What I Learned from Jim Azevedo and Smashwords
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This week, Jim Azevedo, Marketing Director for Smashwords, did a presentation to my writing group about epublishing. Here’s what I learned.
ebooks rarely go out of print.
The first step is to write a great book.
Everyone needs an editor and a proofreader.
ebooks are consumed differently than print books. They can be read on multiple devices and on screens that are different sizes.
Formatting is crucial for ebooks.
Smashwords offers some free style guides and other resources on their website.
The cover design is critical for your book.
If you purchase a cover design from an online artist, make sure that you have exclusive use of it. (You don’t want to see your cover with another title and author.)
Spend your money on editing and cover design. Don’t look like an amateur.
When readers look for ebooks, the cover is about the size of a stamp (thumbnail size). Your cover needs to be able to look good in a variety of sizes.
Be fanatical about quality.
When you price your ebooks, know your genre.
You need to maximize your book’s availability to a lot of sellers. Make sure you use a distributor.
When your cover is in draft form, compare it to the top books in your genre.
Your email list/newsletter is valuable. You own and control it.
Don’t blast your email list with too many newsletters.
Most books don’t sell well. There is no magical, silver bullet. Authors need to follow best practices and create the best book they can.
