4 Literary Launchpads: 3-2-1… Fire!

Literary Launchpads: 3-2-1… Fire!

You’ve come so very far. You’ve chosen indie as your publication platform rather than traditional printing houses. Your manuscript is cooling for its final edits before the launch. But how and where will you launch from?

FYI: The bedroom closet is not a launchpad. Neither is the desk drawer or your granddad’s old, beat-up briefcase.

There are, once again, so many cyberspace options to display and sell your baby on that it boggles the mind. Slog through them if you like, but here are the four venues I use and why:

Launch from Amazon (of course!) – For worldwide distribution of eBooks, print, and audiobooks through Amazon. I write, upload a print-ready package, and promote. Once I push ‘publish’, they do all the printing, shipping, and bookkeeping. I get royalties and a 1099 tax statement at the end of the year.
Launch from Draft to Digital – The one-stop warehouse of eBooks, Print, and Audiobooks for Barnes and Noble, Libraries, and your other favorite retailer like Walmart. They do the distributing and bookkeeping. I get royalties and a 1099 tax statement at year end.
Launch from Google Play – Another worldwide distributor of eBooks. It’s a learning curve that I’m just getting into. Stay tuned on this one.
Launch from Lemon Squeezy – The ‘Buy Direct from the Author’ payment processing platform for eBooks… through my website. They also offer a storefront… so, more uploading of covers and ready-to-read files to make it work. But for $2.50 whoosh into my pocket for a $3 book instead of $1.40 or 38 cents, I’ll do it!

Phew! I’m pooped just sharing all these publishing venues and platforms with you. But I’ll take a breath and grab some coffee to inspire the spilling of pertinent details for each platform.

Please email me here if I’m pouring too fast. It happens.

Here is the computer literate fast-track instructions for lift-off from these platforms:

Publish on Amazon

Set-up a kdp bookshelf account.
Click on the ‘Create’ button and start at the top…
To publish an eBook, you will need:
1. A fully edited, read to enthrall a reader, manuscript including:
  1. Title page
  1. Copyright page
  1. Dedication
  1. Table of Contents
  1. The story
  1. The end matter:
    1. About the author
    1. Where to find more of your books
    1. Review Call-to-Action
1. The description
1. A cover (I use Canva, but there are gazillions more)
1. Shelf categories – fiction, mystery, drama, etc.
1. Search terms for search engines and algorithms
1. Faith and courage
To publish a print book, you will need all the above with these exceptions:
1. A fully edited, ready to enthrall a reader, manuscript as above in a ready-to-print format. For a 6”x 9” book, reset the margins to 5 ½” x 8 ½” output. Scroll through to delete blank pages. Margin changes can bring surprises – like blank pages…
1. Back cover blurb
1. Patience

Amazon makes it easy to add your print book at the same time. Besides being worldwide, kdp makes large print books possible. Watch for an upcoming blogpost for print book formatting hints and tips.

Publishing your works in audiobook form is the subject for a separate blogpost to keep this post a digestible size.

Publishing on Draft to Digital (D2D or Books2Read)

Follow the same procedure beginning with create an account.

You will need the same uploading packet as with Amazon. But D2D book upload forms seem faster and simpler to me.

It’s also fast and easy to add a print book after the eBook details, however, large print is not offered.

Publish on Google Play

The same procedure and packet. But so far, Google Play is keeping me at arm’s length. It’s an ongoing learning curve. I’ll share when I figure it out.

Publish and Sell Direct from Your Website and Story Origin with Lemon Squeezy

Lemon Squeezy is a new (to me) way for me to sell my eBooks directly to you. No middleman. The opportunity makes it possible for elbow-rubbing discounts that you can’t get anywhere else.

When I get the hang of it, you’ll see discount codes appearing here and there… hither and yon, so to speak. They might be through a promotional banner from Story Origin that I’ve added to a blog… or a single link in a blog… or even right on a book page of my website. The deal could be blatant or more of a treasure hunt. Only time will tell. It’s the learning curves…

But you can get right to it with Lemon Squeezy for your own website by:

Create an account
Set-up your account for getting paid, etc. (They pay the sales tax, and more)
Upload your eBooks (Cover, Complete Content packet as above) into your own storefront on their site (required)
Share the link for each book to get the code for checkout from your website and ads you place.

What I really, really like about Lemon Squeezy rather than sites like Shopify (can I say that?) is the pricing structure. You pay a minimal fee for each sale. That’s it. No monthly subscription charges hitting my account.

I like it.

And that’s all I have to say about launching books for success. For today.

Book launch day is an event. I start with Amazon; then D2D; Google Play can wait; ending with alexielinnauthor.com and Lemon Squeezy. Story Origin for reviews and promotion is another event on its own.

Except this one more thing…

Here’s a freebie to introduce you to the Joan Freed Life-Changing Mystery/Adventure Series. Click on the cover for the download button to grab it while you can.

Cheers!

P.S. Results of the call for votes on the last blog post was a landslide ‘Mix it up!’ Thanks for participating. You got it!