James M. Lowrance

Rants and Raves of an Indie Ebook Publisher!: Achieving Success with Digital Books James M. Lowrance

This book is also a section found in the more comprehensive resource titled: "Advice and Cautions for Independent Publishing Authors". Within the chapters of this book, I offer tips to other indie/independent authors who are considering publishing their eBooks with sellers such as the Amazon KDP and Pubit! (Barnes & Noble) publishing platforms. I will additionally include some information regarding my personal experiences writing for content websites (sites that publish articles in exchange for ad-revenue shares), in consideration of the fact that many indie publishers begin their writing experience with these type venues before advancing onward to eBook publishing. While I may at times have straightforward things to say about advantages or disadvantages involved in publishing and selling through these types of venues, I do not resort to degrading language toward those I have had less-than-positive experiences with. I will also be frank regarding sales or publishing issues I have experienced, as an independent author but since I do share much of this information from a personal perspective, there will be a few inevitable rants and raves added-in from time to time. My best publishing experiences have been with the Amazon company, both their Kindle Direct Publishing (eBooks) and their CreateSpace (paperbacks) divisions. This doesn't mean that I don't have good things to say about other publishing platforms because I certainly do but the outcomes I experienced do not reflect what every independent publisher will experience with same venues or platforms. Many factors are involved in publishing success, including the genres one plans to cover (types and subjects of eBooks being published) and how one plans to promote them. At the same time, I feel there are things we can learn from fellow-publisher experiences. If you're a publisher, especially of the indie type, I believe you will find my shared experiences to be interesting (some more than others but with each hopefully conveying a "lesson learned"). It is my hope that readers of this book, will glean a few helpful nuggets of information that will lend positively toward their own ongoing publishing experiences, including advice regarding cautions that should sometimes be taken when proceeding with the different types of venues that are available for developing authors. CHAPTER ONE Publish Your eBook Free on Amazon KDP CHAPTER TWO The BooksOnBoard eBook Publishing Platform CHAPTER THREE Mean-Spirited Spam Book and eBook Reviews CHAPTER FOUR Amazon's KDP Select: A Sales Boom for Me! CHAPTER FIVE Is it a Good Thing to Write for Content Websites? CHAPTER SIX My Unusually Negative Experience on a Publishers Help Board CHAPTER SEVEN Content Farms: Authors Beware! CHAPTER EIGHT Why I Write Short Subject Health eBooks/Books