How To Sell Ebooks

GOOD COVERS

I can't overemphasize how important a good cover is. Hire a professional. And keep these things in mind:

1. At a glance, it should convey the type or genre of the book you've written.

2. It should be readable in grayscale.

3. It should be readable as a thumbnail.

4. Your name and the title should be large and clear.

There are other little tips that I recommend. Usually legacy book covers have a lot of writing on them, and that makes them subconsciously identifiable as professional. Taglines. Blurbs. "By the author of Whiskey Sour". That sort of thing.

Your artist should know what vectors are, and the rule of three, and the importance of the color wheel, and all the other tricks used to make a cover pop.

If your sales are slow, consider getting a better cover

GOOD PRODUCT DESCRIPTION

Did you know you can add basic HTML to your book description on Kindle using Author Central? I didn't. But I do now, and I'm using it to make my ebook pages better.

Once your cover gets a browser's attention, you need a good book description to reel them in. Read back jacket copy on some of your favorite mass market paperbacks to get a feel for it. You can also add blurbs, reviews, a bio, past books, and more.

Make sure there is plenty of white space. I don't like big, blocky paragraphs, and I assume others don't either. Use bold and italics when needed, but don't overuse them.

How long should your novel be to be published?

There is no simple answer to the question. Most adult novels are at least 60,000 words. The average adult fiction novel runs from 75,000 to 100,000 words. Non-fiction novels can have both more or less words but most publishable novels for the adult market, again, should be at least 60,000 words. Young adult and children's market novels are considerably shorter. They run on average from 45,000 to 75,000 words. Some novels aimed for a youthful audience are as short as 30,000 words.

However, if you are self publishing, your novel can be as long as you want. The nice thing about self publishers is that the author has complete control over their manuscript. The downside to this is that they are less likely to make money off of their published work. For authors who are more interested in getting their work out into the world and less interested in profits, this is a good route for you. Most writers don't have enough time in their lives for that. Writing a novel takes both time and effort and for those of us with little free time, it can be an uphill battle, especially if you work full time, go to school, or have children.

For those who are interested in mass markets and large publishing houses the guidelines set above are best. If your novel is too short, there won't be as much profit for the publishing house to make off of the book which makes them less inclined to publish it. On the other hand, if the novel is too long, they won't want to publish it either as the cost of production will eat into their profits.

How long is too long? That is a good question. Most novels over 120,000 words are less likely to be considered by large publishing houses. While novels in the Harry Potter and Game of Thrones series are examples of bestsellers with large word counts, those novels are exceptions to the rule. In this day and age there is a sort of golden number of pages a novel should be. A novel that has anywhere between 250 to 425 pages are the market standard. As each page within the average modern American novel has roughly 250 words each, the average word count usually falls between the 60,000 and 100,000 standard. Again, if you are self publishing, you get to have some leeway in this.

Having an industry standard novel length can seem rather arbitrary, but there are some good reasons behind the set word count. And I am not jut talking about profits, although those are important too. If a novel is too short, more often than not there are plot holes and/or a lack of development in characterization, scene, and plot. However if a novel is loo long there is usually to much exposition and overwriting. Most authors, myself included, have a tendency to write either too much or not enough. Finding the happy medium is why the industry norm is out there. It is a formula that has been tested, works well for the readers, the publishing houses, and hopefully works well for the author too.

How long should your novel be to be published?

There is no simple answer to the question. Most adult novels are at least 60,000 words. The average adult fiction novel runs from 75,000 to 100,000 words. Non-fiction novels can have both more or less words but most publishable novels for the adult market, again, should be at least 60,000 words. Young adult and children's market novels are considerably shorter. They run on average from 45,000 to 75,000 words. Some novels aimed for a youthful audience are as short as 30,000 words.

However, if you are self publishing, your novel can be as long as you want. The nice thing about self publishers is that the author has complete control over their manuscript. The downside to this is that they are less likely to make money off of their published work. For authors who are more interested in getting their work out into the world and less interested in profits, this is a good route for you. Most writers don't have enough time in their lives for that. Writing a novel takes both time and effort and for those of us with little free time, it can be an uphill battle, especially if you work full time, go to school, or have children.

