To E-Pub or Not To E-Pub...

To E-Pub or not to E-Pub... that is the question. Everyone is buzzing about it nowadays, 'cause it seems like everyone is doing it, and so should you.

But if you're on the hunt for a literary agent and a traditional book deal, you may be hearing that you actually shouldn't "eBook" your book because it could hurt your chances of getting a traditional book deal with a major publisher. If that's a concern, keep reading...

If you say, "To Hell With Them! Give Me Some of That Bad-Ass eBooking," then follow our Three-Step Guide on how to produce a Kindle eBook for sale on Amazon and an ePUB eBook for sale on Barnes & Noble's Pubit!, Smashwords, Apple's iBookstore, and Kobo.

Step #1 - Kindle eBook - Creating and Setting Up Your Amazon.com Kindle Direct Publishing Account

Step #2 - Kindle eBook - Converting Your Manuscript into a Kindle Format File

Step #3 - ePUB eBook - Converting Your Manuscript into a ePUB Format File

To Eook or Not to Ebook... that is the question...

But is it, really?

We're not so sure. Sure, "self-publishing' and "self-published" are still dirty words when you're talking about traditional print publishing because they conjure up associations of vanity press, poorly-edited POD products, and claims of being a "published author" when really you've only printed your book and passed them out to your family and friends.

But digital self-publishing...? Well, we think that's actually a whole 'nother thang because digital self-publishing means "eBook," and let's face it.... eBooks are freaking cool because eBooks can be read on cool devices like Kindles and iPads. And once you actually see your work displayed on one of these cool devices, it's hard to go back to print. In fact, we'd even argue that the future of eBook technology and digital publishing is much, much cooler than traditional print publishing -- even with a Major Publisher.

For this reason, if you're an aspiring writer who's hearing mixed advice about whether you should or shouldn't make your book available as an eBook while you're waiting for Ms. Agent and Mr. Big Publisher to discover you, here's our advice: "Carpe Diem!"

The more you know about ALL the expanded publishing and distribution options that are available to you in this changing-faster-than-warp-speed-digital age, the smarter, savvier writer and marketeer you will become.

And the truth is, if you digitally self-publish your book using a pen name and a different book title than the ones you're using for the querying process, no one is going to know unless you tell them. Period. And if you start selling enough eBooks, you may want to actually tell them. And if you sell a ton of eBooks, you might actually no longer want a traditional print deal. How ironic would that be?

This is not 1984, friends. It is not the age of Big Brother Publishing. This is the age of digital publishing and eBooks. The only thing you should fear is NOT keeping up with all the changes in the publishing industry.

So if you're at all interested in going the digital self-publishing route and you're willing to try to market yourself (or your eBook espionage pen name) along the way, again we say: "Seize the day!"

If you're still on the fence, we encourage you to check out the following groups on social networking site, AQ Connect, offering the most current and intellectual discussions on the web about these too-hot-to-handle issues:

AQ Connect's "How to Publish an Ebook" Forums (a.k.a Digital Self-Publishing), in which writers are actively exploring ALL the expanded publishing and distribution options available in this digital age.

AQ Connect's "Business of eBooks & eReaders" group, which tracks the most current news regarding eReaders, eBooks, and the changes in the publishing industry as well as the consequences for aspiring writers.