How to Become an eBook Superstar

How to Become an eBook Superstar: A growing number of ambitious authors are turning to self-publishing. But how do they translate their aspirations into success?
by Patrick Barkham, the guardian

It has never been easier to publish your own book. Traditional publishers may take a year to turn your manuscript into print on a page but you can get your own ebook on sale around the world in about four minutes. The real battle, however, is the same as it ever was: how do you find an audience?

Old-school publishing houses will almost certainly endure. Their expertise in not only editing but distributing and publicising your book increases its chances of success. But alongside them are a growing number of authors who have become editor/designer/marketeer/sales director for their own ebooks. In return for this slog, instead of a modest advance plus 8%–15% royalty from a traditional publisher, a self-published author may enjoy royalties of 70% if their book is sold at a certain price (£1.49 to £7.81) in the Kindle store. Self-published authors will also get the buzz of seeing their ebooks in high-street shops after Waterstones recently made a surprise deal with rival Amazon to sell Kindles and its ebooks through its 300 stores.

1. Choose the right book, the right genre and the right title

“Write for the right reasons – ie yourself,” says Kerry Wilkinson, the 31-year-old sports journalist from Preston who became Britain’s bestselling ebook author – beating established megasellers such as Lee Child and Stieg Larsson – on Amazon in the final quarter of last year. “If I had set out to sell tens of thousands of copies and sign with a publisher, then I would likely have ended up achieving nothing because I would have been focused on the wrong things,” he says.

If the book you have written for yourself is a delicate work of literary fiction, a children’s book or an esoteric subject (butterflies, say), it may be better to persevere with attracting a mainstream publisher. At this stage in the digital revolution, the successful self-published ebooks spring from popular genres, and those for which there are already big online communities – fantasy, erotica, chick-lit, horror and crime thrillers. Be careful with your title: in an era of keywords, tags and search engine optimisation, it has never been more important. Distinctive is good; baffling, however, is not. According to a recent survey by the Sydney-based Taleist blog, self-published romance authors earn the most – 170% more than their peers.

[CONTINUE READING HERE: http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/jun/06/become-an-ebook-superstar]