Business Corner

When Amazon announced that their Kindle digital download sales had eclipsed both their hardback and paperback sales combined, the moment of the new ebook revolution had arrived.

The launch of the Amazon Kindle in 2007 allowed people to simply click and buy to download ebooks from the Kindle marketplace onto their device. In 2009 the Apple iPad exploded onto the scene bringing with it the iBook app that also enabled ebook sales via other Apple family of products such as the iPhone and iPod.

Other ebook readers such as the Nook range of readers opened up the Barnes and Noble marketplace with Sony and others joining the fray.

This is truly exciting time for writers and information publishers throwing open a mainstream marketplace that is quickly expanding.

Firstly why should you publish an ebook?

• You establish yourself as an expert
• You can use your books and guides as lead generators to build your list and sell backend services and products
• It doesn’t have to be a mammoth book. You can publish guides, short reports, whitepapers and even publish your blog posts as a book.

The global ebook market grew by 200% in 2010, so the question is how can you take advantage of this huge market?

There are plenty of Publish on Demand platforms out there that can help you publish and distribute your books. You can ‘Google’ publish on demand and see what is available and best suits your needs.

Lulu is probably the most well know of POD (publish on demand) services with a range of add-on support services such as marketing, proofreading, design and editing.  Read more... (406 words, estimated 1:37 mins reading time)

Although Amazon will not confirm how many of their popular Kindle e-readers have been sold, the number is estimated to be in the millions. One testament to the Kindle’s popularity is that there are more than 950,000 ebook titles available for immediate download from Amazon’s Kindle store. Add to that all of the ways readers can buy Kindle ebooks even without owning a Kindle and you can believe Amazon’s claim that Kindle ebook sales have surpassed sales of print books.

All you need to buy ebooks from Amazon without a Kindle is one of the many free Kindle reading apps available. Start by going to Amazon.com. In the left navigation, click on Kindle, then Free Kindle Reading Apps. On that page you will find links to download the Kindle reading app for the Windows PC, Mac, iPhone and iPod Touch, iPad, Android, BlackBerry and Windows Phone 7.

With the app installed you can download free and paid ebooks from the Kindle store and read them on your favorite device. (Because of a recent change in the terms of service for Apple apps, ebooks can not be downloaded via the Kindle apps running on an Apple device. However, ebooks can be purchased through a web browser and delivered to the Apple device.)

Even if you own a Kindle, you may want to use one or more of the Kindle reader apps. Using an app on a mobile device allows you to buy from anywhere, and read anywhere, even if you don’t have your Kindle with you. Most people have their phones with them wherever they go, so anytime you have a few spare minutes you can read a bit of that novel you are having a hard time putting down. Any of the Kindle ebooks already in your library can be transferred to other devices, and the ebooks can be accessed from more than one device. For example, I have some of my Kindle ebooks on my Kindle, my PC and my iPhone.  Read more... (514 words, estimated 2:03 mins reading time)