For those who are interested in mass markets and large publishing houses the guidelines set above are best. If your novel is too short, there won't be as much profit for the publishing house to make off of the book which makes them less inclined to publish it. On the other hand, if the novel is too long, they won't want to publish it either as the cost of production will eat into their profits.

How long is too long? That is a good question. Most novels over 120,000 words are less likely to be considered by large publishing houses. While novels in the Harry Potter and Game of Thrones series are examples of bestsellers with large word counts, those novels are exceptions to the rule. In this day and age there is a sort of golden number of pages a novel should be. A novel that has anywhere between 250 to 425 pages are the market standard. As each page within the average modern American novel has roughly 250 words each, the average word count usually falls between the 60,000 and 100,000 standard. Again, if you are self publishing, you get to have some leeway in this.

Having an industry standard novel length can seem rather arbitrary, but there are some good reasons behind the set word count. And I am not jut talking about profits, although those are important too. If a novel is too short, more often than not there are plot holes and/or a lack of development in characterization, scene, and plot. However if a novel is loo long there is usually to much exposition and overwriting. Most authors, myself included, have a tendency to write either too much or not enough. Finding the happy medium is why the industry norm is out there. It is a formula that has been tested, works well for the readers, the publishing houses, and hopefully works well for the author too.

Action Vs. Reactio

Another way to think of plot and story is in terms of action and reaction. Some action happens (plot), and your character reacts to it (story). In fact, a novel is nothing more than a repeating series of actions and reactions. Other than a little bit of setting, dialogue, and weather, there’s nothing else to it!

So remember:

•   The plot moves your character from her starting location to her ending location. There may be many struggles along the way, and the physical part of those is the plot.

•   The story moves your character from the person she was at the beginning to the person she ends up being at the end. There may be many struggles along the way, and the emotional part of those is the story.

Now that you understand this, it’s easy to see how you can use plot and story continuously throughout your novel. Plot is action, so if things are dragging, simply add more of it. But if things are moving too fast, add more story to slow them down. They work together to keep your novel on pace.

Some novels might be mostly plot. Think about Clive Cussler adventure stories, for example. Some novels might be mostly story. Think of Jane Austen. But all novels alternate back and forth, regardless of the emphasis. A successful novel needs plenty of both.

If you understand the difference between story and plot, you will have one of the most powerful weapons in your writing arsenal. It is astonishing how many successful authors don’t grasp the difference. Sure, some of them apply them intuitively without knowing they’re doing it, but plenty more don’t, and their work shows it.

Plot vs. Story

 We tend to use the words plot and story interchangeably, don’t we? It’s easy to think of them as the same thing. In fact, I bet most writers, editors, and other professionals in the world of fiction don’t clearly understand the distinction. Yet it’s very simple, and grasping it will make everything you write so much easier that you’ll be shocked. Here’s the difference:

•   Plot is your protagonist’s physical journey.

•   Story is your protagonist’s emotional journey.

Your novel (or short story, play, or screenplay) will contain both. The plot will be what happens to your protagonist; the story will be how your protagonist changes inside.

Simple, isn’t it? And yet by keeping these two words separate and carefully using them only when we mean the physical (plot) or the emotional (story), we can bring a whole new level of clarity to everything we write.

HOW TO EDIT YOUR BOOK IN 4 STEPS

Here, briefly, is how that process works:

1. The Close-In Writing

The basic method: You write a day’s worth of work (either fiction or nonfiction)—whatever that means for you. Next day, before you write anything new, you revise and edit the previous day’s work. This is the “close-in writing,” and becomes the first draft—the first time your write your book.

2. The Close-In Edit

When the entire first draft is complete, you go back through and, beginning with word one to the end, you revise and edit the entire manuscript on your computer. This is the “close-in edit,” and becomes your second draft: the second time you write your book.

