Great Resources for Authors:
- Amazon print books: CreateSpace
- Amazon Kindle e-books: Kindle Direct Publishing
- E-books for Nook, iPad, libraries, etc.: Smashwords
Following is an archive of the e-book-design newsletters:
March 2014
Happy Spring from e-book-design! This month I’d like to share some event information, tips on when to consider a PDF version of your book, and a brilliant new publication called “Rocky Mountain Wildflowers.”
The ABC’s of E-Books
Everything You Need to Know about Publishing an E-Book
Are you looking for an inexpensive, eco-friendly way to self-publish your manuscripts and ideas? An e-book may be the solution. E-books can attract attention on the web, increase sales, inform, educate, and promote a brand.
In this class, I will be talking about the nuts and bolts of e-books: the costs and royalties, how and where to distribute, and whether to go with an e-book or an app for children’s books. Plus, we’ll have plenty of time for Q&A, so be sure to bring your questions. Join me on Saturday, March 22nd, from 9:30 to 12:00 at the PGA Superstore Community Room in Centennial.
5 Advantages to PDFs
• PDFs are e-books that retain the printed book look
• PDFs can be sold on the author’s personal website
• PDFs can be loaded onto promotional USB drives for special events
• PDFs can be more suitable for workbooks
• PDFs can be printed
Celebrate Spring with a new wildflower book!
Last summer I had the opportunity to work with Linda and Bernie Nagy from Fairplay, Colorado. Together they have published many books displaying Bernie’s beautiful photographs, including numerous pictures of wildflowers. This led them to create the “Rocky Mountain Wildflowers Field Guide,” a full-color, indexed book to help identify wildflowers by color, picture, common name, or scientific name. I downloaded the e-book version of the guide to my smartphone and found it to be a wonderful addition to hikes. It is great fun to bookmark the wildflowers you see and add them to your life list!
You can find the kindle e-book on Amazon.com and all other versions on Smashwords.com. It is also available in a handy 4” x 6” pocket-sized, 224-page, softbound book on the author’s website: http://www.highcountryartworks.com.
A Random Act of Creativity 
This altered book was created in honor of a friend’s milestone birthday. “Goldfinch” celebrates the music and enjoyment we receive from our friends.
February 2014
Here is some chocolate for your soul from e-book-design! Whether you are writing a book or would like to read some new and inspiring books, here are tips, inspiration, and celebrations.
A person is a fool to become a writer.
His only compensation is absolute freedom.
He has no master except his own soul
and that I am sure is why he does it.
― Roald Dahl
Learn about Publishing
Self-Publishing Experts Presents: PUBLISHING 101. You’ve been writing for years and are finally ready to publish your book, but have no idea where to even start. Sound familiar? We’ve all been there, and that’s why we’ve put together a workshop that will answer all your questions. We’re going to go over the options in publishing, the costs to expect, the timelines to expect, and the top 10 mistakes made by authors self-publishing their book. Join Polly Letofsky (and Gail) this Saturday from 9:30 to 11:30 at the PGA Superstore Community Room in Centennial.
5 Advantages to Publishing Ebooks
• Ebooks are quicker to publish than print books
• Ebooks are easier to update
• Ebooks are less expensive to publish than print books
• Ebooks can be distributed instantly
• Ebooks are eco-friendly
Authors to Celebrate
E. P. Lyn has published the first book in her The Sealed Ambitions series called “Fire Echoes.” Engaging characters and fast-paced action make this fantasy a page-turner. It is available as an e-book on Amazon and Smashwords.
Carolyn Julien recently published “Parables from the Heart,” a collection of 32 short stories that deliver spiritual lessons, solutions, and revelations. It is available in print and kindle versions on Amazon and as an ebook on Smashwords.
A Random Act of Creativity
“Art is Everywhere” is an altered book that includes a post card of the Guggenheim I got in NYC when I was in college, the book’s original library card, and interior illustrations along with a vintage key and rocks and glass from the Mediterranean Sea.
January 2014
Happy New Year from e-book-design! If 2014 is your year to publish a new book, or read some new and inspiring books, look below for tips, inspiration, and celebrations.
Ready to Publish This Year?
Let’s look at the world of digital publishing. The rapidly growing e-book market has many benefits for authors: e-books are quick and inexpensive to publish, easy to update, portable, eco-friendly, flexible in text size and style, and they are available world-wide. E-books come with generous royalties, and without any fear of rejection letters. They can allow you to test the market before investing in a printed edition of your book. And, best of all, e-books promote reading. What are you waiting for? This is the year to jump into this exciting new market!
