How to Publish an eBook: From Draft to Digital Success

For many writers, the journey from writing a book to publishing is a rollercoaster of challenges. 

Earlier, authors printed a myriad of manuscripts and sent them to each book publisher. Then came the cooling time between the manuscript submission and publisher review, which led to writer stress, rejection, publishing costs, and demotivation. 

But now, authors don't have to worry about these challenges anymore. By uploading manuscripts via flipbook software, they can create eBooks, connect with book suppliers, and publish their work comfortably.  

Pick up that discarded copy and learn how to publish your eBook to make your voice feel heard. 

Let's look at how modern-day authors publish their eBooks without juggling traditional obstacles and reducing rollbacks of manuscripts. 

How to publish an eBook with the top five eBook retailers 

Below, we’ll walk through how to go about publishing with the top four eBook retailers in the industry: Amazon, Apple, Nook, and Kobo.

1. Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) 

If you’re trying to reach the widest audience, Amazon is the place to start. Amazon has dominated eBook sales throughout the past decade and has become one of the largest eBook retailers in the industry with its publishing platform, Kindle Direct Publishing, which is meant for talented authors and poets.

In order to publish with KDP, your eBook file needs to be exported in .asw or .mobi file formats, also known as Kindle files. To get started, you’ll have to either sign in with your Amazon account or sign up for an account if you don’t already have one. Once you’ve signed in, be sure to read the terms and conditions before beginning the publishing process to ensure you understand royalties, payments, distributions, etc.

With Kindle Direct Publishing, you have two eBook royalty options: there is a 35 percent royalty option or an option of up to 70 percent royalty on sales in select American and European countries. To incentivize authors to work exclusively with Kindle Direct Publishing, Amazon offers KDP Select, a program that grants you access to a new set of promotional tools.

To write and sell your novels with Amazon KDP, the first step is to prepare your manuscript as a compatible soft copy and align it with Amazon's publishing guidelines. Once you have a compatible and properly formatted document, you can explore other options, like adding DRM, watermark, intellectual property coverage, and so on. 

2. Apple iBooks Author 

Apple’s eBook publishing platform, iBooks Author, comes in second to Amazon. iBooks Author is a free macOS app (available in the app store or on a Mac) that can be used to create and publish eBooks. This app has templates, layout tools, and image galleries available that enable authors to create media-rich, interactive eBooks that can be viewed with any Apple device that has the Apple Books app.  

To publish from iBooks Author, you will need to export your file as .pdf, .txt, .epub, or iBooks file. If you are looking to create an eBook in iBooks Author, you can create it in an EPUB (.epub) or iBooks (.ibooks) format and publish your work directly to the iBooks Store.

In order to sell your book on the iBooks Store, you’ll have to set up iTunes Connect for iBooks and download iTunes Producer, and your eBook must be in iBooks (.ibooks) file format. You can also sell your book on the web, but it must be in a non-iBooks file format, such as EPUB or PDF.

3. Barnes & Noble Press

Unlike Amazon and Apple, Barnes & Noble’s sales have declined in recent years, but that doesn’t mean that it’s not a major player in the eBook industry. In order to use Barnes & Noble’s publishing platform, Barnes & Noble Press (formerly known as NOOK Press), you’ll need to sign up for an account on its website. From there, you can easily create, publish, and promote your eBook.

Barnes and Noble have liaisons with third-party publications and retailers who contact authors and facilitate the eBook process for them. However, getting work published with Barnes and Noble can incur a decent fee—or publishing cost.

To publish with Barnes & Noble Press, you can upload a doc or docx, txt, rtf, HTML, or EPUB. The NOOK store sells EPUBs, so if you upload something other than an EPUB, Barnes & Noble Press will convert your document to an EPUB file.

In addition to creating and publishing your eBook, Barnes & Noble Press offers resources to help you sell your eBook. From marketing advice and tips to exclusive merchandising programs, Barnes & Noble Press helps drive awareness and sales.

For a step-by-step tutorial on publishing your eBook with Barnes & Noble Press, check out this article.

4. Kobo Writing Life 

Kobo is the smallest of the major retailers, but don’t underestimate the company’s value. It’s slowly but surely growing and has an international presence. Kobo’s self-publishing portal, Kobo Writing Life, allows authors and publishers to easily create, edit, and publish content to its eBook stores around the world.

