Got my learner's permit

"It's the end but the moment has been prepared for." -The Doctor (four)

Author

John Lim
May 03, 2024

Time to wrap this up with a nice bow and take a bow

Get your ebook on

Today, I wrap the writing series with a look at prepping your ebook for publication, just in time for the real work to begin. Like the eponymous Doctor Who, it’s time to regenerate. For an author, publishing signifies the end of one life cycle, and the beginning of a new one as you market your first book while contemplating whether to write a second one.

-John

Moving Forward

Episode 468: Prepping your ebook on KDP and marketing your books

Once your paperback is ready to roll off the presses, it’s time to turn your attention to your ebook edition. As discussed last week, you can use several pathways to prep your manuscript, including paper templates and the Kindle Create software (KC). The KC option is ideal if you’re publishing on Amazon as it plays nice with the KDP platform. For The Poshmark Guide, I used a combination: paper template for the paperback and KC for the ebook. I wasn’t trying to be boastful by demonstrating self-publishing ambidexterity. I simply didn’t know that KC existed until I was well into prepping my paperback edition. Had I discovered KC earlier, I would have used it for both.

But in the interests of objectivity, I’d like to point out some pros and cons; some of which carry over from last week’s look at the paperback process.

Pros

  • The Table-of-Contents (TOC) is much easier to manage on KC, automatically updating for edits and changes.

  • Hyperlinks are naturally built into your TOC allowing easy navigation. Same with footnotes and endnotes.

  • Easy to add links to external sites.

  • Robust end matter options, including template blocks for author’s bio, other works (with the ability to link to Amazon), and more.

Cons

  • Pre-formatted bullets, table text, and footnote / endnote text are hard coded so make sure they’re correct before importing into KC.

  • Limited design options when it comes to overall look and feel.

  • KC is exclusive to KDP: the .kpf format won’t work with other self-publishing platforms.

Overall, KC is a good option to use for your ebook if you plan to publish on KDP. That’s all. What? Sometimes there’s no need for a sarcastic quip.

Learn more on this week’s episode, now playing on Spotify.

❝

You can make anything by writing.

-CS Lewis

What else on this week’s episode:

  • Considerations before self-publishing on multiple platforms.

  • Limitations on the Kindle Create software.

  • DIY cover design options for your ebook.

  • Marketing your books:

    • Social media?

    • Brick-and-mortar stores.

    • Libraries.

    • Newsletters.

Hacks

For more on self-publishing

I’ve just scratched the surface on the ins and outs of self-publishing your first book. You can dive deeper with my writing series collection, including interviews with authors (traditionally and self-published), and past episodes on the self-publishing process.

The moving forward writing series

A collection of interviews with authors across different genres, backgrounds and parts of the world. Each conversation will give you insights into their best practices, writing tips, and having the right motivation and mindset.

bemovingforward.wixsite.com/bemovingforward/post/writingseries-writingcommunity-mini-series

“No one warned me about this Kindle Create quirk!?!”

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The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller; Klaus Janson; John Costanza; Bob Kane, Paperback | Pangobooks

Used copy of The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller; Klaus Janson; John Costanza; Bob Kane for sale on Pangobooks.

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Upcoming

Summer is around the corner and so is my next writing and self-publishing class!

Write and Self-Publish Your First Book With a Step-by-Step Plan with John Lim, Bus '14 (MBA) | Johns Hopkins Events

If writing a book is one of your 2024 goals, take my next writing and self-publishing course through The Johns Hopkins Odyssey program. The class starts June 15th and is open to the public (with discounts for Hopkins alum).

events.jhu.edu/form/odysseylimsummer24

Resources

Teach a man to fish, you know the rest (if you don’t, check these out).

  • Book a coaching call with me on Clarity.

  • Follow me on Goodreads for book recommendations.

  • Check out one of my favorite daily newsletters Morning Brew (affiliate referral link).

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