NOOK Debuts NOOK Press, Self-Publishing Platform for Authors

What would Charles Dickens say?

NOOK Media LLC, a subsidiary of Barnes & Noble Inc., has launched NOOK Press, a self-publishing platform that enables authors to work on and eventually publish eBooks directly, for free.

Authors get started by signing up with an e-mail address. Once signed up, authors can write and publish their work to be accessed by potentially millions of people using NOOK and NOOK Reading Apps within two to three days – in both the U.S. and the U.K. 

Authors can edit and format before converting their work to an ePub file.

Writers can take advantage of their network of friends by inviting them to read and comment on any NOOK Press project in a private setting as well, giving the product a college workshop feel.

Once published on NOOK, authors can track their sales daily and monthly. Authors can also prosper from merchandising opportunities. There is a NOOK Store and a NOOK ecosystem that includes a NOOK Press NOOK Channel on NOOK HD, and soon, NOOK HD+.

NOOK also features “select content” in its social media campaigns, e-mails and newsletters which it sends to its millions of users. This reportedly results in broader audience reach, more sales, and new indie bestsellers.

How exactly NOOK Press picks this lucky content was not addressed.

Authors can price their titles between $0.99 and $199.99, and receive royalties accordingly. For books retailed between $2.99 and $9.99, authors receive 65 percent. For those priced at $2.98 or less, and more than $10.00, authors snag 40 percent of the list price. No fees apply. 

NOOK press has a “Live Chat” offering. Authors can troubleshoot and get customized answers Monday through Friday between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. EST.