I came across a terrific article about the 10 things any eBook self-publisher needs to do to succeed.
It's here - and well worth a read - GREAT ADVICE
There has been a huge change in the way that the traditional publishing has reacted to ePublishing over the last few months. They have slashed the prices of a lot of the eBooks they publish and as a result they have started to dominate the bestseller lists again. It looks to me as if the days of self-published writers topping the bestseller charts with cheap books has gone. And it's understandable. If you can but a Sunday Times bestseller for 99p, why would a reader opt for an unknown writer instead?
What I find fascinating is the number of traditionally-published authors who only a year or so ago were complaining that low prices devalue their work are now quite happy to have their books sold at low prices. One writer I know who spent a great deal of time telling the world how awful eBooks are was on Twitter recently urging his fans to buy one of his old books because it was selling for just £2.49 on the Kindle. And another Sunday Times bestseller who was forever moaning about competition from cheap self-published eBooks now seems quite happy to have his entire backlist available on the Kindle for just £2.99 a copy. Whenever one of their low-priced books rises up the bestseller charts they are quick to congratulate each other, but there's rarely any mention of the fact that it's the low price that's driving the sales.
It does seem to me that £2.99 is a fair price to pay for an eBook - split three ways between the writer, the publisher and the retailer. That still gives the self-published writers some leeway to get their books noticed but it's nowhere as easy as it used to be. And the big problem these days is that with the traditional publishers now moving to dominate the market, it's nigh on impossible for a new writer to get noticed.
