Digital Formatting & Distribution FAQ
General Information
What is ePub? How much does it cost to have my book published in ePub Format? Does this mean all books will now be ePubs? What about print-ready titles? What will be the pricing for the eBook? Do I get to select how much to charge? What’s the author’s royalty percentage? Will the price of the eBook sold on Trafford.com have to change? When will the eBook be submitted to the channel? How long does it take for books to be posted on retail sites? Will I be able to see channel eBook Sales in MyTrafford? How many electronic devices will be allowed to share one file? Can the purchaser make copies? Will color books ever be an option? Will there be an ISBN connected to this format?
Digital Readers
Where will potential customers be able to purchase my book in the digital format?
What is the Amazon Kindle?
How does the partnership with Amazon benefit me, the author?
What is Google Editions?
What is Kobo Books?
What is Scribd.com?
How does Scribd benefit the author?
What is BooksOnBoard?
What is the Barnes & Noble eReader?
How will I benefit from distribution to Barnes & Noble?
What is the nook?
What is the Sony Reader?
How will I benefit from the partnership with Sony?
What is the iBookstore?
Why isn't my book in the iBookstore?
What formats does each digital content device accept?
ePub is the file format your manuscript must be in order for it to be compatible with digital content devices. This allows for your book to be distributed and read on select electronic devices (eReaders).
Back to top
For contracts signed on or after November 2, 2009, the Digital Formatting and Distribution services are included in each black and white package. This service is not available as an add-on to other packages or for previously published books.
Back to top
Yes, all black and white books with contracts signed after November 2, 2009, will have an ePub file so that it can be distributed to the various digital content partners.
Back to top
Text files that have been submitted by the author as print-ready cannot be converted to an ePub file.
Back to top
All eBooks will have a default price of $3.99. However, if the paperback format of the work has a price less than the default price; the eBook will be sold at the lower price. Additionally, the price can be modified prior to retail channel submission at the author’s request.
Back to top
The author receives 50% of the net payments received from sales of the eBook. Royalties will not be paid on copies provided free of charge or sold to the author. You will always receive 50% of the net sale when sold. (Therefore, if sold on Trafford.com at $3.99, you will receive $2.00. If sold in the retail channel at $3.99, the channel discount (varies by partner) will be deducted from the sales price and you will receive 50% of what is leftover.
Back to top
Yes. The eBook price, regardless of the channel where it is sold, will need to be consistent.
Back to top
When the print edition of the book is made active, we will submit the eBook to the retail channel.
Back to top
It will take no more than four weeks for the eBook to appear on all retail sites.
Back to top
Currently, your eBook sales will be paid quarterly in conjunction with print book sales. However, the online statement currently will not reflect these sales. We are working on adding these items to the monthly statement. We anticipate making this data available no later than the third quarter of 2010.
Back to top
For Barnes & Noble, the eBooks can be loaned to friends for a specific period of time. The purchaser, however, cannot make copies or print the book.
Back to top
Due to the file sizes for color books and the inability of eReaders to properly convert color books, this is not currently an option.
Back to top
Yes. The eBook will have the same ISBN, regardless of the channel of the format it is sold in.
Back to top
Digital Readers
Your digital formatting and distribution of your book will be available on the Amazon Kindle, Sony Reader, Barnes and Noble nookTM, Scribd.com, and BooksOnBoard.com. Read more FAQ below to learn more details about each.
Back to top
The Amazon Kindle is the most popular handheld eReader device on the market. With access to 420, 000 titles from over 100 countries around the globe, and growing, it provides the reader with unlimited choices of literature, at their fingertips, almost anywhere. As a Kindle user, you have access to top magazines and newspapers, as well as audio books. And with the Kindle for PC and Kindle for iPhone apps, you can read Kindle books even if you don’t have your Kindle with you.
Back to top
Trafford's partnership with Kindle is a great opportunity for our authors to offer their digital content through the most popular eReader device in the industry.
Back to top
Google will launch an e-book store called Google Editions, which will allow the purchase of thousands of titles through any Web-enabled computer, eReader, or mobile phone instead of a dedicated device.
Back to top
A leading global eReading service for smartphones, laptops, eReaders and any other device used for reading digital content, Kobo provides access of your book’s content (book block and cover) to book enthusiasts from more than 200 countries. Once your book has been digitally formatted, it will be made available for sale on the Kobo Web site. It can then be downloaded to a digital device that allows the buyer to adjust the font size and more for readability.
Back to top
Scribd.com is the largest social publishing company in the world, the Web site where tens of millions of people each month publish and discover original writings and documents. On Scribd.com, you can quickly and easily turn nearly any file—including PDF, Word, PowerPoint and Excel—into a Web document and share it with the world. Scribd.com is breaking down barriers to the publishing process, making written works available to people on the Web and mobile devices, and most importantly, fueling the conversations happening around them. It gives you, the author, an even larger audience. It also gives readers the opportunity to view 20% of the book’s content prior to purchasing the full eBook edition. This will entice readers into purchasing content and is similar to the experience of previewing a book in a bookstore prior to purchase.
Back to top
BooksOnBoard is the largest independent eBook store to date. It is also a vendor for most eBook readers. BooksOnBoard currently carries over 280,000 titles from the major publishers and small publishing houses. It currently offers eBooks in Adobe Digital Editions format and Adobe EPUB format for Adobe Digital Editions software (including Sony Readers), Mobipocket, Microsoft Reader and Palm/eReader formats. BooksOnBoard is the second listed retailer on the Stanza, the largest eReading app on the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch store (free). This outlet gives you another platform in which to advertise and sell your book.
Back to top
The Barnes & Noble eReader is an application used to read Barnes & Noble eBooks on your iPhone, Blackberry, Windows PC or Mac. Without it, you will not be able to read Barnes & Noble eBooks. Barnes & Noble eBooks are encrypted to protect the authors’ work. Thus, other eBook Readers will not work with Barnes & Noble eBooks. The Barnes & Noble eReader can display styled text (italicized, underlined, etc.) and formatting as well as perform functions not found on other eBook readers. The Barnes & Noble eReader is free to download and is supported on multiple devices.
Back to top
Having your book added to the Barnes & Noble eBook store gives the public access to your books through various forms of digital media such as, the nook, PC, and Mac (by downloading the free Barnes & Noble Reader). Barnes & Noble is one of the largest retailers in the country, and having access to their e-store expands distribution opportunities for our author’s books.
Back to top
The nook is Barnes & Noble's digital eReader (like the Sony Reader) with access to over 1 million titles.
Back to top
The Sony Reader is another handheld device capable of downloading an author’s eBooks through its online storefront called the Sony ReaderStore.
Back to top
Together with Sony, Trafford will give its independent authors the opportunity to offer content through the ReaderStore. Yet another way author titles can be made available to a multitude of readers through the Sony Reader.
Back to top
The Apple iBookstore is an eBook store created by Apple. Books can be downloaded to an iPad, iPhone and iPod touch via the iBookstore.
Back to top
It can take up to three months for your book to appear in the iBookstore. If your book is still not available after that period of time, it is possible that Apple did not accept your content. Reasons that Apple may choose to deny content include typos, poor editing, poor formatting and subject matter.
Back to top
Currently, only Scribd accepts a PDF format for the text. Other partners, such as Sony and BooksOnBoard require ePub files. This is why digital formatting and distribution is now included in all of our Black & White publishing packages.
Back to top
Back to main FAQs directory