Creating an e book shouldn't phase me but it does!

I’m trying to remain confident here, having sat through many discussions with other people not really knowing quite what the technical terms mean, or what they are actually talking about. So it's a relief today to say that I'm indebted here to the article by Graham Stephens in Writing Magazine (Create your ebook, November 2010). He lays down the basics, whether your intention is to publish a technical manual or a book of poetry, pointing out that the process is pretty well identical, no matter what sort of book you’re intending to produce. He recommends you use PDF format although he does consider other options such as EXE and EPUB, which he doesn’t rule out. And he does note that you can convert easily between these different formats. He also considers fonts, page colours, page numbering, navigation between parts of the book – particularly if it’s non-fiction – and the design of the cover. All these are immensely reassuring details and very helpfully described, for a newcomer like myself.

Advice on writing an e book is easy to come by

Advice on writing an e book is easy to come by

Emma Shipley wrote in Writing Mazazine in Nov 2010 (Why YOU should write an e book) in some helpful practical detail about the basics of writing an e book. She quoted the four rules to success of an e book, by Joe Konrath:

‘1. Write a damn good book

2. Have a professional, eye-catching cover

3. Make sure your book description is terrific

4. Price it under $2.99 (or £2 in England).’

She pointed out that despite the reality that e books were already a big hit in the USA there was still a degree of mystique attached to them in the UK.

Shipley also noted that authors need to pay significant attention to the marketing of their e books. It’s clear from her tone that she regarded the e book market as more straightforward to break into than conventional publishing.