Self-Publishing Resources

Posted By Sue Collier on May 14, 2012

Here’s some of the latest in industry news and views:

From Book Marketing Today: How Much Is an Email Newsletter Worth?
How much is an email newsletter worth? Letter.ly lets you build an email newsletter and decide if you want to charge readers for the newsletter subscription.

From Autho Publisher: How Self-Publishing Makes Writers Much More than Authors
It used to be true that most authors who went the self-publishing route did so because they had nothing but a pile of rejection letters to show for months — or even years — of work. While that is still true in some cases, many authors are taking on do – it – yourself publishing for other reasons, such as the potential for more profits or to maintain control of the creative process.

From Slate: What Will Become of the Paper Book?
The change has come more slowly to books than it came to music or to business correspondence, but by now it feels inevitable. The digital era is upon us. The Twilights and Freedoms of 2025 will be consumed primarily as e-books. In many ways, this is good news. Books will become cheaper and more easily accessible.

From Huff Post: How to Increase Your Newsletter Visibility by 100%
Newsletters are a great way to stay in front of your audience, but I’m amazed by how many people still have no idea how to manage their own newsletter. I see sloppy copy or newsletters that haven’t been edited (am I really going to buy from someone who doesn’t have the time to edit their newsletter or make it look nice?).

From Self-Pusblishing Resources: 13 Book Promotions Tips for Independent Publishers

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Posted By Sue Collier on May 6, 2012

Here’s some of the latest in industry news and views:

From IBPA: How to Subdue the Procrastination Beast
One of my all-time favorite New Yorker cartoons features a businessman standing behind his desk. He’s holding a phone to his ear, and the caption reads, “No, Tuesday’s no good for me. How about never, is never good for you?”

From Judy Cullins: The One Safe Prediction – 8 Guesses About Publishing in 5 Years
The one safe prediction you can make about the future is that you can’t predict it. Anyway, here goes: the three keys to the future of publishing in the next five years are mobile devices, social media, and self-publishing.

From Shelf Awareness: Target Drops Amazon Kindle Line
Target plans to stop selling Amazon Kindle e-readers and tablets, and has already removed the products from its website. The Verge reported that an internal Target memo said “the company will be removing Amazon hardware from its locations starting this month. Certain accessories will remain in stock, but shipments of Kindles themselves will cease as of May 13.”

From Book Baby: Pinterest for Authors: How to Promote Your Writing on the Fastest Growing Website Ever
Pinterest– isn’t that a website for travel planners, lovers of delectables, and vintage-clothing aficionados? Well, yes; but many authors are finding creative ways to promote their books using the social scrapbooking site too.

From The Bottom Line: Microsoft’s Nook deal is a real ‘game-changer’
The idea of going into a bookstore and walking out with a tablet or other device might sound contradictory, but it could be the future for Barnes & Noble (BKS).

From Amanda Hocking’s Blog: How Am I Doing Now?
As I was self-publishing, I was always very transparent about what was happening, and I’ve tried to maintain that even with going with traditional publishing. I don’t want to talk about more industry stuff all the time, because I think it can get boring and redundant and readers don’t necessarily care about sales.

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Posted By Sue Collier on May 3, 2012

1. Marketing begins the minute you get the book idea or decide to write a manuscript.
2. Be aggressive about prepublication marketing to generate working capital.
3. Forge strategic alliances with others who are already reaching your customer base.
4. Write all promotional materials from a benefit standpoint.
5. Avoid advertising, except to tightly focused target markets or in trade publications.
6. Position your books so they have a unique selling proposition (USP); separate them from the herd.
7. Focus your promotions efforts more on special sales and online marketing and less on bookstores.
8. Strive for publicity off the book review pages: aim at lifestyle, business, sports sections, and so forth.
9. Sell signed copies of your books on eBay; offer a premium along with it (a free gift or even a free phone call from you to talk about the book).
10. Ensure your online presence encompasses at least four options, including a website, a blog, a Facebook page, and a Twitter account.
11. Make sure you have a way of capturing email addresses on your website (or blog).
12. Hold a Twitter contest.
13. Never stop promoting; do something every day as long as you want to sell your book.

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Posted By Sue Collier on April 29, 2012

Here’s some of the latest in industry news and views:

From the Publetariat: The Gang That Couldn’t Shoot Straight: How Apple and 5 Big Publishers Almost Got Away with a Massive Price-Fixing Conspiracy to Try to Turn Back the Kindle Revolution, and What It Will Mean for Readers, Authors, and Publishers Going Forward
With most of the books that I have published about the Kindle, I am well aware that readers want to charge up their Kindle, turn it on, download some books, and start reading. The purpose of my books is usually to make the experience richer by sharing information about how to get most out of the Kindle and how to find the best books at the best prices.

