At BookLocker.com, we offer professional, economical, one-on-one ebook conversion services. This means we convert manuscripts to mobi and epub formats, assign ISBNs, and list them for sale on Amazon (for the Kindle), BarnesandNoble.com (for the Nook) and Apple (for iPads, iPhones and iPods).

Ebook formatting and conversion is not easy. The trick is to know what items in a manuscript will cause problems before you start so you can either eliminate them or change them to minimize the cleanup on the other end. Unfortunately, as evidenced by the errors in numerous ebooks on the market, lots of publishers just push raw manuscripts into software and then put whatever emerges up for sale. There are many ebooks for sale online with poor formatting (yes, traditionally published titles, too!), including missing spaces between words, extra spaces between words, uneven margins, fuzzy graphics, graphics so poor they are indiscernible, and much more. Many authors are paying WAY too much money for these services.

At BookLocker.com, we developed a conversion process that uses a combination of human intervention and software and we perform quality checks so each published book is a professional product. Do quirks and burps happen on occasion? Sure. But, when they do, we fix the errors in the ebooks right away – and at no extra charge. Our conversion specialists go through each file, page-by-page, and Richard works with each author one-on-one to ensure they are happy with the process.

As with most things in life, with ebook conversion services, you get what you pay for…sometimes. If you use a conversion program, you may spend hours tearing your hair out trying to fix the errors that pop up, one after another. One site that uses a converter has an instruction manual that is more than 50 pages long! If you hire a high-priced, individualized service, you’re likely paying too much and errors may still end up in the final product. It seems, judging from the ebooks on the market, that some of the “individualized” services are just running books through conversion software, and then putting error-laden books on the market. Some charge so much up front that they don’t care if your ebook sells or not, nor do they care if it contains errors that may harm your or even their reputation. They already have your money. That’s all they wanted in the first place. Sad, but true.

This week, I thought I’d check to see what the “other guys” are currently charging for ebook conversions in comparison. I’ll list them by price – lowest to highest –

BOOKLOCKER.COM – $99+
Note: BookLocker is owned by the author of this article.

BookLocker.com charges $99 for a book with basic formatting (paragraphs and chapter headings), and up to two graphics. More complex formatting (tables, charts, footnotes/endnotes, bullet lists, etc.) requires a quote.

LULU – $219 – $289 + $100/hr for troublesome books.
**Warning** – Does not distribute ebooks to Amazon (for the Kindle)

“In the event that Lulu determines the publishing project requires more work than what is included in the service package that the Publisher has purchased, Lulu will communicate to Publisher the additional work required and related additional fees for said work.”

Lulu has LOTS of customer service complaints posted online. Click HERE.

AUTHORHOUSE – $349 and up.

XLIBRIS – $499 and up.

IUNIVERSE – $899-$4599 – Why? Because you have to sign up for their ridiculously overpriced print programs to get ebook publication as well.

TRAFFORD – $549-$10,999 – Why? Because you have to sign up for their print programs to get ebook publication as well.

It’s interesting to note that the last four firms listed above are all owned by the same company. So, why are their prices all over the place? Your guess is as good as mine. These four firms immediately above also have plenty of complaints about them posted online by and a law firm in New York is soliciting comments from their unhappy authors for a possible class-action lawsuit.

Note: Most companies offering this service have a disclaimer saying there may be some books that just can’t be converted. That is true.

If you’d like Richard at BookLocker.com to take a look at your manuscript, send an email to richard@booklocker.com and he’ll be happy to answer any questions you may have, and to give you a quick quote on request. He will need to see a copy of your manuscript in order to provide a quote. Most books qualify for the $99 minimum and author of two or more books needing conversion get a discount as well ($75 minimum).

Got questions about Print On Demand and Self-publishing? Ask Angela Hoy.

About The Author

Angela Hoy is the publisher of WritersWeekly.com, the author of 19 books, and the co-owner of BookLocker.com (one of the original POD publishers that still gets books to market in less than a month), PubPreppers.com (print and ebook design for authors who truly want to self-publish), and Abuzz Press (the publishing co-op that charges no setup fees).

Angela has lived and traveled across the U.S. with her kids in an RV, settled in a river-side home in Bradenton, FL, and lived on a 52 ft Irwin sailboat. Angela now resides on a mountaintop in Northwest Georgia, where she plans to spend the rest of her days bird watching, gardening, hiking, and taking in all of the amazing sunrises.

WritersWeekly.com - the free marketing ezine for writers, which features new paying markets and freelance job listings every Wednesday.

BookLocker.com - According to attorney Mark Levine, author of The Fine Print, BookLocker is: "As close to perfection as you're going to find in the world of ebook and POD publishing. The ebook royalties are the highest I've ever seen, and the print royalties are better than average. BookLocker understands what new authors experience, and have put together a package that is the best in the business. You can't go wrong here. Plus, they're selective and won't publish any manuscript just because it's accompanied by a check. Also, the web site is well trafficked. If you can find a POD or epublisher with as much integrity and dedication to selling authors' books, but with lower POD publishing fees, please let me know."

Abuzz Press offers FAST and FREE book publication, but only accepts a small percentage of submissions, and only works with U.S. authors.

PubPreppers.com - "We Prep, You Publish!" Print and ebook design for authors who truly want to self-publish. Offers formatting and design services only, and then provides simple instructions for authors on where to sign up to have the print and ebook editions printed/listed/sold. Cut out the middle man. Keep 100% of what bookstores pay for your book!

Angela's POD Secrets Revealed Series can be found HERE.

Have a POD Book with another publisher? See if BookLocker can give you a better deal. (BookLocker offers "disgruntled author discounts" to those who want to move from other POD services.)

See BookLocker's publishing packages HERE.

ANGELA ON TWITTER https://twitter.com/AngelaHoy

BOOKLOCKER ON FACEBOOK - Provides links to free excerpts!
https://www.facebook.com/booklockerbooks

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https://www.facebook.com/angela.hoy.750

ANGELA ON LINKEDIN
https://www.linkedin.com/in/angelahoy/

Angela is the creator of the Original 24-Hour Short Story Contest!
https://24hourshortstorycontest.com/

Read More Of Angela's Articles HERE