eBook Snobs

There is a bit of snobbishness out there when it comes to creating eBooks even among the liberal and very welcoming self-publishing crowd. It has to do with creating an eBook from Microsoft Word as opposed to hand coding it with HTML or using some other sophisticated publishing tool.

Those in the anti-Word camp rile against its inflexibility and formatting frustrations, and I've had my share, so have some sympathy. But the the fact is, most authors write their books in Word and two of the leading online  eBook distributors, Amazon and Smashwords both accept uploaded word documents, which they then convert to their own eBook formats. So if your book is narrative text, then Word can be a perfectly fine starting point in creating an eBook. You do not need to know any HTML to create and self-publish an eBook and anyone who tells you different is a goose... and perhaps worse a techno-snob.

That said, if you are creating an eBook that needs some design features, utilises images, has lots of references and other more advanced features, then Word can be cumbersome to say the least. In this case you do need a more sophisticated tool than Word, but do you need to know HTML or other programming language? Not necessarily. There is a terrific new free eBook creation tool which can provide great assistance - PressBooks.

If you are familiar with the popular blog platform WordPress, then PressBooks basically has the same user interface and features with the additional feature allowing you to export your blog entries (chapters of a book for example) into eBook formats such as ePub and PDF. Because it is a web platform it is designed for creating interactive, media rich projects and so it is much better at handling these elements than Word.

PressBooks lets you easily author and output e-books in multiple formats (no techy knowledge required) including EPUB, Kindle, print-on-demand-ready PDF, HTML, and InDesign-ready XML. It is still in Beta, which means that the people developing it are still refining the features and functionality but when I had a slight problem exporting a file, they were very responsive.

While PressBooks is not going to satisfy all your eBook design needs at the moment, it is a terrific step in the right direction for those out there determined never to touch HTML or any other programming language in the creation of an eBook.

Here is a book that I recently published with PressBooks http://brokeandbroken.pressbooks.com/ The images don't look great online but they seem to come out well in Kindle.

Are you a techno-snob? Love to hear your thoughts :-)

The Tub: A story of Australian POWs on the Burma-Thailand Railway

"Mota Koi!"
Slowly Tony walked to the edge of the platform. The Jap they called Rat-face made a long speech. Patiently, Tony listened. Suddenly Rat-face kicked him violently in the stomach - a silly thing to do, Tony thought in a detached way, to a man suffering from dysentery. Bent double with pain, Tony fell against the opposite bed platform and fouled the hut. At this there were angry outcries from the other Japs, who leapt from their beds and showered kicks on the now helpless Australian. Bruised and bleeding, Tony staggered out...It had been another normal day.

First published in 1963 and now ressurected as an eBook by BWM Books

Here are some reviews:

“It is a POW story that deserves to go around the world. It is so distinctively Australian and generally free of hate. The whole concept and significance of the tub is astonishingly original and enlivening.” David Rowbotham, Brisbane Courier Mail

“Through the agony on the Burma railway the galvanised tub seemed the only permanent indestructible thing.” Pat Burgess, Sydney Sun

“The tub is ‘a symbol of the prisoners’ endurance and ingenuity.” Gavin Long, Canberra Times

“a well written and entertaining story” Peter Blake, Bulletin

“An uncommon symbol of faith and survival’ through an ‘ordeal which one in three POWs did not survive”. L. Peet, West Australian

Available on Amazon for $4.99

Jacka VC - Australian Hero

Albert Jacka VC 

Date of birth: 10 January 1893
Place of birth: Layard, VIC
Date of death: 17 January 1932
Place of death: Caulfield, VIC

Albert Jacka was born on 10 January 1893 at Layard in Victoria. He completed elementary schooling before working as a labourer, first with his father and then with the Victorian State Forests Department.

He enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force on 18 September 1914 as a private in the 14th Battalion. After training in Egypt Jacka's battalion landed at Gallipoli on 26 April 1915. Just over three weeks later on 19 May, with the ANZACs now entrenched above the beaches, the Turks launched large-scale frontal assaults against their positions. Some Turks captured a small section of trench at Courtney's Post. Early attempts to drive them out failed, until Jacka, taking advantage of a diversion created by bomb throwers at one end of the Turkish position, leapt in, killing most of the occupants. For this he was awarded Australia's first Victoria Cross of the First World War.

Jacka quickly became famous - his likeness was used on recruiting posters and his exploits featured regularly in newspapers, particularly in his native Victoria. He began a rapid rise through the ranks, finally becoming a captain in March 1917. Jacka having risen no higher has been attributed to his frequent disputes with superior officers.

Albert Jacka was the people's hero of the Great War. In 1919 he returned to a triumphant welcome as thousands lined the streets to cheer the first Australian to be awarded the Victoria Cross, at Gallipoli.

In Belgium and France he had won the Military Cross twice and many believed, with Charles Bean, that they should have been VC's. He was beloved by his troops but resented by his superiors.

In peace time he ran a successful business but then returned to battle for his mates and their families as the Great Depression threatened everything they had fought for. It was the hardest fight of all.
The man himself has been an enigma, until now. 

With forensic skill Robert Macklin reveals an extraordinary character - a very Australian hero. Available at Amazon. 

The Diary of a College Rebel

This coming of age novel by R.Harper Mason follows the adventures of Stuart "Sandy" Carson at the University of Arkansas in the 1950s. He loves to gamble, he has a bevvy of girls attracted to him and he gets into all sorts of trouble. 

Follow Sandy Carson through four tumultuous years at the University of Arkansas where he makes a life changing choice.

Download the free two-chapter sample here.

Available at Amazon for $2.99

Producing & Publishing an iPhone App - Lessons Learned

Description

THE GREAT AUSSIE PIE APP 1.0 (Free)
(Published by BWMBooks)

Got a hankering for a Great Aussie Pie? Then the Pie App is for you. The Pie App will tell you the location of the nearest award winning pie.

Based on the results of the 2011 Great Aussie Pie Competition, the Pie App maps your location in relation to the nearest retail outlet selling award winning pies.

Once you have found your nearest retail outlet, the app will show you which pies were awarded Gold, Silver and Bronze medals, address details of the retail outlet and directions of how you get there from where you are.

BWM Books produced and published its first iPhone App today! While it is a relatively simple App the process has taken about three months and it cost the client around ... Well, before I tell you the price, below was my first quote:

"There'd be an iPhone developer, Business Analyst & Tester, Interaction Designer and project manager assigned to deliver the project. Adding up the tasks/ duration brings us to a range of $20,000 -$30,000 for the app which would include any fixes Apple might request of us after having submitted the app which is unlikely in this case but might still occur. "

$20,000 to $30,000 for a simple navigation App! Madness!. Suffice to say, I thanked them and went on my merry way to find someone else that could create the App. The first quote was from an Australian App development company and I'm not sure whether this suggests that Australian companies are being bluffed into thinking that creating a smartphone App is a tricky and expensive business, or this was a one-off. Like website creation, it doesn't have to be expensive. But like creating a website - some websites are simple, some are more complex and prices will vary accordingly. 

I next went to Freelancer. I looked at App development jobs similar to mine and sourced a couple of developers that priced reasonably....(less than $2,000) and went from there.

Lessons learned in creating an App

1. Look for published apps that you can use as a model for yours. This will be very important in communicating your requirements to your developer. Contact the developer or publisher of the App that you like and ask for a quote.
2. Get another quote
3. And another
4. Spend some time working out your requirements and your data sets before you start communicating with your developer. No developer likes to start working on one thing only to be told things need to change or data sets need to be updated. 
5. Be as specific as possible in every element including wording, functions, look and feel.
6. Have in mind your App 1.0 but begin to think about the next version of the App 2.0 but concentrate on getting App 1.0 live first before you bombard your developer with ideas about future versions.  
7. If you have a deadline of when you want the App live, ensure you receive a test version of the App 3-4 weeks before the live date. Changes will be inevitable, you need this time for tweaks. 
8. Be patient and expect the odd technical snafu along the way. 

