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by Donna Huber For the A to Z Challenge, I'm discussing different book genres/categories. Each day, I will give a few details about th...

October 25, 2012

Tips on Thursday: Book Apps (guest post)


Publishing Books as Apps


There are a lot of perks for being a writer in the digital age, you can easily ask or find help for your character development, you can find blogs of published writers to get some advice and insight, and you can even publish your book for different eReaders and devices. Devices like the Kindle and Nook have changed the publishing world, but so have smartphones and tablets. Writers can now get their books published for different eReaders, or they can even have them published as apps that can be bought on smartphones or tablets. This has changed the mindset that you need to have a contract with a publisher in order to even have your work looked at. Now you can easily get your book or novel published. There are a few different ways you can go about publishing your book for different devices.

One way you can publish your book is as a standalone app. There are a lot of children's books that have been marketed as apps. Books like Dr. Seuss' Cat in the Hat or the Bernstein Bears are very popular because they are able to engage children to actively read and learn. Whether you have a children's book or a book for older audiences, you want to keep the reader entertained every step of the way. Book Apps normally let the reader interact with the story whether is clicking on a link to a website, watching a clip, playing a game, or even looking at a map. Having a book app lets you be extremely creative and lets your readers get more involved with the story. If you have a mystery novel, you can give the reader the opportunity to investigate the scene of the crime on their own, or have interviews with characters from the book. Book apps can be a way to give the reader more insight into your world. The book "Harry Potter Film Wizardry" was a big hit as a print book, but even more so as an app. The app has images and videos from behind the scenes of all eight of the films, along with different animations. Developing your book as an app gives you the freedom to make it compatible with different operating systems like iOS, Android, or even Blackberry.

Another way is to have your books published to iBooks on iTunes. When you are setting up your account with iBookstore, you will have the choice of having a Free Books Account or a Paid Books Account, which determines whether your book will be a free book or a paid book. If at the moment you don't plan on selling your book for a profit, but might in the future, Apple suggests opening a Paid Books Account because you can't change your account type later on. Apple also has an app, iBooks Author, which helps you format and create your digital book and then send it straight to iBooks. However, if you don't want to work directly with iBooks, there are some websites that have been approved by the iBookstore. Some of these separate sites let you publish your book as an eBook and can even help you print a physical copy of your book. While there are a lot of iPhone and iPad users who have access to the iBookstore, there are also people on different operating systems that aren't able to download the iBookstore app. In the Android Market, the closest thing to iBooks is Aldiko. Aldiko also has opportunities for people to work with them or get the content published.

Another way to get your books out to the masses is with Amazon.com's Kindle Direct Publishing. Using the Kindle Direct Publishing, you will be able to determine the price of your book, languages it is available in, format, and much more. The Kindle Direct Publishing site has plenty of information to help you get your book ready for publishing as well as step by step guides on how to publish it and even market it. What makes Kindle Direct Publishing so appealing is the fact that your book can be read on not only Kindle devices, but devices that have the Kindle app. So, you can publish your book through Kindle and it won't matter if the reader has an iPhone, iPad, a T-Mobile Android tablet, or an HTC phone from Sprint. One of Amazon's partners, CreateSpace.com, can also help you publish your book to Kindle, and even a print version.

There are plenty of apps on the market, to help you create and publish your book whether you are an iOS or an Android user. These apps let you publish your book whether you are an iOS or an Android user. These apps let you publish your book or novel to different bookstore apps in each app market. However, if you prefer to go more towards the traditional route and publish your book with an actual publishing company, it is possible they will be able to help you get your book published as a standalone app, print, or as an eBook for Kindle or Nook. There are so many different options for authors now days. Do you research for different rules and regulations for each site, publisher, and app market before publishing your book. This can help you protect you and your content.

About the author:
Whitney Adams is a freelance writer for AndGeeks.com. Whitney's articles tend to delve into the more technical and complex problems that society struggles with when it comes to technology. She loves breaking those problems down and offering clear, bite-sized solutions for the average user. When she's not online or surfing Pinterest, Whitney and her camera enjoy taking walks around her quaint home town and exploring the antique markets. 

The views, beliefs, and opinions expressed by guest post authors are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views, beliefs, or opinions of Girl Who Reads.

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