Writing Stack Exchange
Writing Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [ebook]

Is paper going out of style? Questions about creating electronic books.

88 questions
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How to prevent ebook piracy from stealing your livelihood?

I'm a part-time writer, still working on my novel (with a long term goal to make a living as a writer). My partner is also a writer, full time, with a couple dozen novels in ebook format, who makes a reasonable living solely from ebook sales. …
Zeiss Ikon
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Publishing for Kindle

I am very keen to get into writing, and have come up with several outline plots for short stories, novels and even trilogies. However, one hurdle, which I expect is not uncommon for most new authors, is that I am put off by the difficulties of…
Codemwnci
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Best tool to create ebooks?

What is a recommended tool for turning a completed manuscript (a Word document) into an ebook (specifically, an EPUB file or Kindle-compatible Mobipocket file)? I would prefer something that: recognizes chapters and generates a table of contents…
Cliff Hangerson Page
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Can a self publishing author use a pen name/pseudonym?

I know that an author can use a pen name/pseudonym instead of a true name when publishing the traditional way. This is done by signing contracts with the publisher/agent using the real name corresponding to the pen name. How would this work if the…
Vass
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First Chapter for Free?

I am currently working on a novel, and am approximately 45% of the way through (~37,500 words / 100 A5 pages). Working full time, I am unable to finish my story within the next month, and I plan on completing it within the next three-to-five months.…
M.Y. David
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What matters more when it comes to book covers? Is it ‘professional quality’ or relevancy?

This is a sort of follow up to my previous question. It is generally understood that covers matter a great deal in terms of getting people to click on a fiction eBook and check out its blurb and contents, and covers are the main marketing tool of an…
user394536
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Are there any more efficient ways of formatting and creating an e-book?

I am currently using Guido Henkel's formatting guide for putting together my e-books, but I have modified it slightly. Having an extensive background in html, I didn't really need the primer on html formatting. However, once we get to the part where…
Steven Drennon
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Self publishing: Do I still need to follow the arbitrary word count limits?

I am thinking of going down the self publishing path. Now looking at most agents and publishers websites, it seems the expected word count for most novels is around 70-90K. Now these word counts may have made sense in the traditional world, where…
Shantnu Tiwari
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What marketing techniques are effective for short story eBook collections?

I have a collection of short stories that I'm currently selling in the Amazon Kindle marketplace, and one of the biggest hurdles to actually getting my works read is lack of exposure. My passive plan (once my KDP Select period is over) is to publish…
Strozykowski
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PDF e-book page size and fonts

I am self-publishing a free e-book which I will make available in several formats: EPUB, online HTML, PDF. What characteristics should the PDF e-book file have? What should the page size, font size, margins, and so on be?
porton
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Is publishing to Amazon Kindle-alternative eBook markets worth the time and effort?

I have published a few collection Kindle eBooks, and am planning on publishing at least 3 more in the not-too-distant future. While my experience with the Kindle marketplace has been mostly positive, I have been wondering about the other options out…
Strozykowski
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Why do ebooks often mimic the layout of the printed page?

I was recently editing a novel destined to be published primarily in e-book form, and made a list of pre-press instructions, to be followed when the final text is agreed upon. Some of these instructions were only needed because the text mimics the…
Goodbye Stack Exchange
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Will e-books prevent books from going out of print (and rights from reverting)?

In the old days, books went out of print shortly after it stopped being profitable for the publisher to print new runs. My understanding is that good contracts had clauses that caused the rights to the book to revert to the author once it had been…
sjohnston
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What effect on literature has the introduction of eBooks and eReaders had?

eBooks and eReaders are still relatively new, but they've had a major impact on literature. What impact has eBooks and eReaders had on the production of literature (specifically books)?
DForck42
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What are the advantages and disadvantages of digital rights management for self-published authors?

DRM (digital rights management) is being used in just about every electronic format, including files used in electronic readers. My question is whether this is a good thing or a bad thing for writers, or does it really matter? Since an author with…
Steven Drennon
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