From Nathan Bransford: The Top 5 Social Media Blunders You Shouldn’t Make
Social media is as much art as science, but there are some mistakes you just shouldn’t make. Here are five.

From Jane Friedman: 3 Horrible Mistruths About Social Media That Drive Me Insane
This post really needs no introduction. Let’s just get to the rant, in my favored numbered list format. “Who cares what you had for lunch?” Seriously? Your excuse for hating social media is that people talk about what they’re eating?

From The Wall Street Journal: Keeping the ‘Noraholics’ Happy
Romance writer Nora Roberts didn’t bother to celebrate when she finished her 200th book, “The Witness.” “I don’t really count,” says Ms. Roberts, a 61-year-old grandmother with red hair and a gravelly smoker’s voice.

From Jackie Collins: On my decision to self-publish…
If you pay attention to book publishing news and blogs, then you probably already know I’ve decided to try my hand at self-publishing by re-writing and releasing a NEW version of my book The Bitch.

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Posted By Sue Collier on April 23, 2012

Here’s some of the latest in industry news and views:

From HuffPost Books: Why You Can’t Find Indies In Bookstores
Just a few years ago, readers paid little attention to books published by independent (indie) authors. Self-published books were considered second rate, not worth the investment of hard-earned cash.

From Jane Friedman: Writing & Publishing Terminology 101
Today I’m revisiting a few of the basics of getting published. (There are always people new to the writing and publishing community who need the info!) If you like this post, definitely check out Start Here: How to Get Your Book Published.

From Authority Publishing: What to Include in the Author Bio for Your Book
When writing a book, there are two potential places to include your author bio: the back cover of the book and the last page(s) of the book. Some authors choose one or the other, though I recommend taking advantage of both. The back cover bio is a chance to impress a potential reader, while the inside bio is often the last impression made on a reader. Both are powerful and worthwhile.

From Publishers Weekly: Book Sales Fell 9% at Books-A-Million in 2011
Sales of books and magazines fell 9.2% at Books-A-Million, to $345 million, in the fiscal year ended January 28, according to figures in BAM’s 10-k filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. Earlier this year, the country’s second largest bookstore chain reported a 3.6% decline in total revenue and the drop in book and magazine sales was offset by gains in all other categories.

From 9News.com: Columbine victim’s father walks in ‘Daniel’s Shoes’
ARAPAHOE COUNTY – In a memorial built for the public to honor 12 children and a teacher, Tom Mauser has a personal spot just beyond the trees.  “The anniversary is always difficult,” he said.

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Posted By Sue Collier on April 15, 2012

Here’s some of the latest in industry news and views:

From The New York Times: Cut in E-Book Pricing by Amazon Is Set to Shake Rivals
The government’s decision to pursue major publishers on antitrust charges has put the Internet retailer Amazon in a powerful position: the nation’s largest bookseller may now get to decide how much an e-book will cost, and the book world is quaking over the potential consequences.

From Rachelle Gardner: Being Authentic While Protecting Privacy
As a non-fiction author, I tend to air my dirty laundry. After all, it’s my choice whether or not to share personal information with the public, isn’t it? Enter my husband. Does the spouse of an extrovert writer have a say in what gets published? I happen to be married to a very private person. When I told him I was going to write a book about my journey as a working mother, he looked me straight in the eye and said, “Please leave me out!”

From GalleyCat: Most Frequently Challenged Library Books of 2011
The American Library Association (ALA) has released its annual list of the most frequently challenged library books of the year. We’ve linked to free samples of all the books on the list–follow the links below to read these controversial books yourself.

From Judy Cullins: How to Write a Great Book Introduction in 5 Steps
Why write an introduction? Nobody reads it anyhow. And do you know why? Authors get windy and “I” centered in their long introductions. They think their readers will love their journey. Maybe, but maybe boring.

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Posted By Sue Collier on April 13, 2012

This is part of a continuing series based on the forthcoming Jump Start Your Book Sales, 2^nd Edition, by Marilyn Ross and Sue Collier. The book is scheduled for publication in fall 2012.

As the world of publishing becomes more and more competitive, smart authors and publishers start thinking “marketing” when they first begin a book project. Sound strange? Not really. There things you can include as you create and shape the manuscript that will furnish additional clout when it comes time to sell that book. There are also things you may want to omit (this will be discussed in subsequent posts).

Adding chapters to your book for greater diversity

The more promotional angles you provide for a book, the more sales will sizzle instead of fizzle. You widen the book’s appeal by thinking through your topic and slanting parts of it to different target audiences. One reason this is a shrewd approach is that magazines and newspapers often buy what are called serial or excerpt rights. That means they purchase a small portion of your book to run in their publication. And even though the overall thrust of your message might not be applicable, they may be encouraged to find a section, chapter, quiz, or list of tips that appeals to their particular readers. Such exposure can be crucial in bringing your title to the attention of hundreds of thousands of extra people and stimulating word-of-mouth sales.

