For writers thinking about publishing via Amazon...

[MineralMan]

Think seriously about adding a print-on-demand paperback version to your Kindle version. Both my wife and I recently published books as Kindle versions on Amazon. My wife's book is a novel. Mine is a non-fiction book on marketing. In both cases, I took the time to format the books for paperback editions on Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP).

The results are clear. For the novel, paperback edition sales are equal to the Kindle eBook sales. For the non-fiction book, more paperbacks have sold than Kindle eBook version.

While it takes some time to format for the paperback edition, something I've described in another post here, it looks like a lot of people are choosing a paper book for their reading. If you don't have a paperback edition, you might be losing sales.

Since it costs nothing to publish both editions, there's no good reason not to publish in both formats. You can calculate pricing for the Kindle and Paperback versions to realize the same royalty income from both, or let the paperback version actually return a higher amount to you.

By the way, the KDP Print-on-Demand paperbacks Kindle is producing look and feel just as good as any other paperback book. The quality is right up there with traditional publishers' editions.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

1. Is there a way for the potential buyer

to preview a few pages of the print-on-demand books?

I am one of those who cannot abide a print book with a space between each paragraph -- I know, it doesn't bother everyone but makes a book, especially a novel, unreadable for me -- and so avoid purchasing a book whose formatting is incompatible to the reader?

[MineralMan]

2. Yes. You can preview both versions, once they're

available. For the paperback version it takes a few days after publication for the preview to be visible. I just checked mine, and it's accurate.

The formatting for the paperback version depends on what the author delivers. That's unlike the Kindle version, which is formatted based on Kindle's preferences. Actually, the device being used and the reader's preferences can drastically change the appearance of any Kindle book. Readers can choose what typeface, font size, etc. they want to see.

Paperbacks, though, must be formatted as print-ready documents. That means that the author decides on formatting, including typefaces, font sizes, leading and paragraph styles. Whatever the pages look like in Word is what they will look like in the printed book. The issue is that most authors are probably not book designers, so I imagine there are some clumsy-looking books out there.

So, it's probably a good idea to look at the preview if you have specific preferences.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

5. Thank you.

[marylandblue]

3. I definitely find nonfiction books easier to read in print

It's easier to see tables and charts, flip to the index and skip around or refer back to a section.

[MineralMan]

4. I tend to agree. However, it's possible to format a Kindle

book with interactive links in it. That can make tables of contents and indexes completely active. I've done eBooks, using links, and readers have liked them very much. People are so used to browsing websites, that it can work OK. I used that technique in the current marketing book I have out. The paperback has no links in it, obviously, and I find it more difficult to use due to that.