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Digital Book World Self-Publishing Guide
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CompanyAboutE-book ConversionFormats/DistributionEditorial ServicesDesign ServicesMarketingDigital Rights Management (DRM)SpecialtiesTurnaroundRoyaltiesContractCopyrightsSuccess stories
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Arbor BooksGhostwriting and self-publishing company based in Ramsey, N.J.MS Word or WordPerfect ($895 - $1,195)Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Borders, Bibliophile and others.Send a sample via email for a quote on editorial services, which include Developmental Editing, Line Editing, Copyediting, Manuscript Evaluations and Ghostwriting. The company uses both staff and freelance writers and editors.Typesetting and cover design.Query letters and book proposals to agents, publishers, production companies and booksellers; television, radio and magazine ads; book reviews from Kirkus and New York Times Book Review; Search Engine Marketing (SEM) campaigns, speaking engagements.?For $50,000 or more, a Pulitzer Prize-winning or New York Times Bestselling Author will ghostwrite.60-to-120 days100% to authornon-exclusiveAuthorSherrie Mathieson got book deals from Random House and Clarkson Potter for her fashion book for Boomers, Forever Cool.
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ASIParent company of publishing services AuthorHouse, Xlibris, iUniverse, Trafford Publishing and Wordclay and marketing site AuthorHive. Accepts Microsoft Word or Adobe InDesign (.indd) files smaller than 10 MB for black and white e-books only.ePub for Amazon Kindle, Sony® Reader, Google eBookstore, Barnes & Noble nookTM, Kobo Books, Scribd.com, iBookstore and BooksOnBoard, which is available on the iPhone and iPad via the Stanza application.Content Editing (which checks for consistency in characters, setting and plot; or facts, if non-fiction); Content Editing Plus (ads copyediting for spelling and grammar); Line Editing, Developmental Editing, and expedited editing services.Cover design, interior color or black and white images, page layout (including front matter and footnotes), cover design and a catalog of stock images.An extensive list of marketing packages including social media and website set-up, television ads, Hollywood book-to-screen pitches, app publishing, email campaigns, online video infomercials and book trailers, radio ads, author appearances at book signings, galleries, exhibits; review services, ads in book review journals like the New York Times Book Review and magazines like InFlight.E-books can neither be copied nor printed; Barnes & Noble allows e-books to be loaned for a certain period of time.ASI serves international authors and has an imprint for Spanish-speaking authors called Palibrio. The company also has partnerships with publishing houses that use the site to scout for unsigned talent.Ten-to-15 days for e-book conversion with cover and interior design or three-to-five days expedited. Six-to-12 weeks for illustrations. One-to-eight weeks for editing, depending on the type.50% of net payments. Default list price of $3.99 can be changed at author's request. Must be consistent through all channels.non-exclusiveAuthorFantasy author C.S. Marks sold 35,000 copies of Elf Hunter and was picked up by agent Cathy Hemming, former president of HarperCollins, and Atlanta-based publishing house Sea Lion Books.
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Barnes & Noble's PubIt!Barnes and Noble's e-book conversion and distribution tool.Users can upload a file (Microsoft Word .doc and .docx, RTF, HTML, TXT) and cover image on the site and see a preview of how the book will look on a Nook. Limited to Nook eBook Readers and NOOK eReading software for iPad, iPhone/iPod touch, Mac, Android, PC, etc. NoneNoneBarnes & Noble offers tools and tips on how to market your book in the PubIt! FAQ.OptionalTrack B&N sales figures in real time; the company also has a submissions page for selling print copies at Barnes & Noble bookstores.Up to 24 hours, usually only a coupleFor e-books with a list price at or between $2.99 and $9.99, 65% of the list price. For e-books with a list price at or below $2.98 or at or greater than $10.00, 40% of the list price.non-exclusiveThe author owns the copyrights, but may not sell the book for a lower price on any other site.Barbara Freethy, among several others, has sold 1 million e-books.
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BookBabyAn e-book publishing and distribution tool from the makers of CD Baby.Upload manuscripts in the following formats: .doc, .docx, txt, .rtf, or .html for free; other formats including PDF (.pdf), InDesign (.indd), Pages (.pages), and Quark (.qxd) are extra.iPad, Kindle, Nook, Kobo eReader, Copia and Sony Reader. NoneCover design, layout and font review.Author websitesOptionalBeautiful cover art samples; easy online book template that works for art and photography books and graphic novels.Five-to-ten business days for file conversion; two-to-three days for cover art.100%non-exclusiveAuthorNyree Belleville earned half a million dollars in 18 months.
