Where and how will you be able to read my upcoming book?

I want as many people as possible to be able to read my book, which means that I have to make it available on as many platforms and in as many countries as possible. I also realize that we all consume books in different ways and in different formats, so I have to have a range of options available to cater to people’s varying tastes.

Some don’t like physical books. Others have one type of e-reader and not the other, or don’t like e-readers at all. Other people might live in a country where, say, the mighty Amazon doesn’t operate.

One size clearly doesn’t fit all, which is why I decided to write a blog post where I will list all the formats in which my book will be available and which stores will hold it for sale. It’s also a pseudo-guide for navigating all the options available to readers these days regarding how and on what platform to consume books. Writing this made me realize how blessed we are to have such a rich array of options available to us.

Don’t forget that you can always contact me personally if you have any burning questions after reading this. Enjoy!

Apple Products

Besides, the old-fashioned option for a physical copy of my book, you might prefer reading it on an Apple product that you own. Since the company is an absolute global juggernaut, there’s a good chance you own one of its products. If that’s the case, you will be able to buy my book via the Apple Books app and read it on your Apple device of choice.

Amazon Kindle, Tablets, Barnes & Noble Nook, and other e-readers

There’s a plethora of e-readers available these days and although I was initially quite skeptical of them, I absolutely love them now. Naturally, then, my book will be available on the Amazon Kindle, the Barnes & Noble Nook, the Kobo, and various other e-readers. These devices all have their owns apps (the Kindle app, Nook Reading app, and the Kobo app) that you can use to buy and read books on them.

About a year and half ago, I bought a used Amazon Kindle Paperwhite for a measly USD $60 (ironically, I bought it on eBay). Whichever e-reader you choose to buy, I highly suggest you also buy one second-hand.

The way I see it is that e-readers are devices that aren’t used in a very heavy-duty manner, so there’s little chance of them getting damaged in the same way that, say, smartphones are. I mean, all you do is hold them, look at them, and tap the screen every few seconds to flip the page.

This is why I was quite comfortable buying one second-hand and it has worked perfectly so far. Obviously, do make sure that the seller you buy it from is legit and has a good reputation, but eBay (and presumably other platforms like it) makes it very easy to verify this.

In general though, don’t waste your money buying the most fanciest and most expensive e-readers. I really think that you can and should be able to get one that does the job for no more than USD $100.

Apps

If you have a device that runs iOS, Android, Mac, or PC, you can download the Kindle App and read my book from there. Of course, you’ll still need to buy the book itself from Amazon, but at least you’ll be able to use an existing device instead of having to buy an e-reader. As mentioned above, you can also use the Nook Reading app and the Kobo app.

Furthermore, you can also use the Kindle Web App to read books right there on your computer/laptop. This article walks you through the process.

All the stores that will have my book

I will update this post with a final list of stores that will hold my book once I have this information confirmed. The stores listed above should be the large majority of them though.

How am I going to do it?

In addition to Kindle Direct Publishing, I’ll be using Draft2Digital and Smashwords to distribute my book. These platforms distribute self-published books to an incredible range of stores and keep a percentage of your sales as a fee. They do the type of heavy-lifting for marketing that traditional publishers do, but are far less restrictive about which authors they work with.

While traditional publishers generally only work with established/famous authors, platforms like Kindle Direct Publishing, Draft2Digital, and Smashwords do not have such barriers to entry for indie authors like myself.

You have so many choices, so get ready for the big day!

Honestly, it boils down to having an iOS or Android device, tablet of any sort, e-reader, computer, or laptop and you’ll be good to go for reading my book. Otherwise, check your local library and/or any of the aforementioned stores.

If, once my book goes live, you’re having problems finding somewhere to purchase it, please contact me or drop a question in the “Ask Me Anything” thread and I’ll get back to you.

See you, Space Cowboy.

Click here to find out everything you need to know about my book!