5 Reasons to Self Publish a Book in Honor of Your Dad

June 17, 2013

Jodee Thayer Jodee Speaks, Uncategorized , Leave a comment

Yesterday was Father’s Day and many of you celebrated your childhood hero who helped you become who you are today. But why limit celebrating your wonderful father to just one day out of the year? Give him the gift of eternal praise by self publishing a book in his honor. Here are five reasons to self publish a book in honor of Father’s Day.

1) Books last forever.

Father’s Day only happens once a year, but a book is an eternal gift that keeps on giving.

2) Share him with the world.

If you have a fascinating story about your father, why not share it with the world by turning it into a book? There are many inspiring father out there, and readers would love to know their stories.

3) Write a special thank you.

Even if your book isn’t about your dad, you can still dedicate your book to him. In the beginning of your book, write a special note thanking your dad for everything he has done for you and tell him just how much he means to you.

4) Make him proud.

Fathers love to brag about their children, no matter how old they are, and being a self published author is definitely something to brag about. Your dad will love showing off your book to all of his friends and acquaintances, as well as random strangers.

5) Don’t forget yourself.

If you are a father, you owe it to yourself to make your dreams of becoming a self published author come true.

I’d love to know, do you plan to self publish a book in honor of your dad?

 

ABOUT JODEE THAYER: With over 20 years of experience in sales and management, Jodee Thayer works as the Manager of Author Services for Outskirts Press. The Author Services Department is composed of knowledgeable customer service reps and publishing consultants; together, they all focus on educating authors on the self-publishing process in order to help them publish the book of their dreams. Whether you are a professional looking to take your career to the next level with platform-driven non-fiction or a novelist seeking fame, fortune, and/or personal fulfillment, Jodee Thayer can put you on the right path.

Weekly Self Published Book Review: Flash Fiction, Flash Bangs: A Sparkling Array of Hundred-Word Short Stories

June 13, 2013

selfpublishingadvisor Self-Publishing Book Review of the Week , Leave a comment

Book reviews are a great way for self-publishing authors to gain exposure. After all, how can someone buy your book if he or she doesn’t know it exists? Paired with other elements of your book promotion strategy, requesting reviews is a great way to get people talking about what you’ve written.

When we read good reviews, we definitely like to share them. It gives the author a few (permanent) moments of fame and allows us to let the community know about a great book. Here’s this week’s book review by Midwest Book Review:

flash bangs

Flash Fiction, Flash Bangs: A Sparkling Array of Hundred-Word Short Stories

Andy Underwood

Publisher: Outskirts Press

ISBN: 9781432783488

Reviewer: William Phenn

“Flash Fiction, Flash Bangs” by Andy Underwood is a nice change of pace from the usual short story or chapbook. This hundred-page book of hundred-word stories is a pleasant read. What especially caught my attention was the fact that every one of the stories in the book actually did contain a hundred words, no more, no less.
Now you can say what you want about that but I assure you, from a writer’s point of view, that’s not an easy task. To do a hundred stories with exactly a hundred words and still make the story worth reading, takes talent, a talent that Andy clearly exhibits in the variety of stories he presents.
“Flash Fiction, Flash Bangs”  contains brief stories that will keep the reader entertained on a plane, bus or train. This little book is an eclectic collection of fiction stories that range from Sci-fi, Fantasy and intrigue to drama, humor, and relationships genres. It will keep your attention from one page to the next because the stories are not long enough to be boring. They are short, sweet and to the point.
I gave “Flash Fiction, Flash Bangs” by Andy Underwood a very high B on my rating scale and recommend it to the general audience. It has an appeal to everyone be they young or old. There is no caution for any explicit graphics or language and the stories are entertaining.

Weekly Self Published Book Review: Tears for Nanertak

June 6, 2013

selfpublishingadvisor Self-Publishing Book Review of the Week , Leave a comment

Book reviews are a great way for self-publishing authors to gain exposure. After all, how can someone buy your book if he or she doesn’t know it exists? Paired with other elements of your book promotion strategy, requesting reviews is a great way to get people talking about what you’ve written.

When we read good reviews, we definitely like to share them. It gives the author a few (permanent) moments of fame and allows us to let the community know about a great book. Here’s this week’s book review by Midwest Book Review:

Tears for Nanertak

Tears for Nanertak

Skip Hofstrand

Publisher: Outskirts Press

ISBN: 9781478720812

Review: Madeline McElroy

“Tears for Nanertak” by Skip Hofstrand is about a polar bear cub named Nanertak and his Mom Nanuck, who are forced to travel and move away from their home because of global warming. It wasn’t just them that had to leave; all the other animals had to leave too because of their homes melting. Some walked, some flew, and some swam. Nanuck’s tears went drip…drip…drip. They began a journey to the unknown territories. Nanuck and Nanertak stood on an iceberg watching it drip away. They soon had to swim; they tried to swim, but the lack of food there made them very weakened and they sank to the bottom of the sea. Suddenly, they were pulled up into the air through a net. They were then taken to the Arctic Zoo. It was cold and comfortable there, and Nanertak became best friends with the children.
I really enjoyed “Tears for Nanertak” by Skip Hofstrand for the water colors. If you enjoy fine art, you would enjoy this book; it is really excellent artwork. By the description of this book online, I was expecting a better story for ages 8 to 12. Perhaps it would be better for a younger audience.

