Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.
Everyone knows the adage, and it comes in especially important when trying to turn a profit. If you want your books to reach their potential, attract readers, and earn more than you spend producing them, you need to get savvy and resourceful with your publishing. Having an ebook on Amazon is certainly a helpful step, but is it enough?
Some authors walk into publishing with the necessary finances to get everything done out of pocket. Money comes in handy when you forge your own path with a book, and the ability to afford a professional job will give you a solid edge over your competition. Other authors earn money through freelance gigs or building a dynamic list that is willing to buy.
However, you don’t need to put in extra hours of work to earn more from your books. Maximizing your earning can be as simple as releasing your book in as many different formats as possible, reach more readers while doing so, and appear fully professional wherever your book is listed.
The three formats that dominate the current book market are ebook, paperback, and audiobook, each of which has a thriving demand and enthusiastic readership. Once your book is properly written and edited, moving to different formats is easy and automatic. Amazon offers free templates for print books, and services like Audible allow you to host auditions for audiobook narrators if you have neither the equipment nor the budget to hire a professional beforehand.
Making your books available in multiple formats can help you in the three following ways.
Profit Multiple Times from The Same Book
You might have to wait for your long-awaited sequel to release before you can profit from it, but a quick shift in your first book, making it available in three formats instead of one, can give your income a solid boost.
Each new format you release a title into counts as an additional stream of income, and this can catapult your own earnings. $3.99 might be a solid price for your fantasy ebook, but your paperback could sell for $9.99 instead--meaning that even with only a few copies, you will be able to multiply your earnings. All that without having to write a word!
Reach More Readers
Some people love loading books onto e-readers, but others need the experience of holding a physical book. Still, others ditch reading entirely in favor of listening to their favorites in the form of audiobooks.
The more readers you can get into your fandom and onto your list, the more successful your publishing career will be. That being said, there’s no reason to exclude so many potential readers while your book is available.
Appear More Professional
Impressions matter, especially when you’re self-publishing your books. If you pull up the sales page of any mass-market release, you’ll find that it is easily available in any genre you want, from as many sellers as you could hope to buy from. Why wouldn’t you want the same for your titles?
When you publish your book in a variety of formats, you display professional publishing aptitude and boost your credibility as a writer by showing a broader appeal to your readership. Anyone interested in your book can check it out and read it however he prefers.
What formats do you publish in? Please share your thoughts in the comments section below or join my Facebook group for self-publishing fiction writers for more discussion.