BWM Books charges 20% of a project budget as its fee to project manage the creation of a smartphone App. Having a good project manager that can translate the business requirements of the client while being cognizant of the technical issues with software development is very worthwhile.  

Contact BWM Books here if you want to make your App idea a reality. 

What are some of the lessons you have learned? Let me know.

Google Alerts for Authors

Stephanie Chandler from Authority Publishing has some great tips for authors in the use of Google alerts.

I think it worth highlighting a few here that I have found particularly useful.

For those unfamiliar with Google Alerts, it is a free service from Google that allows you to recieve tailored search results to your email account or RSS feed. If you look at the image above, you will see that you have options about what you can search for (e.g. News, blogs, books, everything etc.). My advice is to choose 'everything'. You can then set the level of frequency and quality of those results and where you want those results delivered - either email address or 'feed'.

If you set up multiple alerts of different search terms and don't want to clog up your inbox with lots of random search results, then receiving a feed is probably the best way to go. To view your Google alerts feed, you need to set up a free Google account (if you don't already have one) and you can receive your feeds at www.google.com/reader . This will act as a dedicated webpage where all your search results will be delivered (rather than your email inbox).

What authors should search for:

1. Personal Name - Find out where you are mentioned online. This may help in generating leads, contacts and opportunities.
2. Website/blog name - Track where your website or blog is mentioned by creating an alert for your domain. Leave off the "www" and instead just specifiy the domain e.g. bwmbooks.com
3. Book/article titles - Create an alert for your specific book title e.g. "Courting Samira" or particular blog title to see where it is mentioned.
4. Subject of book - If you have written a non-fiction work then creating an alert of the particular subject matter of the book (if it is narrow enough) or an incident or person in the book may reveal additional research, similar works and other interesting material. For example, "battle of Brisbane", "George Ernest Morrison", "sniper". This may also reveal competitors in your field.
5. Finding reviews  - There may be reviews of your book that you don't know about. In your search term put "book title review" e.g. "Courting Samira review".
6. Finding potential reviewers - If you are looking for additional reviews of your book then there are many websites and blogs offering to review works for free. But how to find the right reviewer? To search for book reviews in your genre put in the search term "book review" [subject of book]. So for example, if your book was about the secrets to the perfect marriage you would put in '"book review" marriage' in the search box. Or if you have written a book about Australian military history you would put in '"book review" Australian military' (or something similar). You will then receive search results of blogs and reviewers who you can potentially contact to ask them to review your book.

One tip

Start with only a couple of alerts initally so you get a sense of what results you are receiving and whether you can cope with the volume of information that gets delivered. Refine your search terms if you are not getting useful results.

Pinterest for Non-Fiction Authors - Adding Visual Context

I'm relatively new to Pinterest but I've quickly become excited about the possibilities it holds for non-fiction authors. For me, it is all about creating additional visual context about the people, places and incidents that are described in a book. 

For authors of history, I think Pinterest can hold particular value because so often in the process of researching a historical work, much is left on the cutting room floor such as photos, letters, audio and video material. Much of this material is simply not suitable to use in a traditional book but if you are able to combine a traditional print book, with an eBook and have additional supporting and contextual material in blogs and places like Pinterest, then this can greatly enhance the subject matter. Furthermore, it can broader your potential readership/viewership and it can be great publicity both before and after a book is published. 

It can also re-ignite interest in a subject if new photos or material comes to light years after a book is published. An example of this occurred recently when the State Library of Queensland published photos of  a period that authors I'm working with wrote about. 

Peter Thompson and Robert Macklin's The Battle of Brisbane: Australia and the Yanks at War, explores a time when Australian and US servicemen in Brisbane in 1942 had a pitched battle (over girls, among other things) and one Australian was killed and many were injured. The State Library of Queensland published some wonderful photos of that time which provide a fantastic visual context to the incident. Pinterest lends itself well to this sort of visual storytelling.