To start publishing with Kobo Writing Life, you can upload your content in a file in DOC, DOCX, EPUB, MOBI, or OPF. Kobo uses EPUB files, so if your file isn’t already in this format, it will be converted before it’s ready for publishing.

Kobo sells eBooks in well over 150 countries every month, and its global expansion continues. Depending on the price of the eBook and the territory in which it is sold, Kobo vendors can receive up to 70 percent royalty on eBook sales.

5. Wiley

Wiley offers online publishing services for authors to create a lasting impression and inspire other budding authors and writers. The process of book creation and publication is seamless and straightforward, and Wiley offers personalized assistance throughout the entire pipeline. 

Wiley is known to be one of the most prominent names in academic, fiction, non-fiction, and other genres of books. The writers have to work on a mandatory proposal to the editor, stating the epilogue and preface of their manuscript. This is more like a discipline-oriented stage of the entire process, where writers are willing to seek review and editor's feedback on the manuscript. The letter of proposal has to follow a checklist that encapsulates the "basics", "what "why", "who", and "how" of your manuscript. Submitting it directly via the Wiley publishing service platform is the first step. 

Then, the author needs to submit the proposal and wait for the cooling period. The user should also specify the genre of their work and the target market. There are two categories: academic and professional publishing and trade and general publishing. After that, authors need to prepare and submit a copy of their manuscript.

Wiley sends the manuscript for quality and content review before rolling it into their printing production. The final edition is managed by a typesetter who digitizes the book in different formats and also sends it for offline physical binding. After your publication cycle is complete, Wiley also supports authors to hold book signing and book promotion campaigns. 

Five strategies on how to create an eBook

Whether you’ve set out to write a personal eBook or an eBook as part of your marketing strategy, writing one can be fairly simple if you approach it the right way.

• Don’t write an eBook for the sake of writing one: If you’re going to write an eBook, make sure there is a purpose for it. Writing something your audience doesn’t want or need to know about is setting you up for failure from the start.
• Don’t make your eBook too long: Obviously, your eBook length will vary depending on the purpose or topic you’re writing about. But only write what’s necessary to get your point across, nothing more. Shorter eBooks are ideal, considering people don’t want to spend hours staring at a digital screen.
• Don’t skip proofreading: Failing to proofread can make the difference between a subpar eBook and an eBook that’s well-polished. If you want to be a source that people trust, don’t skip on the proofreading.
• Don’t skimp on visuals: If I can tell you one thing about long-form content, it’s that it’s B-O-R-I-N-G without visuals. The last thing you want to do is overwhelm your readers with big blocks of text and no images or graphs to look at. Visuals will make your content easier for the eyes and enhance readers’ understanding of the material.
• Put thought into your eBook design: You’ve spent time writing your eBook, but don’t forget to put time into designing it. If you have a designer readily available, prepare a creative brief for them so they have a clear understanding of your vision. If you’re designing the eBook yourself, you’ll need to consider formatting, colors, fonts, and branding. These should be consistent throughout so your eBook can look professional.

Three best tips to design an eBook cover

In order to have a successful eBook, you need to have great content and make that content look appealing. If you don’t, people won’t even make it to your content, no matter how awesome it is. So, here are a few things to keep in mind while designing your eBook cover:

1. Choose the right color: Recognize that the psychology of color plays a huge role in people’s first impressions. Our brains process colors quicker than words. This means that potential readers will notice the color before they even get a chance to read your title. So, the color scheme of your cover is important! Choose a color scheme that matches the emotion of your eBook's plot.
2. Own digital rights management (DRM) for your book: Be aware of your DRM integration and file proper documentation to safeguard your digital assets. If you decide to use photos on your cover, make sure you own the rights. The last thing you want is to slap a photo from Google on the cover and hope you don’t get in trouble. If you’re going to use photos, use them right. 
3. Make it eye-catching yet capture a great premise: Give people a reason to leaf through more pages of your book. Capture a great plot, like tech, sci-fi, or politics, and make sure your exhaustive research and fact-delivery reflect on the cover of your book. 

How to choose an eBook format?

