List price. (set by publisher) sales models in publishing. Retailer's revenue ... devices, apps, & e-readers. ... Au
The Cutthroat World of eBooks
in a nutshell
Glossary eBook A portable, electronic document
CSS Cascading Style Sheets; what provides
that is not meant for printing; consumed on
style for content, such as fonts, color, & text
devices, apps, & e-readers.
justification.
EPUB Open ebook standard. Essentially, a
Self publishing Avenue for authors to
ZIP file containing HTML & CSS (content).
distribute their work directly to consumers
MOBI Amazon equivalent of EPUB. Short for
without a publisher.
Mobipocket. Contains HTML & CSS.
Platform 1. Author’s credentials & media
DRM Digital Rights Management. Prevents
exposure. 2. eBook distribution front (e.g.,
users from sharing ebooks with others; locks
Amazon Kindle Store, iBookstore).
content.
Metadata Data about data. In ebooks:
HTML Hypertext Markup Language; the
information about a title that’s machine-
building blocks of an ebook (i.e., an EPUB
readable (e.g., author name, ISBN).
file). Provides structure for content.
sales models in publishing retail
amazon
Retailer’s revenue
Consumer price; also List price (set by publisher)
List price (set by publisher)
{
Retailer’s revenue
30%
Publisher’s revenue
70%
Wholesale price
Wholesale price
Publisher’s revenue
agency
(Amazon’s loss) Consumer price
Publisher’s revenue
appazoogle.com | #AWP13 | bit.ly/apzglAWP13
Self Publishing: PROS & CONS More control over book pricing
High competition
Control over all aspects of publishing process
Expectations for lower price points
Can choose your own copy editor, development editor, designer, etc.
Hiring freelance support can get expensive fast
Agent representation not necessary
Self publishing can still carry a stigma
Can be ideal for a narrow, niche audience
Often missed opportunities for in-store sales and wider distribution
Higher royalty percentages through platforms (e.g., Kindle Direct)
Need to sell higher volumes to make up for lower price points
Can publish digital-only formats and leverage print-on-demand for physical copies
Technical experience needed for creating digital formats; POD can be pricey
Opportunity to test a market before formally pitching
If it doesn’t work, less likely to attract a traditional publisher’s attention
Traditional Publishing: PROS & CONS Publishers pay in advance
The advance can often be relatively low for firsttime authors
Wider distribution in bookstores
No guarantee for “premium” shelf space
In-house support from multiple departments (marketing, PR, editorial, design, sales, foreign rights, serial rights)
In-house support also working on multiple titles, and author still needs to do a lot of his/her own marketing
Prestige of having an established publishing house attached to your book
Lower royalty percentages and some titles never earn out their advances
Having agents and publishing staff mean more individuals advocating for your success
High barrier to entry; multiple rejections, often need to have an agent
Professional cover and design
Author may have less input on design and other aspects of book
HELPFUL RESOURCES Hashtags
Websites & Blogs
Programs
Distribution Platforms
#indiechat | #litchat Group discussions on self publishing, writing, & more
Appazoogle.com Bibliocrunch.com DigitalBookWorld.com eprdctn.org GalleyCat.com GoodeReader.com GoodReads.com PublishersWeekly.com PaidContent.org
Sigil WYSIWYG EPUB creator
Apple Amazon/CreateSpace Barnes & Noble (PubIt!) Google Play Inkling Habitat Kobo Lulu Sony Smashwords
#eprdctn Technical discussion regarding ebook production
iBooks Author App for making iBooks Adobe InDesign Design for print, export ebooks
appazoogle.com | #AWP13 | bit.ly/apzglAWP13
