How to Self-Publish an eBook

How to Self-Publish an eBook When you decide to publish your book, you have several options for what medium and what distribution channels to use. While many authors think only of the traditional paper bound books, eBooks are becoming more and more popular by the day. With new apps for phones, iPads, tablets, and other reading devices which have become everyday items for almost every age group, choosing the eBook path is a smart option.eBooks are less expensive and faster to market, and they are more accessible to readers. Plus, you, as the author, are able to control much more of the process than you would with a traditional paperback or hardback print.Why choose eBooks?Lets first discuss why going the eBook route is a very good idea for people who are self-publishing. Typically, with hardback and paperback prints, an author can expect to get from 4% to 10% of the list price for each book sold. If youre publishing your own book, however, youll have to make up the upfront costs before you can really count anythi ng as a profit.With eBooks, the upfront costs are minimal and you receive up to 50% of the list price for each book sold. This is a pretty compelling reason to self-publish an eBook! On top of the much bigger commission, the time it takes to get your book to the masses is much shorter. Printing books on paper can take from six weeks to four months to get your book from your desk to a retailer for sale. With an eBook, the time to market is only a fraction of that time.eBooks are the books of the future. While those of us who love the tactile sensation of turning physical pages as we become engrossed in a story are sad to see the decline in paperbacks and hardbacks, eBooks are here to stay and will take us into the future.This can be a good thing, though, when you publish your eBook. If your book can go or be anywhere within mere moments, then your reader base can jump in size exponentially. So really, eBooks are basically your only choice to reach as many people as possible.Choose yo ur platform: How to format your eBookWe all like choices. We want to feel like we are in control of our life and our destiny. So, when it comes to choosing a format for your eBook, why does it seem like such a chore? Well, I say it doesnt have to be. With the low cost of entry for eBooks, you can choose more than one option. Here is a quick list of popular eBook formats.ePub This is the basic technical standard for eBooks. It was developed by the International Digital Publishing Forum. eBooks in this format can be read by almost any eBook reader, from the Amazon Kindle Fire and Barnes Nobles Nook to Apples iBooks app and Google Books app. Since it is a standard in the industry, this format has become the most widespread eBook format. There are many free online tools that will convert your .doc (Word) files into the ePub format.iBook Apple created their own eBook format called iBook. This is based on the ePub standard and has restrictions on where you can sell. These eBooks can only be sold on Apple devices.PDF This format is structured around the standard Portable Document Format that was created by Adobe. Many programs have PDF creation capabilities built in, so creating documents in this format is probably the easiest.Amazon Kindle This format is called KDP, or Kindle Direct Publishing. This format has some HTML and CSS3 built into it, which can help your eBook to look good on Kindle devices.First decide what platform you want to sell your book on, and then choose a format that will fit that platform and the devices that you think people will use to read your book. You could even create a website that is your book. Building an HTML5 website is much easier today than it used to be now that there are websites designed to help you to create your own site with minimal or no programming experience.Preparing your manuscriptOne aspect of getting ready to self-publish that many authors either ignore or dont think they have the resources for is editing. Having a pro fessional editor go through your manuscript to eliminate inconsistencies, typos, formatting issues, and more is an essential part of your eBooks success. It is well-known that its nearly impossible to fully edit your own writing, so having a neutral party examine your writing is a must. If you dont have the resources to hire a professional editor, then there are some other options to help you to still get some of the benefits from this step.Get a friend to read the eBook. If you have a friend who reads a lot or has experience with your genre, ask her to help you out by reading the book. Take her notes and implement the changes you feel improve your book.After taking a short break from the material, take your text away from where you normally write and read through it again. This will help give some separation between you and the text, which helps errors to pop out at you more clearly.Read the text in a different format than you normally would. For example, you could print the pages out on paper and read them, using a pen or a pencil to make notes on things you catch. You could also change the font size to something much larger than you have been using, which will cause misspellings and typos to more easily jump out from the page.Hire an editor to go through just the first couple of chapters. Take what they find in those chapters and use that knowledge to look for specific things. For example, they might find that a certain word is misspelled often or maybe you used two different names for the same character. Having a specific idea of what to look for will help you to self-edit the rest of the book.Read the manuscript from the ending to the beginning. By taking sentences out of context or order or by looking at each word on its own, your brain will disengage from its normal process of filling in the blanks. Instead of skipping over words that may be misspelled, those errors will become apparent to you.Using imagesIf your book has a lot of pictures or drawings, then you will want to first make sure that you have the right permissions to use those images. If they are your own photographs or drawings, then copyright isnt something you need to worry about. If you have downloaded the images from a stock photo website, then youll want to make sure you have the correct license.If you are creating a comic book or a graphic novel, then a tool like Amazons Kindle Comic Creator might be a good option for you. This tool was designed specifically for formatting books with comic images.With childrens books, you also need to use a tool that can help you to properly format the images with the text so that it comes across clearly on electronic book readers. Amazon also has a tool specifically for childrens books that is called the Kindle Kids Book Creator.Designing a coverWe all know the old saying Dont judge a book by its cover. But in this modern day of digital print and marketing, the cover makes a huge difference in whether or not someone clicks on yo ur book to buy it. Just like with advertisements, the book cover must stand out on many screen sizes.Regardless of what genre your book is in, your readers and potential readers should know almost immediately what your book is about. Here are some of the main tips to create an effective eBook cover design.If you can afford it, hire a graphic designer, such as one from ServiceScape.com, or use a design competition site to have designers give you their ideas for a cover based on your story synopsis. Telling someone else about your story and having them show you what images that brings into their mind will help you to identify what the cover should show. Is it a true representation of the main character? Should the focus be on the setting of the story? Or are there symbols and ideas that are the main concepts of your book?Consider your font carefully. While some of the flowy, curvy fonts are fun to look at, people browsing on Amazon arent going to be able to read it. Even though the ti tle of your book will be there, viewers eyes are drawn to the picture first. Make it stand out!Once you have a design, test it out in a size similar to what you see on Amazon or other eBook stores, such as Barnes Noble and iBook, to make sure it can stand out in the list of books. If the image isnt clearly communicating the topic of your book when its in a small size, then book browsers are likely to pass right over it.All of the above are wrapped into one main concept: keep it simple. You dont want to have an image with a hundred different things going on. You want something that very clearly and instantly shows the main point of your book.Gather your informationWhen you feel ready to submit your manuscript to an eBook publisher, be sure that you have all the necessary information with you.Book Title This needs to be exactly as it is on the cover.Sub-titles You dont have to have a sub-title, but this can be a good place to include keywords that will be searchable.Description This will be just like the synopsis you would normally see on the back cover of a paperback. Be sure it includes the main topic of the story, maybe one or two main characters, and a twist or a catch that grabs the readers attention.Contributors This is usually the place where you would put your name as the author, and any additional co-authors, translators, editors, etc.Keywords If there is an option to enter keywords, you will definitely want to take advantage of this option. These will act just like keywords for a website- this is how people can easily find your book.One final note before you publish is to carefully consider the price of your book. Make sure its in a good range for the genre and platform, and be sure that you feel it is a price you feel comfortable with. Dont sell yourself short, but dont alienate readers by setting the price too high. Do some research on what is out there already, and you will have the right information to set your own perfect price.

