FAQ tips
FAQs (4)
Rejection Prevention - BookRix, as well as external shops, have quality control over the books placed for sale. Books that don't pass quality inspection will be rejected. When this occurs, they are not sent for distribution to our external shops and they cannot be purchased.
Here are some steps you can take to prevent your eBook from being rejected:
Cover
Put some effort into your eBook cover. A great cover can sell twice as many eBooks than one with a poor cover. It’s the first thing your reader sees and it’s often the first thing you book is judged on.
Be sure the images used on your cover (as well as images used inside your eBook) belong to you and are not protected by copyright. If you are unsure, we strongly recommend creating your own cover art or soliciting someone to create a cover for you.
Using a high quality image is essential for your book cover. Avoid images that are too small as these images can appear pixilated when enlarged for your book cover. Also avoid using images that contain text as it can conflict with the title of your book and look unprofessional.
Hate messages and/or symbols, sexually explicit images or images containing illegal activity are not permitted.
If you are looking for graphic programs, ideas, tips or even someone to create a cover for you, check out our Art Writers group on BookRix: http://www.bookrix.com/_group-en-teaser-room
For more helpful information about covers, please click here: http://www.bookrix.com/_title-en-bookrix-publishing-tips-tricks-part-3-the-power-of-the-cover
Grammar & Spelling
Good writing involves proper grammar and accurate spelling.
We recommend that you have various readers review your work prior to publishing it. These “test readers” should check specifically for grammar and spelling. Your book will be rejected if it’s poorly written, appears confusing or has too many spelling and grammatical errors.
If you need assistance editing your eBook, please join our “Editing 101” group here: http://www.bookrix.com/_group-en-teaser-room and our members can help you further.
If you feel as though you need some additional assistance, we encourage you to check out our Publishing Tips and Tricks series. Part 7 focuses specifically on spelling, grammar and typos. You can read it for free here: http://www.bookrix.com/_title-en-bookrix-publishing-tips-tricks-part-7-typos-type-nos
Blurb / Book Description
First impressions matter.
When a potential reader views your book, the first thing they read after the title is your book description. Don’t overlook this step. You want to entice your reader by being creative and using descriptive words. Focus on what you want to say, choose your sentences carefully, and make it count.
Books with generic or weak blurbs can be rejected. Put some thought this space. You have a minimum of 140 characters and a maximum of 3000. If you need some inspiration or ideas, look up some of your favorite books and read the synopsis.
Copyrighted Text / Images
If the image is not owned by you, or you have not received permission from the owner to use the image, don’t use it.
Books containing copyrighted material (text and/or images) will be rejected. If you do not own the rights to it, you are not authorized to upload it. Any copyright violation made by a BookRix member is their own responsibility and legal action can be taken by the copyright holder against you.
Author Name, Pen names and Anonymity
To prevent your book from being rejected in external shops like Kobo, iTunes and Amazon, a first and last name are required. A pen name can be chosen, however it must be a first and last name and cannot contain titles such as PhD, Mr., etc.
Table of Contents & Page Numbers
These are automatic. Manual input is not necessary.
A table of contents is automatically generated for your book (with a minimum of cover, body of your text and the imprint), when the chapter feature is used, and you will not need to create an additional table of contents. If you enabled the Chapter function and entered a table of contents manually in your text area, please remove the manual table of contents as this can cause your eBook to be rejected.
Page numbers are automatically inserted into ePub files and eReaders. Please remove manually inserted page numbers in your text, as having them can cause your eBook to be rejected.
External Links/ Shop Names
Avoid a conflict of interest.
Your eBook will be rejected from external shops if you post links to books and/or products within your book. In addition, you are not permitted to mention names of online shops. Books containing names to online shops, such as iTunes or Barnes & Noble, will also be rejected.
Authors are free to insert links to their author page, sources for education and finance, help sites, businesses, etc., However “Direct-to-buy” links are not permitted.
Word, Line, & Page Breaks / Formatting
Presentation is everything.
Words on a page attract a reader but the way they are laid out on a page is equally important. The formatting of your eBook is essential to it being well received.
Most external shops have formatting standards that they require all authors to abide by. Stores like iTunes will reject books that have more than 2 line breaks and/or page breaks. This extra spaceing can cause blank pages in an eReader. Colored or bold fonts can also cause a book to be rejected.
Most eReaders are designed to break words for you. When a word at the end of a line doesn’t fit properly, don’t worry. Continue typing and the BookRix editor will break a word when necessary. This also applies to hitting the “Enter” key on your keyboard and manually breaking a word. Doing this will distort your text and can cause your eBook to be rejected.
Keep it classic and clean and don't use the "Enter" key in excess as this will minimize your chances of getting rejected from the external shops.
Hate Messages
Hatred is not permitted.
Books containing hate messages directed to any race, ethnicity, gender, political party, religion, etc., will be rejected unless depicted in the plot of the story.
Illegal Activity
Illegal activity is not permitted.
Books containing illegal activity such as pedophilia, how-to’s for crimes, etc., will be rejected unless depicted in the plot of the story.
Book Pricing
Determine the appropriate price for your eBook.
A good thing to consider when pricing your book is the number of pages it contains. For example, if you penned a short story and intend to sell it for a high dollar amount, a potential buyer could be turned off by the price. If your book is priced too high, you may receive a message from us encouraging you to adjust it.
