Self-Publishing Resources

Posted By Sue Collier on May 29, 2013

I read an article recently on how one particular blogger really admires self-published authors. She calls to attention the fact they get to finish something and she points out the support indie authors tend to offer one another. One of the grumpy commenters to the article stated unequivocally that “all” self-published books suck—except for one, apparently, which he read and liked. Other commenters were quick to come to the defense of self-publishing, pointing out self-published authors who have reached success (Stephenie Meyer and Amanda Hocking, anyone??). The curmudgeonly commentator simply restated his opinion—that all self-published books are garbage. He didn’t bother defending his position.

It got me to thinking. Why is the independent music scene—and I’m referring to artists who record and sell their music without a record label—admired but the self-publishing scene still stigmatized? Granted, the stigma is lessening, but it still exists.

I will admit up front that I don’t know much about music other than knowing what I like. That said, I’ve seen the respect offered to independent recording artists first-hand. A good friend of mine is in a band; this band does not have a record label but they have recorded and sold four original CDs. Whenever my friend mentions this to anyone, the admiration is usually instantaneous. There is no question of why the band couldn’t get a record deal. There is no eye-rolling because clearly their music must somehow be sub-par if a label didn’t pick it up. There is no assumption of no talent because their music hasn’t been “vetted” by record label executives. And honestly, his band is really good.

Self-publishers, however, often do face the sympathetic glances because “clearly” their work “wasn’t” up to the level of a traditional publisher. Or even worse, complete dismissal for the same reason. Just like there is a lot of competition among musicians and bands, the situation is similar for authors. Traditional publishers—and I’m assuming record labels—generally publish books by authors they believe will make them a lot of money. What about the books that are excellent but might have a more limited audience? What about unknown authors who put out great stuff Should authors not dare to publish their works because they haven’t been accepted by a traditional publisher? What a waste of talent for good authors who have good work to share.

So I say, give self-published authors a chance. For as many as there are who put out shoddy work there are many who put out their best stuff and it’s worthy of reading.

Category: authors, self-publishing, traditional publishing | 3 Comments »
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Posted By Sue Collier on May 16, 2013

When you are sending out press releases for your book, one of the best ways to actually get into the news is to hitchhike with another item of current interest. The media doesn’t care all that much about your book—unless it offers something of value to their viewers/listeners/readers.

Perhaps your book solves a problem that has just hit the headlines. By now we’ve all read about actress and director Angelina Jolie’s decision to have a preventive double mastectomy. Let’s say you have written a book about preventing breast cancer—or any other cancer for that matter. What an excellent opportunity for current event tie-ins.

This is just one example of the potential value of a “news peg” and the hitchhiking principle. With a bit of inventive brainstorming, you can think probably think of lots of ways to link your book with news items.

Another way to add flair to your promotional campaign is by consulting Chase’s Calendar of Events to see if there is a special day, week, or month you can hitchhike with. This annual directory offers 700-plus pages of imaginative PR angles. It is a day-by-day resource of holidays; historical anniversaries; fairs and festivals; and special days, weeks, and months. It lists more than twelve thousand entries of national or broad regional interest. Besides normal contact info, this hefty edition also contains e-mail addresses and websites—and is fully indexed by category and locale. It’s a great reference for tagging your promotions to a special time.

Got a book on mystery writing? Don’t overlook August 13. That’s the birthday of Alfred Hitchcock—and that’s just the sort of kooky thing the wire services pick up. Have you written a career guide for nurses? Perhaps you can tie in with National Nurses Week in May.

I would love to hear about your successes with news tie-ins!

Category: book promotion | No Comments »
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Posted By Sue Collier on April 30, 2013

I have finally reached the end of the A to Z Blogging Challenge 2013. It’s been a lot of fun! I’ve met some great fellow bloggers—and even picked up a new client along the way. The best thing was forcing me to blog daily, and I plan to take that discipline with me long after this month. I highly recommend the challenge, and I plan to participate next year.

So here is my “Z” entry: the zen author. In my mind, “zen” is a place of reflection and enlightenment. Zen is a good place to be in—and a place where you can be successful. How do you get there as an author?

