E-Book Publishers

Narrow your list of e-book publishers or produce your own e-book
By Lisa J. Jackson, Writer / Editor Your book is written, and you want the world to have access to your prose as quickly as possible, so consider electronic book publishers. E-books haven't caught on as quickly as predictions forecasted, however, they are a viable alternative for readers and the market is growing.

Think how much easier it is to carry twenty full-length novels on a small handheld unit instead of the physical novels in your arms. Vacation reading just became a lot more convenient. If your goal is to be published, there is no downside to e-book publishing:

1. There are book lovers of all types, so you will have an audience if you publish an e-book.

2. If your book is also published traditionally, you will have an extended audience if it's available through e-book suppliers.

3. Reading a book on a screen takes some getting used to, but more and more people are becoming comfortable with the conveniences of handheld technology.

Use e-book publishing tools for e-book self-publishing

Finding e-book publishing software is becoming easier as the market needs increase for the technology. Finding a free e-book publisher is well within the realm of possibilities, too. Publishing e-books can be as simple as creating PDF or EXE versions of your book and making them available via your website.
Try:  CutePDF offers a free PDF maker. They also have more robust PDF options for a fee. eBook Technologies, Inc. (ETI), has been involved with e-book technology since 1998. Among their offerings, ETI has e-book publishing tools which include their free eBook Publisher. WebCompiler allows you to turn your website, or any group of html pages, into an e-book. While offering a fully functional free trial version, if you want to purchase it, the software is over $150. A free full version of Activ E-Book Compiler is available. You don't pay the one time registration fee until you know it's the product for you.

Choose from a growing list of e-book distributors

As the list of e-book distributors continues to grow, so do the number of available e-books. Although most available readers are free and can adapt to any e-book format, you will want to consider the reading platform when distributing your e-book.
Try:  People who e-book shop through Amazon, need to have the Kindle wireless reading device. PDF e-books are compatible with Adobe Reader. Microsoft Reader works on any Microsoft-based device including tablets and Pocket PCs. The Mobipocket eBook Reader is available for Windows PCs, as well as any PDA, Blackberry, or smartphone.

Find an e-book publisher to do the work for you

Turning your manuscript over to a professional who can format your manuscript into an e-book may be what you're looking for. You can find professionals who will assist you in any step of the process from initial design to final publication.
Try:  Neil Tarvin of eBook Graphics is an e-book publisher, as well as a traditional publisher. He works with writers to design and create e-book publications. He also can assist in developing Web pages to promote your e-book. eBook Mall offers an eBook Conversion program for authors and publishers.

• Many Web-savvy marketing folks offer e-book generators, which is great on the surface. However, they require your name and e-mail address be added to their marketing database before they share any information. Avoid these unless you want a lot of junk mail.
• If free e-books are an important marketing tool for you, using the rebranding EXE formats (versus PDF) is a key to success. People will be more inclined to promote your free e-book if they can customize it with their personal affiliate links.