Have a look at the Battle of Brisbane Pinterest board here.  

I'd be interested in how you think Pinterest can be utilised for both fiction and non-fiction authors.

Pinterest - Tapping into the Bowerbird in us all

The female Satin Bowerbird

Bowerbirds are most known for their unique courtship behaviour, where males build a structure and decorate it with sticks and brightly coloured objects in an attempt to attract a mate. Sounds a bit like Pinterest doesn't it?
The analogy is not quite true as yet because the majority (some figures suggest over 80%) of Pinterest users are women and a good deal of them are between 18 and 34 years of age. This would suggest to me that male Bowerbirds out there looking for mates would do well to start decorating their boards with interesting sticks and brightly coloured objects...And perhaps go to a yoga class as well. 


Interested in your thoughts on the matter... How are you using Pinterest?

The Battle of Brisbane: Australians and the Yanks at War

For two days in November 1942, the city of Brisbane became a war zone when Australian servicemen attacked American troops. At the height of savage fighting on Thanksgiving Day, an American military policeman shot dead an Australian war hero and wounded six other soldiers and a civilian.  The book The Battle of Brisbane: Australians and the Yanks at War by Peter Thompson and Robert Macklin draws on eyewitness accounts and unpublished documents, and the authors strip away the sentimental gloss to reveal the startling truth about the shameful 48 hours when the Allies went to war with each other.

Photographs recently published by the State Library of Queensland and compiled nicely by Backyard Photography Magazine with excerpts from the book add another dimension to the to the story of the Battle of Brisbane in 1942.  Below is a small sample of the many photographs in the State Library's collection. I've compiled a selection of them at my Pinterest board. 

This first picture says a lot about the reasons for the antagonism between US and Australian troops which lead to the conflict...girls. US servicemen were able to attract the Australian girls and the Aussie troops weren't happy about it. 

Source: John Oxley Library, State library of Queensland Neg: 104176 

Women with visiting American sailors, Brisbane, Queensland, 1941

"The Americans gave presents to the girls and won them over, which was extraordinarily annoying for the Australians. But my mother encouraged me to invite Americans home and we always had oodles of people for dinner... I went out with several Americans; I was very innocent and very good, and I had a wonderful time with them. We went to the pictures and I took them to my church functions." [Marjorie Robertson, who lived in East Brisbane at the time]. Excerpt from The Battle of Brisbane

Source:John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland Neg: 105718

American military police outside the Central Hotel, Brisbane, Queensland, 1942

"The Australians had grievances, and they had very solid reasons to be aggrieved. The Yanks had everything - the girls, the canteens and all the rest of it - and our blokes were completely ostracised in their own city. The damage had been done. The wounds were very deep. It's a wonder there wasn't more upset." [Lieutenant Bill Thomas, commenting on the Battle of Brisbane. He subsequently investigated Australian troop conditions.] Excerpt from The Battle of Brisbane

Source: John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland Neg: 106222

Witnesses in a stabbing incident in Fortitude Valley, Brisbane, 1942

Morale in the Australian forces was low, and dissent with American troops was on the increase. Street brawls, stabbings and fights became widespread (some estimates were up to 20 brawls a night), and culminated in the "Battle of Brisbane" on the evening of November 26, 1942. Australians came to the defence of an American soldier who was challenged (and perceived to be being bullied) by the US Military Police. Tensions then escalated when an MP struck an Australian with his baton and a scuffle became an all-out battle, resulting in the death of Australian serviceman, several gunshot wounds and hundreds of injuries. Excerpt from The Battle of Brisbane

More photos here at my Pinterest board. 

Australians Online in 2012 - Nielsen

Complete report from Nielsen here

The market for eBooks

A recent study by Bowker shows that Australia, India, the UK and the US are leading the world in eBook adoption.

