Author: Jodee Thayer

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.

Jodee Speaks, Uncategorized

5 Self Publishing Mistakes You Can Avoid

Unfortunately, some people have a negative perception of self publishing. This is because some self publishing authors make detrimental mistakes that prevent their books from being taken seriously. If you want to be seen as a professional author with a successful book, be sure to avoid these five self publishing mistakes:

1)Doing the interior yourself – You’re a writer; not a book designer. Leave this task to the professionals and focus your time on writing and promoting your book.

2)Using a template cover – Most readers judge a book by its cover, so having an eye-catching, quality cover that professionally represents your book is essential. Most template covers will look and feel like a cookie cutter design, even if you make small changes to it. Invest in a professionally designed, dynamic custom cover unique to your book.

3)Editing the book yourself – No matter how great of a writer you are, you cannot edit your own work! It is too easy to miss mistakes because you are too familiar with your work. This task requires a professional. Pay for top-notch editing services – this means using a professional editor and not your sister-in-law or next door neighbor.

4)Skipping the back cover – Once you are ready to self publish your book, one of the first things you’ll be asked for is your back cover synopsis and author biography. Don’t just throw something together without much thought! Readers will look at this and determine whether or not they should buy your book.

5)Rushing – Sure, you are anxious to self publish your book, but don’t rush. Producing a quality book (one with a great cover and copyedited pages) takes time. Be patient now, and you will be glad you did once you have a book to be proud of.

There are many great self publishing success stories! You can be one of them by avoiding these mistakes.

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.

Jodee Speaks

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

Yesterday was Mother’s Day and many of you celebrated the kind, loving woman who raised you. But why limit celebrating your wonderful mother to just one day out of the year? Give your mom the gift of eternal praise by self publishing a book in her honor. Here are five reasons to self publish a book in honor of Mother’s Day.

1) Books last forever.

Mother’s Day only happens once a year. The flowers you bought her will soon wither, and the chocolates box will soon be empty. By dedicating a book to your mother, you are giving her a gift that will last forever.

2) You can share her with the world.

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

3) Write a special thank you.

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

4) Make her proud.

Mothers 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 mom will love showing off your book to all of her friends and acquaintances, as well as random strangers.

5) Don’t forget yourself.

If you are a mother, you owe it to yourself to make your dreams of becoming a self published author come true. Mothers often put everyone else’s needs before their own, which isn’t a bad thing, but every mom deserves to make her own dreams come true too.

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

Jodee Speaks, Uncategorized

How to Get Your Self Published Book Reviewed on Amazon

Book reviews are a great way to boost your sales and credibility because readers often turn to online reviews by their peers. Online book reviews are like virtual word of mouth marketing; they can significantly impact your self publishing success. People value other people’s recommendations, and Amazon is one of the most popular sources for online book reviews. Here is how to get your self published book reviewed on Amazon.

1) Identity online book reviewers.

Search online for book reviewers. Look for potential reviewers on Amazon’s Top Reviewers list, and try Googling the Amazon reviewer’s name, which will often point you toward their Facebook page or other contact information. Be sure to look for reviewers who review books similar to yours. You don’t want to spend time soliciting reviewers who won’t be interested in your book.

2) Contact reviewers.

Reach out to people who write book reviews and ask them to review your book. Be sure to send them a FREE copy. (It can be a digital version.) Do not send the book before the reviewer as responded and agreed to review your book.

3) Use your contacts.

Besides people who regularly review books for Amazon, you could ask other people to post a review. Consider asking family members, friends, colleagues, social media followers, etc. When using this approach, be sure to encourage people to be honest in their reviews. Readers don’t want to read generic reviews by family members and friends who feel obligated to say they like your book.

4) Value honesty.

Not every review is going to be positive. Welcome criticism and use it to improve. Readers will be suspicious if every review is positive. No book is loved by everyone, and readers appreciate genuine reviews.

According to Amazon, if you spend two or three days contacting about 300 potential Amazon reviewers, you can expect to receive about 40 to 50 responses, and wind up with perhaps 35 reviews, a quite satisfactory result. So start contacting reviewers today, and watch your book sales improve!

To learn more about Amazon book reviews, click here.

Jodee Speaks, Uncategorized

Celebrate Earth Day by Self Publishing an Ebook

In honor of Earth Day last week, many of you may be looking for ways to reduce your carbon footprint. We all know that resources are scarce, pollution is a growing problem, and we must change how we live if we want to keep our planet clean, beautiful, and healthy. But many people aren’t sure what they can do to help. Well, if you are a self publishing author, one of the things you can do is offer your readers an ebook. Here are a few reasons why self publishing an ebook is a great idea.

Obviously, ebooks equal paperless, and less paper equals more trees. More trees equal a healthier, more beautiful environment.
E-readers, such as the Kindle and Nook, are becoming increasingly popular, so more and more readers are looking for ebooks.
Offering an ebook increases the chance that your book will appear in search results, which increases the chance that readers will purchase your book.
Ebooks offer your readers a quick and convenient way to purchase your book. Today’s market wants to be able to make purchases by simply clicking a button, and unlike ordering a paperback book, readers don’t have to wait for the book to arrive in the mail.

If you are also going to offer a paperback or hardcover copy of your book, consider using recycled paper. Some self publishing companies, such as Outskirts Press, offer this option.

I’d love to know, how often do you read ebooks, and what format do you plan to self publish your book?

Jodee Speaks

Spring Clean Your Manuscript and See What Self-Publishing Dreams Bloom

Yesterday, April 21, was the first day of spring, a time of renewal and, perhaps, new beginnings. For some writers, spring is the perfect season to produce fresh works. For others, dusting off an old manuscript might be just the ticket.

If you have abandoned works rotting on the vine, don’t let them go to waste! Dig them out and see if a little spring cleaning is all they need. Follow these steps to freshen up your manuscript for spring self-publishing:

Awaken. It’s time to wake up and reassess that long-dormant manuscript. You may remember it as either utterly brilliant or complete rubbish (although I suspect if you considered it literary gold, you’d have self-published it by now). All writers feel one of those extremes about their own work just after completing it, and it’s almost never as good or bad as they think. Bring it out of deep freeze and give it one more chance.
Sow. Dig into each page like you’re reading it for the first time — and leave no stone unturned. Set aside whatever feelings or impressions you once had about your manuscript and look at it with fresh, new eyes. You’ll be much more objective about it now that time has passed. Pretend it’s someone else’s work, if that helps. You may find strokes of genius you didn’t recognize before.
Prune. Of course, along with unearthing forgotten brilliance, you’ll likely also find your fair share of thorny passages that inspire “What was I thinking?” moments. Time to yank the weeds and trim back “overgrowth” in your manuscript. Be merciless: This is one time when heavy spring pruning is OK.
Plant. Fill in the “bald patches” – elements of your story that require elaboration, such as further plot and character development. This is where you may choose to replant ugly, unhealthy portions that you pulled earlier.
Fertilize. Cultivate a plan to nurture those parts of your book that are weakest. Sprinkle it generously with notes about what changes you need to make as you review and review again; gradually, your writing and your overall story will grow more lush.
Cross-pollinate. Read the works of others. See a good movie, or listen to your favorite music. Exchange ideas with other writers. The idea is to borrow inspiration that will better inform your book.
Reap. Once all your efforts have born fruit in the form of a juicy new manuscript, take your product to market! There are surely plenty of readers who are hungry for what you have to offer.

Fresh eyes and a few good brainstorms may produce all the fertile ideas you need to turn that literary spring cleaning project into a sizzling summer read. Good luck!

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