FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

New Series of Ebooks Aims to Help Self-Publishing Authors



MILFORD, CT -- Silver Sands Books, which previously has published only "pbooks," has released the first six ebooks in a series aimed at self-publishing authors. One of the new books became a bestseller on Amazon.com the second day it was on sale. Several other books in the Silver Sands Publishing Series have also been Amazon bestsellers.



The books, priced from 99 cents to $5.99, cover a wide range of topics including book design, editing, business operations and marketing. Many of the book covers include humorous "retro-comic-book-style" illustrations.



Silver Sands Publisher Michael N. Marcus said: "As someone who loves reading, writing, publishing and technology, I probably should have been an early adopter of ebooks—but I was not. I think most ebooks are ugly. They don't allow the choices in typefaces and page layout that I have with pbooks. Much of the look of an ebook is controlled by the reader, not by the book's designer. Readers can select typeface, type size, page orientation and even page color. Photos and illustrations may not be where the designer wants them to be. A thousand people could read the same book—but it’s not really the same book! Readers may love their power to customize, but as someone who cares about the way my books look, I don't."



"Despite my objections," Marcus continued, "I have changed my strategy. Ebook sales growth is amazing. It is expected that in 2013 more ebooks will be sold than DTBs (Dead Tree Books). People want ebooks. It's silly of us not to offer them. I can put more into an ebook than into a pbook. I'm not yet ready to provide animations or sound effects, but searchability and hyperlinks can be very useful. Color photos and illustrations make it easier to make a point, and they make the book simply nicer. Color pbooks can be very expensive. Color ebooks cost no more than monochrome ebooks. A 1,000-page ebook costs no more to produce or ship than one with just 32 pages."



"Unfortunately, the low cost of self-publishing both printed books and ebooks has encouraged thousands of writers to quickly become publishers," Marcus pointed out. "Sadly, many lack the skills, experience and software to produce proper books. Even sadder, many don’t know what they don't know. Most self-publishing authors—because of ego, ignorance or financial necessity—produce really bad books that are hated by readers and condemned by reviewers. It doesn't have to be that way."



"Our new ebooks," Marcus concluded, "provide information and advice that can help authors create much better books. The books might not win trophies or become bestsellers, but they shouldn't be laughed at."



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Information on the Silver Sands Publishing Series is at www.CreateBetterBooks.com. 

Media questions can be emailed, or call 1.888.225.3999. Review copies are available.