If you have a passion for writing, and you have been dreaming of publishing your own work, here’s what we have to say, create your eBook now! Yes, not tomorrow but now – we will tell you a few reasons why.
The emergence of technology and the internet have really changed a lot about how people live their day-to-day lives. Today, people seem to rely on both a lot! In fact, it’s as if living means having your smartphone and having a speedy internet connection.
Especially the young generation, they love how easy and convenient things have become because of technology and the World Wide Web. Back in the days, if you need information, you have to go to the libraries and look for book references.
Today, when people need answer to certain questions, they just go online and Google them.
The same goes for reading. Before, book lovers buy tons of books that they like in bookstores. They discover authors through bookstores or libraries. They carry their books anywhere they go and read anywhere and anytime they want.
Today, with technology’s help, people no longer have to visit a bookstore or library to read books. With just a few clicks, they get to download copies of authors they like.
Electronic books or more popularly known as eBooks have changed how things used to be for the reading public. Today, through your laptop, your iPad, or even smartphones, you get to read your favorite books anytime and anywhere without having to carry an actual copy of the book.
In an article by CNBC online, it says that according to the Association of American Publisher’s 2019 annual report, “publishers of books in all formats made almost $26 billion in revenue last year in the U.S., with print, making up $22.6 billion and e-books taking $2.04 billion“. While print still is in the lead, we cannot deny the fact that the eBook market is also a huge market.
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Meanwhile, in a report by Statista, as of 2018, “20 percent of book readers in the U.S. stated they read more e-books than hard copy books”.
If you come to think about it, the eBook industry is just starting, and given the current situation not just in the country but globally – wherein people are restricted to going out of their homes unless very necessary – we would not be surprised if the eBooks reading public increases.
After all, eBooks are more convenient, easy to find, and cheap as compared to printed copies.
Now, are you an aspiring author, or are you someone who’s already there but looking for options to make your book available to the public?
Whatever category you belong to, this we tell you, there’s no other perfect time to release an eBook but now.
Yes, you read it right. Now is the time to share your work not just within the United States but across the world by publishing an eBook.
Not that convinced yet? Well, in the next sections, we are going to (hopefully) enlighten you on why you should already create an eBook now.
But before anything else, if eBook is a totally new idea to you, allow us to share with you a few important information on this book format first –
In particular, we’re going to share with you the following information:
- What An eBook Is All About
- eBook Formats
- Popular eBook Devices
- Benefits of eBooks
- Reasons Why Create An eBook
- Selling eBooks
WHAT AN EBOOK IS ALL ABOUT
Before anything else, it is important that you fully know and understand what an eBook is all about. As an author, before you offer anything in the market, you have to ensure that you actually know how it works first. Otherwise, you might end up wasting, time, energy, and resources.
So, what is an eBook?
As we have mentioned earlier, eBook stands for electronic book. By the word “electronic” itself, it should give you an idea already what this book format is all about.
If you are going to look the meaning or definition of an eBook in an online dictionary (or should we say look it up in Google), the definition you’ll find would be:
“An electronic version of a printed book that can be read on a computer or handheld device designed specifically for this purpose.”
The meaning is very straightforward and very easy to understand, right? Well, that is precisely what an eBook is for — convenient and direct to the point.
Unlike the typically printed copy of books, it is convenient because you do not have to carry a heavy book with you around, all you need is your iPad, tablet, or your smartphone. Needless to say, it’s convenient because you can download a copy anytime and anywhere you want for as long as there’s an internet connection, of course.
It’d direct to the point because eBooks are just a few clicks away. Additionally, it’s also practical and cheap. Compared to printed book copies, eBooks does not cost much. They’re definitely way cheaper than a hardbound.
To help you understand further what an eBook is and how it works, here’s a very informative video by BookBaby:
EBOOK FORMATS
Now that you already know what the definition of an eBook is when you create an eBook, it is also important that you know the different eBook formats or file types (for a more relatable terminology).
If you search eBook formats online, you will certainly come across a few options, and if you are someone who’s new to this, you will definitely get overwhelmed.
