Published to YouTube on 26 Nov 2023.
Read the first 3 chapters of Ocean Heart
I’ve been meaning to post the first three chapters of Ocean Heart online ever since I published. I wanted people to be able to sample the book before they buy it.
Amazon does allow a peep inside but not everyone shops with Amazon.
I decided to post Ocean Heart to two places:
Wattpad
I’ve been on Wattpad for years but I’ve struggled to get seen amongst all the voices there. I liked how easy it was to use.
You can follow me @Redfae on Wattpad and read Ocean Heart there.
Movellas
I’ve had an account here for years but never really used it as I didn’t find it as user friendly. I recently got encouraged to give it another go as it’s being revamped.
So far, I am impressed. It’s a lot more user friendly appears to be more social and engaging than Wattpad. I’m looking forward to their new app coming soon.
You can follow me @Redfae on Movellas and read Ocean Heart there.
Ocean Heart for Free
Both the above sites are currently free to join. Writers post their stories (content) and readers enjoy it, comment, and rate it.
I also included in the books about when Ocean Heart has been given away free. This isn’t something I can do all the time.
I also reminded people that Ocean Heart can be ordered in by libraries. If you have a library card, you can borrow and read Ocean Heart if your library stock it. If they don’t, you can ask them and they’ll need the ISBN.
I hope you enjoy the chapters enough to treat yourself to a full copy. I also look forward to connecting with you on either platform or social media.
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Ocean Heart is free on Smashwords
[kofi]
Ocean Heart is on Smashwords
My paperback is in libraries and I wanted my eBook to be available too. You see growing up, I really valued the library. I couldn’t afford loads of books but the library gave me access to them.
It felt like Christmas walking through the doors and knowing I could take home any book. Pre- pandemic, I took my kids to the library so they could experience the same joy I had (and still do). My kids are always so excited, I struggle to control them but the lovely staff never judge. It’s given me a greater appreciation of my mum for taking me and my siblings (three under five) to the library so often, and hauling home the heavy bounty of books.
These memories have made the library important to me. And, I know I’m not alone. That’s why it’s been so important to me to have my books in libraries.
But it turns out, Overdrive will not deal with authors directly. So, I had to find an aggregator to be the middle man. They recommend D2D or Smashwords. I chose Smashwords as during my recent review of Aggregators I was impressed by their own store and the deals they do to promote indie books.
Now, Ocean Heart is on Smashwords, I celebrated by enrolled it in their Summer/Winter Sale. This means Ocean Heart is FREE for July 2021!
If you are looking for your next Summer Read go check out the sale. You can download Ocean Heart for FREE. I didn’t need to enter the code but if it asks, it’s: SW100
You can then read the ePub on whatever app is your favourite eBook reader.
If you missed this deal, you should now be able to borrow the paperback and eBook at your library. If it’s not in their catalogue, ask how to request it in. It helps to provide your librarian with the ISBN number.
Below are affiliate links:
Here’s the link to the Summer/Winter sale: https://www.smashwords.com/shelves?ref=Redfae
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Different self publishing platforms
[kofi]
Different self publishing platforms
Once I decided to self publish one of the first minefields I had to navigate was which platform to use.
Terms used:
- Print on Demand – The market only buys what they need as they need it.
- Aggregator – Distributes electronic or physical products to market on your behalf.
- Format – eBook, paperback, hardback, etc
- Free ISBN – There is no initial fee for the ISBN, however, but the ‘printer’ becomes your publisher and can set restrictions.
- Own ISBN – You provide your own ISBN. In the UK you buy these from Neilsen.
- Wide: This is when the book is made available to many sellers, for example bookshops and libraries.
Here is a little summary on the most popular choices. Research their current terms thoroughly as they may have changed or I may have misunderstood what I found out. ?
Here are some of the more popular choices in more detail:
Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing
At first, I didn’t go with KDP as I thought it meant I would be exclusive to Amazon and I wanted to go wide. , Turns out I thinking of their other service Amazon KDP Select. The name is very similar.
KDP allows you to self publish an ebook and/or a paperback (hardback is coming soon).
You can publish KDP wide. Amazon is a giant in the book selling market place, so it makes sense you’d want your book on their site. However, many bookstores won’t stock Amazon books because they are their biggest competitor. If you want to be in bookshops and libraries it’s best to not to go wide with KDP and choose an aggregator like Ingram. You can publish with KDP & not select the wide option.
The links below are affiliate links. You can learn more about these on my affiliate disclosure page.
Amazon KDP Select
Select is when you agree your book is exclusive to Amazon. This does grant you certain benefits. Your book is on kindle unlimited, you get extra promotions, and can offer your book for free.
If you choose this route, you cannot publish your book anywhere else.
Ingram Sparks
This is who I went with. Ingram Sparks are a print on demand service and aggregator. You can do print, ebook, and hardbacks. In fact Ingram has a huge choice of print options.
