Is digital publishing a route I should take with my manuscript? You should consider having your book digitally published if...

(1) You own your own computer/laptop and are familiar with searching the internet
(2) You know what a social network (such as FaceBook) is
(3) You have read a book online or on your phone, iPad or other digital device
(4) You have a valid email address and you are able to check it at least twice a week
(5) Your manuscript is completed and available in Word format.
(6) You are willing and able to have at least 2 online profiles active at all times for marketing purposes, such as your own social network profile(s), a personal website or blog, or any combination thereof.

How does the ordering process work on your website?

SynergEbooks uses PayPal for our shopping cart; it is safe and secure and customers do not need to sign up with PayPal to order. Customers will order their preferred format via the drop-down menu and their digital file will be sent to them via email within 24 hours. If you do not receive your eBook within 24 hours, send an email to synergebooks@aol.com. Be sure to add that email address to your address book in order to prevent your order from going into your Spam box.

If you order a Paperback or CD-ROM, your order should be received within 10 business days via Media Mail to the address given. If you would like your paperback/CD-ROM sent to a different address, send an email to synergebooks@aol.com and we'd be happy to send it to the new address for you.

Are you Accepting Submissions at this time?

Submissions will be open from February 1st until March 15th of 2012. SynergEbooks will automatically reject any submission sent in before February 1st or after March 15th (unless otherwise requested by the publisher).

How should I submit my manuscript?

Please include ONLY the first 3 chapters of your book - or no more than 5-6 poems - in ONE Word (.doc, .docx or .rtf) document via email attachment. NO OTHER FORMATS WILL BE ACCEPTED. Zip files are no longer acceptable (If you include more than one document when you send your email, it automatically turns into a .zip file, so please avoid doing so). See the SUBMISSION GUIDELINES for more information.

INCLUDE IN THE BODY OF YOUR EMAIL THE FOLLOWING:

Your name, email address, the brief - no more than 2 paragraphs long - description of your book, your suggested genre(s), approximate word count and if a cover will be made or is already available. DO NOT include a Table of Contents (TOC) or an outline unless your book is nonfiction. DO include the marketability of your title (age group, niche market, etc.), including your specific plans to market your book in digital format. For more information, click on our SUBMISSIONS link.

Please submit your manuscript to our Acquisitions Editor at synergebooks@aol.com. (If that email bounces back, you may send it to synergedeb@yahoo.com)

How should I submit a children's book manuscript?

Your children's book must be complete before it is submitted for publication (with the exception of a series, in which only the first book has to be completed at the time you submit your query). The author is required to find an illustrator for his/her own book before said title can be accepted, since the book query must include at least one illustration (which is usually the cover). Royalties are paid to illustrators according to what is agreed upon in the Children's Author Contract (see website).

More information on children's book submissions and illustrations can be sent upon request.

How long does it take for a book, once it's accepted, to be displayed on the site?

An eBook can be displayed on our site as a 'Coming Soon' title once the Author Contract has been signed, and the full manuscript of said book has been received. If a cover has been supplied, a "book title page" will be created for said title so that pre-orders can be accepted. The average time from date of acceptance to actual publication is 3-12 months, occasionally longer, depending on any number of factors. This will be discussed in further detail once your manuscript is accepted.

How much say do I have over my book and its contents?

The author will always retain his/her rights to said eBook. SynergEbooks works closely with each author to make sure that both author and publisher are happy with the final product.

Do I have to pay for editing?

As stated in the Submission Guidelines, basic line editing (checking for spelling mistakes and typos) is done FREE of charge by SynergEbooks. If your book requires more than the basic editing, we will suggest an Editor for you or ask that you resubmit once you have found an editor and reworked your manuscript. All of the books on our site are edited fully; we want you to be as proud as we are of your finished product.

Do I have to pay for a cover?

If you have not supplied a cover for your eBook title, SynergEbooks will provide one for you FREE of charge.

What if I create my own cover?

All covers are subject to acceptance by SynergEbooks. It is best that covers be created in 150 dpi or larger. All covers should be sent via attached mail to synergEbooks@aol.com in .jpeg or .jpg format ONLY. A cover can be sent by regular mail and scanned on our end as well, though that is not recommended (as quality is often lost in the scanning process).

How is my eBook priced?