Let’s suppose you have a book on alcoholism. Have you included a chapter on teenage alcoholics? This will open a whole new niche for marketing the book to schools, professional counselors, even progressive churches. What about a chapter for the mate of an alcoholic? Adding such information could turn a book that has no appeal to women’s magazines into one they would consider reviewing or excerpting.

Maybe your title is The Second Time Around. Besides the usual focus on how to meet someone and develop a good relationship, probe deeper. How about a chapter on dealing harmoniously with ex-spouses? How about adding advice on visiting arrangements for grandparents when normal family ties no longer exist? Such information may be just the hook you need to interest AARP the Magazine or one of the host of other publications slanted to the grandparenting crowd. Wouldn’t a section on handling hostile stepchildren be useful to many?

Look for ways to give your book more universal appeal. Until recently, there was no book on how to produce, package, and market cassette tapes. Let’s pretend we’re doing one. When developing the Table of Contents, think about the kinds of people who might use such a book. Publishers to be sure. But what about a separate chapter for aspiring musicians? And how about specific sections for ministers—speakers—trainers—authors—sales managers—politicians—even meeting planners who are often responsible for making arrangements to tape conventions? Thus a book that might appeal only to one major market is expanded to many potential outlets.

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Posted By Sue Collier on April 12, 2012

This is part of a continuing series based on the forthcoming Jump Start Your Book Sales, 2^nd Edition, by Marilyn Ross and Sue Collier. The book is scheduled for publication in fall 2012.

As the world of publishing becomes more and more competitive, smart authors and publishers start thinking “marketing” when they first begin a book project. Sound strange? Not really. There things you can include as you create and shape the manuscript that will furnish additional clout when it comes time to sell that book. There are also things you may want to omit (this will be discussed in subsequent posts).

Determining your USP

Every product—from soap to refrigerators to cars—has a unique selling proposition, or USP. Books need this differentiating element too. Some people call it “positioning.” It takes something common and makes it uncommon. So how do you make your books better, more unusual than the competition’s?

You need to know the competition. Authors tell me almost daily, “There’s no other book like this.” Chances are, that is not the case. They just don’t know about the other books because they haven’t done their homework. Stopping by a big chain store and checking the shelves for similar works is not the way you determine what else is available. That store, no matter how huge, only carries a fraction of all the books available.

Here’s how to really check out the competition: First, go online to www.amazon.com and bring up your subject area. Then study the information on the books that come up and note which ones you want to investigate further. Second, go to an independent bookstore. Chat with the owner or buyer about your project and ask their opinion for recommendations on the topic and why those books are good. Buy them. Devour them.

Third, contact your local library and find out if they have a subscription to the New Books in Print ® (launched in February 2011, it replaces all other Books in Print versions). If so, you should be able to log on for free as a patron to study relevant subjects. Check out the 10 top books you want to peruse. You can ask for an interlibrary loan to obtain those not readily available.

Once you know the good books out there, you’re ready to determine how to tempt people to review, purchase, and read yours. After you’ve identified their strengths and weaknesses, you can position your book to outshine their weaknesses. Will you make yours shorter? Funnier? More complete? Will you add illustrations? Quizzes and checklists? Take a different approach?

That’s what the authors of What to Expect When You’re Expecting did. There were scores of guides on preparing for baby when they were writing their book. They added a new twist: taking readers through the process month by month. Did it work? That book has sold more than 14.5 million copies, has led to three companion volumes that are also racking up huge sales numbers—and there is even a movie coming out in May 2012.

Whatever you do, give your all. If you make the quality and research of your book a prime concern, then you’ll have a superior product to promote. Love your readers and make a passionate commitment to them. Tell your readers everything you know on the subject. And stretch yourself to learn more. By making content king you turn up the juice and blast out of the gate at a run instead of at a trot.

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Posted By Sue Collier on April 8, 2012

Here’s some of the latest in industry news and views:

From HuffPost Books: Are eBooks Too Cheap?: Indie Authors Question 99 Cent Price
There’s a lot of controversy circulating throughout the publishing industry about the pricing of ebooks, and it’s a significant topic that warrants discussion. Independent authors are rallying around the controversial 99-cent price point. Some authors feel the 99-cent price point devalues their hard work, while others feel that readers will not take a chance on new authors at a higher price point. To further complicate the matter, it’s not just new authors that are using the 99-cent strategy, and the issue doesn’t only affect independent authors, but publishing houses and agents as well.

