Digital Formatting and Distribution Information
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 is an e-book?
What will be the pricing for the ePub book? Do I get to select how much to charge?
What's my royalty percentage?
Does the price of the e-book sold on iUniverse.com have to change?
When will the e-book be submitted to the channel?
Does iUniverse have exclusive rights to publish my e-book?
When a customer purchases an e-book, how is it delivered?
What is the royalty percentage on the sale of e-books?
Where will my e-book be sold?
What if I have trouble downloading or reviewing my e-book files?
Who can submit manuscripts for e-book creation?
Will the author receive a discount when they purchase an e-book of their own work?
Are there any requirements for my manuscript to be eligible for iUniverse e-book formatting?
How long does it take for books to be posted on retail sites?
Will I be able to see channel e-book Sales in myUniverse?
How many devices will be allowed to share one file? Can the purchaser make copies?
Will there be an ISBN connected to this format?
What is Kobo Books?
What is Google Play Books?
How will I benefit from distribution to Barnes & Noble?
What is the Barnes & Noble eReader?
What is the nookTM?
What is the Sony Reader?
What is the Amazon Kindle?
How will I benefit from the partnership with Amazon Kindle?
What is the iBooks Store?
Why isn't my book in the iBooks Store?
What formats does each digital content device accept?
How much does it cost to have my book published in ePub format?
For contracts signed on or after Dec. 1, 2010, these services are included in each package. This service is not available as an add-on to other packages or for previously published books.
Does this mean all books will now be ePubs?
Yes, all books with contracts signed after Dec. 1, 2010, will have an ePub file created so that it can be distributed to the various digital content partners.
What about print-ready titles?
Due to technical limitations, text files that have been submitted by the author as print-ready (PDF) cannot be converted to an ePub file.
What is an e-book?
An e-book is a completely electronic version of a book. Most people think you need to purchase an expensive piece of hardware to read e-books. However, e-books can be read on home computers, laptop computers and even handheld PDAs as PDF (Portable Document Format) files, in addition to specialized e-book readers.
What will be the pricing for the ePub book? Do I get to select how much to charge?
We will set the default and maximum price of all e-books solely at our discretion. However, if the paperback format of the work has a price less than the default price, the work will be sold at the lower price. Additionally, the price can be modified prior to channel submission at the author's request.
What's my royalty percentage?
The author receives 50 percent of the net payments received from sales of the e-book. Royalties will not be paid on copies provided free of charge or sold to the author.
Does the price of the e-book sold on iUniverse.com have to change?
Yes. The e-book price, regardless of the channel where it is sold, will need to be consistent. You will always receive 50 percent of the net sale when sold. Therefore, if sold on iUniverse.com at $3.99, you will receive $2.00. If sold in the retail channel at $3.99, the channel discount will be deducted from the sales price and you will receive 50 percent of the balance.
When will the e-book be submitted to the channel?
When the print edition of the book is made active, we will submit the e-book to the retail channel. E-book sales are reported directly from e-book vendors, therefore it is possible to provide information regarding sales through these channels on your myUniverse.
Does iUniverse have exclusive rights to publish my e-book?
As with printed books, our publishing contracts grant iUniverse the exclusive right to publish the book in electronic form, also known as an e-book. The exact e-book publishing details are included in the most current publishing agreements.
When a customer purchases an e-book, how is it delivered?
E-books are delivered by download. After the payment has been processed, the buyer is sent to a page and a download immediately begins.
What is the royalty percentage on the sale of e-books?
The author receives 50 percent of the net payments received from sales of the e-book. Royalties will not be paid on copies provided free of charge or sold to the author. You will always receive 50 percent of the net sale when sold. (Therefore, if sold on iUniverse.com at $3.99, you will receive $2.00 in royalties. 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 percent of what is leftover).
Where will my e-book be sold?
E-books will be available through the iUniverse Web site as soon as the e-book production process for your book is completed.
What if I have trouble downloading or reviewing my e-book files?