How the Goddess Athena Helped Hercules

How the Goddess Athena Helped Hercules Youve likely heard a number of references to the goddess Athena and her beauty, but her role as a protector of Hercules hasnt received as much attention. This Greek goddess of wisdom (born fully grown and armed, from the head of her father, Zeus) was also a warrior goddess. Strong and virginal, she repeatedly helped Hercules, the Greek mythological hero. The semi-divine  Hercules, the son of Zeus and a mortal woman, earned a name for himself by defeating fantastic beasts and making repeated trips to the Underworld. However, he also went mad, largely due to the wicked ways of his stepmother, Hera, whod tried to kill him since he  was a baby. Fearful that Hera would succeed at killing Hercules, Zeus sent Hercules to Earth and allowed a mortal family to raise him. Although his new family loved him, Hercules divine strength prevented him from fitting in with mortals, so Zeus eventually revealed his origins to him. To achieve immortality, like his father and other gods, Hercules performed the 12 labors for his cousin King Eurystheus, who, like Hera, hated Hercules. But Eurystheus and Hera hoped Hercules would die in the process. Fortunately, Athena, Hercules half-sister, came to his aid. The 12 Labors of Hercules Which Herculean tasks did Eurystheus and Hera want the demigod to complete? The entire list of 12 labors is below: The Nemean LionThe Lernaean HydraThe Wild Boar of ErymanthusThe Stag of ArtemisThe Augean StablesThe Stymphalian BirdsThe Cretan BullThe Girdle of HippolytaThe Cattle of GeryonThe Mares of King DiomedesThe Golden Apples of the HesperidesCerberus and Hades How Athena Helped Hercules During  the 12 Labors Athena helped Hercules during labors 6, 11, and 12.  To scare off the enormous flock of birds at a lake by the town of Stymphalos during Labor No. 6, Athena gave Hercules noisemaking clappers, known as  krotala. During Labor No. 11, Athena may have helped Hercules to  hold up the world when the titan Atlas went to fetch the apples of the Hesperides for him. While Atlas was off getting the apples, Hercules agreed to lift up the world, a task that the titan normally performed. After Hercules brought the apples to his taskmaster Eurystheus to complete this labor, they had to be returned, so Athena took them back. Finally, Athena may have escorted Hercules and Cerberus out of the Underworld during Labor No. 12.  Specifically, she helped  Hercules in his madness, preventing him  from killing more people than he already had. After tragically killing  his own  children when madness overtook him, Hercules was about to kill Amphitryon, but  Athena knocked him out. This stopped him from murdering his mortal father. So while Athena has been heralded for her beauty, her efforts with Hercules reveal how much of a warrior she was.

