Lately I’ve learned a lot about e-publishing. Late in December 2003, I published a resource book for writers with one of the better-known print-on-demand (POD) companies. It appeared in paperback, a privilege for which I had to pay a considerable set-up fee, but at the same time-- at no charge-- it was made available as a downloadable e-book-- a PDF document.
To be honest, back then I didn’t know very much about e-books, but working on this first manuscript taught me some important tips (about formatting, for example), and once the book was launched I learned much more. Many buyers seemed to prefer the e-book version to the paperback, probably because the e-book was considerably cheaper, not only in retail price, but also thanks to its lack of shipping costs. As an author, I couldn’t help appreciating that e-books offered me higher royalties, presumably because there was so little effort and so few materials involved, technically, in putting the book together for the consumer.
Over the following months I developed other ideas for resource guides for writers, and I realized that e-publishing was the route I wanted to pursue with them. In my case, many of the resource guides include time-sensitive information. Publishing e-books would allow me to revise and update the content, uploading new editions of the book when necessary.
While I researched and drafted those resource guides, however, I was working on another project: the launch of my website, The Practicing Writer. That was a pretty big deal. To put it bluntly, I’m not very technologically savvy. And while I wanted to provide these e-books for the visitors to my site I wasn’t crazy about the idea of getting involved with merchant accounts and other things that quite frankly frightened me.
That's where Lulu.com came to my rescue.
I learned about Lulu late last summer as I researched the various companies that would allow me to list my e-books with them-- and offer links to the book pages on my own website. The more I learned about Lulu, the more I liked it. Why?
But for me the real winning point involves the aspects of the process where control continues to remain with me. Even I could follow the instructions for getting started, and with my first e-book manuscript ready to go, I was able to publish it-- and begin selling it-- within minutes.
Admittedly, my previous experience helped. I had some confidence in my ability to write and edit my material. Beyond that, I knew how to convert documents into PDF format, and I wasn’t scared to write my books' descriptions. But for someone just starting out, Lulu offers step-by-step guidance. (One helpful place to begin is the "Getting Started.")
Of course, as with any independent publishing venture, getting your work in print-- or online-- is just part of the process. Getting it to readers’ attention is a whole other matter. That, too, has been part of my life as a Lulu.
What’s been essential here are the resources Lulu provides its content creators (who include not only writers, but musicians and others). Many of these resources are geared toward assisting writers in the challenging job of marketing and promotion. And among the resources new/potential authors might want to peruse are:
Lulu also offers each content creator several features that can be customized:
I’ve learned a lot, in this continuing life as a Lulu. Beyond finding out more about my own areas of interest and expertise for my e-books I've learned about storefronts and blogs and previews. I’m continually keeping an eye on what needs to be updated and what the reviewers are saying. There’s always more to learn, and to do. For me, this life is a good one.
Dr. Erika Dreifus’s resource guides for writers include “The Practicing Writer's Directory of Paying Markets for Book Reviewers,” “The Practicing Writer’s Directory of Paying Essay Markets,” “The Practicing Writer’s Guide to No-Cost Literary Contests and Competitions," and “The Practicing Writer’s Primer on Low-Residency MFA Programs.” Previews of all these e-books are available for free download. More information is available at http://www.practicing-writer.com , and at http://www.lulu.com/erika-dreifus , where you'll also find Erika's latest writing resource blog posts.
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