OK, you’ve finally written your eBook! Great, now what do you do with it? As an author who focuses on the web, instead of print, you have many options. Many independent writers today are using Amazon and Lulu to publish print on books (PDF versions) or do their own DIY publishing. So, which approach should you take? It doesn’t matter, they both are good choices.
If you are just getting started, it’s best that you list your eBook for sale on both Lulu.com and the Amazon Kindle Store. The primary reason for this is that by placing your eBooks on multiple sites you can target a wider audience and maximize your earnings. But the questions still beg, which one should I use? Is it better to market my books more on Amazon than with Lulu? Which site can I make more money? Don’t stop reading; the answer is just a few paragraphs away.
Lulu Books
It’s not difficult at all to list your eBooks on Amazon or Lulu; the process is about the same for both. The biggest difference is that Lulu.com requires you to create an account before you can log in, but don’t worry, it’s free. Once you are done, you can begin a new project. Pick from the two project options presented; you want to select the eBook option. Next you want to describe the e-book and provide a summary; this is what buyers see so make sure it is informative and captivating. After you have done that, you’ll want to upload your formatted eBook and an eye-catching cover. The last thing you need to do is set a selling price and review your listing to make sure you are good with everything.
Amazon Kindle KDP
To sell your eBook on Amazon, go to kdp.amazon.com. Follow the steps on the site to create your account, which is also free. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click on the link titled “Self-Publish with Us.” Select ‘Amazon Kindle’ on the next page; this will take you to Amazon’s digital book platform. In order for people to read your eBooks on any of the Kindle devices, you have to format your book to digital text, there are a number of tools available to accomplish this task. Once you upload a properly formatted file, it will be converted automatically into an eBook to be downloaded to an eReader. If there are no issues, all you have to do next is provide a description and set a price for your book.
Conclusion
The fact that it is so easy to list your book on Amazon’s Kindle KDP or Lulu books, you can go with whichever one you want first. My recommendation is Lulu for your print on demand books and Amazon for your eBooks. Either way, the whole process should take no more than an hour to complete. In fact, spend a day and do one right after the other. You can upload as many books as you want if time permits; this will allow you to have multiple books on the two different sites.
As it pertains to marketing, you don’t have to worry. Amazon and Lulu’s brand are well-known, and their marketing dominates their respective industries. But you should still spend time marketing your eBooks as well. For example, you can do so with a catchy sales page, links to your eBook pages, message boards and more. Promote on both Amazon and Lulu, but focus your efforts more on Lulu. Lulu lets you keep a greater percentage of the profits compared to Amazon.
As previously stated; the Kindle is one of the top eBook readers on the market. Even though it is widely used, not everyone owns a Kindle. Thus, your market will only target this section of buyers; this doesn’t mean you don’t need to promote your Amazon Kindle Book, you do. But you don’t want to leave your PDF e-book on Lulu.com without any sales either. Since many people can download eBooks to their tablets and smartphones, you stand to earn more money publishing your eBook on Lulu.
Simply speaking, if you wish to sell an e-book, then make sure you maximize your profits by employing different selling options. Lulu and Amazon are two examples, but there are other sites that allow you to do the same. Don’t dismiss other means of marketing your eBooks. Building a landing page and using social media are just as helpful, but Lulu and Amazon are two well-known and preferred self-publishing programs.
