Tips for Publishing eBooks with Smashwords!

Smashwords make it easy!!!                         

I am a new author who has only just used Smashwords to publish my book in the last week and I have found the site to be the most amazing tool to use!

From my understanding of reading the Smashwords FAQ some people have all sorts of problems and receive error messages for their formatting.  I must have been one of the lucky ones!  I followed the Smashwords Style Guide carefully, to format my book, making sure not to hit the enter key more times than necessary at the end of each line and paragraph. By turning on the Show Hide Key in Microsoft Word I was able to see my formatting as I typed.  I decided not to indent my paragraphs as I believe it looks untidy on the page, but I did add ***~~~*** to skip back and forth between my characters. 

The only problem I had was that I was eager and forgot to save my file as a Microsoft Word .doc file before uploading.  I corrected this easily by following the instuctions in the Smashwords Style Guide and then when I pressed the Publish Tab to proceed to upload my book to Smashwords, I had the thrill of watching each version being processed and approved on my computer screen as I watched.

The Smashwords Publish upload also takes all the hassel out of trying to publish your own book. Just by following the process step by step all angles are covered, even the legal ones. The process takes you through the usual questions, but Smashwords can also assign your book an ISBN number at no cost to you or you can purchase one through them if you wish. These questions are asked as you continue the process to upload your precious work.

Smashwords also cover any IRS questions you may have, especially if you are an author using the site to publish your work in a country outside of the United States of America, as I am.  During the process of publishing you are asked if you are from a country outside of the US and by answering yes, further information is shown on the page informing you about the formal part of requesting an ITIN. The information is given in easy to follow language and takes the worry away! You can also read about the legal side of things in the FAQ. I had previously downloaded the Smashwords Book Marketing Guide prior to publishing my book and decided which Marketing tips I would use.  I had never used a Blog page or Facebook before but decided to start this blog page and my illustrator created a page link to my book http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/82996?ref=CMBrown attaching it to her Facebook page. I am still learning about other tips to market my book but I recommend reading the Smashwords Book Marketing Guide to make your own choices.

I found out about Smashwords through my local library.  I was lucky enough one day to walk in and find a notice about an information session on publishing eBooks, which was being held there by a local artist. I immediately made a booking and attended the session most convenient to me. I came away enlightened and as I was so close to finishing my book the timing could not have been more right! It must have been karma as I had also around this time attended the blessing by the Dalai Lama at the opening of the Stumpa at Chenrezig.

From this information session at my local library, I found out that the Australian Government had given a grant to Judy Barass to inform new writers how to publish eBooks. Judy Barass could not say better things about Smashwords and encouraged her audience to persue eBook publishing using Smashwords, as they took all the effort away from independent puplishers and made it easy! (I also came away feeling that my work would be safe in the hands of Smashwords).

It has only been one week since I uploaded my book to the Smashwords site for publishing and three days ago it had already been accepted into the Smashwords Premium Catalogue and has been shipped on to some of the connecting distributers Barnes and Noble, Kobo, Apple and Deisel. I am amazed at just how quickly and efficiently the process has been. It could not have been made easier!!

View my book at Smashwords through this link:

http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/82996?ref=CMBrown 

 

He Came For Me! Book One in 'The Protector Series'
Ebook Price: $1.99 USD. 54240 words. Fiction by Carolyn Brown on August 21, 2011
(5.00 from 1 review)
Jazz, driving on her way to TAFE one morning is passed by a gorgeous guy in a red Mazda Rx7. Caught at the stop lights ahead, she finds herself drawn to this stranger as he watches her in his rear view mirror. From the moment she meets him in person her life begins to change! Why does he always seem to be close by, could he be stalking her? Or was their meeting totally innocent?

Thanks,

Carolyn