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Let's Get Digital: How To Self-Publish, And Why You Should: Updated Second Edition (Let's Get Publishing Book 1) by [David Gaughran]

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David Gaughran

Let's Get Digital: How To Self-Publish, And Why You Should: Updated Second Edition (Let's Get Publishing Book 1) Kindle Edition

by David Gaughran (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

492 ratings

Book 1 of 2: Let's Get Publishing

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*** UPDATED & EXPANDED 2nd EDITION ***

This award-winning, bestselling self-publishing guide has been re-released as a new updated and expanded 2nd edition, with 75,000 words of essays, articles, and how-to guides, as well as contributions from 30 bestselling indie authors including J Carson Black, Bob Mayer, Debora Geary, Mark Edwards, and many more.

"You won't make any money from self-publishing."

MYTH!

The internet has revolutionized every business it has come into contact with, and publishing is no different.

For the first time, these changes are handing power back to the writer. It's up to YOU if you want to profit from them.

Let's Get Digital: How To Self-Publish, And Why You Should (Updated 2nd Edition) covers everything from how the disruptive power of the internet has changed the publishing business forever to the opportunities this has created for writers. It gives you practical, hands-on advice, sharing the very latest best practices on editing, cover design, formatting, and pricing.

It gives you proven marketing strategies that won't eat into your writing time and are actually effective at selling books. It also shares tips on platform building, blogging, and social networking, and explains which approaches are best for selling fiction versus non-fiction, and what writers should really focus on.

This new updated 2nd edition now has more options for those on a tighter budget, teaches you how to get your book into print (and why that helps selling e-books), tells you why you should start a mailing list immediately, and shares the pros and cons of going exclusive with Amazon. And that's just for starters...

Praise for Let's Get Digital:

"Let's Get Digital is a must read for anyone considering self-publishing." -- JA Konrath, bestselling author of Trapped, Origin, and Whiskey Sour.

"Even with my background as an indie writer, I picked up several valuable tips...this is simply the best book about the ebook revolution that I have read." -- Michael Wallace, bestselling author of the Righteous series.

"Credible and comprehensive. I'd recommend it to any writer who is considering self-publishing or anyone interested in the current state of publishing." -- Big Al's Books and Pals - 5 stars.

"It should be THE starting point for anyone considering self-publishing today. This book is a Pixel Pick, and should be considered required reading for any Indie author." -- Pixel of Ink.

*** Table of Contents ***

PART ONE: DIGITAL REVOLUTION
1. Appetite for Disruption
2. Here Be Pirates!
3. Royalties
4. What We Talk About When We Talk About Editing
5. Literary Agents
6. The 800lb Gorilla: Amazon
7. Print Is Doomed
8. E-book Dominance Is Inevitable
9. Publishers: The New Travel Agents?
10. The Age of the Algorithm
11. Self-publishing Myths
12. A Great Time to Be a Writer
13. ...Unless You Fall For These Scams

PART TWO: DIGITAL SELF-PUBLISHING
Step 1: Publishing When Ready
Step 2: Cover Design
Step 3: Working With An Editor
Step 4: Formatting & Killer Layouts
Step 5: Pricing To Sell
Step 6: Uploading & Metadata
Step 7: Marketing is Easy
Step 8: Platform Building
Step 9: Developing A Sticky Readership
Step 10: How To Kickstart Your Sales

PART THREE: SUCCESS STORIES
Cheryl Shireman
Victorine Lieske
Michael Hicks
CJ Archer
Beth Orsoff
Bob Mayer
Debora Geary
Sibel Hodge
Consuelo Saah Baehr
Steven L. Hawk
Suzanne Tyrpak
Mel Comley
Jason Letts
Melanie Nilles
Jan Hurst-Nicholson
KC May
Terri Reid
N Gemini Sasson
Susanne O'Leary
Shayne Parkinson
Stacey Wallace Benefiel
Sarah Woodbury
Kenneth Rosenberg
Katie Klein
William Esmont
Lexi Revellian
J Carson Black
Imogen Rose
Mark Edwards
CD Reiss

Appendix A: Publishing Checklist
Appendix B: Mailing Lists
Appendix C: Let's Get Physical
Appendix D: Shorter Stories
Appendix E: Reviews
Appendix F: KDP Select
Appendix G: Practicalities
Appendix H: Resources

Print length

286 pages
Language

English
Publication date

September 10, 2014
File size

648 KB
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Let's Get Digital is a must read for anyone considering self-publishing." -- JA Konrath, bestselling author of Trapped, Origin, and Whiskey Sour.
"Even with my background as an indie writer, I picked up several valuable tips...this is simply the best book about the ebook revolution that I have read." -- Michael Wallace, bestselling author of the Righteous series.