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BookCountryAn online community for writers of genre fiction that's owned by Penguin.Upload manuscripts in these formats: rtf, .doc, .docx, .odt, or .txt for peer review from the communityAmazon, Apple, Book Country, Barnes & Noble, Diesel, Google, Kobo, SonyProvided through peer review.DIY or custom cover and interior design (from six style templates); Sleek DIY tool. Deluxe covers recommended.Specific metadata is added to the book to help with discoverability.OptionalThe genre map is helpful for determining how to categorize and potentially market your book.One-to-two weeks, with two-to-three days for cover design.30%-to-70% of net sales depending on the list price.non-exclusiveAuthorKerry Schafer was picked up by Penguin for a two-book deal after workshopping her book, Between, in the community.
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BookLockerOnline bookstore that sells print and e-books; also POD and ebook conversion services. MS Word, but you have to apply if you are not already a print customer.PDF for Booklocker, Epub for Apple iBookstore, Barnes &Noble NOOKBook store, and MOBI for Amazon’s Kindle storeNoneCover design.Website offers tips, but leaves it to the author to DIY.No (except for Amazon)The company reviews the files before agreeing to publish. It doesn't take poetry books or books that may pose a legal liability.Less than a month.70% on booklocker.com. 65% Net for e-books priced $10 or higher on third-party sites.

55% for e-books priced under $10 for third-party sites.		non-exclusiveAuthor (inluding cover design)At least 12 authors reported to book locker that they got traditional publishing contracts after publishing with BookLocker
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BookMastersPrivately held, family-owned publishing service and book manufacturer.PDF, printed booksOver 50 retail, educational and institutional sales channels, including Amazon Kindle, Amazon UK, Sony eReader, Kobo, Barnes & Nobel Nook, Apple iBookstore.Project management, copyediting, proofreading, indexing, permissions.Standard and custom interior layout design from in-house designers.Author pages and ads on atlasbooks.com, content searching databases, marketing “widgets” and book previews .YesNIMAS (National Instructional Materials Accessibility Standard) tagging for conversion into Braille and other products for students with disabilities. Will also tag content in order to meet the requirements of textbooks for state adoptions.Ten business days, distribution times vary based on the store.?non-exclusive?None
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CreateSpace/Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP)KDP does eBook conversions; CreateSpace is a full-service self-publishing company; both are owned by Amazon.Word (.doc, or DOC), ePub (.epub, or EPUB), Plain Text (.txt, or TXT), MobiPocket (.mobi, or MOBI and .prc, or PRC), Zipped HTML (.zip, or ZIP), Adobe PDF (.pdf, or PDF)Kindle devices and Kindle apps for iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, PC, Mac, Blackberry, and Android-based devicesThree levels of copyediting, manuscript evaluations, copywriting of promotional text.Interior layout and cover design; custom illustrations; Cover Creator Tool.Press releases with distribution, professional book reviews from Kirkus and Foreword Clarion, social networking account creation, video book trailers; publicity kits with bookmarks, business cards, posters, postcards and sell sheets.YesPublishes books in English, German, French, Spanish, Portuguese, and Italian, with pricing available in US Dollars, Pounds Sterling, and Euros. Three-to-four weeks for conversion.70%non-exclusiveAuthorAs Amazon is the No. 1 e-book seller in the U.S., it boasts many self-publishing success stories. Many authors have reached one-million books sold through KDP.
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FastPencilWord processing software in the cloud with publishing, marketing and distribution services.PDF (for ePDF format only), MS Word, or publish straight from FastPencil's softwareAmazon, Barnes and Noble, Kindle, iPad, Nook, Ingram, FastPencil marketplace.Manuscript review, line editing, developmental editing, proofreading.Illustrations in black and white or custom color; cover designs - basic and premium; custom cover override if you want to upload your own design; marketplace for connecting with illustrators.BookBuy Widgets, connection with social media outlets, call for a quote on other services.Not on FastPencil's Marketplace, but the iBookstore, Amazon and Ingram have their own forms of DRM.Online marketplace for professionals who can help with:
Book Covers
Book Design
Book Promotion
Coaching
Editing
Ghostwriting
Illustration
Marketing
Miscellaneous
Photography
Research
Translation;
Word processing allows writers and editors to collaborate online; there is also a special division for published authors that provides everything but advances.		Six-to-12 weeks for artwork.80%non-exclusiveAuthorChildren's author Mercer Mayer sold out of Zipperump-A-Zoo within two months of printing. He is using the Premiere service for another multibook deal.
