If you’re a Kindle author, you’ll be interested in Apple’s just-released application, iBooks Author.

I haven’t downloaded the iBooks Author application yet. This article suggests it will be easy to use for anyone who owns and loves a Mac, Apple’s iBooks 2, iBooks Author: Bids to own publishing’s future – latimes.com:

“If you’ve ever used Apple’s Keynote or Pages (or Microsoft’s PowerPoint or Word) apps, then you should be able to hit the ground running in iBooks Author. There are templates for different types of book layouts, and adding the interactive 3-D models, photos, videos and diagrams that Apple demoed iBooks 2 textbooks on Thursday is as easy as clicking and dragging a built-in widget… “

It’s great to see that Apple’s producing tools for self-publishers.

I’m in two minds about it however.

On the one hand, I love new tools, especially Mac tools produced by Apple. On the other hand, I wonder whether Apple is as committed as Amazon to creating an entire environment for self-publishers.

The big lure of the Kindle platform, especially for novelists, is that each book helps to sell your other books. Apple doesn’t as yet have that environment. Time will tell whether Apple intends to devote time and money to creating such an environment.

Kindle Publishing Is Hot: Want to generate cash from your kitchen table and quit your day job?

Others are making money from Kindle publishing. The lucky few are making millions. Some are making great money — and that money increases each month.

What about you?

Imagine generating cash from your kitchen table. You can let Amazon do all the heavy lifting. Amazon’s got a proven publishing system, after all — discover Fast and Easy Kindle Publisher: Turn Free Stuff Into Kindle Cash, and discover four different ways to turn free stuff into Kindle cash.

There’s never been a better time to write a book.

You can write AND SELL your book profitably, because the Amazon Kindle platform makes it possible for you. The gatekeepers have gone.

However, you do need a method.

As I said here, Write AND Sell Your Ebooks With Angela’s No-Fail Ebook Sales Formula:

“Can you profitably write and sell ebooks?

The self-publishing frenzy says that you can. However, you need to know what you’re doing, so that you’re as sure as you can be that your new ebook will SELL before you start writing it.

It took me five years of writing and selling information products before I stumbled over the formula I’ve been using ever since.

Now I’m sharing the formula with you. Once you start the right way, ensuring that you have readers who are ready and eager to BUY before you start writing, it’s easy to make sales.”

All you have to do is start writing. Write — and then sell.

Oh dear. Panic abounds on indie authors’ forums and blogs.

Don’t panic, dear author. Amazon isn’t taking the bread out of your mouth… Kindle owners can only borrow ONE book a month, so who cares?

You shouldn’t.

I heartily second this blog post. Scott Nicholson:

“Every single move Amazon has made resulted in MORE money for all participating writers, MORE ebooks for all readers, and MORE opportunity instead of a monopoly (if you follow me at all, you know I’m a contrarian and I see huge, huge opportunity in the other markets now, which of course will have to do something to counter Amazon’s big move.)”

No one is twisting any author’s arm to take part, are they? And as Scott says, without Amazon, indie authors would be using manuscript pages for origami.

Amazon’s just giving authors more opportunity. If you’re not interested, don’t take part.

Readers are right. Everyone else is WRONG. In this blog post,, I said:

* Sometimes editors are wrong

* Sometimes literary agents are wrong

* Often ALL buyers of your writing are WRONG. (By which I meant buyer of your writing services, rather than readers.)

Anyone who stands between you and your readers can be wrong, and can steer you in the wrong direction. Only your readers are right.

Readers are what writing is all about, and when you have direct contact with readers, your writing will take off.

As proof, we have this blog post, How I Became a Best-Selling Author – Yahoo! Finance, about Darcie Chan’s rejected novel which gained 400,000 readers very quickly:

“This past May, Ms. Chan decided to digitally publish it herself, hoping to gain a few readers and some feedback. She bought some ads on Web sites targeting e-book readers, paid for a review from Kirkus Reviews, and strategically priced her book at 99 cents to encourage readers to try it. She’s now attracting bids from foreign imprints, movie studios and audio-book publishers, without selling a single copy in print.”

You’ll notice that Darcie Chan’s novel has only been selling online since May, 2011. That’s 400K copies in seven months.

Since there’s no shelf life for digital books, the novel will snowball. Judging by the publicity Ms Chan’s getting, I predict she’ll hit a million copies sold sometime next year. If I were a betting person (I’m not) I’d bet on the second quarter of 2012.

Nervous about self-publishing? Many writers aren’t and that’s ideal. Kindle publishing is laughably simple.

That said, many writers would rather do their own dentistry than format and upload their self-published books. If you feel this way, respected publisher Penguin can help.

Publishers Lunch (subscription required), Book Country Launches Self-Publishing Platform reports:

“Book Country is offering three publishing packages to authors who wish to self-publish within the genres of romance, mystery/thriller, and science fiction & fantasy: a digital book with user-formatting based on a Microsoft Word file for $99…”

I’m not familiar with Book Country at all, but it looks like a great community. I’ll be joining myself.

You’ll need to decide whether their packages work for you. Be aware that you’re giving up some control, and money, too. Before you sign up with any packager, make sure you read and understand the fine print.

Kindle Publishing Is Hot: Want to generate cash from your kitchen table and quit your day job?

Others are making money from Kindle publishing. The lucky few are making millions. Some are making great money — and that money increases each month.

What about you?

Imagine generating cash from your kitchen table. You can let Amazon do all the heavy lifting. Amazon’s got a proven publishing system, after all — discover Fast and Easy Kindle Publisher: Turn Free Stuff Into Kindle Cash, and discover four different ways to turn free stuff into Kindle cash.