From the Author

This is the new updated 2nd edition of Let's Get Digital (released September 2014). If you purchased the 1st edition from Amazon you will be able to download this brand new edition free (instructions below).

This is my thank you to all the readers who have supported me over the last three years, because you are the reason this book was such a success. I hope you enjoy this update. I put a lot into this new edition and I hope it's as useful to you as the first one was.

If you purchased the 1st edition, you can get the new 2nd edition for free via Manage My Content & Devices (formerly Manage My Kindle) in your Amazon account.

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B005DC68NI
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Arriba Arriba Books; 2nd edition (September 10, 2014)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ September 10, 2014
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 648 KB
Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Print length ‏ : ‎ 286 pages
Lending ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled

Customer Reviews:
492 ratings

About the author

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David Gaughran

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David Gaughran was born in Ireland but now lives in a quaint little fishing village in Portugal, although this hasn't increased the amount of time he spends outside the house. He writes historical fiction and science fiction under another name, has helped thousands of authors publish their work through his workshops, blog, and writers' books - Let's Get Digital, Strangers to Superfans, BookBub Ads Expert, and Amazon Decoded - and has also created giant marketing campaigns for some of the biggest self-publishers on the planet. Visit DavidGaughran.com to get yourself a free book.

Customer reviews

5 star		72%
4 star		18%
3 star		6%
2 star		2%
1 star		1%

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Top reviews from the United States

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margaret_kourvo

Anyone can self-publish an ebook

Reviewed in the United States on August 1, 2012

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from book blogger Margaret Yang of the WritingSlices blog

David Gaughran makes an unusual choice in the introduction to LET'S GET DIGITAL. Most people would start by listing their credentials, but Gaughran admits he has none. He's not a best-selling author. He's not a digital superstar. He's a nobody. And that's a good thing. Because he wants you know something important. Anyone can publish an ebook.

LET'S GET DIGITAL is divided into three parts. The first is philosophy. Before we can understand the how, Gaughran says we need to understand the why. He starts by listing the reasons big publishers are in trouble and why print books are in a death spiral. He makes good points, but he also assumes that his readers have zero knowledge of the publishing industry. Most writers have spent years working (or trying to work) within that system and know it well, so this part won't be of much use. Besides, the audience for this book won't need convincing that they should self-publish. They'd just like to know how.

The second part is absolutely bursting with useful information. It covers the how-to of editing, covers, formatting, uploading to sales channels, and pricing. Throughout, Gaughran urges writers to produce nothing but their best, and shows them how to do just that. He also covers post-publication work like sales, marketing, and reviews. A lot of this is common sense and the information is widely available all over the internet. However, having it all in one convenient place feels like a gift.

Gaughran also discusses how to handle a sales slump. This is somewhat of a taboo subject among indie writers and Gaughran is courageous for tackling it. His advice is mostly of the "keep calm and carry on" sort, but he also offers a few tricks to goose sales such as a revamped book description and extra promo work. However, the only thing a writer can really do is keep writing. Nothing boosts sales of a book like more books.

Part three is inspiration. Thirty-three successful authors tell their own publication stories in short essays. Every author took a slightly different path, but some common themes emerged. Self-publishing wasn't a lifelong dream for these authors. Many of them stumbled across the idea almost accidentally. Many authors also talked about the ease of self-publishing. Turning a finished manuscript into a book really isn't that hard. All of the contributors exceeded their own expectations. Most are doing phenomenally well, seemingly overnight. This last one might be a bit of a downer for people who don't immediately see big sales numbers, but they are called success stories for a reason.

The other thing that came up many times, from many authors, is the importance of other people. None of them succeeded alone. They all benefited from the strong indie community that has developed on the blogs, the Kindle boards, and Twitter. Writers have always helped writers by sharing what they know, and it's clear Gaughran has that same generous spirit. The introduction is correct. With the information and inspiration found in LET'S GET DIGITAL, anyone can publish an ebook.

