Chapter 2

Joining the E-Book Revolution

In This Chapter

Taking stock of your publishing options

Getting inspiration from successful independent authors

Increasing your e-book’s chance of becoming a bestseller

The increase in the number of e-book publications — and in e-book sales — has been incredibly rapid. It isn’t much of a stretch to say that the e-book is the biggest shake-up in the publishing world since the Gutenberg press.

In the 1990s, if you wanted to publish a novel, you had to find and work with agents and publishers or pay to print thousands of copies. Around the turn of the century, you could publish electronically, but readers would almost certainly have had to read your novels on their computer screens — and many people saw the e-book as part of the geeky realm, not as an everyday reading experience.

Plenty of regular people (and book lovers) now own e-reader devices, and many of them have bought e-books by self-published authors, perhaps without even realizing it. These independent authors are taking control of their writing careers by publishing their own novels, nonfiction books, short story collections, poetry, and more. E-books have opened the publishing world to anyone who has a computer and an Internet connection.

In this chapter, I describe the choice you have to make between traditional publishing and self-publishing, present case studies of successful self- publishing authors, and finish with tips for making your own e-book a true success.

I hope that you’re feeling excited about e-publishing. You have many different possibilities, and whatever your goals and dreams as a writer, you’re fully in control of reaching them. I know that this task can be daunting as well as exciting (the thought of self-promotion can still make me want to hide under my duvet), but throughout the rest of this book, I help you work toward your goals. Believe me: It’s well worth the journey.