From Writer Beware Blogs: Guest Blog Post: Why Small Publishers Fail
I’ve used up a lot of column space on this blog warning about the risks of submitting to small presses, especially brand new small presses. In my opinion, this is currently the most dangerous area for writers–not so much because there are a lot of scams (though there are quite a few) but because so many small presses are undercapitalized, run by inexperienced people, have deluded goals and aspirations, or all three.

From Publishers Weekly: Kindle Owners’ Lending Library Title Count Tops 100,000
Amazon said there are now over 100,000 titles available through its Kindle Owners’ Lending Library and that, during the month of March, each time a title was borrowed from the program, the author received $2.18. Citing the example of author Martin Crosbie, Amazon said that, for his novel My Temporary Life, “he earned over $45,000 in one month from paid sales and loans combined–a huge increase from the $100 he earned the prior two months when his book was not enrolled in the program.”

From PRWeb: Introducing iWriteReadRate.com – A New Open Community for Writers and Readers of Fiction
iWriteReadRate.com is an open community for writers and readers of fiction. Harnessing the power of ebooks, the objective is to support writers – making what becomes a successful story or novel more democratic, more personal and more social. iWriteReadRate is also here to help readers discover great new writers and stories.

From Maureen Johnson: SO I READ A PIECE IN THE NEW YORK TIMES
… .so I read this piece in the New York Times about parents who publish their kids’ books. As an author and a person who likes the internet and new media things, this sort of thing interests me a lot. But I did get a strange, queasy feeling about it that I wanted to parse a bit. Let me say a few things off the top.

From CNN: E-books spur reading among Americans, survey shows
E-books aren’t just becoming increasingly popular. They also appear to be promoting reading habits among American adults. So says new research from the Pew Internet and American Life Project, which states that about one-fifth of U.S. adults have read an e-book in the past year.

From GalleyCat: Pinterest Is Third Most Popular Social Network in America
Pinterest is now the third most popular social network in the United States, competing with Facebook and Twitter after some amazing growth. Writers and publishers should pay attention to this new network. Check out our Pinterest Tips for Writers post for guidance. To give you some inspiration, we’ve collected some inspiring literary Pinterest boards below–ranging from book-related nonprofits to scenery inspiration to book club ideas.

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Posted By Sue Collier on March 25, 2012

Here’s some of the latest in industry news and views:

From Jane Friedman: How to Get Media Coverage for Your Book
Today’s guest post is by Ken Brosky. I asked him to share his experience because many authors have made the same mistake he has. Plus, his advice on how to do things right is spot on.

From OnlineCollege: 20 Incredibly Rare Author Interviews Unearthed
Readers often love to see into the minds of the authors who have penned their favorite books, but sometimes, doing so is next to impossible. There are a variety of reasons why it might be difficult to track down an author interview: the writers in question only offered interviews along the same general frequency as Halley’s Comet, or they typically pop up in different media, or some even lose the footage over time.

From Jane Friedman: What Is an Author’s Marketing Responsibility With a Traditional Publisher?
It is a pleasure to share this interview with two authors who are also marketing geniuses, Avery Monsen (@averymonsen) and Jory John (@joryjohn). A couple years ago they authored a brilliant illustrated book with Chronicle, All My Friends Are Dead, which became an online sensation and breakout bestseller with more than 100,000 copies sold. This year, the sequel released: All My Friends Are Still Dead.

From HuffPost Books: Amazon: To KDP Select, Or Not?
There’s no question that Amazon has changed the publishing industry by making it easy for anyone with a book in their head to easily and quickly publish it and make it for sale almost overnight without the gatekeepers of big publishing getting in the way. It’s also true that with Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing “Select” program, they’ve take the first steps to hammering the nail in the traditional publishing model.

From Digital Book World: Amazon Updates Kindle App for Android
The new Kindle app for Android now supports KF8, Amazon’s proprietary e-book format that is much like EPUB3. Digital Book Wire received the following note from an Amazon press representative detailing that Amazon has updated its Kindle app for Android: I wanted to let you know that Amazon just updated Kindle for Android.  The update brings access to illustrated children’s books, comic books, and graphic novels with full color and beautiful illustrations. You can access over 1000 children’s titles such as Brown Bear and Curious George along with popular comics including Batman, Superman and many more.

From The Los Angeles Times: Self-publishing for the 1%
Got a story to tell? Got piles of cash? There’s a new self-publishing service just for you. Venture Press will help you make a book. It provides hands-on custom service: It will set you up with a ghostwriter and designers for the cover and layout. The company acknowledges that creating a book isn’t easy: “It’s an enormous challenge,” according to its website, “requiring hours of concentration and hard work in front of a computer screen, followed by the arduous task of turning your words into an actual book.”

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