 2012 7:58 am

Re: Writing an eBook
 

Originally Posted by Bahtatboy (Post 10261039)
Knickers in Abayance: Kittycat [1,473 sold, all bought by Millhouse]
Feminazi Financial Tips: Meow [1,380 sold, all bought—and burnt—by Norm]
How I Beat Godwin's Law: Norm [1,029 sold, buyers wished to remain anonymous]
Little and Large, An Autobiography: Dean & Millhouse [2 sold, bought by the authors]
Return of the Native: Mentalist [At £25? You must be joking]

Brilliant.

littlejimmy Sep 3rd 2012 8:49 am

Re: Writing an eBook
 

Originally Posted by Bahtatboy (Post 10261039)
Knickers in Abayance: Kittycat [1,473 sold, all bought by Millhouse]
Feminazi Financial Tips: Meow [1,380 sold, all bought—and burnt—by Norm]
How I Beat Godwin's Law: Norm [1,029 sold, buyers wished to remain anonymous]
Little and Large, An Autobiography: Dean & Millhouse [2 sold, bought by the authors]
Return of the Native: Mentalist [At £25? You must be joking]

:lol:

Bahtatboy Sep 3rd 2012 9:42 am

Re: Writing an eBook
 
Bahtatboy writes a damned good book! All of his future titles are bound to be bestsellers, and the most beautiful, articulate and soul-touching...er...things you'll ever read. I couldn't recommend them more highly.

Sincerely, Bahtatboy

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...als-works.html

littlejimmy Sep 3rd 2012 9:46 am

Re: Writing an eBook
 

Originally Posted by Bahtatboy (Post 10261176)
Bahtatboy writes a damned good book! All of his future titles are bound to be bestsellers, and the most beautiful, articulate and soul-touching...er...things you'll ever read. I couldn't recommend them more highly.

Sincerely, Bahtatboy

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...als-works.html

It goes on a lot. The review process is a minefield. Aside from the lovely people who call you racist and sexist or the worst writer in history, there are the sock-puppeteers who review their own works over and over, and then there are the people who pay for good reviews. John Locke, the first self-publishing millionaire, allegedly paid for hundreds of good reviews.

The Dean Sep 4th 2012 3:17 am

Re: Writing an eBook
 
Nothing can beat the ego-trip of seeing your own book, in physical form, on the shelves of a bookshop..............


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