Converting your eBook into eBook file format is an extremely important step when publishing an eBook because it ensures that your content isn’t edited and is actually readable. 

Depending on what type of eBook you’re writing, there are several formats that you can choose from. While there are actually dozens of potential eBook formats, I’m going to touch on the five most commonly used and widely distributed formats: TXT, EPUB, MOBI, AZW, and PDF.

• TXT (.txt): A standard TXT file is the simplest it gets as far as format goes. These files do not support any type of images or graphics, so they can only be used if your eBook is strictly text. They also lack formatting, fixed layouts, digital rights management (DRM) protection, and interactivity.
• EPUB (.epub): EPUBs are by far the most common eBook format. When you think of an eBook, you’re most likely thinking of the EPUB format, whether you know it or not. EPUB files are DRM-protected and have strong copy protection, which is appealing to many authors.
• Reflowable EPUB: These files are reflowable, meaning no matter the size of the screen, text, or images, they will reflow for the best fit. Although this format will adjust to fit any screen size, it does have a flat, linear design so that images will float with the text. With that, I’d recommend it for more text-heavy eBooks, but it’s a very versatile format.
• Fixed layout EPUB: This type of EPUB format allows for a much more sophisticated design. Fixed layout EPUBs support interactivity, animations, and high-end designs, so they’re great if you’re all about a “pretty” eBook. However, they are limited in distribution compared to reflowable EPUBs, so that’s something to consider.
  
• MOBI (.mobi): In recent years, the MOBI file format has been discontinued and replaced by the AZW file format (which I’ll cover next). This file format was the first to be used by Amazon for the Kindle. Although this type of file is no longer supported, it is still widely popular and often used on Kindle devices.
• AZW (.azw): Amazon developed AZW files, also known as Kindle files, to replace MOBI files. This format is very similar to MOBI but has DRM protection that restricts readers from using it on devices other than Kindles or Kindle apps.
• PDF (.pdf): The PDF format is similar to the fixed-layout EPUB file format in the sense that it is not reflowable. PDFs are known for their ease of use, ability to edit, and maintenance of high-end designs and formats. While they don’t have great copy protection, they are still one of the most commonly used eBook formats, especially by marketers. Keep in mind that PDF files can’t be sold in the iBook or Kindle store.

Choosing the right format is crucial because it determines who you are writing the book for and which medium to use for audience engagement. Also, building paperless eBooks or paperbacks is an indication of the structure of your eBook (like plain, image-based, or graph-based).

What is a common mistake that authors make while publishing an eBook?  

Many authors make the mistake of choosing a file format before considering any of these things. What they don’t know is that some file types are better for different types of content, some file types aren’t compatible with certain devices, and retailers have specific file type requirements as well (which I’ll cover afterward). So, failing to acknowledge these variables could lead to trouble in the publishing process.

For more clarity on finding the right eBook file format, I recommend learning more about e-book formats and how to choose the best one for you.

How to price an eBook?

Chances are you’re not going to let people read your eBook for free. Not after all of the blood, sweat, and tears you put into the darn thing. In order to earn that well-deserved cash, you’ll have to price your eBook. Unfortunately, it’s not as easy as throwing out a number. There is a strategy behind making a well-informed decision.

While there are several factors that should be considered when pricing your ebook, including delivery costs and your eBook’s length, quality, and genre, there is one that I find predominant: royalty percentages.

Book royalties are a percentage of the eBook’s retail price. This percentage changes depending on the retailer and list price. To illustrate how royalties vary, I’ve included this chart that indicates what percentage of the price you would receive. (Note: These are examples only. The other factors I mentioned above would affect actual royalties.)

Confused? Let’s walk through an example.

Example of eBook pricing

Say your book is on Amazon for $5.99 with a 70 percent royalty. This means you’d receive $4.19 of that $5.99. At the same price, you’d receive $4.19 from the iBookstore sale, $3.89 from a Barnes & Noble sale, and between $2.40 and $3.29 from other retailers.

If you decide to distribute through multiple retailers, you have to agree to sell the eBook for the same price on all platforms. Don’t “work the system” to make up for royalty percentage differences.

