E-reader. Credit: AP/file.
By Dana Dean
St. Louis (KSDK/USA TODAY) -- If you ever thought about writing a book, but didn't know how to get published, now you can do it yourself.
It's now easier to self-publish an e-book thanks to new online tools. You don't need many technical skills and it won't cost a lot of money either.
Our partner USA TODAY researched new tools for self-publishing e-books. They found several, ranging in price. These new online tools let you upload your books to Amazon's Kindle, Barnes and Nobles Nook, Apple's iPad, and Sony's E-reader.
A company called Red Staple has a self-service online tool that starts at $30. Folium Book Studio has a tool for $99. Apple's iBooks Author is a free software app.
One romance author averaged $2,000 a month in royalties. And one mystery writer says his royalties for the month of January were $60,000 for eight previously published but now out-of-print novels that he sold on Amazon.
USA TODAY tech reporter Jefferson Graham interviewed authors who say self-publishing an e-book is easy.
"What isn't going to be easy is selling," said Graham. "I interviewed authors who have a following who worked their social media. And the guy who made $60,000 dollars is a mystery writer. Mysteries are the best selling genre out there. So, he's got a ready audience. I think if you and I went out and threw stuff up there, it's not going to move. We're going to work to move it."
You can find tools here:
http://red-staple.com/
http://www.foliumbookstudio.com/
http://www.apple.com/ibooks-author/
https://kdp.amazon.com/self-publishing/signin
http://pubit.barnesandnoble.com/pubit_app/bn?t=pi_reg_home
For more information, visit the original USA TODAY article.
KSDK