For helpful tips about pricing your book, please click here: http://www.bookrix.com/_title-en-bookrix-publishing-tips-tricks-part-10-pricing-your-book
Click below for more Publishing Tips and Tricks:
Become Active
http://www.bookrix.com/_title-en-bookrix-publishing-tips-and-tricks-part-1-become-active
Link Cleverly, Earn More Money
http://www.bookrix.com/_title-en-bookrix-publishing-tips-tricks-part-2-link-cleverly-earn-more-money
The Power of the Cover
http://www.bookrix.com/_title-en-bookrix-publishing-tips-tricks-part-3-the-power-of-the-cover
The First Words Matter
http://www.bookrix.com/_title-en-bookrix-publishing-tips-tricks-part-4-the-first-words-matter
Choose a Good Title
http://www.bookrix.com/_title-en-bookrix-publishing-tips-tricks-part-5-choose-a-good-title
Get a Good Review
http://www.bookrix.com/_title-en-bookrix-publishing-tips-tricks-part-6-get-a-good-review
Typos? Type No’s!
http://www.bookrix.com/_title-en-bookrix-publishing-tips-tricks-part-7-typos-type-nos
The Book Blog
http://www.bookrix.com/_title-en-bookrix-publishing-tips-tricks-part-8-the-book-blog
Become Active on BookRix
http://www.bookrix.com/_title-en-bookrix-publishing-tips-tricks-part-9-become-active-on-bookrix
Pricing Your Book
http://www.bookrix.com/_title-en-bookrix-publishing-tips-tricks-part-10-pricing-your-book
Click HERE for our ePub style guide that will help you prevent your eBook from rejection
Click HERE for Marketing Tips that will help your book get noticed
Ok, so you’ve made all the necessary edits and spell checks. You’ve uploaded a high quality cover, and you’ve completed all the items within our Rejection Prevention section. Now you're ready to sell your eBook!
Once you have filled out all the required information in the Book Content, Book Info and Book Cover sections, please select All Shops* and then click Sell Book. Choose your sale price, check the box that you have read our Author Agreement, and then click Sell Book.You can also change which currency your book is sold in.
If any information is missing within the required fields, you will receive an alert indicating which sections require your attention. A pink line surrounding the Edit Book Content, Edit Book Info and/or Edit Cover buttons will direct you to the appropriate area.
*Remember - If you have already sold your eBook on Amazon, we will need the ASIN number associated with your ebook on their site in order to proceed.
Important: Your personal information within My Account Details must be complete in order for BookRix to successfully send your royalty payment.
Tip: If you are having any difficulty with your book formatting, please read through our ePub Style Guide
Tip: For tips on how to market your eBook, please visit our Marketing Guide.
BookRix is a free self publishing platform that offers eBook distribution services to independent writers. Our users can share their writing, connect with other readers and discover new stories and authors – all in one place. Upon registration, a new account profile will be created for you. Your personal profile can be customized to your liking and is equipped with all the tools you will need to create your own eBooks, list your favorite literature, promote yourself as an author and publish your work to major online shops.
Technology is constantly in motion. Over the years it has changed the way we play our music, watch movies and discover new content. The freedom that technology offers has inspired us to create a company dedicated to providing independent writers with the means to publish their work without the restrictions traditional publishing houses impose. With that idea firmly planted in our minds, BookRix was born.
BookRix was the first book community to give their writers a platform to promote and sell their work on the web as a published eBook. In addition, indie reading enthusiasts are given access to a fast growing virtual library filled with unique content to read and share among their reading circles.
BookRix is free - plain and simple. We believe that everyone has a story to tell and with our self-publishing services, writers can fully explore their potential. On BookRix you can:
- Publish your eBooks and take pride in your accomplishment!
- Distribute and sell your eBook on major online shops and earn money
- Learn simple ways to market your eBook and become a successful indie author
- Discover other readers and writers with the same passion
- Search the community for interesting group discussions, writing tips and reading recommendations
- Share your ideas, receive feedback and discuss your books and projects
- Write book reviews and provide quality feedback to aspiring writers
- Share your books with others via email, Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and Pinterest
- Browse our virtual library for top rated books. New titles are added every day!
We understand that getting your book published is the first step. The second is getting people to read it. Luckily our community is designed to give authors a built-in audience. Being a BookRix member allows you to make new contacts and connections that provide you with valuable feedback on your work. Our community is unique because we offer objective feedback, which can be difficult to obtain from close friends and family.
Most writers would rather not rely on others to be successful. With that in mind, we encourage our authors to use the Self Publishing Services offered at BookRix. Below are some practical marketing tips that can help aspiring authors gain readers and aid in the success of their eBook sales.
For more information on each section, please review our complete Marketing Guide.
The Basics
Necessities for a successful eBook:
- A tasteful, high quality cover that will grab the reader’s attention
- A catchy or unique title
- Proper and careful editing
- A fair price set to sell
- A descriptive and well written book blurb/synopsis that will entice the reader
On BookRix
Getting the most from our BookRix community
- Maintain an active presence in the BookRix community by participating in group discussion and writing contests. Engage with users by leaving quality reviews and feedback on their work.Personalize your profile to showcase who you are as a writer
- Personalize your profile to showcase who you are as a writer
- Maintain contact with your readers and community members by answering their questions, responding to comments and messages.
Everywhere else
Promoting yourself outside of BookRix
- Network with other bloggers within the blogging community. Send out ePub files of your book to interested bloggers so they can review it on their blog
- Organize a blog tour – Have your book visit as many blogs as possible in one month to maximize your visibility.
- Create a YouTube account for your author profile. Organize book trailers, live readings and answer fan questions on your videos.
**For more detailed information, please check out our full length Marketing Guide.