Own your niche. Decide what major subject area you’ll publish in, and concentrate on it exclusively. Know all about it. Join relevant associations, subscribe to all the trade journals and newsletters, get to know the movers and shakers in the subject area. Become the authority, the place where others turn for trustworthy information.

Cultivate word of mouth. Getting a buzz started—people talking about the book—is the result you desire. Do it by soliciting advance blurbs, getting reviews everywhere, tenaciously pursuing feature stories off the book pages, giving away tons of free review and reading copies. A complimentary book is your cheapest and most effective advertising. .

Apply the 80/20 rule. You’ll get 80 percent of your PR results (or orders) from 20 percent of your efforts (or customers). Determine who they are, and concentrate your efforts on them.

Follow up, follow up, follow up. Perseverance equals profit, so don’t give up.

Category: AtoZ Blogging Challenge 2013, authors, promotions | 2 Comments »
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Posted By Sue Collier on April 29, 2013

Ever since Google took over YouTube, the benefits of video content have continued to increase. Websites with videos rank higher within Google’s search engine algorithm. Another thing to keep in mind is that in social media, videos are much more likely to go viral than text. Using YouTube for your videos saves bandwidth, enabling visitors to your website to download them more quickly.

So how can book authors take advantage of YouTube in promoting their books?

1. Make a video book trailer to post on YouTube. Once it’s “parked” there, it’s easy to share on other social media sites.

2. Post videos of you sharing your expertise.

3. Post videos of your speaking engagements.

4. Connect content—always include a link to your website.

5. Explore the YouTube community, and post and tweet links to other relevant videos.

Category: AtoZ Blogging Challenge 2013, YouTube | No Comments »
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Posted By Sue Collier on April 29, 2013

I struggled with my “X” post on the A to Z Blogging Challenge 2013. So I am taking an easy way out today and listing websites of interest to wordsmiths. Happy word hunting!

Ask a Linguist Ask a question and get responses from a panel of professional linguists

Banished Word List Released each New Year’s Eve, the list dates back to December 31, 1975

Cambridge Dictionaries The most popular online dictionary and thesaurus for learners of English

The Eggcorn Database Devoted to collecting the kind of unusual English spellings that have come to be called eggcorns

Focusing On Words Focuses on words and literature

Fun With Words Dedicated to amusing quirks, peculiarities, and oddities of the English language.

Luciferous Logolepsy A collection of more than 9,000 obscure English words

Maledicta Specializes in uncensored language research protected by the First Amendment

Merriam Webster Dictionary The Merriam Webster online dictionary

Onelook Dictionary search

Online Slang Dictionary Real definitions for real slang words

The Phrontistery  Obscure and rare words (and where I found xenoglossia)

Richard Lederer’s Verbivore Page Carnivores eat meat; herbivores eat plants and vegetables; verbivores devour words

The Septic’s Companion: A British Slang Dictionary A-to-Zed dictionary of British Slang words and phrases

The Urban Dictionary Dictionary of slang words and phrases

Visual Thesaurus I­nteractive dictionary and thesaurus which creates word maps that blossom with meanings and branch to related words

Word Wizard Lists origins of English words or phrases, and English usage

Your Dictionary Online dictionary and thesaurus

Category: AtoZ Blogging Challenge 2013, authors, writing | 1 Comment »
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Posted By Sue Collier on April 27, 2013

Although the terms “wholesaler” and “distributor” are frequently used interchangeably (more about this here), there is a difference. Wholesalers have no sales reps; they simply fill your book orders and actually buy your book outright. Distributors work on a consignment basis, paying you for sales ninety days after they have been made.

Baker & Taylor is the country’s oldest and largest library wholesaler. B&T has over the last several years dramatically increased its sales to bookstores, as well. Corporate headquarters is located in Charlotte, North Carolina, and there are branches around the country as well as in in the UK. The wholesaler’s file system lists more than a million titles, CDs, and DVDs.

To get on its database, B&T requires a $125 fee to establish new vendors, and it aggressively courts small publishers. It’s the same treatment again as with distributors—stay in front of your contact. Keep sharing good reviews, letters, important media appearances, and so forth. Be aware, however, that B&T is “order driven.” That means it won’t start ordering from you on a stocking basis until it sees a swell of orders from libraries and bookstores.

