Ebooks have a relatively short production cycle. You write the book, edit it, design a cover for it, and convert it to pdf. If you’re aiming for wider distribution, you can also do Kindle and epub versions so your ebook can also be read on iPhones, the Nook, and Sony’s reader. It’s also pretty easy to get your ebook listed on ebook sites.

Many authors have a bias against ebooks because they’re not “real” books. They want to hold that printed book in their hands. I can understand that. But there’s a growing segment of the population that prefers to read books on an e-reader or their smart phone. You don’t want to miss that market.

Here’s some possibilities for publication you can consider:

• Print a short run – 500 to 1000 copies of your book for the print book lovers and the bookstores and other retail outlets.
• Produce epub, Kindle, and pdf versons of your book to distribute on ebook stores, Amazon, and on your own web site.
• Plan on updating the ebook version more often if the basic information continues to be relevant and you want your book to maintain it’s relevance. Or publish the updates in a sequel to the original book.
• Reprint the printed book combined with those updates – another 500 to 1000 copies – when you need to.

Tutorials:

1. How to Podcast from Jason Van Orden, author of Promoting Your Podcast.

2. Podcasting tutorial from GuidesandTutorials.com.

3. If you’re a Mac user, here’s one on how to use GarageBand to podcast.

4. Here’s a video on how to use Audacity (a free audio recording software) to podcast. (See Equipment below for a link to download Audacity.)

5. How Stuff Works tells you How Podcasting Works.

Equipment

1. Audacity is free audio recording software. Here’s a handy tutorial on how to use it.

2. Microphones for podcasting: Here’s a video from jupiterbroadcasting.

3. Amazon.com had a ton of them. Search on “podcasting microphones” and check the reviews.

4. Guidesandtutorials.com had a nice review of microphones.

5. Podcasting News had a nice video on podcasting microphones under $100

Distribution or Now That You Have a Podcast, What Do You Do With It?

Post them here:

1. iTunes store

2. digitalpodcast.com

3. Here’s another tutorial on voices.com on how to podcast plus how to distribute it.

4. mypodcast.com

5. You can also self-host your podcasts on your WordPress blog

There’s several hundred more resources (at least.) Here’s another thing you might try: download a free podcast for yourself and get a flavor of what’s going on. You, too, might become a fan!

CIPA Workshop: Shows Authors and Would-Be Authors How to Choose the Best Route on The Road Map To Publishing Your Book

Denver, CO –  August 10, 2010 –  New authors wonder: Should they independently publish their books or try and get a publisher?

The answer can be found at The Colorado Independent Publishers Association’s Summer Workshop, The Road Map to Publishing Your Book, on August 28th. CIPA has assembled a group of the finest, cutting edge experts in the publishing industry. They’re experienced and in front of the publishing curve. Whether you’re just beginning to write your first book or you’re a published author this is the place to be for information and education.

Michael Madigan – former Rocky Mountain News reporter and independently published author of “Heros, Villains, Dames & Disasters” will present on the importance of keeping your writing business professional  and how to avoid the bumps in the road. It doesn’t have to be have to be a tedious or dead-end business exercise — if you have a plan and a platform! See how Michael turned a good idea into a great book, and walked away from one mediocre offer from the traditional publishing world in order to produce what would become a Center for the Book finalist and Colorado Authors’ League 1st Place winner!

Trish Moore –  Independently published Trish Moore is the Workshop Keynote speaker. Spend some time with Trish Moore and be inspired to thrive – not just survive in your writing life! Based on the words of such masters as Wayne Dyer, Oprah Winfrey, Deepak Chopra, Louise Hay and others, Moore’s  “F.U.E.L. – Focused Unlimited Extraordinary Life” Workbook ranks in Amazon’s Top 350! Sit down, strap in and get ready for this delectable ride on the riled side!

Connie Martin:  The journey of a lifetime starts not only with a single step, but with a level head! Join storyteller, author and mother of five Connie Martin as she introduces you to a highly creative approach to writing. Photo ops and occasional stops along the way…bring your imagination and look forward to a walk-about like no other!

