illustrates Gabirotcho edition Felipe van Deursen
With specific digital platforms. The process is simple and more democratic than traditional publishing, since, to have your book printed and sold in bookstores, you need a contract with a publisher or pay out of pocket, which is not always cheap. Therefore, more and more authors choose to publish online. “I wasn’t an author two years ago. My life has completely changed”, says Englishwoman Anna Todd. His novel After, about a turbulent college love triangle (read more below), was a hit long before it was printed. See now how to launch that shelved story of yours.
REGISTER
The first step is: write a book. Already wrote? Skip to the second: copyright registration. It is he who shields his intellectual property, preventing plagiarism. In Brazil, it is not mandatory for e-books. The mere publication proves that the story is yours. But experts recommend it as it is extra protection. The process costs BRL 20 and you can do it at ISBN website
CHOOSE THE PLATFORM
The most popular ones are amazon and the Wattpadin addition to iBookstore, Widbook It is publish yourself. Amazon’s advantage is that your work is published and sold in the virtual megastore environment. Wattpad is like a YouTube of texts. When published, the work becomes available on search engines, such as Google, and on the website’s own showcase
PUBLISH
Once the platform is defined, publishing is very simple. Just fill in information such as genre of work, age rating and synopsis. Then upload the book cover and file. Most platforms accept multiple formats, from Word to PDF
PROMOTE
Published book is not guaranteed reader. Without a publisher, you need to market yourself. “The independent writer must act in a professional manner”, says author Raphael Draccon, known for his understanding of literary marketing. Use social media to promote the work and respond to comments from readers and potential readers. The stronger the connection with them, the better.
COVER
The cover is essential. It is displayed in virtual stores and is the best way to promote it on social networks. Seek help from a graphic designer
VALUE
The amount paid for copyright varies. On Amazon, the standard is 35% of the cover price. If you sell the work only there, it goes up to 70%. But it cannot cost less than R$ 5.99
Open your eyes, Paulo Coelho!
Young authors who are booming with e-books
twilight gray
Fifty Shades of grey was an erotic e-book with the characters of Twilight! It pumped so much that the author, EL James, had to change the name of the protagonists
1 million is good, but…
Anna Todd hit 1 billion page reads on Wattpad before signing with a publisher. Today, After is also a success in physical book. And it will become a Sony movie
Good salesman
Nobody knows your identity. But the Brazilian Dark Writer became so famous that he now lives in London and works with Barry Cunningham, the editor who discovered Harry Potter!
– We interviewed Dark Writer. See what the mysterious writer has to say
READ TOO
– The 11 most controversial books in history
– Turma do Fundão: 14 books to read on vacation
SOURCES Wattpad.com and Amazon.com