33 people found this helpful

Helpful

Kathrin Hutson

An Incredible Resource All On Its Own

Reviewed in the United States on December 3, 2015

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I was "sent" to this book after reading Susan Kaye Quinn's 'For Love or Money' (and she's actually mentioned as a resource in this book, which is fantastic). I'd been looking for a book on self-publishing that not only covered the main categories of important things on a checklist, but also gave specifics into how to do so. 'Let's Get Digital' is the first I've found to meet all my criteria. I loved that Gaughran balanced the incredibly useful information in this book through his working knowledge of the self-publishing industry, AND a detailed dive into the traditional publishing industry. I'm a critical person - I like to see both sides of the argument before I can count myself knowledgeable about any one topic. And this is exactly what Gaughran gave me. WHY certain things work as opposed to other choices, instead of only HOW others have managed to make it work for them in the past. This book has both, and it's an incredible resource all on its own that I will be keeping in my library of "Indie Publishing gems" and referring to all my fellow authors within the writing community.

As an author, I cannot be grateful enough for this information and the way Gaughran has approached it in such a detailed, organized, and still entertaining manner - not to mention the deliciously long lists of resource links he so graciously added in the Appendices. As an editor whose clients are mostly Indie Authors (or those on the cliff behind traditional publishing rejections before they take the final leap), this book has added invaluable tips, stats, resources, and how-to's for me to share with my clients and fellow authors in order to help boost their own Indie careers - because, let's face it, that's what this is about. We all help each other!

David, if you have the time in your day to sift through all these great reviews and manage to glance at this one from a humble reader and Indie Author shooting off in a new career...thank you. THANK YOU. And I've already started 'Let's Get Visible'.

4 people found this helpful

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Denae C

some good advice

Reviewed in the United States on February 26, 2017

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It's kind of boring unless you're a writer. So, there are no reader thoughts for this book. I was in writer mode the whole time I listened to it.

Writer thoughts:
There was a mix of specific advice (try this price and approach bloggers for reviews) and vague advice (have a good cover).

The anecdotes all sounded about the same. "I published a book and tried these things and my books sell well."

I'm starting to really think Oneil's blog post is right when it says bestsellers are accidents. Most of the example indie authors in Let's Get Digital didn't really know why their books sold so well. Only one or two were brave enough to admit it.

Some of it might have even been just timing. If you self-published in 2010, you weren't fighting quite the crowd that 2016 brings. There also weren't as many resources then, though.

Was this book useful? Yes, if I didn't already spend hours upon hours every week reading indie author blogs, facebook pages, and goodreads groups. As it was, this book added very little.

It tried to say KU paid per borrow, which isn't true anymore. I wonder how recently it was updated. The self-publishing industry changes rather quickly. The audiobook was the second edition.

One person found this helpful

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Betty Billionaire

Author needs to edit his book, great cover though

Reviewed in the United States on July 7, 2016

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There is not a lot new here. I downloaded this on a free day.
The author gives you a link to a kindle formatting book by Henkel which he says is free. The book is not free.
Then he says to have a look at his blog on formatting, but the section in his book is word for word copied from his blog?
I agree with another reviewer who says the book is more about why to self-publish, than how to.
Very little how to. He should give you the info on how to format and not recommend another book.
I think the author needs to give the book a very good once over and then republish it.
I am enjoying the author testimonials at the end of the book.

One person found this helpful

Helpful

Top reviews from other countries

PHILIP DODD

Let's Get Digital: A good book to read for anyone interested in self publishing.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 24, 2015

