Quote:
Originally Posted by jwarewolf
Does anyone know of a website or reputable blog where I can get non-commercial information on how to go about publishing an ebook?
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I'd be glad to pass on what I've learned from e-book self publishing, if you want to ask me through the member messages, or directly through
stevej@stevejordanbooks.com.
Vince, as an e-book writer (who uses a PDA for e-book reading, incidentally), I see the biggest issues as being twofold: One is the preponderance of formats involved in the market; and Two is the lack of consensus in the industry, and with the public, on exactly what an e-book is.
Multiple formats complicate everything... I personally make a half-dozen versions of each book I produce, which is ridiculous. It takes time, it causes confusion when new software or software is introduced... I yearn for one overridingly popular format that I can use, without worrying about losing customers in the process.
The issue of what an e-book is... a physical product, a pile of electrons, an intellectual property, etc... affects how industry tries to sell the books, how people handle the books, and whether or not they consider them as a commodity to buy or a free file to share. Until industry (and government) works out the nature of an electronic file to everyone's satisfaction, sales will be difficult, piracy will be a problem, and the industry will take forever to settle into a workable system.
Edit: I should have added that I use a PDA for reading, because I already use it for other things, and it is good for e-book reading, too (though not everybody can get used to the smaller screen, or is comfortable reading LCD screens for long, I like it just fine). Being someone who likes multi-use devices, I may or may not ever get a dedicated reader. One of the other advantages of a PDA over a dedicated reader is, you can read (almost) any format on a PDA, which means more literature choice, while a dedicated reader tends to be limited to one or a few formats only.