According to the study, 21% of online Australians over 18 years of age have purchased an eBook in the six months prior to the study and 69% are aware of eBooks but have yet to purchase one. There is an almost equal split between male and female Australian eBook buyers with the highest percentage of eBook buyers in the 18-24 year range.

If we mapped these figures against the population then current adult eBook buyers equate to a market of approximately 3.3 million in Australia with another  eleven million potentials.

The great advantage for many Australian eBook authors is their ability to now reach international markets, which were previously not available to them  – particularly the US. Data from eMarketer indicates that as of 2012 there were nearly 50 million US adult eReader users.  So Australian authors now have the ability to tap into this market.

ACTING BIG when you are small

A COMBINATION of outsourcing and cloud computing have now made it possible for small enterprises, to act big. It has also reduced the barriers to entry to starting an online business significantly. While a small business owner will always be a jack of all trades, the beauty of outsourcing and cloud computing is that one can focus one's energies into activities you most enjoy and that you can potentially add the greatest value to.

In creating BWM Books, two services have been very important: Freelancer and Google Apps.

Freelancer claims to be the world's largest outsourcing marketplace. At last count there were 3.2 million users, that have posted nearly 1.5 million projects and traded $117 million. It's big. I've used the site as both a Freelancer as well as an Employer.  As an Employer all you need to do is post a project and set your budget range. A budget can be as low as $30. If you have ongoing work you can specify an hourly rate budget rather than a fixed price budget. Alternatively you can set up a contest like a logo contest or website design contest. For a fixed price you can get literally hundreds of designs to choose from. For my BWM Books logo I received 472 different designs and paid $290. 

For things like graphic and website design, data entry, software and mobile app development, I've had a terrific experience and I continue to work with the freelancers I've sourced from the marketplace. And interestingly, I've worked with as many people from the US and Europe as I have from India and Pakistan. We aren't just talking cheap third world labour here.  

As a Freelancer, you set up a profile and bid on jobs that you are interested in. Freelancer makes its money by taking a cut of your winning bid. The site resembles eBay in many ways, with freelancer and employer ratings, dispute resolution services and payment and financial services. I'm a big fan of the service and it provides me with a potential workforce at my fingertips for a fraction of the cost if I sourced the work locally. 

Google Apps is a set of cloud computing tools and services which can be useful for both small and big business alike. There are a variety of tools which are free such as Gmail, Google Docs and Google sites as well as business packages which start at $5/month per user account. Basically if you want all your key services in the cloud : email, documents, website hosting and analytics, blogging and more, providing your business with flexibility and mobility, then Google can be a great help. I have found that some Google services do lack a certain intuitive user interface and structure making usage, at times, cumbersome. Google Books being one. But in general, email, document storage, website and blog updating and hosting are very simple and cost effective with Google Apps. An added bonus is that Google Apps has a large third party app market place where you can source complimentary services in all sorts of things from accounting software, to social media apps. 

I've just highlighted just a couple of companies here which I have found useful in creating an online business but I know there are a multitude of others. Which cloud computing or outsourcing companies have you found useful?

Will children read eBooks and Book Apps?

I'M CURRENTLY working with an author who has crafted some children's books and is quite keen on creating print books, eBooks and iPad apps of the books. But does a digital screen, such as a Kindle or iPad, distract a young child too much?  A blog post by Richard Curtis quotes some interesting findings in this regard.

According to a recent New York Times article, K, J. Dell’Antonia, Lisa Guernsey of the New America Foundation’s Early Education Initiative suggests that “when we read with a child on an e-reader, we may actually impede our child’s ability to learn.” She found that parents interact differently with children over an e-reader than over a physical book and suggests that difference may make children slower to read and comprehend a story. Parents and children can often get distracted with manipulating the screen or pushing buttons, rather than focusing on the story.

My own experience reading print books and eBooks to my 2 year old confirms this. The iPad is built for interaction. The screen is supposed to be touched and the thrill for a young child is when you touch the screen and it changes in interesting ways. So a young child will be far more interested in touching and manipulating the eBook than actually obsorbing what is being read to them. 