5 Writing (or Re-writing) Tips
• Gather Your content
• Outline your ideas including an introduction, body with headings, subheads, and bullet points, and a conclusion
• Expand your outline with stories, facts, details, tips, and humor
• Add sparkle with images and sidebars
• Refine, edit, and polish your manuscript
An Author to Celebrate 
Liz Wendling was a joy to work with on the e-book versions of her books. Liz is driven by her passion for business and generating results for her clients. Her books help people learn to connect, communicate and convert – in other words, sell!
I had the pleasure of working with Gail on both of my books. Her ability to get the job done quickly and accurately was exactly what I was looking for. What really wowed me and won me over was her soft engaging and powerful spirit and ability to communicate effectively. I can’t wait to work with her again on my 3rd book. ~ Liz Wendling
A Random Act of Creativity 
Altered books express my love for story, art, and books by combining text with mixed media elements. A vintage key plate inspired “Trees ~ Poems” along with the line “I think that I shall never see a poem as lovely as a tree.”
December 2013
Happy Holidays from e-book-design! This month I’d like to share some novel ideas to promote your books and I hope Santa brings you lots of chocolate for your soul.
5 Marketing Tips that Won’t Cost You Anything
• Explore FaceBook, Twitter, Pinterest, etc.
• Speak at book clubs, local libraries, bookstores, etc. and track sales, watching for spikes after events
• Wear a name tag that says, “Ask me about my new book!”
• Bring your books with you everywhere you go – and talk about them
• Be patient and practice gratitude
How to Make Your Book Discoverable
Here is a tip to help you reach the largest possible audience in online searches: use the best keywords and tags for your book. Begin by brainstorming words and phrases that truly fit the subject and content of your publication.
To research your list of words and phrases, look up “google’s keyword tool” on your computer and open it. Type in your words and phrases and click the search button. Your keywords and a list of similar ideas will appear. Spelling, plural, singular, spaces, and hyphens all affect a keyword’s effectiveness.
Note the search numbers and look for “low” competition and high numbers. Research each word or phrase to come up with a list of keywords and phrases to use as tags in your online accounts and blogs. This will help your publication appear in searches and attract more readers to your ever-more-popular book.
An Author to Celebrate
!
It has been an honor to work with Polly Letofsky on her e-books and host her at my book club this past year. We listened to amazing stories from the first woman to walk around the world: 4 continents, 22 countries, and over 14, 000 miles, while raising over $250,000 for Breast Cancer. “3 MPH” is available in print through Polly’s website at http://www.3mphBook.com and as an e-book for your Kindle, Nook, or iPad.
For those of you who are curious about Amazon’s “automatically to Kindle” conversion service, I’ve learned that it is poorly done; the layout is hardly legible on your Kindle. I say stick with Gail Nelson for your e-conversions. ~ Polly Letofsky
A Random Act of Creativity 
“Snow Angels” illustrates this season of winter fun and includes some treasures found in the local antique stores.
November 2013
Welcome to the first newsletter from e-book-design. I am looking forward to sharing my passion for books in all forms. I plan to include helpful tips about publishing e-books and print books, links to new books, and photos of my recent book art projects — chocolate for my soul. I look forward to connecting with you each month. ~ Gail Nelson
Here are 5 FREE marketing strategies to help you sell more books:
• Maximize metadata–use keywords and tags that will help make your book discoverable in searches
• Share free e-books–through gifts and coupons–in exchange for posting reviews
• Create a landing page on wordpress.com with links to buy your book
• Blog on your WordPress site to connect and build a relationship with your audience
• Guest blog on popular sites that fit your topic–include a link to your website
An Author to Celebrate! 
I have had the pleasure of working with Mary Kelly on publishing her books and e-books. Mary is a motivational speaker who helps business people improve their leadership, communication, and money skills. She is the author of Master Your World, 15 Ways to Grow Your Business, and Money $mart, among many other titles. You can visit Mary’s website at ProductiveLeaders.com.
Thank you so much for all of your help on this book! I’m really pleased with the response! You are so responsive and detailed-oriented. ~ Mary Kelly
A Random Act of Creativity
I’ve been working on a series of altered books to illustrate my love for story, art, and books. “Change of Seasons” is a mixed-media creation about time, autumn, and filtered light told through aspen leaves, a clock of change, and quotes taken from inside this vintage book. I particularly like this quote because it seems to describe how e-books are affecting publishing: “The face of all the world is changed, I think.”
Books are chocolate for my soul
book bags, magnets, mugs, aprons, kindle covers, and t-shirts:
Zazzle.com
Do you have any questions?
Email Gail at