As shown in the chart above, most major retailers provide the highest royalties for eBooks priced between $2.99 and $9.99. So, I’d suggest aiming for this price range. Remember, because you’re self-publishing, you can adjust your price if you find it isn’t working for your goals.

If you recall, I did mention that you probably aren’t giving your eBook out for free. But, there is one exception: marketing. In marketing, eBooks are generally not distributed for revenue purposes but rather with the goal of attracting new business (i.e., collecting email addresses as potential leads). Although that business doesn’t include you directly receiving a monetary payment for your eBook, you are, in turn, reaping the long-term benefits of growing your business.

Different channels to publish an eBook

Before starting the publishing process, you’ll need to consider who you want to publish with. There are two options you can open yourself to. Either hire a book aggregator to format, print, publish, and distribute eBooks across book sites. Or, do it yourself while handling production costs and supply chain relationships to self-publish a book.

What’s the difference, you ask?

eBook aggregator vs. direct self-publishing

Authors can consider two ways: either supply their manuscript to a wholesale book aggregator to automate the book distribution process or simply take the steering.

An eBook aggregator, sometimes called a distributor, acts as the middle-man in the publishing process. In other words, they deal directly with the eBook authors for publishing and then coordinate with eBook retailers, like Amazon and Apple, to move forward with distributing the eBook. You might consider using an eBook aggregator in the case that you don’t meet the requirements to self-publish (i.e., Barnes & Noble requires you to have a U.S. bank account and U.S. Tax ID) or if you simply don’t have the hardware or technical expertise to format and publish your eBook.

Sure, eBook aggregators can take some weight off your shoulders and do the work for you, but their service does come with a price. They generally provide additional services, like sales reporting, in addition to the actual publishing and distribution. But they make money by taking a share of your royalty or sales.  

DIY Self-publishing is a less stress-inducing encashment stream if authors don't want to pay book aggregators or wholesalers. Doing it yourself without the profit share of aggregators can familiarize you with the self-publishing process and not burn out your royalties or sales. 

The self-publishing production workflow has become easy with the presence of top renowned eBook publishers like Lulu, Amazon KDP, Barnes and Noble, HarperCollins, and other renowned book sites. The platform automates manuscripts into an accessible electronic file format and works with a pre-installed JavaScript and HTML framework to upload the soft copy to the publishing website. Further, authors can personalize and design their own book covers and paperbacks without accounting for design agency fees. 

What's the right way of publishing an ebook?

Now that you know your publishing options, it’s time to choose which one is right for you. While making your decision, set the context of your research. This involves checking out all the easy and cost-efficient streams, book suppliers and distributors, expenditures, and end profits that you'll earn as a cut.

If you decide to go the direct self-publishing route, that would be awesome. Below are the top eBook retailers in the industry. In other words, the names of every store you’ll want to publish your eBook on.

Now, let me walk you through the self-publishing process.

eBook self-publishing checklist 

To publish your eBook, you’ll need more than just the content itself. Each retailer will require information regarding your eBook before publishing it. Although these may differ by platform, here is a list of general information to have ready before publishing:

