Copywriting and Editing
Just as important as great design is great content. What you present in your book or ebook must communicate effectively to your reader. A good plan is to decide who your reader will be. This will help in marketing your book effectively.
Splitting into logical sections or chapters is the usual way to create order within your book or ebook. Often photos, illustrations, diagrams and charts can enhance your ebook and make it much more stimulating to the reader. I can source images from photo libraries and produce graphics which will help your text jump off the page into your readers’ imagination.
A good tip is to make sure you have a well-written manuscript which has been professionally proofread BEFORE the book/ebook is designed and formatted. I can give you a free assessment of your project which saves lots of extra expense. For writing and editing I work with an experienced copywriter who can help you with the words you’re looking for if your manuscript needs a little polishing – or will proofread the words you’ve already written to make sure you’re word perfect.
Ghostwriting
Writing is not everyone’s strong point, so consider getting someone experienced to write your ebook for you to ensure continuity and accessibility. If you supply a rough manuscript we can edit and re-write it yet still maintain the ‘voice’ and personal style of the writer if required.
Editing & Proofreading
It’s money well spent to have a professional look over your ebook. We’ll make sure your book communicates effectively, enhancing your product and generally making it a ‘good read’. Readers hate grammatical and spelling mistakes and if this is a business ebook, errors will seriously harm your brand. Conversely, if it communicates effectively, it will do wonders for your reputation. Even though you may think you or your partner can proofread, it’s a professional job. So many people come back to me when they discover mistakes after publication.
Copyright
Always include a copyright and/or disclaimer clause within your ebook. The content depends on your subject matter but are generally very similar. I can help you find something suitable to include if required.
Other Considerations
Do I include a contents page? Do I have chapters or headings? Do I include author details? The answer to these questions depends on your ebook and what you are going to use it for. The golden rule is to keep your potential reader happy by making your ebook as efficient and easy to navigate as possible.
Ebook or Printed Book?
If you’re thinking of producing a book and thinking of print as well as in ebook format, bear in mind that the same files can be used for both with only a few changes. This can be very cost-effective and can not only increase potential readership, but also give you more credibility as a writer.
To achieve this though the book would have to be produced in CMYK at print resolution and then adapted and compressed for the ebook. This will cost more and take a bit longer to achieve but would be very cost-effective compared to adapting a low resolution ebook for print. The print book would also have a spine and blurb on the back. The spine width would depend on the number of pages and paper type. For KDP print-on-demand you can determine the spine width by creating a cover template. You just fill in your book size, page count and whether you want white or cream paper.
Other issues to consider:
- Pages are in spreads (two pages together) in a printed book whereas ebooks usually have one page at a time.
- Ebooks can have hyperlinks, interactivity and navigation systems.
- Ebooks can be sent electronically by email and easy to store with a long shelf-life.
- Printed books can be very expensive to publish especially with colour images and diagrams. Ebooks on the other hand can be printed out but the print-outs are not really practical for storage. They also can consume lots of ink especially on pages with overall colour backgrounds.
- A printed book will require an ISBN number. These have to be purchased in bulk. KDP and Lulu print-on-demand offer a free one.
- Do you have a publisher for print? If not you may consider having your book printed yourself. If this is impractical there are several print-on-demand publishing systems where books are only printed as they are purchased. Take a look at Amazon’s own KDP.