I recently received an email from a blogger who is ready to self-publish her first book. She asked me if she should publish her book in the form of an ebook or a paperback. My answer to her, was BOTH. When self-publishing a book, make it available in as many formats as possible.

If you only publish your book as an ebook, you may appear unprofessional to readers. When a book is only available in ebook form it literally SCREAMS self-published. There is still a stigma attached to self-published authors: we’re not really authors and our books aren’t really books. This still amuses me, after all of my years of writing and publishing, because well-known authors including Beatrix Potter and Mark Twain were self-published.

My books are available as ebooks and paperbacks. While I enjoy the convenience of ebooks, I prefer a physical book I can touch and flip through. Plus, bot every reader has embraced the “ebook life”, and would prefer a paperback.

Having both an ebook and a paperback opens some marketing possibilities for you. You can’t hand out copies of your ebook at a convention or a book signing. You can’t attempt to get your ebook on the shelves of bookstores and other retailers. Personally, I can tell you there’s nothing more satisfying as an author than the feeling that comes with holding a copy of your book in your hand.