Smashwords
Probably the biggest online Ebook distributor out there for Indies that isn't one of the Fortune 500 types is Smashwords. They are another haven for authors as they don't require you to go through an editorial board to bring your work to market. They distribute your works in a variety of formats, which bypasses some of the problems presented by Amazon, which as of this writing is more or less limited to Amazon's Kindle format and Kindle reader running on IPads.
Smashwords
Teleread News Feed:
Probably the best dedicated news feed on Ebooks is Teleread. They often have several articles a day on this topic, and they are well summarized with links to the source material. It's a must-read site for any self-publisher.
Teleread Link
Amazon KDP, the big Gorilla of ebooks
If Konrath is our prophet, then Amazon is the mountain he walked down from. They make it all possible right now. The key problem to self-publishing has always been that bookstores won't carry your books. Amazon will let you sit on the shelf next to the big guys, and they sell a billion dollars a month worth of books. (They are the only ones, but this is not a problem right now. As of this writing in May 2010, they account for 85% of all Ebook sales).
This link will take you to the Amazon sign-up screen where you can register, upload your ebook and get started.
Amazon KDP
Barnes and Noble's Self-Pub (Updated)
Finally open now. Looks a heck of a lot like an Amazon clone! (which is a good thing). In May, 2010, BN, the world's biggest bookseller announced they were getting into the Ebook self-publishing game, a critical advance for self-pubbers. The new service is called "Pubit!"
PUBIT! signup
Google Books Now Open!
Google Books went live Monday, December 6th. They pay 52% of any book price. This could be a really big area of expansion for ebooks. One of the critical things they are reaching for is ebook distribution for the smaller bookstores. This is a big market, as big as BN itself. They distribute ebooks as EPubs and PDFs. If you want to be there, put it up now. Google Books.
JA Konrath, Prophet of all self-pubbers
Probably the best Ebook-related site out there is by another Author, JA Konrath. His site is full of advice and general thoughts on the Ebook revolution, from the man who is probably the most famous and successful pioneer of Ebook fiction self-publishing. With 500,000 books in print and thousands more distributed as Ebooks, he's truly a champion for authors. He remains a key inspiration to me in my efforts.
JA Konrath's Blog
Apple IPad Self-Pub
As of June 1, 2010, Apple is allowing direct Self-pubbing of ebooks for the Ipad. Given that there will probably be more Ipads shortly than Kindles (for example, there are 75 million Iphones vs. less than 3 million Kindles) this is a critical territory for Indie books to stake a claim. Link for sign up:
Best instructions I've found so far: Six Tips for Ibooks Self-Pub
Kobo Ebook Distributor
You do can get your book up on Kobo if you put it up through Smashwords. These guys are bigger sellers than most, but I'm not sure how they will fare in the future with Sony, Google, BN, Amazon and Apple all putting their billions into this. We shall see.
Kobo Self-Pub Page
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