Dr. Cynthia Koelker: Long before Doc Cindy ever met her fairy godmother and was asked to dance with one of the five most handsome princes in the publishing world, she was small-town girl with a plan! Get the inside scoop on  the importance of such valuable travel tools as GPS (Great Publishing Sense), the road less travelled, touring  partners, and sensible shoes.

The workshop will conclude with a audience participation q & a with many of CIPA’s publishing and marketing experts on topics ranging from publishing, printing and editing to social media and websites.

The Road Map to Publishing workshop will be held on Saturday, August 28, 8:30 am to 2:30 pm at the Red Lion Hotel, 4040 Quebec  St., Denver, CO 80216. Cost of the workshop is $99 if you preregister, or $125 at the door. Sign up at http://www.cipabooks.com.

After the workshop, stick around for CIPA’s 2nd annual Book Fair from 3:00-6:00 pm. The Book Fair is fun, informative, and free! Mingle with fellow authors and publishing pros and enjoy free snacks and a cash bar. CIPA members who want to sell their books and Associate Members who want to sell their services can host a 6 ft table for just $50. For more information, go to http://www.cipabooks.com.

That being said, I’m one of the biggest offenders of succumbing to BSO (Bright Shiny Objects) syndrome. I’m always chasing down rabbit holes, all in the name of research. I do learn a lot of good stuff, but it sometimes results in wasted time and missed deadlines. Not good.

So, here are some of my strategies for staying on track:

I allow myself some “play time” to catch up with friends and family members on Facebook, twitter and the like. Usually I combine this with watching tv or on my lunch hour. Last week  I had a long, fun chat with a high school friend and caught up with my cousin’s wife on Facebook.

During work hours I have a post-it of objectives next to my monitor that has a cryptic list of marketing objectives. As a consultant to self-published authors, my primary objective is to establish my expertise in online marketing and self publishing. So most of the comments I make are related to those topics. I automatically send a tweet to Twitter and post to my wall on Facebook when I update my blog. My blog is also on my LinkedIn profile. I comment on my friends’ status, and pass on articles that I find interesting. I also have Google Alerts relating to marketing and publishing that gives me plenty to comment on and write about.

Does this take hours every day? No, for the most part I spend about half an hour to an hour a day on social networking sites and checking the feeds for my alerts in Google Reader. Can it be done is less? Absolutely. I spend more time because I enjoy it! And, it’s my business to spend time doing this.

I’ll be presenting a talk “Social Media Marketing in 15 Minutes a Day,” on March 25 at EduCyber in Wheat Ridge, CO (my day job.) You can sign up at EduCyber’s web site. I’ll also be presenting that talk at CIPA College in Denver on March 27. CIPA is the Colorado Independent Publishers Association. The college runs from March 26-27. It’s everything you want to know about self publishing. Check it out!

The trouble is, nobody knows when that is. I like Dan Poynter’s advice to publish when your book is 95% ready. Print a few hundred, get some reviews to add to the next edition, fix a few typos and do it again.

I have a friend who’s been working on his book for about 10 years now. At least twice now, he’s been ready to publish, print and get the book out there. At least twice, he’s changed his mind and his editor and has gone back for revision.

I wonder if that book will ever be finished. I hope it will.

I think publishing a book is like growing a garden. Every year I discover one rogue plant in my yard that oversteps its boundaries, or one non-performing perennial, and always there are weeds I can’t get rid of …And next season I will try to make it closer to perfect again.

The good news is that when you publish your book, like cultivating your garden, you get to try to correct your mistakes in the next edition or format.

So, you’ve got this idea for a book and maybe it’s a good one. How do you research your market to find out if if your idea is worth pursuing?

1. Check Amazon.com to see if there’s any books already published on the topic. Amazon has millions of obscure titles available on Marketplace. Don’t see a book on your topic? That’s not necessarily a good sign. Maybe there really isn’t any interest in your topic.

2. Buy some of the titles or check them out from your library. How will your book be  different? You don’t want to write a “me too” book that doesn’t offer anything new. Why would anyone be interested?

3. Research trends in your topic. Is your topic out of style or out of favor? Read online publications and blogs on your topic and look it up on Google Trends.

4. Look at how your topic fits in to what’s happening in the world today.  Nobody was terribly interested in solar power until oil prices went through the roof. Nobodywas really thinking about domestic terrorism in the US before 9/11.

