Creating an e-book and getting it up on Amazon without paying a dime??

1. 78

   lobobrandonposted 12 years ago

   Hi everyone I was wondering if at all I write an e-book and I get a proofreader, graphics and cover page designer etc (just want to say no expenses on these things).
   
   Is it possible for me to get my book up on Amazon for free? I mean do I have to pay to copyright it or anything or are there any other expenditures that come into the picture? I was planning on getting just one book out there for free to test the sands.

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   1. 60

      couturepopcafeposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      You'll need an ISBN for Amazon or any other retailer or etailer.  If you publish through Smashwords (for free) they will distribute to Amazon and all the other major mobile device providers, they'll get your ISBN for you (free).  But your book needs to be formatted correctly for ePub.  Smashwords provides the entire formatting  procedure for free and walks you through all the front matter (copyright, cover design, publisher).  It's well worth going through them.  I just put 2 books on with them on Dec. 31 and have sold 5 copies.  Not a big deal but big for me.  Your cover needs to be formatted correctly too but if you're good with Photoshop, it's easy.
      
      I assumed you meant epub not print.

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   2. 60

      couturepopcafeposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      lobobrandon - why would you limit yourself to Amazon? People use all sorts of mobile devices to read.
      
      "Smashwords is the world's leading ebook distributor for indie authors.  Our free service helps you publish, distribute and sell your masterpiece at major ebook retailers such as the Apple iBookstore (now reaching 31 countries!), Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Sony and the Diesel eBook Store. Because we produce multi-format conversions, your book is readable on any e-reading device, including the Amazon Kindle, the Apple iPhone/iPod Touch/iPad, the Sony Reader, the Barnes & Noble nook, your personal computer, Android devices, and others."

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2. 76

   psycheskinnerposted 12 years ago

   Smashwords does not distribute to Kindle/Amazon yet--but they will make a kindle formatted book you can upload yourself.  And on Amazon you can use a free ASIN instead of an ISBN number.  So, yes, these things can be done for free.

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3. 82

   lex123posted 12 years ago

   I agree with psycheskinner. I did 4 books recently with amazon kindle for free. Proper instructions are given there, and we have to just follow it. 
   All the best.

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4. 76

   psycheskinnerposted 12 years ago

   There is nothing to prevent a person from using both Kindle and Smashwords.  but in my experience Kindle is the place to start as the bulk for my sales come from there--although that may vary with genre.

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   1. 60

      couturepopcafeposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      So you're saying that we should publish with Amazon separately if we go with Smashwords because SW doesn't distribute to them? I know someone can read a SW formatted book on Kindle but I guess they'd have to know it's at SW to get it.

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      1. 76

         psycheskinnerposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         That is my experience.  Smashwords is great for basic formatting and hitting the minor channels all at once and managing them from one dashboard.  But most of the traffic there is other authors.  Amazon is such a behemoth for reader traffic (especially in my genre which is romance).

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         1. 60

            couturepopcafeposted 12 years agoin reply to this

            I know their catalog goes out to Nook, Sony and Apple (who are approaching Kindle is sales of devices). I think people who own those however, still go to the Amazon Bookstore. So where should I go to find out about publishing to Amazon?

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5. 74

   skyfireposted 12 years ago

   Download Sigil to write your ebook and create an epub of your ebook. Make sure you format the epub as per smashwords requirements so that it gets accepted into multiple ebook marketplace. Use calibre to convert the ebook into the formats that are acceptable in respective ebook markets. Amazon accepts .mobi format which you can convert from epub using calibre.

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      couturepopcafeposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Is calibre something I download?

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      1. 74

         skyfireposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         If you want to upload .mobi to KDP (amazon)or some other format to smashword then yes, you can download and use it to test your ebooks before uploading and also for file conversion.

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6. 62

   SpikeTheLobsterposted 12 years ago

   Yes, you can. As people have already noted, KDP is free - but so is CreateSpace, the Amazon POD service (for actual paperback printing). They provide the ISBN unless you want to buy your own for publication rights flexibility later on.
   
   I used CreateSpace and KDP to publish my book at the end of December and there was no cost involved. Though I did opt for an editor and cover designer, that was purely my choice and I hired them myself (through Elance - and they were both VERY talented): the book publication itself cost nothing.
   
   You should also note that KDP publishing has some extra advantages if you use their Direct option - 90 days exclusive to Amazon (I'm not selling digital through anyone else, so no loss to me!) and you get a share of a pile of royalties depending on interest. Even if it's 1c, it's more.

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7. 90

   AdeleCosgroveBrayposted 12 years ago

   Yes,it is perfectly possible to self-publish your ebook on Amazon Kindle and also on Smashwords for free.  I did this, and now have one novel, one short story collection, one stand-alone short story and two poetry collections, with a second novel in the pipeline - and all for free.
   
   Just follow each site's instructions.  Create a good cover which works when viewed at the size of a postage stamp.  Rope in a few trusty pals to proof-read for you.  Edit it all again.  Then off you go.

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