In a few weeks, I’ll be releasing my first ebook. The working title is Before You Go: A Few Sneaky-Good Questions Every Minister Should Ask Before Moving to a New Church. I’ll start by releasing it in Kindle format through Amazon. Then I’ll branch out to other ebook sellers like B&N and Smashwords. Eventually I may set up a “print on demand” option as well.
Why start with an ebook?
First, it suits the content. “Before You Go” is designed to be a quick read. I have a short attention span. I like to read short books with short chapters. “Before You Go” is the kind of book I like to read.
Second, I’m curious about how the ebook business works and this is a great way to jump in and learn something. Since I bought a Kindle a couple of years ago, my book buying habits have changed. I am less likely to buy a book I really want to read if it is not available on Kindle. I also resent paying almost the same price for an ebook as I would a print copy. I’ll buy a ebook priced at less than five dollars with very little deliberation. “Before You Go” will be priced at $1.99.
Third, I want to get this material out there as soon as possible. The turnaround for publishing an ebook is as quick as we can get the final editing and formatting done. Nine years of blogging has made me impatient when it comes to sharing my writing with others. Blogging is a great way to get almost instant feedback from readers. Ebooks are a kind of middle ground between blogging and traditional publishing. I’ve previewed a little bit of material from “Before You Go” here on the blog already. I’ll post a few more excerpts over the next few weeks.
What about you? What are your thoughts about buying, reading, and sharing ebooks?
Telling Stories, Asking Questions, Learning Lessons
In the third paragraph you call it “Before You God.” Freudian slip?
Nice catch. Maybe it’s a book about worship instead?
As a preacher looking to move churches by the end of the year, that sounds like a book I’d like to read. I couldn’t find it on Amazon, but I guess it’s not quite out yet.
I have a Kindle I love reading, and I also read Kindle books on my Android phone when on the go. I agree that it can be a good mix between blogging and traditional books, but that part of it doesn’t seem to have caught on yet. To me one of the coolest things about it is the price, so I don’t spend more than $10 on an ebook if I can help it.
I think Frank Viola was the one who said that most books don’t get ready by more than a thousand people or so, unless you’re a big name writer. So ebooks seem to make a lot of sense because you don’t have to go through all the mess of publishing, and you can get most of the profit yourself. Good luck on your writing.
Thanks Joshua–I’m hoping to have the book available on Amazon in early June. I’ll keep you posted and blessings on your search.