Here’s an interesting story, Apple Reveals New Service for Authors to Sell Their Books Directly in the iBookstore | Mac|Life which reports:

“Apple sent us an e-mail today with details on how someone could sign up to sell their own books in the iBookstore. Their books would have to adhere to these criteria: each one would need to have a 13-digit ISBN, be in ePub format, validate against epubcheck 1.0.5, and contain no unmanifested files. If you are not familiar with any of these Apple suggests working with their aggregation partners.
“

This is an intriguing opportunity. If you’re reasonably techy it will be an option for you.

However, I think that most self-publishers will still want to work with an intermediary company to take some of the hassle out of the tech involved. Companies like Smashwords take the angst out of getting your ebooks online.

Are you contemplating getting your books into the iBookstore? Please share your strategy (whether you’re going it alone, or not) in the comments.

If you’re writing a book, here’s an unfortunate truth for you to think about: your book may not sell.

Or, if it sells, it may only sell a few copies. In general, 95 per cent of authors won’t make enough from their books to pay for their groceries.

How to ensure that YOUR book sells

Since so few books sell, and very, very few books sell well, it’s up to you to put the odds of your book selling well in your favor.

Luckily, it’s simple to do this.

Here’s how. (Please note that we’re talking about nonfiction, not fiction. We’ll discuss fiction in another post.)

Choose a topic which sells

If you’re writing nonfiction, work out how many people care about your topic. Are there magazines and online forums which discuss the topic? How many people are blogging in this area? Are there any Amazon bestsellers covering this topic?

If you’re writing in a very narrow area, the chances of your book selling well are slim.

Please note that if you’re writing a history, or a personal memoir, you’ll need to ensure that your book is involving and exciting. Look at the bestsellers in those areas, and read them.

Create a marketing plan for your book

If no one knows about your book, no one will buy it. Marketing is important. You need to get the word out.

Want to make $500 a day WRITING… from your home office?

Are you make as much money as you could be making? Chances are that you’re not. There’s no shame in this. Writers often struggle to find their own special niche.

If you love to write, then you’ll love the information in my new ebook/ coaching package, Info Product Maestro: Make $500 a Day with Your Information Products.

Write what you like, when you like, and make an income you’ve only dreamed of.

Enjoy.

Want to write a book in just 20 minutes a day? If you’re been putting off writing because you “don’t have time”, consider that bestselling author John Grisham wrote his first book during his morning train commute. You can accomplish a great deal in short blocks of time.

Here’s a secret: I’ve always written my books in 20 minute sessions. Initially, when I wrote novels, it was because my children needed me. I got into the habit.

Although I’m a full-time writer now, I still write books in 20 minute blocks of time, because it’s efficient and eliminates procrastination. There’s a lot of theory around why working in short sessions is so effective, and I won’t bore you with it, just know that it does work.

1. What Do You Want to Write About? It’s OK if You Don’t Know

If you’d love to write, starting presents such challenges that many people wimp out.

So how do you start a book? You sneak up on it. It’s fine to start without knowing more than the simple fact that you want to write… something. Sit down. Do some free writing, or some writing exercises. (I post daily writing exercises and tips to Twitter, if you’d like to join us.)

Do this for several days; never force. You’re training your subconscious mind to be creative on demand, and this takes a little time.

2. Schedule a Time to Write Your Book

We’re all so busy these days that everything needs to be scheduled. Schedule the 20 minutes you’ll work on your book. It can be any time at all; even your lunch hour at work. Just schedule it, down to the minute, and when that time of day arrives, start writing.

3. Relax: Creativity Is Playful

I can’t emphasize enough that your creative inspiration is playful. You can’t force it. Write however, wherever and whenever feels good to you (as long as you schedule it). Fifteen years ago, I went through a phase of writing book-length material on a Palm Pilot. I know writers who favor a certain type of paper, a special fountain pen and color of ink. One writer I know writes in the bathtub.

Whatever your own creative self demands, give in to it.

4. Write Whatever Comes to Mind: Don’t Expect to “Know” Too Soon

If you’re writing nonfiction, even a creative form of nonfiction, you’ll usually know what you want to write about before you start — although you may not.

