In this blog post, we will be exploring the options open to you as a self-publishing nonfiction author and whether it is worth going to the effort of having an ebook version of your book. This does take a lot of time and requires considerable work on your part, so it is a good idea to weigh up the pros and cons of nonfiction ebooks before you come to a decision. A lot of this will come down to the specifics of your situation and book, so you can decide what is right for you.
We will now look at some of the advantages of ebooks, with another blog post to follow focusing on the disadvantages.
Cheaper to Publish
The first advantage of ebooks is simply that they are cheaper for you to publish. If you don’t have a print book, you won’t have any costs associated with printing. There’s also no need to worry about where to store all of your printed books until they are sold, or how to distribute them once they have been bought.
Book storage is expensive, especially if you plan to keep your book in stock for a while. If you have a small print run, it is possible that you could do this yourself, but books need to be kept carefully to ensure that they don’t get damp or made into bedding for mice!
On the other hand, ebooks don’t take any space to store and you don’t need to decide how many copies you will have printed. There’s also no chance of ebooks getting damaged in storage!
The distribution itself is also costly, especially for nonfiction books which are frequently heavy. If you are selling books directly to your readers rather than a bookshop, you will have multiple parcels that each have a single book. You need to choose a method that ensures your book will arrive in good condition.
Can be Revised
A further advantage of ebooks is the fact that they can easily be revised if necessary. There are a few reasons that you would need to do this. Firstly, you may find that your book still has some grammatical, spelling or formatting errors after release. Correcting these improves the overall impression of your book and makes it more likely that people will take it and you seriously. You want your book to look as professional as possible.
You might also discover some factual errors in your work, which you would obviously want to correct as soon as possible! This could be an inaccuracy or a mistake in your citations – it’s easy to do. Alternatively, you might want to update some figures or facts of new research that is released soon after your book. This helps to ensure your readers have an accurate book, with all of the latest information.
Depending on your selling platform, it is usually quite easy to update an ebook as necessary. There isn’t really any way of doing the same with a print book – you can print correction slips to go in the front of each one if you discover an error or new information after printing, but this relies on them not having already been dispatched.
Portable
An advantage for your readers that might increase sales is the portability of ebooks. As ebooks can be downloaded to any device with a reading app installed, they are very versatile. This also makes them a lot easier to carry than a pile of physical books! People can then take them anywhere with them, such as on a train or to a coffee shop.
Instant Delivery
In addition to being portable, your readers will instantly receive their ebook once they have purchased it. From their point of view, this means that they don’t have to wait if they need the information quickly and that they can buy and receive it wherever they are. They also don’t have to pay any shipping on it.
From your point of view, this means that you will get more impulse purchases. The added convenience of instant access and shopping anywhere should also send more sales your way. In addition, this saves you from having any issues with distribution.
Global Reach
Ebooks also have more of a global reach than physical ones. Distribution to multiple countries is difficult for you to manage and the cost may prove prohibitive for potential buyers. However, ebooks can be instantly accessed in any countries that you choose to sell in.
Wrapping Up
I hope that this helps you decide whether to have an ebook version of your nonfiction book. If you are still undecided, my next blog post looks at some of the disadvantages, so come back in two weeks for that!
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