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For a new or aspiring author, finishing your book is only part of the battle. The biggest hurdle can be getting your book published and making some money from your creativity.

Think about publishing your book or eBook as an iPhone app and get paid for your work! It’s a great new way of publishing whether you’re an author and your book is already published or if you are an aspiring author looking for a publisher.

For publishers – consider making iPhone apps for your existing titles. iPhone apps allow your eBooks to be read both on the iPhone and the iPod Touch. A paid iPhone app adds another revenue stream to your publishing line, helping both your list of authors and your own bottom line. Not big enough to partner with Stanza? We can create your own eBook reader for you and incorporate it into your line of eBook iPhone applications.

For authors – iPhone apps for your eBooks can get your work published and on the paid marketplace without waiting for an established publisher to select your book. You as the author control the publication, the price, and the royalties. You get 70% of your book app’s sales price from the iTunes App Store, after Apple’s 30% cut. This means after Apple’s commission, you get ALL of the royalties.  And with the new iPhone 3.0 upgrade coming out later this year, you will even be able to offer your eBook apps on a subscription basis so you can charge more for adding content periodically!

iPhone apps for eBooks FAQ:

Q: Why should I invest in an iPhone app for my book instead of publishing an eBook for Kindle?A:  You should do both! An author should monetize his or her book in as many ways as possible (unless you’re independently wealthy).

Q: What advantages does an iPhone app have over Kindle? Kindle publishing is free, and iPhone apps cost money!A:  Your eBook as an iPhone app nets you 70% of the sale price vs. 35% from Kindle. Also, your eBook iPhone app can be upgraded or have added content at any time. You can even sell your publication by subscription with your iPhone app. Also, Apple has sold almost 40 million iPhone and iPod Touch units vs about 500,000 Amazon Kindles. Publishing your eBook with an iPhone app is a market you can’t ignore.

Q: Does an eBook published with an iPhone app also need a reader?A:  Yes, your iPhone eBook application will need an eBook reader incorporated into the app. Your iPhone app developer can help you create your own eBook reader of may license their reader for your eBook application.

Q: Can’t I use the Kindle reader or Stanza reader for my own eBook iPhone application?A:  No – Kindle and Stanza are not licensing their readers for use in individual iPhone apps. You or your publisher would need to have the publishing volume to make a special partnership to list your books with Amazon/Kindle/Stanza like the bigger publishing houses are doing.

Q: How much does it cost to turn my eBook into an iPhone app?A:  The cost for your eBook iPhone app will depend on the number of pages in your eBook, any illustrations or pictures included in your eBook, and any added features you may need included. A basic cost for starters would be $2500.00 – but keep in mind that this is just a rough estimate and a starting point until your chosen developer can review your actual material and necessary requirements. And an app developer can offer volume disounts – the more eBook iPhone apps a developer creates for you, the lower the cost for each can be.

eBooks are the fastest growing segment in the iTunes App Store, ranking even higher than games! If you are an author looking to monetize your work then you should seriously consider creating iPhone apps for each book you already have on the market and each book you may have in the works.

Most book printers prefer professional page layout and desktop publishing programs such as Adobe PageMaker ($499), InDesign ($700), and Quark Xpress ($835). These programs are designed for creating documents for commercial printing. They have the capability to handle fonts, graphics, color separations, indexing, master page formats and other essential pre-press operations. Book printers usually do NOT accept the following programs: Ventura, Microsoft Word, PowerPoint or Excel, Corel Draw, Publisher and Word Perfect. These programs are designed to perform in the office setting and fall short in providing the crucial pre-press operations and page layout features. However, you can use Adobe Acrobat software to convert these files into pre-press compatible PDF files, providing that your book will print in one color (usually black). Or, you may submit camera-ready laser prints. Please note that this process is being phased out, and many printers no longer accept laser prints. To create a PDF file of your document you will need to purchase the Adobe Acrobat software program that includes the “Distiller” module for approximately $220. Note: The plug-in called “PDF Writer,” included in Microsoft Word 2000 for Windows program is a limited version of Acrobat Distiller. Do not use this to make a PDF file for your printer. Cover designs or interior layouts using 4-color process inks or PMS color inks will need to be done in one of the professional page layout programs or Adobe Photoshop ($600), Illustrator ($385) or Macromedia Freehand ($360). You will not be able to use any of the other programs because they will not output color separations properly. Use Photoshop to scan and retouch your photos and use Illustrator and Freehand to create graphics. To save money, you can purchase the entire “Adobe Design Collection” that includes InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator and Acrobat for $1200. If you are uncomfortable learning and using these high-end design programs, you may use Microsoft Word or WordPerfect to type up your manuscript and give your file to a designer to lay it out. A good designer will create attractive book “packaging” with trouble-free files for your printer. A professional-looking cover and interior layout will grab attention and give your book a higher perceived value. Discover critical elements that make your book grab the attention of book buyers. What if YOU could know the secrets of a 1st class graphic designer that would help you create amazing marketing materials in a few hours, would you want to know how? Find out now at http://www.sortinstechnologies.com/