The readers who only read digitally on their mobiles, tablets or reading devices can be reached by publishing it as an e-book. 

E-books has significant advantages. Especially self-publishers benefit from this opportunity, as they can reach their readers in the same bookstores and online bookstores as the publishers can. You do not have to publish your book through a large publisher to reach your target audience. Many writers today can realize their dream of writing and publishing using e-book self-publishing

ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES

There are many benefits of e-books. One is that the readers can always bring with them several books at the same time without dragging on heavy books.

Another advantage is that the reader chooses when, where and how to read your e-book. You can read it on a tablet, a reading device or a mobile. This is the perfect solution for the reader who is traveling or commuting a lot. You can also easily borrow an e-book from the library, as long as the reader has an internet connection.

Most e-books have several formats like Mobi, PDF, ePub, which allows you to change the text and screen size depending on the device you read. The reader can adapt the book to make it easier to read. In an e-book you also have access to search functions and interactive links. For example, you can link your readers to your web page, your YouTube channel or your Facebook page.

The long life of the e-book is a great advantage because it does not depend on a certain printed edition in the same way as the printed book is. It is also flexible because it is easy to renew it if new formats are released and you can easily change the content if needed.

E-books are usually cheaper to buy than the printed version. For those readers who want to save money or are not prepared to pay the printed version’s price, the e-book can be a cheaper alternative. 

E-books are also more environmentally friendly as you do not need to consume any paper, ink, color cartridges or use large printing machines.

One disadvantage of e-books is that you don’t have this old fashion way of reading a book. Some still prefer to hold the book in hand, even smell the paper. Other than that we see no disadvantage, may be you run out of batter of device you use to read the book.

DISTRIBUTION

You can publish your e-book with Elib, Amazon, iBooks, Google Play, Skoobe, Readfy, Apple, Overdrive and Kobo, among others. You can also offer your e-book at a promotional price for a certain period, release your e-book for lending and receive pre-orders before you release the book. Promotional price and marketing timeframe set by the author himself. 

With e-book lending, you take the opportunity to expand your readership, as lending e-books makes it easier for the reader to find new books and new authors. The reader does not have to buy the book directly but can first borrow it and then maybe decide to buy it.

You can make it possible to pre-order your e-book. Your e-book will then be visible even before it is published. The big advantage: As soon as you have caught the attention of your future readers, they can pre-order your e-book and they do not have to remember the exact publication date – a sound basis for an advertising campaign!

E-books especially appeal to those readers who like to shop online and use mobiles and tablets. This target group is also often active in social media. They write and read online, create book blogs, review websites, Instagram, Twitter and other channels. They are happy to share their positive experiences of the book with their followers, which will increase your sales figures. They often prefer that the book and the lower price can be downloaded quickly.

ARE ALL E-BOOKS COPYRIGHTED (DRM)?

You can use soft copy protection (watermark), which means that each file contains visible and invisible information about origin. The reader has no restrictions, but if illegal copies appear, they can be traced back.

In addition, you will find hard-copy e-books (Adobe DRM) that are encrypted to your Adobe ID and can only be read with software such as Adobe Digital Editions. Some titles have no copy protection. The authors and publishers decide for themselves what kind of copy protection the title should have. The rights that you acquire when you purchase the eBook are always bound by your personal use. 

YOUR BOOK CAN REACH A LARGER AUDIENCE!

As a writer, you should not miss out on this large crowd of readers who prefer to read books on mobile, iPad, Kindle or any other reading device. So you do not have to choose whether to publish your book as an e-book or a printed book. Publish both versions at once! A title achieves higher sales figures when available as both a printed book and an e-book, as it gives a more professional impression to your readers. 

All the best, Melissa Mayer.