How to Self-Publish a Book on Amazon.com: Writing, Editing, Designing, Publishing, and Marketing - Softcover

McMullen, Chris

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1442183012 ISBN 13: 9781442183018

Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2009

Synopsis

2019 Update: Revised in February, 2019 to reflect the merger between CreateSpace and Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP).

2014 Update: Expanded and updated in March, 2014 to include 35% more content. An additional 66 pages cover e-book design, page numbering and header issues for paperbacks, a revamped chapter on marketing, and more.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION: Learn how to self-publish your book on Amazon.com using print-on-demand and e-book publishing services. This handy reference will guide you through all of the stages of the self-publishing process, from the conception of your book to writing the manuscript to editing and formatting to PDF conversion to publishing to promotional strategies. With this handy reference as a guide, you can self-publish a quality manuscript with ease!

AUTHOR: Chris McMullen has written and self-published over a dozen paperback books and e-books. This book also was self-published using the same techniques that are described here. Chris McMullen, who has drawn thousands of professional illustrations from scratch using Word's drawing tools, shares several useful drawing and formatting tips.

DESCRIPTION: This book begins with the decision to self-publish or traditionally publish, moves onto important information on developing the concept and researching the book's potential, provides a thorough discussion of formatting and designing the book interior and cover in both Word 2003 and 2010, describes how to convert the Word document to PDF, shows how to publish both paperback and e-book editions, and concludes with a detailed introduction to marketing that both novices and experienced authors will find informative and helpful. Formatting includes tricky features like how to use both Arabic numbers and Roman numerals in page numbering, how to have different odd- and even-page headers, and how to use Word's Styles and the paragraph dialog box for proper e-book formatting.

EDITIONS: This book is available in paperback and e-book formats.

About this title

From the Author

What Authors Like
Hundreds of authors have shared feedback about Chris McMullen's books about self-publishing directly with the author via email or on the author's blog. Here are some things that many authors have enjoyed about these books:

• clear explanations, detailed instructions, packed with tips
• conversational tone and clear communication
• depth and range of knowledge displayed
• covers topics that authors really want to learn about
• practical and competent advice
• author comes across as caring and encouraging

Books about self-publishing by Chris McMullen:
Word to Kindle Formatting Magic (new release).
This book provides detailed instructions on how to format a Kindle eBook beginning with Microsoft Word, and also shows you how to go a quick step beyond Word to make a variety of subtle improvements. Learn how to use paragraph styles to control hidden formatting, create drop caps that work across all devices, build an active table of contents, which special characters you can use, how to format pictures, and a variety of Kindle design considerations. Handy checklists help with previewing, publishing, formatting, proofreading, troubleshooting, and even creating a paperback edition. This book is up-to-date with sections on how to setup the new X-Ray feature, improvements to KDP's new print-on-demand service, recent changes to the downloadable previewer (such as Auto-Advance), and more.

A Detailed Guide to Self-Publishing with Amazon, Volume 1.
This volume focuses on formatting the interior, designing a cover, and step-by-step instructions for how to publish. Formatting focuses on Microsoft Word 2010, including many tips to format the paperback and e-book. Discusses many important decisions authors must make, like setting the price and the pros/cons of enrolling in KDP Select. Covers both paperback and e-book formatting.

A Detailed Guide to Self-Publishing with Amazon, Volume 2.
A continuation of the first volume. This volume focuses on editing, cover design considerations, setting up author pages, helpful info about Amazon, and a detailed introduction to marketing. Includes numerous tips to perfect the formatting, cover design, marketing, and more. Discusses many popular topics, like reviews, rank, creating buzz, building a following, and more. Several authors have expressed that this book is easily worth it for the very detailed chapter on marketing.

How to Self-Publish a Book on Amazon.com.
This guide is not as detailed, but covers a wide range of introductory topics. Includes chapters on pre-publishing (like writing, editing, research, and developing the concept) in addition to publishing (formatting, conversion to PDF, publishing, and marketing). Updated in 2014 to provide more formatting and marketing depth. Includes popular topics like formatting page numbers, Kindle formatting, and conversion to PDF.

Formatting Pages for Publishing on Amazon with CreateSpace.
Shows you how to format a Word document for publishing with CreateSpace. Includes page numbering, headers, drop caps, widows, and more. Discusses many formatting details, like tips for better justification and how to prepare a file with bleed.

Self-Publishing with Amazon (Boxed Set: 4 Books in 1).
Includes four full-length books (over 600 pages). Also includes bonus content from the author's blog. Available in both paperback and for Kindle.

About the Author

Chris McMullen has self-published over 50 books on Amazon through CreateSpace, which is part of the Amazon group of companies. He has also drawn thousands of professional illustrations using Microsoft Word. Here the author shares his experience and expertise.

Edition details

• Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 1442183012
• ISBN 13: 9781442183018
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 184