Due to a recent Adobe upgrades, our digital printer recommends that you download another copy of any e-book purchased before Sept. 15, 2008. Please ensure that you have the latest version of Adobe Reader installed on your machine. If you need the latest version of Adobe Reader, download it for free here.
Who can submit manuscripts for e-book creation?
E-book submissions are available to both new and existing customers who submit original manuscripts via select publishing packages. Ask your publishing consultant to make sure your book can be converted into an e-book.
Will the author receive a discount when they purchase an e-book of their own work?
Authors do not purchase copies of e-books through their book consultants like they do for printed copies; therefore, no discount is given.
Are there any requirements for my manuscript to be eligible for iUniverse e-book formatting?
Press Ready Files (PDF) are not eligible for digital distribution in any format other than PDF. This means that if you supply a PDF file for your interior, your e-book will not be available to read on digital devices, like the Kindle. However, it will be available in PDF format on the iUniverse bookstore.
Learn more about our Digital Formatting and Distribution (e-books) »
How long does it take for books to be posted on retail sites?
It will take no more than four weeks for the e-book to appear on all retail sites.
Will I be able to see channel e-book sales in myUniverse?
Currently, your e-book sales will be paid quarterly in conjunction with print book sales. E-book sales are reported directly from e-book vendors, therefore it is possible
How many devices will be allowed to share one file? Can the purchaser make copies?
For Barnes & Noble, the e-books can be loaned to friends for a specific period of time. The purchaser, however, cannot make copies or print the book.
Will there be an ISBN connected to this format?
Yes. The e-book will have the same ISBN, regardless of the channel of the format it is sold in.
What is Kobo Books?
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.
iUniverse will format and submit your ePub file for Kobo bookstore distribution where it can be downloaded for virtually any digital reading device.
What is Google Play Books?
Google launched an e-book store called Google Play Books, which allows the purchase of thousands of titles through any Web-enabled computer, e-reader, or mobile phone instead of a dedicated device.
How will I benefit from distribution to Barnes & Noble?
Having your book added to the Barnes & Noble e-book store gives the public access to author books through various forms of digital media such as the nook, PC and Mac (by downloading the FREE Barnes & Noble eReader). Barnes & Noble is one of the largest retailers in the country, and having access to their e-store expands distribution opportunities for our authors' books.
What is the Barnes & Noble eReader?
The Barnes & Noble eReader is an application used to read Barnes & Noble e-books on your iPhone, Blackberry, Windows PC or Mac. Without it, you will not be able to read Barnes & Noble e-books. Barnes &Noble e-books are encrypted to protect the authors' work. Thus, other e-book Readers will not work with Barnes & Noble e-books. The B&N eReader can display styled text (italicized, underlined, etc.) and formatting as well as perform functions not found on other e-book readers. The B&N eReader is FREE and is supported on multiple devices.
What is the nookTM?
The nook is a digital eReader (like the Amazon Kindle or Sony Reader) with access to over 1 million titles.
What is the Sony Reader?
The Sony Reader is another handheld device capable of downloading an author's e-books.
What is the Amazon Kindle?
A handheld e-reader device, the Amazon Kindle provides the reader with a wide choice of literature, at their fingertips, almost anywhere. Kindle users can access top magazines and newspapers, as well as audio books, through the device. And with the Kindle for PC and Kindle for iPhone apps, readers can read Kindle books even if they don't have their Kindle in hand.
How will I benefit from the partnership with Amazon Kindle?
Our partnership with Kindle is a great opportunity for our authors to offer their digital content through one of the most popular eReader devices in the industry.
What is the iBooks Store?
The iBooks Store is an e-book store created by Apple. Books can be downloaded to an iPad, iPhone and iPod touch via the iBooks Store.
Why isn't my book in the iBooks Store?
It can take up to three months for your book to appear in the iBooks Store. 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.
Additionally, e-books that use special characters and/or are in foreign languages are not submitted to iBooks Store due to Apple formatting restrictions. We are currently working with Apple to resolve this issue.
What formats does each digital content device accept?
ePub files are required.