It is amazing how thoroughly the landscape of publishing has changed in the last decade. Where eBooks were once a novelty that had not quite managed to break through, they are now so common that traditional print is beginning to die with so many learning how to launch an eBook themselves.
Ebooks are more convenient, cheaper to produce and better for the environment. Not to mention, when you launch an eBook, it gives you, the author, the power to publish your own work in a way that was more difficult before, as many were working on shoestring budgets.
If you’re considering launching an eBook, you might be feeling overwhelmed by the process, wondering how to launch an eBook. So how do you launch an eBook? Where do you even start? At least when you are working with a publisher, they are there to guide you through the process. An author using a self-publishing method is completely on their own.
Mostly, it is as simple as writing the book, editing the content and putting it into a readable eBook format (which in most cases involves saving a word/odt file as a pdf file as well as using one of the available eBook templates). When it comes to how to launch an eBook, below are some tips to follow.
How to Launch an eBook
Copyright Your Content
Or release it under an attributions license that allows people to use it in whatever ways you feel comfortable. That is entirely up to you. Either way, you need to give notice of ownership and reader’s rights. Currently, to copyright an eBook in the U.S., you have to fill out some forms with the Copyright Office and pay a fee for registration.
This will usually run you about $35, though there are additional fees for other services, and it costs more to file a paper claim than an online one. You should also put in a notice somewhere in the eBook stating it is copyright protected. If you choose to release it as a public domain or other creative commons license, just make a note where the copyright would be stating what is and isn’t allowed. Or, if you have more specific rules, create a full page dedicated to this information.
Watch Your Metadata
It is easy when you are preoccupied with the eBook itself to forget the little details that make such a big difference in how your book is seen. Metadata should be optimized to help improve your search engine results.
The title of the book, tags, keywords and description, and even the file name you upload it under should all have been changed to reflect your SEO (search engine optimization) strategy. This is one of the most cost effective and easy ways in which you can improve the visibility of your eBook.
Start Building Hype
Start spreading the word about your eBook using Twitter:
- Create a hashtag for your eBook and promote it via a Twitter chat.
- Utilize other popular eBook-related hashtags including #BookGiveaway and #FridayReads
- Reach out to bloggers and influencers (possibly by providing a free copy for them to review) and spread the word even more.
You want to get people excited about your eBook long before it comes out:
- Use social media accounts to promote it.
- Offer free or pre-release copies as part of a sweepstakes.
- Create a landing page that is dedicated to the book on your website, and allow people to use that page to sign up for notifications on when it is released.
- Start finding blogs that will read and review it before it is out.
Do anything to make people aware of the eBook, and make them want to read it.
Submit It To eBook Sites
There are plenty of sites out there that will feature your eBook on their site as part of their daily lists or newsletters. Most are for free books, but not all of them. Try submitting your book to eBook gallery sites or sites that will promote your eBook for free.
Start Guest Posting
Once of the best things you can do to be seen is guest post. In your byline provided by the site, link to your landing page where you are either selling the eBook, or letting people sign up to be notified of its release.
This is such a great way of getting readers, especially on more established blogs. Just make sure all posts are relevant to the the topic of your eBook, and not just slightly. It should tie in well to make sure you are hitting the right demographic.
Keep On Writing
Don’t get too bogged down in the marketing aspect of your book. The more prolific you are, the more of an audience you are going to build. So keep on writing, and let the passion you have for the subject be what shines through – not a desperate need to make money or be seen.
Success will come more naturally to those who put love into their eBooks.
Do you have a tip on how to launch an eBook?
eBook Photo via Shutterstock