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Yes, Let's Get Digital by David Gaughran, is a good book to read for anyone interested in self publishing. I think it is just the book I needed to read at the moment, as I am in the midst of preparing my second book for publication. To my relief, in clear, readable prose, David Gaughran in his book gave me good reasons for what not to do and what not to be concerned about as regards self publishing. I was particularly interested in what he had to say about what is to me the daunting prospect of building an author platform on the Internet.
I could relate very well to what he had to say about publishing a print version of your book as well as an E-book version. Like him, I will never forget how happy I was when I held the paperback version of my book in my hand. Looking at the E-book version of my book on my Kindle is a pleasure, but it is not as good as looking at the paperback version of my book as part of my book collection.
I enjoyed reading the success stories of self published writers which brought the book to an end. Lately, I have been thinking that self publishing has made a lot of people happy, which is a good thing. Waiting to hear from literary agents and publishers for up to six months only to receive the expected rejection letter does not do anyone any good at all. Self publishing has put an end to that, as David Gaughran reveals in his book, which ends with some useful addresses on the Internet for those interested in book publishing, particularly in the difference between the traditional way of publishing books and the new way of self publishing. I found the book to be interesting, comforting and a pleasure to read.

Mr Dylan S Hearn

If you are serious about self-publishing, you should own this book.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 18, 2014

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If you are thinking about self-publishing, I recommend you buy Let’s Get Digital. If you have self-published your first book recently, I recommend you buy Let’s Get Digital. If you are an experienced self-publisher, I recommend you buy Let’s Get Digital.

In this newly revised book, Gaughran starts out with a description of the current publishing climate, giving strong reasons as to why writers should self-publish. It then moves on to the nuts and bolts of how to self-publish with clear instruction that anybody could follow. It then moves on to how to market your book and develop a “sticky readership” and ends with a series of stories from self-published authors who started with nothing and went on to become a success. Then, if that wasn’t enough, come a series of appendices including checklists leading up to and post-publishing, how to set up mailing lists, advice on how to create paperback books and specific support for authors of short stories.

This comprehensive book provides excellent advice in a no nonsense style without any gimmicks or magic beans. If you are serious about self-publishing, you should own this book. Highly recommended

Highly useful

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 27, 2012

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While about to dip my toe in the self-publishing waters I realised I needed a bit of hand-holding, and this seems to be the perfect accompaniment. It covers why you want to make the jump (although, for most people the obvious answer is 'agent/publishers aren't interested'), how to go about it, from formatting your book etc. to other things you need to know, like tax issues.
I found it a little strange though that a European author would write so much from a generally American perspective. While this is undoubtedly to get the bigger audience, the message wouldn't have been diluted by addressing it as a European.

A couple of things that I didn't like though were the pointless 33 interviews with authors. This was just padding. Half a dozen would've been acceptable as these are generally gloat pieces. They explain that an author did well but their variables mightn't match yours.
Also, this non-fiction book doesn't assume that you would be writing non-fiction either. A few pointers on writing anything other than short stories and novels would be appreciated as they can be a harder sell. There's no Amanda Hocking of non-fiction yet after all.

That aside, it's very cheap and gave me most of what I wanted to know.

7 people found this helpful

Nathaniel Dean James

A very good place to start for anyone on the fence about self-publishing.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 21, 2014

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As David points out, the publishing landscape is in a permanent state of flux (yes, I know that sounds like an oxymoron). And as many reviews of other books on the subject make clear, most of them tell you things you can find for free on any number of blogs and websites. I think it's fair to say that this book does a good job of accounting for the first, and an even better one of avoiding the second. While it may be true that there is "no substitute for hard work", and that this is generally the underlying message of most such books, the author wastes little time on pep-talk, preferring to get to the heart of what self-publishing really means, and more importantly, how best to go about it. As a self-published author, and a reader of many books on the subject, I found Let's Get Digital to be both a valuable source of current information, and a very helpful guide to what a person in my position needs to do (and avoid) to successfully navigate the many rocks and shoals of the business. Much of David's advice also bears out against my own experiences, a fact that inspires confidence when it comes to trying out those things I haven't been doing.

In summary, I think this book would be an invaluable addition to the library of anyone considering self-publishing, as well as that of anyone who has already opted for this path. I also think the author should be commended for making this updated edition free to all those who purchased the original. I am not one of them, but I think the gesture proves that his motives are not limited to the financial, something I cannot say for a large number of those choosing to publish write about the subject.

WelshChris

Hit and Miss

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 10, 2017

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The book has a good style. It was interesting to read the stories of 30 successful self published authors. The different launch strategies gave plenty of food for thought. I just felt there was too much about what doesn't work and not enough on what does. There wasn't enough detail and specifics amongst the narrative. I didn't feel from reading the book that I had a decent tool box to self publish

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