Fun With Indie Publishing Part 6 - Uploading

You can find Part 5 - Promo File here.

You're files are all ready. Cover designed. Blurb and author bio written. You are now ready to upload your first book.

On File Formats. If you know how to create the different file formats have at it. Smashwords will only take .doc at this time. Barnes and Noble and Amazon will take different formats.

Smashwords
Smashwords only takes Word file .doc uploads. Log in to your account and click the Publish button in the navigation bar - http://www.smashwords.com/upload. Then you start filling in the fields:
Title
Short Description (your logline)
Long Description (your blurb)
Language of Book
Adult Content Yes/No
Set Your Price
Sampling Percentage (yes, you want sampling)
Categories (pick the two closest to what your book is)
Tags (this would be subject, like action/adventure, pirates, historical, unicorns, etc; anything which is in your book)
Ebook Formats (I select all except .rtf and .txt because they tend to mess up the formatting, but you can check them if you want them to be available, make sure all other boxes are checked)
Upload your cover image
Upload your book file
If you have a Publisher account you select your author from the drop down menu - if you have an author account don't worry about this part
Click PUBLISH.

Your book will then be converted into the different file formats. Depending on how many other books being uploaded at that time this could take a few seconds to up to an hour.
Once the files have been converted -
Go to your Dashboard.
Click on the ISBN Manager. Scroll down.
Find the new title and click on Assign an ISBN. If you already have an ISBN you would enter it here. If you don't have an ISBN you will pick for Smashwords to assign a Free ISBN. This allows you to distribute to Apple, Sony and Kobo.
Go Back to your Dashboard.
Click on Channel Manager.
Scroll Down.
Find your New Title. Make sure you are "opted in" for Apple, Sony, Kobo, and Diesel. Make sure you are "opted out" for Amazon and Barnes and Noble. Note: if you are outside the US you will want to opt in for B&N until they allow non-US authors to use them.
Scroll Down. Click SUBMIT CHANGES.

You are now uploaded and ready to go at Smashwords. It can take several weeks for your books to be Approved to be sent out to Apple, Sony and Kobo and then a few weeks once you've been approved.

Amazon
Amazon can take many file formats. A side note for uploading to Amazon (what I do): I haven't had much luck with directly uploading word .docs. Its meat grinder tends to add odd indents into the file. I use MobiPocket Creator, but haven't tried to upload in other ways so can't say how they work. Though I have recently seen several people say they have uploaded as .html without the weird indent problem. So, I might try that next time. But here is what I have been doing so far for MobiPocket Creator - Save As your word doc as Web Page, Filtered. Download MobiPocket Creator . Start MobiPocket. Click on: Import from Existing File - HTML Document. Load in your saved web page, filtered book file. Choose where you want the files to be saved. Click Import. Click Cover Image (on the left navigation menu). Click Add a Cover Image. Add the cover image. Click Update. On the top navigation bar. Click BUILD. Leave the buttons alone. Click Build. You now have your files to upload to Amazon.
 
Go to your KDP Dashboard - https://kdp.amazon.com/self-publishing/dashboard. Click Add New Title.
You will not click the checkbox to enroll in KDP Select (remember you are selling to all top markets not just Amazon).
Now you will enter your info:
Book Title
Series Information (if applicable)
Blurb
Click Add Book Contributors (this is where you designate Author)
Book Language
Publication Date
Publisher Name
ISBN (this is not required, but is there if you have purchased them)
Verify Your Publication Rights
Add your Categories
Add seven Tags
Upload your book cover (uncheck the box if you already have the book cover in your book file)
Select if you want DRM or not
Upload Your Book File
Click Save and Continue.
Next Page: Select your Territory rights - click Worldwide unless for a specific reason (you want to get in all Amazon stores)
Select Royalty percentage - 35% for books under $2.99, 70% for books $2.99 and over. \
Pick your Price. You can check for all foreign markets to match your US price or enter in the amount you want.
Select on whether you want to allow Lending. (I do). This allows people who have purchased your book to lend it to another Kindle user for a limited amount of time.
Click the check box to Save and Publish.
CLICK Save and Publish.

Barnes and Noble
B&N excepts several file formats including epub and doc. Log in to your Dashboard go to MyTitles - http://pubit.barnesandnoble.com/pubit_app/bn?&a=mv&t=mytitles  .
Click Add a Title
Add Info (only items with Red * are required)
Title
List Price
Publication Date
Publisher
Contributor (this is where you designate Author)
Upload your Book file
Upload your Cover file
ISBN Yes/No
Book Part of Series Yes/No
Book available in print Yes/No
Book Public Domain Yes/No
Drop Down Box: Age Group
Language of Book
What Rights do you have?
Do you want DRM Yes/No
Add 5 subject Categories
Keywords for search engines
Book Blurb
Author Bio
Any Editorial Reviews You Have
Checkbox to confirm you own the rights and want to publish.
CLICK Put On Sale.

You now have your book up for sale. Smashwords will be available ASAP, Amazon and Barnes and Noble can take up to 48 hours (but usually just a couple of hours), and it will take several weeks for it to be distributed out to Apple, Sony, and Kobo.