That said, many of the books designed for young children have less of a narrative component and are more like flash cards - farm animals seems to be the most poular subject.  As print books, these are dead boring. But as an eBook or interactive app, they are far more interesting and I believe absorbing for young children.

Digital and interactive learning are already subjects of considerable study but with the growing adoption of e-Readers, tablets and smartphones, early childhood learning via digital devices is likely to be an important area of scientific interest. 

The Bookstore's Last Stand - NY Times article

THERE WAS an interesting article in the New York Times the other day written by Julie Bosman. 

The article suggests that the book retailer Barnes & Noble, the last major bookstore chain standing, may be the one institution that can keep the traditional publishing industry alive.

A few thoughts:

• The book publishing world is going through some significant changes, no doubt, but so to has the newspaper sector, the music sector, and all media sectors. The internet is a game changer but it doesn't necessarily mean the death of a traditional product such as a CD or a print book. The key for businesses is to develop innovative business models that leverages the advantages of both traditional and digital formats. 
• Certain book genres will still be favoured as print books. Children's books and specialist non-fiction works are well suited to print. 
• The novel and narrative non-fiction works however, seems well suited to a digital form. 
• But why does it have to be one or the other? Publishers and retailers should allow readers the option to buy one or the other or as a bundle. For example, buy the print book for $12.99 and get the eBook for an extra $0.99. 
• In the article it is mentioned that real book stores have two distinct advantages over eRetail stores: the ability to browse the shelves and find a book you weren't even looking for and enabling a reader to mine the backlists of authors.  While we haven't worked out to browse a Web store like a real book store, it will only be a matter of time. One will be able to create digital displays of books in a virtual and immersive environment that will closely mimic real life. Secondly, the backlists of authors are easier to find online both as eBooks and within the second hand market.
• But, as the article says, Amazon is beginning to dominate the book world and no monopoly is a good thing. This is why services such as Smashwords, Lulu and others are important so readers can get choices and different types of books will be available. 
• In the new publishing world there are pros and cons for authors. eBook prices are lower - con. The reach is potentially greater - pro. Authors can potentially get a greater royalty share - pro. Authors can also take greater control of the sales and marketing of their titles if they wish - pro or con depending on your marketing aptitude. 
• The key or course is to stay abreast of developments so you can take advantage of opportunities as they arise. This is the purpose of BWM Books

A Good eBook Royalty Deal from your Print Publisher?

IN THE last blog post I explained about what authors can expect to get in terms of royalties from a couple of major eBook retailers: Amazon and Smashwords.  Basically Australian authors will not get less than 34% of the sale price no matter where the purchaser is located. If someone from North America or Europe purchases your eBook then it will be between 50%-85% of the sale price.

Now these numbers may change if Amazon sets up a local presence in Australia, as is rumoured, and then Australian authors may get 70% of the list price when Australians purchase their works from Amazon. We’ll see.

But in this blog post I’ll talk a little bit about what traditional publishers are typically offering to Australian authors in their print and eBook publishing contracts.  My father, Robert Macklin, a distinguished Australian author, has let me check out a few of his recent publishing contracts.  They don’t make great reading from the perspective of the author.

The Australian Society of Authors (ASA) crafted a free information sheet  a few years ago outlining what local authors should seek when negotiating their print/eBook publishing contracts.

The ASA suggests that a good deal for an author is 35% of net receipts of a 60/40 (publisher/retailer) split. Let me break that down. So if an eBook has a list price of $20.00, the retailer will take $8.00, the publisher will take $12.00 and out of the $12.00 the publisher gets, the author will get $4.20. So the author will receive 21% of the list price. 

Just to remind you of the previous blog analysis, when you publish directly to Amazon or Smashwords (BWM Books will of course help you) , you will never receive less than 34% of the list price.

Commonly, however, authors are getting between 15% and 25% of net receipts from their traditional publishers.  Furthermore,  I’ve seen some tricky legal clauses which make it very difficult for authors to ever get back the rights to publish their eBooks themselves or at least to review eBook rights after a period of time.