So, to spare you from that feeling, and to keep things simple for you, we are going to share with you some of the easiest and more popular eBook formats, which include:
- AZW (.azw)
- EPUB (.epub)
- PDF (.pdf)
AZW (.azw)
AZW files were specifically developed by Amazon for the company’s Kindle eReaders.
Unlike other eBooks formats, AZW files can store complex content such as annotations, bookmarks, as well as highlights.
The only downside is that it is only limited to Kindle users or those devices that have Kindle apps on them. AZW is very restricted because apart from it being exclusive to Kindle users, the file can only be accessed from Amazon’s online bookstore.
So, unless you want your eBook to be exclusive to Amazon’s Kindle, then you better consider other file formats instead.
EPUB (.epub)
Electronic publication or also known as EPUB is the most widely supported ebook format. Needless to say, it can be read on a wide range of devices such as smartphones, tablets, eReaders (except Kindle), as well as computers.
Compared to other eBook file formats, EPUB files are re-flowable, which makes them a legit eBook. Also, it makes it easier to read especially on small devices like smartphones.
PDF (.pdf)
Portable Document Format or better known as PDF format is the most popular file format of all. Although technically not a true eBook based on our definition, PDF is the format that most people are familiar with. Also, it’s the most accessible regardless of the type of device you use.
PDFs have become really popular among users because of their ease of use and also their ability to hold custom layouts.
The downside of PDFs though is that since they hold their format, and are not re-flowable, it can be challenging to read eBooks on a small screen like that of smartphones.
However, despite its downsides, PDFs are still the most commonly used eBook format, particularly among marketers.
By the way, PDFs are created by Adobe, a well-known American computer software company.
POPULAR EBOOK DEVICES
Perhaps you are wondering why we need to discuss eBook devices. Well, as an eBook publisher, it is important that you also know these things, so you get to properly format your work based on the available devices.
Apart from targeting your target market, you also need to consider how accessible your eBook would be.
With that in mind, here are some of the most popular and most common eBook devices that people use to read eBooks:
- Tablets
- Smartphones
- Laptop or Personal Computer
Apart from these, recently, a device called eReader (electronic reader) was developed to be particularly used for reading as well as storing eBooks. An eReader is similar to a tablet. It is a handheld device.
Some of the most well-know eReader devices these days include:
- Amazon’s Kindle
- Barnes & Noble’s Nook
- Rakuten’s Kobo
BENEFITS OF EBOOKS
Earlier, we said that now is the best time for authors to publish their eBooks.
In this section, we are going to provide you with a few reasons why now is the best time to create eBook, and some of them are as follows:
It saves space.
While some people are fortunate enough to have a space to set up their home libraries, others don’t.
Realistically, storing a number of books can be quite a challenge especially for bookworms. But, with eBooks, you don’t have to worry about not having enough space.
With one device alone, you can save thousands of books that you love.
If you think about it, eBooks are the answer to bookworms who want to read lots of books but nowhere to store them. eBooks are definitely the key.
It saves money.
eBooks are definitely way cheaper as compared to prints, and it is for this reason that more and more people are attracted to eBooks because they get to save a lot.
Typically, eBooks are priced between $2.99 and $9.99, which is really affordable.
It saves the environment.
According to the website called OverDrive, they’ve reported that for 1 billion digital books that were checked out by their readers, 15.8 million trees have been saved.
Take note of this, we are just talking about one eBook provider. Imagine if we calculate all the other eBooks’ providers’ total number of eBooks purchased. That’s a lot of trees saved, which means great for the environment.
So, if you want to help save the environment, save some more trees, eBook is the way to go.
It is convenient, accessible, and are portable.
This is very self-explanatory. eBooks are absolutely very convenient, because you only need one device, and you get to carry a lot of titles with you.
It is accessible, because again, you only need your eBook device to access all the books you want to read, and if you want to purchase another, you just got to have reliable internet with you.
eBooks are portable, because you can bring them anywhere and everywhere you go.
