Episode Summary: Part 3 of the self-publishing series — where to sell a book beyond Amazon, tools that make formatting painless, and done-for-you distribution services worth knowing about.
What You'll Learn
- eBook marketplaces beyond Amazon, and what makes each one different
- The most common eBook formats and why formatting trips up so many self-publishers
- Pressbooks and Vellum as time-saving formatting tools, with real pricing
- Done-for-you distribution services and the tradeoff they involve
Recap — Episode 72 (Part 1): writing and editing tools — Scrivener, Ulysses, Bear, Grammarly, Hemingway App, plus 750words.com as an accountability tool.
Recap — Episode 73 (Part 2): self-publishing on Amazon.com via Kindle Direct Publishing for the eBook, CreateSpace for on-demand print copies, and ACX for converting a book into an audiobook — plus a look at money-making opportunities for podcasters and content creators to narrate audiobooks.
Other eBook Marketplaces (Amazon Competitors)
- Apple iBooks Store — built for iPhone and iPad; no browser-accessible storefront.
- Kobo Writing Life — a popular self-publishing platform with a 5-step process that distributes globally; payout kicks in once royalties exceed $50. Kobo's e-reader device competes directly with Kindle and tends to be more popular internationally.
- Barnes & Noble — the Nook lives on, though Amazon continues to squeeze B&N's market share.
- Blurb — a genuine favorite and a self-publishing pioneer, making it possible to publish without upfront costs. Readable on Kindle, iOS, and Android.
- Google Play Books — the Android book platform; criticized for a clunky upload process, but Google's search power makes it worthwhile.
- Bonus: Scribd — books, audiobooks, and more in one subscription.
Formatting Made Easy
Common eBook formats — PDF, ePub, AZW, MOBI — are where a lot of self-publishers get overwhelmed. Scrivener, Ulysses, and Adobe InDesign can all handle every format, but getting the design to hold up cleanly across Kindle, Nook, Kobo, and iPad takes real work.
Two time-saving f…
Read the complete show notes and resources on mikemurphy.ai.
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