Publishing expert Jane Friedman recently posted an amazing list of resources for authors on her blog, and we found it so helpful we wanted to share an excerpt here. Many thanks to Jane for her permission to do so! Find the full list at Janefriedman.com.

Excellent Book-Length Guides

• Write. Publish. Repeat. by Sean Platt and Johnny B. Truant
• How to Market a Book by Joanna Penn
• Let’s Get Visible & Let’s Get Digital by David Gaughran
• The Naked Truth by Self-Publishing by 10 NYT bestselling authors

Getting Started & Principles

• How to Self-Publish Your Book (Jane Friedman)
• The Basics of E-Book Publishing (David Gaughran)
• 10 Questions to Ask Before Committing to Any E-Book Publishing Service (Jane Friedman)
• How an Enterprising Author Sold a Million Self-Published Books (Copyblogger)
• How to Make Money on E-Books (JA Konrath)
• 5 Observations on the Evolution of Author Business Models (Jane Friedman)

Tools for Creating & Formatting E-Books

• Scrivener: this writing software is not free, but it can export EPUB files
• Calibre: free formatting and conversion software for ebooks
• StreetLib: free web-based tool that can also handle distribution and sales if you want
• EasyEdit: easy-to-use software for PC users that generates ebooks for Kindle (trial version is free)
• Jutoh: free software for creating e-books, paid version available with more functionality
• PressBooks: free formatting tool (up until a point), WordPress-based
• Apple Pages (can export EPUB files)
• Vellum: easy-to-use software for Mac users only to produce EPUB files
• Here’s a list of educational resources and tools if you want to learn about ebook formatting and development.

Friedman, along with Porter Anderson, launched The Hot Sheet, an email newsletter for authors (subscription required, $59/year). Head to hotsheetpub.com to check out a sample free issue or sign up for a free 30-day trial. We’ve been really enjoying the first few issues, which have each offered a fantastic summary of the latest publishing news.

JANE FRIEDMAN has 20 years of experience in the publishing industry, with expertise in digital media strategy for authors and publishers. Jane currently teaches the University of Virginia and is a columnist for Publishers Weekly. The Great Courses just released her 24-lecture series, How to Publish your Book, and she’s the editor of The Hot Sheet, the essential industry newsletter for authors.