self-publishing: 5 steps to publishing an ebook

Have you ever wanted to self-publish your very own ebook?  Ever wondered what faucets you needed to go through to see your ebook on Amazon?  Click on the link below to discover 5 steps to self publishing your very own ebook.  Please let me know what you think!  Would love to hear back from you!  (oh, yea.. it’s free)
How to publish an ebook

Purchase an ISBN number

The next thing you will need to do if you are self publishing in the UK is to contact Nielsen. (http://www.isbn.nielsenbook.co.uk/controller.php?page=123).  You will need to fill out an application.  The minimum purchase of ISBN numbers is 10.  They come in lots of 10.  So, if you are self publishing one book you still have to purchase 10.  The cost is £121 and change.  It takes 10 days to receive the ISBN number once the application is processed.  Why do you need an ISBN?

You need an ISBN number so that people can locate the book and locate the author, which is you.  This will help people buy your book which is important.  Plus, your book could be stocked in libraries as well as online.  You will need to use the second ISBN number if you are going to put your book online.  The ISBN number distinguishes whether it is a hardcopy or paperback.  Nielsen will give you all that information once they send you your ISBN number either by post or email.  And, the ISBN number is filled out by the author.  If I wanted to locate a book I could just type in the name of the author and the book would come up.  It’s basically a number to help find you and your book.

If you need any help applying for an ISBN number within the UK just email Nielsen.  They are very happy to help you.

If you are outside of the UK it is much, much easier to get an ISBN number.  There are many websites where you can buy 1 ISBN number for £20.  They are legitimate websites.  However, if you feel uncomfortable with their offer just call them or email them to find out the details.  CANADA & INDIA do not charge for their ISBN numbers.  It is free there.  Yes, you could print & self-publish your book in one of those countries; however, you will need an address there.

Have you written an ebook?  Then, you really don’t officially need one; however, I would recommend it because it will help you when you are ready to market your book.  There are many short cuts when self-publishing and this would be an area where you could make a short cut, but why would you?  I say do everything as professional as you can and it will be worth it in the end.

In the end, you need to get an ISBN number before you print.  NOTE:  make sure the printing company offers a barcode.   The number and barcode are two separate things.  I would be greatly surprised if the print company does not have this program.  If they don’t, you can download it for FREE and do it yourself.