With the information age upon us, keyboard warriors around the world can easily find out that there is more than one way to release a new book for sale. Whether print or ebook, there are multiple pathways, which can be broken into three main categories:
1. Traditional publishing (author pays nothing)
2. Assisted self-publishing (using professional services like ours)
3. Self-publishing completely alone (DIY)
We often get involved in the important decisions an author has to make about what to do with their book. From time to time we encounter the attitude that a Word document is ready for publishing (whether print or ebook). Here is what I said to someone recently who was considering going direct to Amazon's ebook self-publishing arm:
A Word document, or manuscript, is not print-ready. To find out more about book design and typesetting, please see here.
Just as there is more to getting a book ready for printing than formatting a Word document, there is also more to getting an ebook ready for distribution. If you want your book to appear to be professional and easy to read, then the DIY route is not necessarily the best.
You can upload a Word doc to Amazon, but should you? Their meat-grinder may or may not do a good job with your manuscript. We never upload docs straight to printers or ebook vendors like Amazon. Instead we take them all the way into the end format and test them to make sure they are good prior to publishing them.
Going direct to Amazon is DIY self-publishing, and getting a good finished product may be difficult or impossible. Sure, if you're good with a computer and have the time, you can DIY, but will this do justice to your work? That's another question.
Also, when we distribute ebooks we release to much more than just Amazon.
Whether to DIY or not often comes down to a question of what level of quality you want for your ebook or printed book, and how much of your time you want to spend.
The following articles on my FAQ may be relevant to your decision:
Why use Australian eBook Publisher when free options are available?
What is the advantage of working with an ebook aggregator like Australian eBook Publisher?
Best of luck with whatever you decide.
Contact us for a quote.
Contact us for publishing consultation.
"I have really appreciated your support with my book, Amanda. I'm sure your other clients are of the same opinion. Quality professionalism is never in over supply, neither is generosity of spirit. You have both."—Henry Grossek, radio announcer and author of Game On: Building the Education Revolution
"Thank you, Australian eBook Publisher. I am delighted with the quality of the print edition of my novel, Beast-speaker. The service that Amanda and her team provide is exceptional: friendly, helpful and everything is delivered within the promised time-frame. The print on demand package is easy and affordable, and I highly recommend it to anyone considering publishing with Australian eBook Publisher."—W. A. Noble, author of Beast-speaker
