What is an ebook?
The term ‘ebook’ is short for ‘electronic book’, meaning that the book isn’t a physical book, it’s been created electronically to be read via a screen.
A decade or so ago (think back to 2015 and prior), many people promoted PDFs as ebooks, especially as a marketing tool (‘Download your free ebook here!’), but PDFs are not ‘true’ ebooks – they’re just electronic files that can’t be edited without the appropriate software and technical knowledge.
What I call a ‘true’ ebook is one which can be read on a device such as a Kindle, Nook or iPad and generally comes with the ability to change the font, the font size, the line spacing etc., to suit the reader. These files are generally epub files (short for ‘electronic publication’). Until a few years ago, Amazon’s standard was the mobi file, but they’ve since adopted epub files as their standard for Kindles, meaning that epub is now the industry standard.
When you finish an ebook from your favourite new author at 3 am, you can download the next in the series right away and keep reading – no waiting for the postie to leave a package at the door!
Why would you publish an ebook?
Here are my five main reasons for publishing an ebook:
- Reach. You can reach more readers worldwide by publishing an ebook than you can a print book. There are people in developing countries who will be able to buy your ebook and read it on their phone, whereas they probably wouldn’t have access to buy your print version, even if they could afford it. And if you have a print version, you can add an ebook version for even further reach – while also giving your potential buyers an alternative option! 😉
- Economy. It is less expensive to format and publish an ebook than it is to format and publish a print book.
- Environment. Ebooks don’t have to be printed or shipped, thus saving not only trees and fuel, but also the energy used to create them, the side products such as ink and glue, and the packaging materials for shipment. And then there’s no waste if someone doesn’t want to keep the book to re-read it at a later date.
- Return. An ebook costs little for platforms to sell (as there is no stock to buy upfront), so the return per sale to the author can often be higher than the print version.
- Accessibility. Many reading devices allow the reader to change the font, the font size, the line spacing and more, making them adaptable to different people’s reading needs. Add to this the fact that many devices also operate as screen readers for the visually impaired, and holding a lightweight device such as a Kindle is easier than holding a 300-page paperback open for hours, you are making your book accessible to those who might struggle to read a print version.
How I can help you publish an ebook
If you’ve finished writing your book, I can offer you two options for ebook file creation:
- I can format your manuscript from scratch and create an epub file which will meet the specs for uploading to major distributors such as Ingram and KDP.
- If you’ve created a print version already, then supply me with the Word version of your book and I’ll create an epub version from there.
Please note: You will need to supply an ebook cover for me to integrate with the manuscript. I will supply you with tech specs for that when the time comes, or else guide you towards a cover designer who can work with you to create one if you don’t already have a print version.
What if my book has illustrations?
Illustrations can be included in an ebook, but they do increase the file size and aren’t always easy for the reader to see. They also require work to standardise the image size prior to being imported, so they do add to the cost of production.
If your book has occasional illustrations, we can discuss how important these are to the book and whether they should be included or not.
But if your book is highly illustrated, then it probably won’t be suitable for production as an ebook.
What is it likely to cost?
The cost will depend on:
- whether you can supply a Word doc formatted using Word’s Styles or not
- how many chapters, headings, sub-headings etc., the book has
- whether the book has special formatting throughout such as italics, bold, lists, footnotes, endnotes, etc.
- whether there are any images, tables etc., to include
- the assumption that you have already had the manuscript edited and proofread
- the assumption that you will supply a cover file which meets the technical specifications required.
Starting price, unless it’s a very small book, will generally be based on 5 hours at my current hourly rate as per my Services page. This will allow for two samples to be sent to you – the first for feedback and the second with any revisions taken up as a result of that feedback.
However, while the above is a starter guideline, an accurate quote can only be provided once I see the manuscript.
Find out more
If you have an ebook planned that you’d like an obligation-free quote on, or if you have any questions, please feel free to reach out via my Contact page.
I look forward to hearing from you!