Character Development Tips for Fiction Writers

June 5, 2013

Kelly Schuknecht Fiction, Kelly Speaks, NaNoWriMo, Writing , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Back in November 2012 I participated in NaNoWriMo.  As a first time fiction writer, one of the things I found the hardest was keeping character traits straight in my head. Did he have red or brown hair? Was he short or tall? As I was working through this problem, I developed some tricks to help me keep all those important character traits straight. Here are my favorites:

1. Let someone inspire you.

Even if you are writing fiction, you can use people in your real life as inspiration. Picture someone you know or see and base your character on that person. Not only is this a good way to generate ideas and help you remember your character descriptions, it is also a great way to ensure your characters are realistic because you will be describing someone you’ve actually seen or met.

2. Keep a list of character traits.

Even if you think you know your characters well, it is hard to remember all of the details once you are well into writing your book. To avoid messing up descriptions half way through the book, keep a list of all the character traits. You can format this however is most convenient for you. Perhaps create a table with headings such as physical characteristics and personality traits. The key is to keep the list updated and to review it often while you write and edit your book.

3. Plan ahead.

Some people let their characters develop as they write the story, but if remembering character traits is an issue for you, it may be beneficial to create your characters ahead of time. Before you begin writing, envision your characters. Imagine you are interviewing them and write down everything they would tell you and you would observe. What do they look like? Where do they live? What is their temperament? What are their motivators? Their fears? Their strengths? The more you figure out ahead of time, the easier it will be to write about them as they come into your story. Be sure to keep all this information in a safe, organized place that you can reference often.

4. Double and triple check your work.

As you write your book, your character may begin to take on a different personality than you expected or you may decide different characteristics are more suiting for certain characters. It is okay to change things, and you don’t have to be glued to your list of character traits as you write. You do, however, have to make sure everything is consistent before you self-publish your book. While you are revising your manuscript, read through it while focusing on character traits. You should also have at least one other person review your manuscript because he or she will often catch subtleties you missed.

5. Hire help.

If character traits is a struggle for you, a developmental editor may be able to help. Unlike copyeditors who review your manuscript for grammar and style issues, developmental editors look for consistency and structural elements such as character development and realistic dialogue. They can point out errors in your manuscript where you made mistakes and offer advice on improving your characters.

I’d love to know, what do you do to help you remember your characters’ traits?

ABOUT KELLY SCHUKNECHT: Kelly Schuknecht is the Vice President of Outskirts Press. In addition to her contributions to the Outskirts Press blog at blog.outskirtspress.com, Kelly and a group of talented marketing experts offer book marketing services, support, and products to not only published Outskirts Press authors, but to all authors and professionals who are interested in marketing their books and/or careers. Learn more about Kelly on her blog at
http://kellyschuknecht.com
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The Importance of a Compelling Back Cover Synopsis

June 3, 2013

Jodee Thayer Jodee Speaks, Uncategorized , , , Leave a comment

You’ve finally finished your self published book, and you can’t wait to share it with readers. But how do you convince them that your book is worth reading? One of the most powerful ways to lure in readers is the back cover synopsis.

Think about when you visit a bookstore. You might be searching in a particular genre or just browsing the entire store for something that catches your attention when the title or cover of a book peeks your interest. What do you do next? Most likely, you turn over the book and read the synopsis on the back cover. What is written there influences whether or not you purchase the book.

Now, think about when you are shopping for books online. You probably enter keywords in the search engine. A list of books pop up. The results are based on keywords found in the book’s title, the author’s name, and the product description. Again, a title or cover catch your attention. What do you do next?

You probably click on the book and read the description. This description is usually the same as the text that appears on the back cover of the book. Just like when you were shopping in a store, this text influences whether or not you decide to buy the book.

Just as you are influenced by the back cover synopsis when purchasing books, so are your readers. Therefore, it is essential that you take the time to write a compelling and professional back cover synopsis for your self published book. For more information on writing a great back cover synopsis, check out these posts:

Is Your Back Cover Copy Driving Away Potential Readers?

Five Tips for a Great Synopsis

Copywriting Services in Self-publishing

I’d love to know, how much does the back cover influence your book purchases?

ABOUT JODEE THAYER: With over 20 years of experience in sales and management, Jodee Thayer works as the Manager of Author Services for Outskirts Press. The Author Services Department is composed of knowledgeable customer service reps and publishing consultants; together, they all focus on educating authors on the self-publishing process in order to help them publish the book of their dreams. Whether you are a professional looking to take your career to the next level with platform-driven non-fiction or a novelist seeking fame, fortune, and/or personal fulfillment, Jodee Thayer can put you on the right path.

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