Fiction is different. Many novelists start off writing with nothing more than an image, or a feeling. Be relaxed about this. Your left brain is logical and wants to know exactly what you’re writing. However your creative right brain isn’t verbal, and doesn’t care. Trust your right brain: your innate creativity will deliver.

So: start to write your book in your spare time. Everyone can spare 20 minutes a day.

Have fun when you write your book with Angela’ Booth’s great tips

The tips in Angela Booth’s free report, Write a Book: Powerful Writing Tips to Help You to Write YOUR Book, will teach you the strategies of a professional writer.

Discover how to make money online in your spare time with Angela Booth’s Sell Your Writing Online NOW training Not only will you discover how to write and sell ebooks, you’ll get complete training in how the Web works, so you can take advantage of the unlimited opportunities.

All books, whether fiction or nonfiction, for print or digital delivery, need editing. If you realize this before you start to write your book you can relax during the writing process, because you know that you’ll fix problems in a later draft.

Although you can hire an editor — if you’re submitting to a major publishing house an editor can be very useful — you should do the editing on the first and second drafts yourself.

This is because you know your book. You know what you want to say, so hiring an editor before your book is ready can cause damage — there’s every chance that you’ll lose your vision for your book.

So, let’s assume you’ve written a first draft, and are ready to edit.

1. Create an Outline from What You’ve Written

Your first step is to read through your book, and create an outline from what you’ve actually written. Create the outline in another document, and print it out.

If you see gaps in the structure where you need material, mark these areas on the draft.

2. Use Index Cards to Rearrange the Structure of Your Book

It’s a rare book which doesn’t need major structural changes. Get a stack of index cards, and if you’re writing fiction, write a sentence for each scene on a card.

Lay the cards out on a large table, or on the floor, and move scenes around.

3. For Fiction: Is There Suspense?

Rearranging your scenes is essential if you’re writing a novel. You don’t want to reveal too much too soon. Your book should keep up suspense until the final page.

4. For Nonfiction: Do You Deliver on Your Promises?

If you’re writing nonfiction, decide whether you deliver on the promises you made in the title, and in your book proposal.

This is easy to miss, believe it or not.

5. Cut Away the Undergrowth

Now you’ve got the structure of the book the way you want it, it’s time to take a machete to the undergrowth. This can be hard, but steel yourself.

If you’re writing fiction, eliminate characters who aren’t necessary. If you’re writing nonfiction, cut everything which doesn’t contribute to what you want the book to deliver to readers.

6. Rewrite

All done? Great. Now rewrite, tightening as you go.

Once you’ve done the rewrite, you’ve completed your second draft, and your book is close to ready to send out.

Have fun when you write your book with Angela’s great tips

The tips in Angela Booth’s free report, Write a Book: Powerful Writing Tips to Help You to Write YOUR Book, will teach you the strategies of a professional writer.

Are you writing a book? Great. Here’s the best tip I can offer you: build your readership as you write.

The easiest way to build your readership is by blogging.

You can also build your readership by selling a snippet, or excerpt, of your book-in-progress (or any of your published books) online.

This article, Publishers to Use Digital Works as ‘Literary Appetizers’ for Novels – WSJ.com, talks about Ballantine Books and Harlequin selling “bridges” (excerpts) of authors’ works and says about author Steve Berry’s snippet:

“The 6,000-word piece, ‘The Balkan Escape,’ is too short to have been published as a paperback original. In effect, it is a literary appetizer, inexpensive enough to attract potential readers who might otherwise not be willing to buy a new novel from an author whose works they haven’t yet read, said Mr. Berry.”

Should you give your snippets/ excerpts away?

The notion of selling excerpts from your books brings up the question: “Should you give your excerpts away to build readerships?

“Free” worked very well online for a long time. However, in 2010, I think people are over it. Here’s the thing about “free”: it will devalue your product.

You can certainly give away a “free” first chapter — or part of a first chapter, under 1500 words. Once you’re giving away two or three thousand words, or more, you’re devaluing your product.

Everyone and his dog gives things away these days as a marketing ploy. For authors to give away parts of their books is ineffective. No one values what they get for free. Charge a nominal amount for your excerpts, and there’s a chance that people will actually read it, rather than just download it, and forget about it.

Another tip: build a list of your readers while you’re selling snippets — ask for readers’ email addresses.