A Practical Software Directory for Solo Builders
by Russell Collins
Amazon is Your Friend. Amazon really is your friend. Amazon wants you to be a successful and wealthy writer. I’ve written this book to help new book writers with little experience learn from my self-publishing mistakes, and help them make the most of Amazon. If you answer 'Nothing' or 'Not Much', to any 3 of these questions then this book is ideal for you. In fact, there are things in this book for you, even if you've said 'Some' or 'A Lot' to most of the questions. The Questions. What Do You Know About: How to start writing a book? How long it takes to actually write a book? Setting Up A Simple Amazon Ads Campaign? What Kindle Select Can Do For You? Visual Plot Planning Plot Grid Hybrid Publishers Getting Extra Product Income From Your Book? Creative Idea Generating Techniques? This Book Is: A Route Map for before you start. A Guidebook to help you on your way. A Check List for as you get ready. It’s not the best written book, or the best edited, but if you’re an aspiring author, it’s the best book to start you off. It’s got things for you if you’ve got a couple of books under your belt as well. Yes, there’s repetition in it, but that helps stress the more important parts.
LEARN MORE →Preparing and publishing books in different digital formats
A useful guide, collection of articles or longer manuscript can give readers another way to discover and use your work.
Tools in this category will help you to...
Format a manuscript for ebook readers, publish through online bookshops, present a PDF as an interactive flipbook or adapt a book into an audiobook. These tools handle different parts of the process, so start with the format your readers will use and where you want the finished publication to be available.
New to publishing digital books? Read our short planning guide below →
The directory is developing incrementally. We’ll add research and first-hand testing as we carry them out, while keeping straightforward listings useful for discovery.
ACX helps authors turn an existing book into an audiobook and distribute approved recordings through Audible, Amazon and Apple Books. Find narrators, listen to auditions and agree on production terms, or narrate and upload your own recording. Accounts are free, but hiring a producer involves an upfront fee, royalty sharing or a combination of both. You must hold the audiobook rights, and the title must already be available as an ebook on Amazon. ACX accepts eligible individuals and companies in the UK, US, Canada and Ireland. Check its recording standards and distribution agreement before committing to production.
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Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) lets you publish an ebook for sale in Amazon’s Kindle Store without an upfront publishing fee. Upload your manuscript and cover, add a book description, choose your price and preview the result before publication. Sales reports help you track orders and royalties, with earnings depending on the price, territory and royalty option. Paperback and hardback publishing are also available through print on demand. Its optional KDP Select programme includes Kindle Unlimited, but restricts where you can distribute the ebook during each 90-day enrolment. Editing, cover preparation and finding readers remain your responsibility.
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Draft2Digital helps authors distribute ebooks to multiple bookshops and library services from one account. Upload a manuscript, use its formatting tools and choose where the book should appear, with sales reports and payments brought together. Formatting and file downloads are free, even without distribution. Publishing requires a US$20 activation fee for new accounts. After the first year, a US$12 annual maintenance fee applies to publishing accounts earning under US$100 a year. Draft2Digital also takes approximately 10% of an ebook’s retail price, separate from the retailer’s share. It provides a route beyond Amazon, with ongoing costs to consider.
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Heyzine turns an existing PDF into an online flipbook that readers can browse through a shared link or within your website. It suits visual guides, magazines, brochures and other publications where the page design matters. Add links, audio or video to extend the reading experience without rebuilding the original document. A free Basic account includes five flipbooks, unlimited pages and 1GB of storage, with no adverts or watermark over the publication, although Heyzine viewer branding remains. Paid plans provide more capacity, branding removal and downloadable flipbooks for offline use or hosting on your own website.
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Reedsy Studio is a browser-based tool for preparing a manuscript for publication. Write or import your text, organise chapters and choose a book theme, with automatic formatting for elements such as the contents page and chapter headings. Export an EPUB file for ebook readers or a PDF prepared for printing, then take those files to your chosen publishing service. Its core writing, formatting and export tools are free, with optional paid features for planning and managing your writing. It is particularly relevant to books and guides built mainly around text. Bookshop distribution and sales are handled through separate services.
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A practical guide or collection of useful articles can be a manageable first publication. Choose a format that suits the material. EPUB text adapts to different screen sizes and reader settings. A PDF preserves your page layout, while a flipbook presents those pages in a browser. An audiobook gives people a way to listen, but adds recording, production and quality checks.
A formatting tool prepares the files; a publishing or distribution service makes the book available to readers. You may use both. Finish the editing, check your cover and contents page, and preview the exported file on a phone or ebook reader. For visual publications, check that text remains readable on a small screen. Keep your original manuscript and a copy of each finished file.
Free publishing can still involve a share of each sale, while other services charge activation or annual fees. Check payment arrangements, any exclusivity requirements and the rights you are granting before uploading. Make sure you can use every image, quotation and other contribution included in the book. Start with one finished publication and a clear plan for reaching its readers; you can add further formats once there is a useful reason to do so.