There is another form of leverage you can use to encourage B&T to stock your book. The different centers will automatically trickle in mail orders for one, two, three books. These special orders are in response to requests from their customers. Audit these orders. When a center begins to place frequent tiny orders, you have marvelous ammunition to suggest that B&T regularly stock your book. The initial order will be from zero to one hundred copies—but bigger things may be just around the corner.

Just as KFC’s success attracted Boston Market and other contenders, there are more large book wholesalers. Headquartered outside of Nashville, Tennessee, Ingram is another huge wholesaler. Its forte is fast delivery of popular books to bookstores. As of BookExpo America 2001, however, Ingram announced it is no longer dealing directly with publishers of less than ten titles. The reason for this new business model in Ingram’s words is “to offer more accessible, economical, and effective options for their [small presses] publishing and distribution.” Many tiny independent presses have been negligent in doing publicity and creating consumer demand for their titles, thus suffering huge returns at Ingram’s hands.

For small presses with fewer than ten titles in print, Ingram recommends establishing a direct relationship with several companies listed on its website. For instance, Lightning Source, which provides a comprehensive package of print-on-demand and distribution services, is included. Also listed is  AtlasBooks Distribution, which markets and sells books to wholesalers, chains, independents, online retailers, and other retail markets.

Portions of this post were excerpted from The Complete Guide to Self-Publishing, 5^th Edition, by Marilyn Ross and Sue Collier. Published by Writer’s Digest Books, 2010.

Category: AtoZ Blogging Challenge 2013, distribution, wholesalers | 2 Comments »
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Posted By Sue Collier on April 26, 2013

Virtual author book tours

Virtual author book tours have grown in popularity in the past few years along with blogging and social media. They are an innovative way to promote your book “virtually.” Instead of physically trudging from city to city and bookstore to bookstore, authors can tour virtually through blogs and other websites—right from the comfort of their own home. You will probably have the most success with this method of book promotion if you are already an active blogger yourself.

Your first step in arranging a blog tour is selecting the blogs you’d like to target, which of course would be the most popular, influential blogs read by your book’s target audience. You may already have some possibilities in mind, but you should still take a look to see what else might be out there. Things in the blogosphere can change quickly, and you don’t want to miss out on a great opportunity. You will need to do your own research and sample blog content.

Ideally, you’ll want to schedule the tour shortly after your book is published or right around your book’s launch date, making as many virtual stops as possible.

Blog tours generally start with a description and excerpt of your book on the host blog before your appearance. Then you’ll “appear” on the blog, submitting a short commentary on the topic of your book, being interviewed by the host blogger, or having your book reviewed—thus opening the channels of discussion. For the next week or so (and possibly much longer, so be sure you are being notified of new comments), you’ll visit the blog to answer questions and comments from the audience.

Even if your book has been out for a while, you can still take advantage of this opportunity—especially if you can tie in your subject matter to current news, a calendar event, new study released, and so forth.

Category: AtoZ Blogging Challenge 2013, virtual author book tour | No Comments »
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Posted By Sue Collier on April 26, 2013

When I was thinking about my entry for “U” in the A to Z Blogging Challenge 2013 (and yes, I fell behind this week and I’m a bit late with a couple of these), I was initially stumped. Unit cost? Boring. UV coating? Not a whole post about it. So then I came across “unique selling proposition” and thought…a ha!

So what is the unique selling proposition of your book? It’s identifying what makes your book distinctive. It’s clearly picturing who is reading your book and why they are reading it. Your perfect audience, so to speak, as well as what it is that makes them your perfect audience. It is explaining the problem your book will solve and defining the promise to your audience to solve it.

I looked for information on the subject, and I came across an article by my colleague Susan Daffron. She had this to say:

Before I started writing and publishing my own books, I was a non-fiction editor for a lot of years. Whenever I was asked to “take a look” at a book project where the book author got “stuck,” it almost always came down to the same problem. The author was flailing around struggling to complete the book because he had no idea who would actually read it.

Susan suggests getting into the mindset of the reader. Which really brings us back to defining your audience and writing for them to solve their problem. Figure that out, and you should be on your way to a book that sets you apart from the crowd.