All of our eBook titles are priced from $2.99 to $7.98 for attached mail files. The CD-ROM version of an eBook is currently selling from $6.50 t0 $8.50 (free S&H in the US). The average price for most of our digital fiction titles is $5.98. The average price of our CD-ROMs is $6.50 US. Five eBooks are listed on sale on SynergEbooks’ main page every week. The sale price is $2.99. You will be expected to check the website each week to see if your eBook is listed so that you may market accordingly.

How much Marketing is done for my eBook title(s)?

Marketing is an ongoing process, and is expected by both the Publisher AND the Author. SynergEbooks has created a Marketing Sheet for its authors to help get the marketing process started. SynergEbooks will help the Author create Press Releases, find book reviewers and more, depending on the genre and other factors of each book. Our eBook titles are displayed in every possible eBookstore (including eBooks.com, Fictionwise, Amazon Kindle, Mobipocket, Barnes & Noble and more). Since each eBook title is unique, we will help to create just the right marketing strategy for you and your title(s).

Where is my eBook displayed?

Every eBook title has a "book title page", a synopsis, bio and review page created and placed on our website. Occasionally, your eBook title may be featured on our main page or on SynergE's FaceBook Page or other social networks – including SynergE’s Blog (http://synergebooks@blogspot.com) Our partner bookstores may also decide to promote your title(s), which may or may not include a promotional price for a limited time. A few of the bookstores where our digital books are carried are Barnes & Noble, Amazon Kindle, Fictionwise, eBooks.com, Dicettera, eFictionBooks, All Romance eBooks and Overdrive (Content Reserve). Some titles are also listed at various other retail sites, depending on their genre(s).

How soon before my eBook shows up on other sites online?

On average, it takes 2-3 months after initial publication for each title to be converted into all available digital formats and sent to our various online eBookstores. SynergE has no control over how long it takes for your book(s) to be displayed at said stores, but the average time is 1 day to 2 weeks from the time of upload.

Reviews - How do I get them?

Once your manuscript is edited, SynergEbooks may send out 1-3 free copies of your book in digital format or on CD-ROM to various online and/or offline Reviewers (depending on the genre of your book and the marketing strategy) to get reviews that will be ready by the time your book is displayed on our site. You may also send us any reviews you've received, so we may include those on your synopsis page and marketing portfolios for various bookstores. The sooner you receive a review(s), the better. Reviews can also be added at any time after publication and displayed at any number of places, including but not limited to SynergE's blog and social networks. NOTE: There is no set length for a review, but it is recommended that they be no longer than 200 words so that the entire review will fit the requirements of most of the retail sites.

What is Print-on-Demand?

Print-on-Demand (better known as POD or paperback) is the DIGITAL version of publishing in print. The books are not created like hardcover books; nor are they short run or press run books. Customers may order as little as one copy of your book at a time, or as many as a few hundred with this type of publishing.

How does the Print-on-Demand (POD) process work at SynergEbooks?

You may request your book to be converted to Print-on-Demand, but SynergEbooks reserves the right to decline putting your book into this format or to put it into print at a later date. Our decision will be based on a number of factors, including the author's willingness and ability to market his/her work in this format while continuing to market the digital version of said book; deals we make with our printers; and general marketability of said work. More information about this process will be given once your book is accepted.

Pricing

Digital books are set at a standard rate of $7.98 for newly released fiction and up to $9.98 for CD-ROMs; for nonfiction and children's eBooks, the price starts at $6.50 for downloads and up to $8.50 for CD-ROMs. For paperbacks (PODs), the retail price of your book is set according to how many pages your book has in its printed format and whether or not illustrations included.

(NOTE: All illustrations have to be supplied as 300 dpi black and white graphics in .jpg format or 2-4 consecutivecolor photo pages). Once the retail price is set, it cannot be raised, but a book CAN be offered at a price lower than retail at any given time for various reasons. For digital books, we can offer a sale of $2.99 per download. An eBook series (3 or more books) can be offered as a group rate on CD-ROM at a discounted price. The average 300-page paperback is sold for $14.99 with a retail price set at $15.99 to $19.99 US.

Do I get any free copies of my book? SynergEbooks will try to send every author one free copy of his/her book (a CD-ROM if digital only - a paperback if in POD format), but we would prefer to send a free copy out for review instead. Feel free to ask if you may be sent a free copy when your book has been sent in for conversion.