Self-promoting your book

It is only a part of the effort to write a book, the major work will be in promoting it, very often publishers will ask you about your own strategy of promoting your work and if you don’t have any, they may not want to publish you.

Use social media as outlined in “How Can I Build Online Legitimacy?”

Why author might choose a mobile application?

The author might choose a mobile application in addition to publishing an eBook on Amazon, or with Barnes & Noble because the application allows for:

• ability to display up to 3 customized splash screens
• ability to adjust how much of the content readers can share over social networks
• provide in-app purchases of other books, future chapters, or sections
• ability to have an “about author” page with contact information
• ability to follow Twitter, etc., stream from within the application
• ability to post comments with the built-in hashtag
• ability to email the author

eBook Tools and Formats

The eBook can be written with any text editor however in the final version it will be consumed as an HTML, PDF, ePub, or Kindle Mobi format.
Today, most authors still use word processors like Microsoft Word or Apple Pages. More specialized editors include StoryMill and Storyist.

- Microsoft Word: generic word processor, currently the most commonly used tool. Ability to download book templates.
- Apple Pages: a good generic word processor with PDF and ePub export.
- StoryMill: a good tool to write a script, however, it lacks export to ePub functionality
- Storyist: a good tool to write a script with ePub export functionality, but no PDF export.

Pros and Cons of self-publishing.
Self-publishing can be very attractive if you are:


- first-time author
- addressing a narrow niche of interest
- have a strong following outside of the mainstream media
- limited budget
Publishing with a mainstream publishing house makes sense when:
- you are a bestselling author
- you write on main-stream topics e.g. romantic novels
- you need help with marketing, but you are not a good social marketer
- you want a recognition that comes with a hardcover edition of your book
- you want to publish a large “coffee table” format album

Are eBooks a New Form of Journalism?

Regardless of being an avid print book lover, I switched to reading eBooks using Barnes & Noble Android Nook. 

I love the experience much better than the paper. You can carry several books with you, and you can share quotes with your friends on Facebook, Twitter, etc. 

The cost of eBooks is also lower than for paper editions. Right now the author can write a book and publish it as soon as he or she is ready, no more writing for months to publishers and getting dozens of rejections. 

Publishing is free and can be very profitable (70% of sales). 

I have been working in magazine publishing for many years, and the editors often change the original text to fit their magazine’s needs. If you have something smart to share, write an eBook, and get published today, don’t wait!