Module Title- Online Journalism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Module Title- Online Journalism - Essay Example 1996; Al Jazeera Sports, a popular Arabic-language sports channel launched in 2003; Al Jazeera Mobasher, also known as Al Jazeera Live, a live politics and public interest channel which broadcasts conferences in real time without editing or commentary, launched in 2005; Al Jazeera Childrens Channel, also known as JCC, a childrens interest channel launched in 2005; Al Jazeera English, a global English-language 24-hour news channel launched in 2006; and Al Jazeera Documentary Channel, an Arabic language documentary channel launched in 2007 (Wiki-Al Jazeera, 2008). Al Jazeera English is the 24-hour English-language news and current affairs channel of the Al Jazeera media group. It is the first global English language news channel that is headquartered in the Middle East, which the group believes is a unique position that will shape its destiny of becoming the English-language channel of reference for Middle Eastern events. With reference to Al Jazeera Arabic, its mother company and the historically significant broadcast of Osama bin Laden’s statements after September 11, 2001, Al Jazeera English aims to give voice to untold stories, promote debate, and challenge established perceptions. (Corp Profile, 2008). The internet website of Al Jazeera English is located at http://english.aljazeera.net/. This paper critically reviews the Al Jazeera English website in terms of content, design, functionality and navigation, as well as proposes technical and journalistic improvements to the site and its contents. Like most news websites, Al Jazeera English presents its headline news on its front page. But being an Islam-oriented site, the headline news consists of Islamic country/people-related news items. Also on the front page are quick links to world news; sports; programmes; focus features, analysis and comments; Al Jazeera English TV schedule; and featured videos. The front page also contains quick links to jobs with Al Jazeera, emails related to published articles, a

Descriptive writing Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Descriptive writing - Assignment Example I won’t pack up the porch furniture today, because I want to hold on to this late remnant of the warm days just a little longer. The squirrel is sitting there by the pond, grooming herself. She turns and bounces towards for her store of hazelnuts. Every year I try to beat her to it, but every year she strips the tree before I even realize it is time to gather the harvest. She moves like a sine-wave, swift and light on her feet, chattering as she goes. Every hour of daylight means another layer of provisions in the dark earth. Soon she will sleep. I wonder if the squirrel dreams of summer in her hibernation haven? A solitary bee settles on the hedge before me. Just one. When I was a child there were lots of bees, and the hedge reverberated with their buzzing. Now there is only one and he drops lazily onto a tired-looking rose blossom. He lumbers on, somewhat clumsy, and carrying too much weight, in search of the last remaining blooms. Making the most of the time, he is, like me, grateful for the sun’s cheerful company. It is very still in the garden now. Where have all the bees gone? The rhythmic crash of the farmer’s mowing machine in the distance reminds me that the bees, too, have to adjust to modern lifestyle changes. Solitary bees, like self-employed couriers in the city, must learn to occupy their time alone, zooming from place to place, picking up and dropping off, guided by the logic of supply and demand. A cloud creeps over a quarter of the sky. The landscape before me now is cast in two shades: full color and muted shadows. Perhaps I should fetch my jacket. A pink petal drops from the fading rose. Fingers of cloud reach out for the sun, and now half of the sky is gray. The back door creaks behind me, as a light wind rises in the West. Now the sun has gone and the temperature has dropped. My old summer chairs need a coat of paint, and the table has a shaky leg. I make a mental note to have a look at

