How to Expand Your Ebook Offerings to eReader Devices including Kindle, iPad and Nook

Selling a PDF format of your ebook is a great way to start but offering multiple formats allows for a broader range of potential customers to see your ebook and buy it.

If you’re ready to take your ebook sales to the next level it’s time to think about formatting and converting your ebook to the Kindle and iBook formats.

First Thing to Keep in Mind

Always use your website as the primary launch point for your ebook. It will provide a single location where people can learn about you and your ebook as well as buy any of the formats that you offer.

We recommend offering the following formats from your website:

  1. PDF Format
  2. MobiPocket Format (Kindle)
  3. EPub Format (Apple iPhone / iPod / iPad and the Barnes & Noble Nook)

Digital Content Center can facilitate the sale and delivery of all of these formats.

Format Details for the Top 3 eReader Vendor Devices

Kindle Format (.mobipocket)

The Kindle device is the leading eReader device on the market and also has been available the longest. Kindle also offers apps that can be downloaded to most mobile devices, computers and macs making it the most far reaching of the eReader technologies available.

To sell on the Amazon platform you’ll need the following:

  1. Properly Formatted Ebook (.azw, .prc and .mobipocket)
  2. An account with Amazon Digital Text Platform (Click Here)

IBook Format (.epub)

The iPad device is the second leading eReader device on the market but offers more features than the Kindle. The iBooks app is also available for Apple iPhone, iPod Touch.

To sell on the iBooks platform you’ll need the following:

  1. Properly Formatted Ebook (w/ISBN) (.epub)
  2. An Account with iTunes Connect (Click Here)

Barnes & Noble Nook Format (.epub)

Rounding out the top three eReaders is the Barnes & Noble Nook and associated apps designed for mobile devices, pc’s and macs.

To sell on the Nook platform you’ll need the following:

  1. Properly Formatted Ebook (w/ISBN) (.epub)
  2. An Account with Barnes & Noble’s Pubit Service (Click Here)

Why You Should Manage Your Vendor Accounts

Although you may want to use an aggregator to submit your ebook to all ebook reader vendors here are some reasons you’ll want to create accounts with these vendors yourself:

  1. Make 100% of the sales residuals after the vendor takes their cut. Therefore you are not paying an additional service for setting up your account.
  2. Quick access to make adjustments to your ebook account. When using an aggregate service you’ll have to wait for adjustments for anything you request. When you manage your own account and want a change you do it and it’s done.
  3. Keep all rights to your ebook titles. Although most aggregate services allow you to keep all rights to your ebook taking your ebook out of their library can be a nightmare if you choose to manage your own vendor accounts in the future.
  4. No Set Up Fees. Most aggregators will charge a set up fee which is basically a fee to set up your account with that aggregator. When you set up your own accounts offer free accounts.