3. The Distance (or “Hand”) Edit

Next, you print a hard copy of the second draft of your entire manuscript. Beginning with word one to the end, you hand-edit the hard copy, scrawling notes and profanities to yourself all the way through the margins. Then, using your hand-edit notes as a reference, you go back into your computer file and revise the manuscript as needed. This is the “distance edit,” and becomes your third draft: the third time you’ve written your book.

4. The Oral Edit

Finally, you print a new hard copy and read your entire manuscript aloud. Read it to the walls, to your spouse, to the patrons at Starbucks, to your dog, to the bowl of soggy Cocoa Puffs left over from breakfast. Doesn’t matter who’s in the room, only that you can hear yourself reading it. Start with word one and don’t stop until you read the last word. Yes, it may take you several days, but that’s OK. Keep reading every word out loud until you’re done.

As you read, note any places where the phrasing causes you to stumble, the wording feels confusing or out of place, or your mind seems to wander from the text in front of you. Those places need to be cut or rewritten, so as you’re reading aloud, pause to make notes as to what to do to improve them. When you’re done, incorporate your notes into the computer file of your manuscript. You’ve now finished the “oral edit”—and written your book four times.

At this point, you will be: a) extremely sick of your book, but b) finished.

Yes, this is a tedious, tiring process. But it works. If you write your book four times, chances are very good that when you’re done it will be a finely-crafted work of art … or at least undoubtedly something much better than when you started.

HOW TO WRITE A NOVEL: 6 TIPS EVERYONE CAN USE

1. Write the story you’d most want to read. Don’t write a story just because you think it might be a bestseller or that it would make Great Aunt Edna proud. Think about the books you love, the ones you really lose yourself in. If those are mysteries, then don’t try to write an historical romance or a quiet literary novel. It might not be anything genre-specific that you love, but a certain voice, or type of story, or kinds of characters. Write what you love. Do me a favor — right now, today, start a list of all your crazy obsessions, the things that get your heart pumping, that wake you up in the middle of the night. Put it above your desk and use it to guide you, to jumpstart your writing each and every day

2. Begin with character. Make her flawed and believable. Let her live and breathe and give her the freedom to surprise you and take the story in unexpected directions. If she’s not surprising you, you can bet she’ll seem flat to your readers. One exercise I always do when I’m getting to know a character is ask her to tell me her secrets. Sit down with a pen and paper and start with, “I never told anybody…” and go from there, writing in the voice of your character.

3. Give that character a compelling problem. Your character has to have something that’s going to challenge her, torment her and propel her forward. At the heart of every story is conflict – whether external or internal, make it a good one, and remember that this problem is going to shape your character, leaving her forever changed.

4. Make things happen! You can have the greatest characters in the world, and write beautifully, but if nothing’s happening, the story falls on its face pretty quickly. In my books, I make sure something important to the plot is happening in each scene. And if there’s a scene in there that isn’t helping to move the story along in some vital way, I cut it, no matter how great it is. When I’m editing, I’ll go scene by scene and write a single word sentence describing the action on an index card. Then I lay the cards out and I’ve got the bare bones of my story. I can see if things are moving forward, if I’m throwing in enough twists and turns, and if there are scenes that just aren’t pulling their weight.

5. Make it believable. Ah, you say, but you sometimes write stories with ghosts and fairies – how believable is that? It works if you make it believable in the universe of the book. In Promise Not to Tell, I came up with rules for the ghost – things she could and couldn’t do. I gave her a history and compelling reason to return. Readers hate cheap tricks. Don’t pull the evil twin routine in the final hour. Don’t bring in a new character at the end to solve the protagonist’s problem for her. She’s got to resolve things herself, for better or worse.

6.Stick with it the project. You’ll be tempted to give up a thousand and one times. Don’t. Finish the story. Then work twice as hard to revise it. Do your best to get it out in the world. When it’s rejected by agents and publishers (which it will be) keep sending it out. In the meantime, write another. Then another. Trust me, you get better every time. You’re not in this writing business because it’s easy. It took me four books, two agents and seven years to get my first novel published. It was a long tough road, but so, so worth it in the end!