• Book title: You’ll need a title for your eBook (obviously). When you publish it, be sure to enter the exact title on the cover, nothing else.
• Subtitle: Having a subtitle is completely optional, but if you’re going to have one, I’d recommend fitting some of your keywords (we will touch more on keywords shortly) here if they fit.
• Series information (optional): If this is your first eBook, this might be something you skip. Unless you’re planning to keep writing on the same subject and creating a series. In either case, if the book is part of a series, include the series title and volume here.
• Edition number (optional): If your eBook is updated regularly, you can use edition numbers to ensure readers know it contains new information.
• Publisher (optional): This may be something you include, but you don’t have to. Generally, readers don’t shop by publisher. But if you do want to put something here, you can simply say your company name or a trade name you decide on.
• Primary author: Whoever wrote the eBook should surely get credit for it! Include the name of the primary author and an ‘about the author’ section so readers can know a little about who wrote the eBook. 
• Book contributors (optional): If there were any co-authors, translators, editors, etc., that made a contribution to the eBook, credit them. They had a part in creating your awesome eBook.
• Description: If readers don’t decide on your eBook by its cover, they will decide whether or not to read it based on the description. Write a short sales description that’ll sell the readers why they should read your eBook. Make sure it’s intriguing and introduces key concepts of your eBook.
• Publishing rights (owned or public domain): You’ll want to verify your publishing rights. This means you’ll need to specify whether the book is in the public domain or if it’s owned. In this case, you’ll most likely want to verify that your book is not a public domain and you hold the necessary publishing rights.
• International Standard Book Number (ISBN): ISBNs are optional. They’re more common with print books. Make sure your eBook has a unique ISBN number to connect with potential publishers and suppliers. Patent your ISBN and get an affiliation code from the ISBN agency before you reach out to book suppliers. 
• Keywords: In order to maximize your reach, you will want to do research on what your customers are searching for. This keyword research will play a big part in how people find your book, so be sure to have a list of keywords here. Sites like Ahrefs and Moz are easy-to-use keyword explorers.
• Categories: Before publishing, research your target market and choose niche categories that align with that audience. You’ll want to add these categories so that readers can find your eBook when searching for them.
• Age range (optional): Choosing an age or grade range is definitely optional, but it will improve the discoverability of your eBook by refining readers’ search.
• Pre-order status (optional): You have the choice to release the eBook immediately or make it available for pre-order. If you decide to make it available for pre-order, customers have the option to order early and have it delivered to them automatically when the release date rolls around.

Once you have the information above prepared, you’re ready to start the publishing process.

How to market and promote an eBook?

Now that you’ve published your eBook don’t forget about one of the major reasons you published it in the first place (aside from marketing): revenue!

Unfortunately, you can’t just publish your eBook and call it a day. Your book won’t market and promote itself. Plan to put in time and effort to make sure that people not only see your eBook but also read it.

Here are three ways to increase your eBook sales instantly:

1. Don't depend on one retailer

Putting all your eggs in one basket is a bad idea. If you want to maximize your reach and increase sales, plan to sell your eBook through various retailers globally. We discussed how to publish with the big players in the industry above (Amazon, Apple, Barnes & Noble, and Kobo), but that doesn’t mean additionally publishing with smaller retailers in the industry is bad. Check out smaller retailers like Scribd, Baker & Taylor, and Gardners to explore more options for book production outsourcing. 

2. Help your readers find your eBook 

How do you guide your audience to your eBook? You build a strong web presence, which requires a combination of tactics.

• Social media marketing: Social media marketing can create initial thrust and momentum with people within your network and spread the word and visibility to a larger digital community. If an author promotes his/her own book, it affirms the credibility and originality of the work. 
• Using your website marketing strategy to promote your eBook: Building website funnels through a landing page builder, intelligent copywriting, and necessary calls to action on the purchase page or book publisher website is another way of gaining organic engagement.
• Offering discounts or giveaways: Being generous and running early bird discount offers would empower book enthusiasts and book lovers to explore recent publications of novel authors or research more about a particular book genre due to price affordability. 
• Influencer marketing: Clubbing with a micro or major influencer and negotiating a deal to distribute book royalty can also help you build a credible and intelligent audience to establish the first touch base. 

If you focus your efforts on tactics similar to those above, you’ll quickly build a strong web presence, reel your audience in, and increase eBook sales.

3. Get your eBook reviewed

Nowadays, people hesitate to purchase something without first getting a second opinion. With that, if your eBook doesn’t have at least a few customer reviews, you’re going to have a tough time getting people to buy it. To avoid this, you’ll want to find ways to get to get readers to leave a review. Word-of-mouth can be one of your most powerful tools, so put effort into getting readers to generate a buzz about your eBook!

Hit the publish button

With that, it’s time to publish your eBook. If you have a rough manuscript being marinated in dust and soot, brush it off and get to work today. Digitizing your manuscript and publishing your first eBook isn't a far-fetched dream anymore. With the advancements in technology, creative media, and globalization, the podium is given to talented authors and writers to publish books and empower others with their mighty desk names ubiquitously.

If this sounds familiar to you, write that book and own up to self-publishing your work in your expertise and zone of genius today! Break all the barriers and stereotypes and become a renowned and published author without any ado. 

Print your book with a creative repository of front and back-page designs and explore digital upload flexibility with desktop publishing software. 

This article was originally published in 2018 and has been updated with new information.