1. Now What? (Finding the Right Self-Publishing Platform)
Sarah H. Baker
w/a Sarah Storme, S.H. Baker,
and Lydia Parks

2. “Printing”+ Distributing
= Publishing Platform
Editing
Marketing
Cover

3. Major Retailers
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Apple
Kobo (for e-books)

4. Major Platforms Kindle e-books (Kindle Direct Publishing)
Amazon print (CreateSpace)
B&N e-books (NOOK Press)
Apple e-books (iBooks Author)
Kobo e-books (Kobo Writing Life)

5. Don’t Forget Audio!
“Dating service” for audio authors, publishers, and voice actors

6. DIY with Amazon
“Self-Publish with Us”

7. DIY with Amazon

8. DIY with Amazon Steps in Kindle Direct Publishing: Enter book details
Verify publishing rights
Target your book
Book release options
Upload or create book cover
Upload your book file
Preview your book
Verify your territories
Set your pricing and royalty
Kindle MatchBook & Kindle Book Lending

9. DIY with Amazon Royalty rate??
70% - for e-books between $2.99 and $9.99
“Delivery” fees subtracted
Not available to all markets
Other minor restrictions
35% - for e-books between $0.99 and $200.00
No “delivery” fees
All markets

10. DIY with Barnes & Noble www.barnesandnoble.com
“Self-Publish with NOOK Press”

11. DIY Each site has its own self-publishing instructions.
They’re similar, but not exactly alike.
Most take manuscript in common software forms (like Word).
If you’re relatively comfortable on a computer, you can do this without help – and for *FREE!
The books are not linked – changes must be made individually.
*FREE if you don’t count your time!

12. Self-Publishing Services
Ingram Spark
Draft2Digital
Lulu
Xlibris
Outskirts Press
Smashwords

13. Ingram Spark Ingram publishing for indie publishers/authors
Download the formatting guide.
E-book and Print
POD, short run, and offset of 500 or more
Distributes to Amazon, Apple, B&N, Kobo, and thousands of bookstores.
You are charged for cost of book before royalties.
Formatting guide – 23 pages with lots of helpful information
Cost of books: 300-page paperback, B&W – shipped, $328 for 50 books, or $6.56 each
Distribution: some restrictions for Amazon and iBooks if you have material self-published with them recently.

14. Draft2Digital Automated; converts Word docs (and others)
Distributes for 10% of retail sell price (15% of royalties)
You can upload cover art
ISBNs provided
Converts Word to format for iBooks, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Inktera (formally Page Foundry), Scribd, 24Symbols, Tolino, and CreateSpace!
Services available through partners, not company

15. Lulu Has an online store Will sell to Amazon for 20% of profit
You create your book through their website
Offers services
Editorial Assessment - $499 - evaluates sections of your manuscript for its editorial quality and publishing readiness. A portion of your work (typically the first chapter, or about 1,700 words) will be edited to provide you with a specific sample edit. You will also receive a general overview of your manuscript and constructive comments towards improving your writing and book.
Other ex: Elite Cover Design: $599 – front and back cover; work directly with designer; changes to initial product at a fee.
Other ex: Cover Copy Polish: $249 - marketing professional will assist you in determining whether your title and subtitle adequately reflect the book's content and will help rewrite the hardcover flap, back cover copy, author bio copy, and keynote of your book.

16. Xlibris Online website
Pays royalties minus shipping and handling charges or sales and use taxes
May offer useful services, but check the website closely.
See example – grammatical errors in the overview is probably not a good sign.
A paperback romance for $19.99 is probably not going to sell.

17. Outskirts Press Nice online site
Packages for publishing, marketing, and writing (even ghost writing)
“Single-click” package for print ($5k - $8k)
Upfront costs
Print and e-book

18. Smashwords Online bookstore and distribution
Works on commission -15% of net (10% of retail)
Smashwords "ties your books together"
Offers hints for editing and marketing
Sells to Amazon, Kobo, Apple, Nook, and…Overdrive
Easy-to-use dashboard
E-books only
$10.00 ebook sold at one of our retail partners earns you $6.00 and earns Smashwords $1.00.  The same book sold at Smashwords earns you about $8.00
Ties books together - someone buying one book will find the others that are also available in that format.
I use Smashwords for all except Amazon – don’t have to go through converting all the other sites, when I’ll mostly sell at Amazon.

19. Book-shelf

20. Dashboards

21. Communities

22. So, which one do I use?
Decide how much time and experience you have vs. what you’re willing to pay for
Editing (concept and/or copyediting)
Book cover
Marketing (you’ll have to do some of this anyway)
Which media will you use? All?
Be sure to sell on Amazon!
If you’re experienced at editing or self-editing, and you’re comfortable on the computer, you may want to do it yourself.
You can also buys services separately, like editing and cover art.
Marketing, even if you pay for services, you’ll have to help with. The amount of marketing you do will directly affect sales.

23. Questions?