Self-Publishing and Maximizing Distribution and Revenue – Part Two + e-Reader Sync Guides

Last week, we discussed the importance of self-published authors selling their e-books via the top three Direct Sale Vendors (Kindle Direct, Nook Press, and iTunes Connect).

However, Direct Sale Vendors aren’t the only way to go…

Another concept to consider is selling our e-books in all of the electronic reader formats via a personal website.  Actually, one of the most important “pages” for an author to create to promote his or her book is an Author Website.

An author website will serve as the primary launch pad, or landing page, for selling e-books.  These websites should include multiple pages for the different aspects of our writing: a home page, including our book cover’s and blurb’s; an author page, including biography and head shot; a blog page, linking back to our blogs if we have one; and even a shopping cart page.

With a shopping cart page, self-published authors can offer all of the electronic reader versions of their e-books directly on their websites… just like the Direct Sale Vendors.

Selling e-books through a website and through Direct Sale Vendors provides us with the best of both worlds when it comes to distribution and maximizing our revenue.

Sounds great, but one might ask, “When a buyer buys a Kindle e-book from my site, how does he/she load it to their Kindle Device? I’m no tech expert… I can’t help.”

It’s easier than one might think, and most people can do it in a snap.

We’ve included a few guides that Content Shelf has put together that will help explain how “syncing” is done.  Our Sync Guides are great resources that provide step-by-step information, as well as detailed screen shots, showing how to transfer e-book purchases from a website to these select reading devices.  We’ve also made it easy for authors and buyers to view and save these guides to their computers by simply clicking the links below.

Kindle Sync Guide

This guide provides PC Users step-by-step directions, showing how to sync Kindle e-books with the Amazon Kindle e-book reader.

iBooks Sync Guide (iPad, iPod & iPhone)

This guide provides PC & MAC users step by step directions, showing how to sync epub e-books with the iBooks App for iPad, iPod, and iPhone.

Nook Color Sync Guide 

This guide provides PC Users step by step directions, showing how to sync epub e-books with the Nook Color e-book reader.

Remember—selling e-books through a personal website and through Direct Sale Vendors provides us with the best of both worlds when it comes to distribution and maximizing our revenue.