Writing/selling ebooks.

[tnf]

Anyone have any experience in doing any e-publishing for $$ or just for the heck of it?

I've been planning on writing a couple different small books for some time now, and thought this might be a good and inexpensive way to give it a shot...

If you have, or know anyone who has, let me know.

[YourGrandpa]

Do you think that what you have to say/write is profound enough to get people to spend money?

Give us a sample. I'd give it a read.

[tnf]

Not looking for anything profound, rather some guides to help students struggling with science (could be directed toward parents or the students themselves...there are a lot of these things, but I think I have some unique ways of spinning things that contextualize things for students in a way that most books don't.)

[Grandpa Stu]

when you say e-publishing you're talking about stricly digital material and nothing actually getting printed? i thought you had some experience with publications in the past on something you helped co-author?

[tnf]

when you say e-publishing you're talking about stricly digital material and nothing actually getting printed? i thought you had some experience with publications in the past on something you helped co-author?

Yes, but that was a different deal. I co-authored textbook resources through a textbook publisher - I was initially brought in by someone who already had a contract with the company for the first set of materials, and then the company came back to myself and a colleague for a few additional textbooks. We weren't selling something we had written and wanted published, we were writing something that the company needed. So my experience there really doesn't help here.

And yes, I would be referring to strictly digital material.

[zeeko]

I think some sort of cleverly designed ad-based website.. would be more beneficial to you as well as the students/parents

[tnf]

Depends on what your goal is. For what I'm after, a website isn't the way I see it going.

[obsidian]

I remember back in high school our science teachers had written a lab manual for each course that supplemented the textbooks. They contained a bunch of problems, exercises and lab procedures used in class.

I imagine you're out to do something similar but in a digital format?

[^misantropia^]

Anyone have any experience in doing any e-publishing for $$ or just for the heck of it?

A friend of mine writes both e-books and the kind they make of wood pulp. According to him, there's no money in it. Small margins, rampant piracy, you name it. Printed books are a tangible. The margins still aren't great but at least copying them isn't as easy as firing up Azureus or Utorrent.

[^misantropia^]

But, come to think of it, I did buy a few programming books I, err, borrowed off the Internet and wouldn't have found out about otherwise.

[tnf]

I remember back in high school our science teachers had written a lab manual for each course that supplemented the textbooks. They contained a bunch of problems, exercises and lab procedures used in class.

I imagine you're out to do something similar but in a digital format?

Not really a lab manual. I have spent lots of time building metaphors and analogies that tie complicated biological concepts to things that today's students are more familiar with. For example, I teach cellular respiration using a model where a student goes to an arcade to play video games, but only has a $20, and needs to get change. Works surprisingly well. I'd like to put together a collection of these for people who struggle grasping some of these things.

[Deathshroud]

Perhaps you could try to sell it on Amazon, and sell it for the Kindle. It might take more effort, but at least it won't be pirated like crazy.

[tnf]

I don't see this as a real moneymaking endeavor so much as just finding a feasible way to get something out there.

[Geebs]

I have a plan for collections of notes and study guides that I'm writing for the iPhone . They're organized as HTML stored in an sqlite database which is accessed by a small objective C app. I was basically planning on distribution via iTunes if I can get them accepted. Page layout sorted with CSS. The whole thing is bundled as a standalone app.

[obsidian]

tnf, is your primary concern about turning a decent profit from this endeavor or more about distribution methods to get it into as many hands as possible? Could you be a little more clear on what kind of information you need help with here?

[tnf]

i've got all the info I think I need - I wanted to see if people thought ebooks were profitable and easy to get out on the market. And it looks like they really aren't profitable, but not too hard to get out.

I like the idea of the iPhone thing that geebs mentioned for delivery of content to students.