Summarize the reasons for the failure of Lehman Brothers Essay

Summarize the reasons for the failure of Lehman Brothers - Essay Example hat the problems of the Lehman Brothers were well published over the media which gave time to the derivatives market to prepare for the worst (The Economist, 2008). The statement was pretty correct as the credit-default swaps market had not been broken but buckled up (The Economist, 2008). The bank was unable to assess the risk of the borrower or trading partner which resulted in defaults paralyzing the cash flows of the bank. According to The Economist, a senior bank executive quotes this mistake of deregulated leasing â€Å"the mistake of a lifetime† (The Economist, 2008). The Lehman Brothers was caught up amidst US$ 613 billion of debt of which US$ 160 billion was held by international investors as unsecured bonds. The European pension funds and the individuals in Asian markets had believed in the high rating of the Lehman Brothers and put their investments in this unsecured bonds. The price of this unsecured bonds collapsed quickly destroying the share price of the company to half overnight. The shareholders had already witnessed downfall of the prices of shares in the past few months. These losses caused a spiral in the money market. International investors pulled off US$ 400 billion from the money market funds which was supposed to be a safer investment. This action was taken when a fund suffered losses which were loaded on Lehman’s debts (The Economist, 2008). Dick Fuld was the CEO of the Lehman Brothers at the time of the collapse of the bank. The Lehman Brothers has been the 4th largest investment bank in the US since 1994. Mr. Fuld has been partly blamed for the collapse of the bank and the losses made by the investors. The CEO enforced many policies and precautions to avoid any financial storm, but still the bank revealed US$ 2.8 billion losses in the next quarter. On the 15th of September, 2008, the share price of the bank went down 94% as compared to the previous year. The redundancy of 24,000 employees caused a great human cost. All these factors

Should Middle School Students be Drug Tested Essay

Should Middle School Students be Drug Tested - Essay Example As the report highlights  the outcome of its adversity cannot be assessed at the initial stage of direct or indirect consumption of substance. But diagnosis at the earliest can minimize its catastrophic effects through awareness imparting process by which one can abstain from further abuse of drugs. Otherwise, it may generate several problems to the users, to their family and the community itself. Lack of mental stability and restlessness may lead into personality disintegration of the user and, therefore, they may fail to take right decision as per the demands of the life situations. One who frequently consumes drugs and substances like sedatives may lose control over his or her behavior and this may extend to become a social problem. Drug addiction among school children may badly reflect in their academic performance as well as their overall understanding, and may force them to be at a below average.According to the essay findings  the initial consumption and use of the drug ma y result in health problems like insomnia, excitement, gastrointestinal disturbance and psychomotor agitation and so on. Drug users and addicts usually deliver poor social responsibility, hesitate to cooperate with others, their intellectual levels may decrease day by day, they may feel inferiority complex, minimize sociability, and may express fear when facing others.  Drug testing among middle school students is not universally approved because school managements and parents usually give consent to do so but they may not bother about the misuse of medical examination without the readiness and willingness of the clients.

The Luggers versus the Butchers Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

The Luggers versus the Butchers - Case Study Example dy clearly perform entirely different types of tasks but this does not mean that they should also be treated in a contrasting or a conflicting manner by those armed with managerial responsibilities. The managers at FMC tended to behave very strictly with the butchers but had close affiliation with the luggers on the other hand. The butchers were overworked and the luggers were not in anyone’s control. Such negative workplace attitudes reflect issues of inequity and injustice and research stresses that â€Å"organizational peace, communication and justice perception are very important factors in order to be successful† (Ince & Gul, 2011, p. 106). When employees are not treated equally and their concerns are not heard, they start losing their confidence and develop low self-esteems (Katcher & Snyder, 2007, p. ix; Ganster & Schaubroeck, 1991). That is why the unhappy butchers developed deep feelings of hatred and resentment for the management. â€Å"Organizations can avoi d having unhappy employees by successfully addressing their concerns† (Katcher, 2006). Organizational commitment is a valuable tool to mention here for the managers as a way of addressing the issues at FMC. This refers to the â€Å"relative strength of an individual’s identiï ¬ cation and involvement in a particular organization† (Steers, cited in Paik, Parboteeah, & Shim, 2007, p. 1770; Mowday, Porter, & Steers, 1982, p. 27) and it is widely believed that the more organizational commitment an employee has, the less are the chances of him/her leaving the organization. â€Å"Organizational commitment is cognitive assessment that reflects characteristics of the work environment† (Gelade, Dobson, & Gilbert, 2006, p. 543) which implies that the butchers had low commitment because the work environment in itself was degrading, unfair, and discriminatory. An employee’s commitment to the organization also related to the factor of leadership behaviors (Mathieu & Zajac, 1990, p. 171) which were especially low