5. Interview experts on your topic as you are developing your theme for your book. Having an expert in your corner might be useful for including new ideas in your book (that are properly attributed,) asking them to write the forward, or including their endorsement as a blurb for the cover. Looking for experts? Find and follow them on Twitter. Join trade organizations, online groups and subscribe to publications in your area.

I know it’s heresy to say things like this to writers, but I feel this  has to be said:

Nobody (except your mom) cares that you wrote a book.

UNLESS your book provides the solution to a problem that somebody has. Then they care.

And that’s really true of selling anything, whether it’s a book, a household cleaner, or a cheesecake. Nobody cares unless that product solves a problem.

So, if you’re looking to sell truckloads of your book:

• Rremember that it’s not about you and how you need to recoup the time and money you’ve put into your book. It’s about THEM and how your book can help solve a problem they have.
• Put yourself in your audience’s shoes and ask “Why should I care?”
• Do not sell. Share good information and set yourself up as the expert that can help your audience.
• Get testimonials from happy readers about how your book helped solve their problem
• Care. Share. Interact. People want to know you before they’ll buy from you. The old adage is true: People don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care.

My friend Brian Schwartz has a truly unique one-of-a-kind opportunity you might want to check out. Brian is the award winning author of 50 Interviews: Entrepreneurs thriving in uncertain times. On 9/9/09, he’ll be presenting the next two titles in the 50 Interviews series. But he’s not the author. Over the past 9 months, he’s been working with others to help them complete and publish their own 50 Interviews books.  Now he’s working with others to help them complete their own 50 Interviews books. The titles include such themes as : 50 Athletes over 50, 50 Spiritual Leaders, 50 Actors, and 50 Professional Speakers.

If you’re interested, he’s hosting his next workshop to kick of a new set of authors on 9/9/09. It will be held in Northglenn, CO (Denver metro area)

Here’s the signup link: (full disclosure – affiliate link) On the Shoulders of Giants

It depends.

Can you tie your topic into current events and trends? Or is your topic sooooo 2004?

So here’s my list of when to either update (or forget about) your book if it was published several years ago.

1. Was it written about a really current political topic? Say goodby to any books about what’s wrong with the government (or the left or the right) if it was published during the previous administration. Write about the newest complaints coming out of Washington instead. And consider doing the book print on demand so you don’t get stuck with a big inventory.

2. Is it a how-to on how to sell stuff on the internet? If it was published more than a year ago, update it or forget it. And consider republishing as an ebook as internet stuff changes daily. Your update will be practically old news as soon as it’s printed.

3. Is it a book on how to make a killing in real estate? The rules have totally changed. Just write a new book.

4. Is it about an evergreen topic that lends itself to an update? Relationship books, general business books, how-tos could be updated. New material can be added, the rest updated. Change more than 10% to justify changing the ISBN number – it’s less confusing for everybody.

5. Is it a novel? Will anyone want to read more about your characters? Consider writing a sequal if the first one did well and you still want to write about the characters.

6. Is the book self help or a diet book? Trends change really fast and there’s a ton of competition. Find a new spin and write a new book.

Now I admit, I don’t have a very large inventory, only about 1100 listings. (If I had more space, I’d double my inventory. As it is, my dining room looks like a warehouse, stacked with bankers boxes filled with books, videos and cds.) Every morning at 4 am, a subscription repricing service scans what’s selling on Amazon and automatically reprices our stock to keep it competitive. When we first got the service it tripled our sales from 20 to 60 books a week. Now, even with adding new stock we’re averaging about 30 sales a week. Still not bad, but not great.

But, it makes me wonder. We’re all cutting back on stuff we can do without, like premium cable channels, champagne for breakfast, and a new SUV. Are books considered a luxury item on the “we can do without” list? I’d prefer to think of books as one of the best buys in entertainment and education. I know a lot of authors who would agree.

Is discounting the only way to get people to buy? I’d suggest giving buyers more for their money, instead of charging less for a book. Especially if I can include products I don’t have to physically stock. Products like:

* Newsletters
* Audio interviews
* Ebooks
* Teleclasses

Get creative with your offers! What can you add instead of subtracting payment for your work?