When negotiating a contract the ASA recommends 10 tips. I’ve pulled out what I think are the most important.

1. Retaining e-book rights. You don’t have to absolutely and in all instances bundle e-book rights in with print book rights. Authors are now, like never before, able to self-publish or utilise service providers such as BWM Books to publish, market and promote their eBook titles. This is a strong negotiating position to be in. However, if you sign a contract for a print book only, also make sure that any Competing Edition rights clause doesn’t prevent you from signing an e-book separately.

2. Argue for a limited electronic rights term. It is inadvisable to sign a publishing contract with ‘all-time’ implications for the e-book. Argue for a limited electronic rights term of, say, three years, with a periodic review at 12 months, and stress the fact of uncertain publishing and market conditions surrounding e-books.

3. What are you getting per book? If you are offered an e-book royalty of 25% of net receipts – a common offer – or something else, you’re entitled as a matter of ordinary commercial courtesy to know what it means in dollar terms per unit sold. What will you earn per copy/download? If the offered contract doesn’t tell you, ask the publisher. If the publisher can’t or won’t tell you, don’t sign. Furthermore, ask when and where your eBook is going to be published.

4. No ‘subsidiary’ rights.  In terms of publishing agreements and licensing of rights, you should assert that full e-book royalties are a primary right, alongside standard royalties for print books. They are not ‘subsidiary’ rights. Not a kind of ‘sub-license’.

5. Territorial rights.  If your publisher contracts for a print book and also wants world rights for an e-book, ask them why, and how exactly they intend to stage publication so as to exploit these rights to your advantage.

6. Seek advice from someone who will put your commercial interests first. 

eBook Royalties Explained

There are a number of eBook distribution channels that will publish and distribute your eBook, but for the purposes of this blog entry I’ll just deal with two: Amazon and Smashwords. 

Amazon

When you publish with Amazon at the US dot com site your title will also be available in the UK, German, Spanish, French and Italian Amazon sites. Sales reports are generated from each of these sites.

Amazon provides two royalty options for publishers: 70% and 35%.

The 70% royalty option is available only under two conditions:

1.      The list price of the eBook is between $2.99 and $9.99

2.      The customer who buys the eBook is from the following countries: Andorra, Austria
Belgium,  Canada, France, Germany, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco, San Marino, Switzerland, Spain, United Kingdom (including Guernsey, Jersey and Isle of Man), United States, Vatican City (as of Feb 1 2012).

Sales to customers outside these countries will be as provided under the 35% Royalty Option.

Therefore if an Australian purchases your eBook on Amazon, the royalty option automatically reverts to the 35% option.

Delivery costs – downloads

For every download of an eBook Amazon.com charges $0.15/MB.  The author pays for this. An average text-based book of 300 pages would be less than 1MB.

The following chart shows the author royalty share on a list price of $9.99.

At the 35% royalty, you can list your eBook from $0.99 to $200.00.  The following chart shows a list  price of $18.99. An author will receive about the same return listing their eBook at $18.99 as they will if they list at $9.99.

It is worth noting that Amazon will match competitor prices. If they see your title priced lower than their list price then they are allowed to match that price. Royalties in these circumstances are calculated on the sale price of the item, not your list price.

Smashwords

Smashwords retails eBooks directly to the public as well as distributing its eBooks to Apple iBooks (32 countries), Barnes & Noble, Sony, Kobo, Diesel eBook store and more). When you make a sale directly on Smashwords you take approximately 82% of the sale price. Smashwords has no restrictions on minimum or maximum list prices, unlike Amazon.

 When a distribution partner of Smashwords such as Barnes and Noble or Apple iBooks sells one of your books, Smashwords will give you 60% of the (sale price – GST). So if you book is listed at $9.99 then you will receive 60% of $9.00 or $5.40.

BWM Books does not charge any royalty fee when you work with us in publishing and distributing your book. You will receive 100% of net receipts from the retail outlets.