What's The Big Deal About eBOOKS?

Today I am turning over the blog to fellow author, Hope Clark, author of Lowcountry Bribe a wonderful murder mystery. She also does a weekly newsletter. Links for both of these are at the end of the post. The topic of eBooks is on the lips of most authors today and that is why I wanted to include this post from her. 

The Importance of eBooks Today

First of all, eBook sales are equaling print sales with most publishers, on most books. eBook sales for Lowcountry Bribe amounted to over 85 percent of sales. Yep. Surprised me, too. And yes, I understand you want to hold that paper book in your hands. But if you are seeking numbers of sales and dollars in your pocket, you'd better embrace eBooks.

Here are a few reasons why you should consider publishing via eBook:

1) Readers will test a new author on an eReader, where they can purchase the book for a big discount. They will not often go into Barnes & Noble and spend $15-$30 for that same test. Sure, I sold  a few copies of Lowcountry Bribe, but most came from online sales that I prompted. Those who didn't know me, read me via eBook.

2) eBooks are cheaper. Readers would rather buy more books for their buck.

3) Books are not fun to get rid of. They take up space. I donate or giveaway at least 100 books a year. It gets old finding new homes for old books. I save my bookshelf space for those special  books I want to keep.

4)eBooks are mobile. I travel several times a year, and always have at least two books going at a time. If I'm gone for a week or having to make long waits at airports, I go through even more books. You get the idea.

5) Your eBooks are simple to upload to Amazon, Barnes & Noble, etc. Heck, you can have Smashwords or BookBaby upload your book to all electronic sites for next to nothing.

6) Ebooks pay higher commissions/royalties than paper. eBooks published by a traditional publisher result in royalties of  25 to 40 percent. Royalties for print are eight percent on the average. Let's say an eBook is $9.95 and a print book is $14.95. When you sell one of each, you receive $3.98 per ebook sold and $1.20 per print book sold. You could sell the eBook for as low as $2.99 (a common price per book) and make the same royalty of $1.20.

However, don't overlook the fact that your eBook:
1) Needs to be edited as hard as any print book.
2) Needs just as gorgeous a cover as any print book.
3) Needs marketing and promotion like any print book.
4) Needs book reviews like any print book to be taken seriously.
5) Can be uploaded almost too easily, so so you'll be tempted
to post it for sale prematurely.

Ebooks are here to stay. People who swore they'd never read anything but paper are warming up to e-readers. Here are some links to help you get started as an eBook author. It's indeed a learning curve, but once you get it down pat, it gets to be fun as well as turn a few dollars for your pocket. Ebook Aggregators (Folks who can post your ebook online) Also known as Ebook Convertors and Distributors:
http://www.publishyourownebooks.com/ebook-aggregators-comparison-chart/
http://www.ebookit.com/index.php 

Ebook Convertors
http://calibre-ebook.com/
http://www.ebookconversiondirectory.com/
http://mysterywritingismurder.blogspot.com/p/ebook-services-directory.html
http://www.mobipocket.com/

As promised here's some links to follow up with Hope and her writing.
http://www.fundsforwriters.com/ and  www.chopeclark.com