100 sites for fiction writers: #20 - PubIt!

This is an ongoing series looking at websites that can be of help to fiction writers with their craft and career.

PubIt!

If one were barely paying attention to the e-book revolution going on with reading, one might think the Kindle dedicated e-reading device from Amazon is the only such gizmo on the market. It's not. Far from it. There are many such devices, though the Kindle is so far the leader of the pack.

The Nook, from Barnes & Noble, is also a dedicated e-reader. And as of this writing, it has a handful of advantages over the Kindle. For one thing, there is a color version of the Nook. Also, the Nook comes with a touch screen instead of a keypad, which the Kindle has. And while there are literally millions of e-books available for the Kindle, the Nook pulls from the Barnes & Noble company, which means it also has a vast array and variety of e-books.

For fiction writers, one key to success is to have your works available on as many e-reading devices as possible, especially on devices which are popular, such as the Nook.

But how do you get your novels and short stories available for Nook readers? Easy. You sign up with the Barnes & Noble PubIt! program.

In many ways similar to the Kindle Direct Publishing program from Amazon, the PubIt! program allows writers to upload their e-books, earn money from those e-books, and to keep track of e-books sales.

In all fairness, a writer can also go through Smashwords.com to make e-books available for the Nook, but the PubIt! program allows for more direct control over pricing and technical format issues.

My personal opinion is that PubIt! is a little flaky at times, and it's sales reporting is not quite as solid as that of Amazon's KDP by-the-minute reports, but overall I've been pleased working within PubIt!

So what are you waiting for? Get out there and publish those e-books!