REASONS WHY CREATE AN EBOOK
While we can run down a list of reasons why you should create eBook, we thought we’re going to just focus on these three very important things:
- Self-Publication Purposes
- Affordable Publication Cost
- Marketing Strategy
- Accessibility
- Searchable
Self-Publication Purposes
Back in the days, you need a publisher in order to be able to share your work with the reading public. Today, thanks to technology, self-publishing a book were made possible — and eBook is one of the usual means authors get to publish their work.
Many self-published individuals publish an eBook because compared to the typical prints, it gets to a wider audience, it’s cheap, it’s very accessible, and while there is a huge competition out there, it’s easier to market because your target audience is reachable via the internet.
By publishing an eBook on your own, you get rid of a larger expense. You don’t need, in fact, a lot of money to publish your work, which is the best reason of all.
Apart from the financial aspect, as mentioned, you get to reach a wider audience, which is great because more than the sales, it is every author’s dream to share their work with a lot of people — to hopefully, inspire, entertain, or inform.
Additionally, self-publishing an eBook is a great way to gain confidence in your particular subject matter, and at the same time, an effective means to improve your writing skills. Creating an eBook also further expand your knowledge on the topic, as well as establish your expertise, and develop your writing, editing, even proofreading, and design skills along the way.
Affordable Publication Cost
We already mentioned it, publishing an eBook is way cheaper as compared to prints.
The cost is actually one of the very reasons why you should create eBook now.
In most cases, all you need is your brilliant mind, your work, and a couple of help if you do not know how to format and design your book. But, if you do, that makes it, even more, an affordable means to make your work known to the reading public.
Generally, publishing an eBook through different eBook publishing platforms is free until someone purchases a copy. Normally, eBook platforms charge a very small percentage to authors, which is totally reasonable.
Marketing Strategy
eBooks are becoming popular nowadays as part of marketing strategies. This is precisely because the content is the very backbone of inbound marketing. The quality of the content, though, can make or break an inbound marketing strategy.
eBooks serve as a great asset in attracting consumers. It helps create brand awareness, as well as offer value to potential customers by giving something useful to them.
If you are a marketer, writing, or creating an eBook is a great opportunity to be the one-stop-shop that most readers want. Again, the success of the marketing strategy though will still depend on how valuable your content is.
Accessibility
EBooks are very accessible. All you need is a device and a reliable internet connection, and with just a click you get to download an eBook written by your favorite author.
What’s nice about it also is that eBooks provide endless possibilities. For example, since it’s online, you get a wider audience — not only people from your country but from all over the world (everyone who gets to access the platform where you uploaded your eBook).
Searchable
Apart from the fact that eBooks are accessible, eBooks are searchable, too.
If a reader is interested in a particular section or part of your book, they get to easily search for it online instead of having to scan through every single page.
How searchable your book actually helps in increasing the chances of your eBook being read, which means increasing the chances to earn more as well.
SELLING EBOOKS
In this section, we thought we’d give you a quick idea as to how you sell an eBook as well.
There are several ways to distribute or sell your eBook. If you have your own website, that’s one. If you don’t, you can use eBook marketplaces like Amazon, which as we know is one of the largest marketplaces in the country, and other parts of the world as well.
Amazon’s Kindle in particular is one of the most popular eBook publishers, and also, it is one of those with the largest market.
Other eBooks retailers also include Kobo, Apple, and Nook.
Meanwhile, when it comes to pricing, you get to decide on that — just make sure though that it is reasonable. You can also check other books of the same category as yours to get an idea when it comes to cost.
FINAL THOUGHTS ON CREATING AN EBOOK
For bookworms like us, an eBook is definitely one of the most genius ideas man has ever had. With eBooks, we get to save a lot of money, at the same time, we get to save a lot of trees for the environment. Needless to say, it’s convenient and easily accessible.
But, for self-publishing authors and aspiring authors alike, eBook is an answered prayer. It’s something that enables them to share their work with the world without having to look for a publisher or to spend a lot just to get published.
Don’t you just find all these amazing? Well, we do, and we are sure a lot of authors are, too.
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