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LuluFull-service self-publishing site based in Raleigh, N.C., with other sites for writers in the U.K., and in French, German, Italian, Spanish and Dutch; also acquired Poetry.com.PDF, DOC(X), DOC, RTF, and ODF (also supports RTFs, JPGs, PNGs, and GIFs, but image-heavy files not recommended)Amazon.com, Ingram, Barnes and Noble, iPad®Two levels of editing available, plus a $199 editorial review is required if your book is longer than 15,000 words to determine the right editing package; ghostwriting also available.Basic cover using one of several templates; premium cover with two original designs; advanced formatting with six interior layout choices, placement of images and formatting corrections - for more than 15 images, upgrade to ultimate formatting.Six-week or three-month publicity campaign, media blast; marketing team will help create a press release, send it to targeted list of media contacts and follow up with interested parties to schedule interviews, etc., or a a la carte press releases, media contacts, professional book reviews from Kirkus and Clarion, ratings and reviews from other members on the site, representation at book fairs.OptionalAlso does photo books, poetry books, yearbooks, cookbooks and other types of publishing projects that are not necessarily for commercial use.One-to-two weeks for cover design, two weeks for editorial review, three-to-eight weeks for the editorial and two weeks for formatting. 80% (90% during January 2012 promotion)non-exclusiveAuthorBarry Nugent got an agent and was optioned for movie rights for his book, Fallen Heroes.
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Outskirts PressPrivately owned, full-service book publishing and marketing firm based in Colo.PDFAmazon, iBookstore, Barnes & Noble editions sold separately.Copyediting, ghostwriting, article ghostwriting and distribution.Sample illustrations available on the website - the styles look pretty good.Participation in the Amazon Search Inside the Book, 10 keywords and tags for Amazon optimization, Custom Press Release, PR Publicist Campaign, Book Review Submission Service, Book Video with social network distribution, time with a Personal Marketing Assistant; promotional materials, help soliciting celebrity endorsements.?Prewritten childrens books that can be personalized with name, gender and race of characters; book title and one of three illustration styles. Customer can publish the book under own name and receive $2 in royalties per book sold.About 4 weeks for conversion; ten-to-13 weeks or more for other services, depending on upgrades.100% of royalties non-exclusiveAuthorNone
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SmashwordsA DRM-free digital book conversion service.Word .doc with JPG imagesSmashwords.com, Barnes & Noble Nook, Sony Reader, Kobo, but not Kindle because of DRM.NoneNoneAuthor home page with personalized web address; includes bios and listings of published works, individual book pages for each work, support for embedded YouTube videos, member contributed reviews, author favoriting, and integration with social bookmarking and social networking sites, coupon generator lets you give discounts/freebies.No Agents can upload on behalf of the authors and the metadata will show that the author, not the agent, is the publisher; supports other languages depending on the distributor.Premium takes longer.85% netnon-exclusiveAuthorDarcie Chan became a #1 iBookstore seller for The Mill River Recluse.
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VookMulti-media publishing service that recently opened platform to self-published authors..doc or .docx, but Vook prefers .docx., MP4 for video, MP3 for audio, JPG or PNG for images, PNG for coversiPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch with iBook, Nook Color, and Kindle Apps for iOS for multimeda books; Barnes & Noble, Amazon and Apple
NoneDownloadable templates for Photoshop and Microsoft Office.Vook offers dashboards that show daily sales figures and also pull in information from other sources. Authors use these dashboards to measure the effects of price promotions and social media marketing campaigns. No.Completely DIY, but there are plenty of technical specs and tips available on the website.A title can be created in as little as 5 minutes and live on Apple and Amazon in 24 hours.
100% of royalties non-exclusiveAuthor or publisherLinsanity on shelves in 36 hours.
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