You publish your book through Ingram and they distribute it to stores like Amazon, high street bookshops, B&N, Kobo, etc. This is often called publishing wide because your book can be sold nearly anywhere. A benefit of Ingram is it can be stocked in libraries like a traditionally published book.
Libraries and bookstores must order your book to stock it. Customers will either request it or you’ll need to approach them to get it stocked. It’s unlikely it will get stocked without any demand. However many online shops will list your book so customers can order it (POD).
Draft2Digital
They started out as an eBook aggregator for self publishers, but now also do physical print books.
You can use their ISBN for free and they take a cut from your royalties. You cannot use this ISBN on other sites as it belongs to D2D making them the publisher. Or, you can provide your own ISBN and keep all your royalties.
D2D will publish your book wide. A benefit of D2D is you can select or unselect which sellers you want your book to be available to.
Smashwords
They are an eBook Aggregator and store. You can upload your book to Smashwords for them to distribute, but they also enable readers to buy directly from their site too and reward you with 80% royalty. That’s an impressive royalty!
Smashwords allow exclusive deals for eBooks and hold events to promote their authors books like reading challenges.
You can use your own ISBN or they can provide one for free.
Lulu
They are an eBook & print Aggregator. They have lots of options for paperback, hardback, comics, magazines, etc.
Lulu will distribute your book wide, sell your book from their own shop, and have an app that allows you to sell from your own website. That last option makes me wish I went with Lulu!
You can use your own ISBN or they can provide one for free.
Barnes & Noble
You can publish directly with B&N. I’ve not tried it but I’ve heard authors talk very positively about the quality of their hardback books.
B&N can make your book available in their store and on Kobo. Unlike Amazon Select, they won’t restrict you from publishing your book elsewhere.
Aggregators like Ingram, D2D, and Lulu, can make books available to B&N. I think authors go direct with B&N for their hardback option.
You can use your own ISBN or they can provide one for free.
Apple Books
This is the ebook store for Apple users. Ingram, Smashwords, Lulu and D2D can publish here for you too.
If you have a Mac, you can upload your book directly using their personal book publishing site. They now have a webpage to enable PC users to upload too.
I tried to publish to Apple via Ingram. Unfortunately Apple said my eBook file was too big and rejected my novel.
To fix this, I have attempted to publish directly with them. But, I’m having issues with their webpages. There tech & developer team have been very responsible, it might be just some bugs with the new PC publishing portal – I don’t have a Mac.
A benefit of being on Apple Books is that they are a very popular choice for eBooks by iPhone/iPad readers.
You can use your own ISBN or they can provide one for free.
Google Play
This is the Android store and allows users to buy and download eBooks. Ingram, Smashwords, Lulu and D2D can publish here for you too.
A benefit of Google Play is that most people without an iPhone have an Android phone, making it another popular choice for eBook downloads.
The benefit of being on Google Play is that Google is one of the largest search engines and by having your book listed in their store (even as just a preview), can boost your discoverability.
I have recently added Ocean Heart and the only issue I’ve had is confirming my bank account. They pay a small amount into your bank to check it’s you. You confirm the amount received, except Google is saying they paid a different amount to the amount I got.
Private Printer
You could find a private printer to produce your book for you. You’d likely need to buy a bulk of books to distribute yourself.
Vanity Press
This isn’t self publishing. It often gets confused because the author has paid to publish like an indie author. The difference is the publisher bills the author for the services needed, and the services are provided by the publisher. The author cannot use services by another provider.
The positives is all the services are in one place and your publisher guides you on what service you need and when. Sometimes services are quicker or at a reduced rate as its all in-house.
The cons are that a lot of scammers have used this model to over charge authors or to take money and never deliver on their promises. As you are locked into paying for the services they dictate and the choices the want for your book, you do lose some of your creative freedom.
It’s important to check how long they have been operating and who they have worked with before. See if they are black listed on Writers Beware.
What I did…
I published my ebook & paperback through Ingram. The quality has been good and I like having everything in one place.
Amazon had long delivery dates for my book, telling preorder customers it’d take 6 weeks to deliver. It didn’t but it was off putting. I don’t know if this was to exceed expectations or what. Other authors told me to get my book on KDP, which I finally have done. I was hesitant as I didn’t want to be restricted to only Amazon or use another ISBN, but you can use the ISBN already in use for your paperback.
My books did get listed for a number of ebook sellers but not GPlay or Apple. I’ve had to go to through them direct. I’d say Google has been the easiest to use, except the verification of my bank.
For my next book I think I’ll use Ingram Sparks to publish my paperback wide, KDP to reduce Amazon deliver delays, and someone else to publish my eBook wide. I’ll also take a closer look at LuLu as that app sounds awesome!
[kofi]
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