Category: AtoZ Blogging Challenge 2013, Unique selling proposition | 3 Comments »
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Posted By Sue Collier on April 23, 2013

You’ve got a fabulous book, but you’re stuck on the title. How do you motivate people to sip the sparkling prose of your pages? It’s a dilemma to be sure.

It usually works best to have a clear title over a catchy one. And ideally it should start with the two or three most relevant words, so when booksellers look it up on a database, they can immediately catch your drift. This will also help your book turn up more frequently in computer keyword searches.

When playing with titling, look at the power of numbers: 5 Ways to …, 7 Weeks to …, 21 Secrets for …, 101 Easy …, 307 Moneymaking Tips. It can go on and on. Studies show uneven numbers work best, by the way.

Another useful approach is to identify the three biggest problems your book solves. Become the reader and ask yourself, “What’s in it for me?” or, “Why should I care?” Then cast these solutions in punchy, benefit terminology. Promise how you will change the reader’s life.

You can also stimulate title ideas by checking magazine article titles to see what thought ticklers they provide. Also peruse the teaser phrases on magazine covers. Sometimes by substituting just a word, you have a grabber title. Look within your book itself for catchy phrases that might make a captivating title. Listen to songs and read poems to find a phrase you might turn. Toss around clichés and common sayings to see if a slight change of wording would yield an appealing title.

Start writing down ideas—every idea that comes to mind. Let your mind wander with all possibilities. Use a thesaurus to find synonyms for likely candidates. Check any fuzzy definitions. Cast out those with no possible application. String the remainder together in various combinations. You may end up with ten or twenty possibilities. All the better. (Note: Save all of them; they can probably be used for chapter headings or subheads.)

Next, do some preliminary market research. Big corporations spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to test people’s reactions. You can sample public opinion for free. Carry your list of suggested titles everywhere you go. Ask coworkers, relatives, neighbors, friends—even strangers—which they like best, and least, and why. Solicit the opinion of Facebook friends. Note their comments and suggestions.

As favored titles begin to emerge, play with them. See if by tossing two together you might mix in an appropriate subtitle.

And don’t forget the subtitle. There are two very good reasons. Books In Print and other important listing sources enter both the title and the subtitle, so you get more mileage out of your listing. It’s like getting a brief sales message free. It also gives you more opportunity to describe the book.

Category: AtoZ Blogging Challenge 2013, book title, nonfiction | 1 Comment »
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Posted By Sue Collier on April 22, 2013

If there is one area of self-publishing that seems to cause the most confusion it is what exactly constitutes self-publishing. In my mind, there is a very simple answer to that: You are the publisher.

Sounds simple, doesn’t it? For some reason, it isn’t.

Way back before the days of POD “self-publishing” (and note my quotes around that), there was a fairly clear-cut delineation between self-publishing and what was known as vanity or subsidy publishing. If you self-published, you started up a publishing company, purchased your own ISBN prefix, and became a publisher. You paid an editor and a designer to put your book together for you (or you did it yourself), then you sent the files to a book manufacturer, paid for the printing, and sold the books for a profit. If you went with a vanity or subsidy press, you paid a company to publish your book for you under their imprint, meaning you paid them not only to publish your book but you also paid them for books when you needed them. They paid a royalty of sales—of which there were seldom any (unless your family members bought some books)

Somehow in recent years, the lines between self-publishing and subsidy publishing have become blurred. Mostly because the subsidies realized there is a stigma attached to books published that route (generally with very good reason since they publish poorly edited, badly designed books that are priced too high to sell), so they started calling themselves “self-publishing” companies. Print on demand “self-publishing” enabled the lines to become even more blurred.

But there are differences.

Fact: If your own company is not the publisher, you have not self-published.

Fact: If you have “self-published” using another company’s imprint, you have not self-published.

Fact: If you have to purchase your own books from a “self-publishing” company, you have not self-published.

Fact: If you receive a “royalty” from a “self-publishing” company, you have not self-published.

Fact: POD refers to a printing process—print on demand. It does not describe a way of publishing.

I urge authors to educate themselves before they make a decision to sign on with a subsidy press. In most cases, authors can truly self-publish for the same amount of investment—and they don’t have the subsidy stigma attached to their book.

Category: AtoZ Blogging Challenge 2013, POD self-publishing, self-publishing, subsidy publishing, vanity publishing | 6 Comments »
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