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| Michelle Stimpson |
Reprinting Your Books as E-books
by Michelle Stimpson
In the past few months, I’ve been chatting with authors who have recently acquired the rights to their older, traditionally published books. Now they’d like to get the e-book versions up and running again. Below are some of the questions/issues that we’ve worked through. Happy re-publishing!
Q: How can I get my book out of a .pdf file and into a Word file?
A:
The only way I know to unlock a .pdf file is with AdobePro. You can download a free 30-day trial
(no credit card required) and then use it to unlock the file and convert it to
Word. This will help retain the formatting of the original file.
Q: I have a physical copy of my book, but I don’t have the final,
edited version in digital format. How can I get it?
A)
Here are some suggestions:
* You can ask your
publisher for the file. If they send it to you in .pdf, use the information
given in the answer above. However, many publishers will not send that final,
edited file back to you.
*
You can use Microsoft Office’s Document Imaging Software (which is probably
already in your computer – yaay!) but it’s not perfect and it’s very tedious.
You have to scan each page as an image and then the computer translates. But,
if you’ve got several extra hours on your hands, this is a great tool. Click here to find out
how to use the OCR software.
*
You can use BookBaby.com’s Scanning Service and they will do
the scanning and converting for you. The estimate for a 200-page book is less
than $30. In either case you’ll need to re-read and edit, but this is far
better than trying to re-type your book.
Q: Can I use my old book cover?
A:
Your publisher probably owns the cover, so I’m gonna say “no.” Get your own
cover designed or you can try to negotiate with your previous publisher to buy
the copyright to your old cover if you’re in love with it.
Q: I don’t want to do all this technical stuff. Who can do it for
me?
A:
There are people/companies who format and upload books for authors. You can do
a google search, or you can just use BookBaby.com or a
similar company (I’m not an affiliate for them–although maybe I should be now,
huh). All I’ll say is this: don’t pay more than a hundred dollars or so, and
don’t give away your royalties. It’s not that serious. If they’re good, they’re
probably putting in about 90 minutes of work—not worth giving away several years’
worth of royalties.
Q: How will my e-book be different from my print book?
A:
Here are some components you’ll want to be sure to update or add in your e-book
version:
* A description of your
book on the first page – people are downloading books so quickly, they don’t
even remember why they bought the books. So, having a summary to remind them of
why they ordered it in the first place will help them start reading when they
get the time.
*
Links—you’ll want to add active links in the interior of your e-book. You can
link up to your website, your social networking pages, your e-mail sign-up page,
a page where they can review your book, and the online sales pages for other
titles you have available. You may also wish to have a linked table of
contents. If you don’t know how to do this, you can download the free Building Your Book for Kindle title. It gives the basics of how to prepare a manuscript
for Kindle.
*
There will be no page numbers in the ebook version.
Q: What do I do about the publication date?
A:
On the copyright page, list both years (i.e. © 2003, 2014) and you may also
want to write something to the effect that this is a re-released version on
the description page. Kindle is going to list your publication date as the
actual date you upload this newer version. This may or may not be an issue, but
I do like to let readers know.
Q: What about all of my reviews from the older version?
A:
My reviews have transferred over with my older titles (Boaz Brown and Divas of Damascus Road). If
yours don’t, I’d contact Kindle and the other online publishers via e-mail.
They want the e-books to sell, too, and the reviews will help reach this goal.
They can make this happen.
Q: Some online retailers still have my book up for sale, but I
don’t want them to compete with me. I want them to remove their listings of my
books. How can I make this happen?
A:
Contact them via e-mail, send them the copy of the reversion letter, and let
them know they need to take it down.
Q: I’m still getting small royalty checks from the old books even
though my publisher hasn’t had the rights for more than a year. How is this
possible?
A:
Well, actually, this is my question.
LOL! Anybody got an answer?
To learn more about Michelle, visit her website.
No Weapon Formed
In this sequel to Michelle Stimpson’s beloved debut novel,
Boaz Brown, LaShondra and her Boaz, Stelson, are living the ideal American
lifestyle, except for the subtle and not-so-subtle ways society keeps reminding
them that they aren’t the norm. She’s African-American, he’s Caucasian, and
their oldest child is already tackling the question of identity. It’s bad
enough when outsiders show their ignorance or disdain. But when the issues come
from family, LaShondra finds herself wondering if Stelson can truly comprehend
the challenges looming on the horizon.
When a church picnic leads to a head-on clash between LaShondra’s fears and Stelson’s optimism, the truth prevails. But that’s just the beginning. LaShondra learns that the drama during the family outing was only a set-up for an even more rigorous spiritual battle to save her family. After turning her back to the pressures at work and yielding to Stelson’s leadership, LaShondra finds herself interceding for a husband she hardly even recognizes anymore.
Is this the beginning of the end for the couple that truly endeavored to honor God’s ways, or will this season fortify their marriage for His glory?
