Kelly Schuknecht

Foreword Reviews is Hitting the Newsstands

ForeWord Reviews is a review service for readers, booksellers, book buyers, publishing insiders, and librarians. They have been serving the publishing industry for 15 years, and they recently announced that they will be hitting newsstands! They struck a deal with Barnes & Noble, so the publication will be available in the 350 stores throughout the country. This is exciting news for ForeWord Reviews as well as self-publishing authors and readers!

As a self-publishing author, book reviews are a great way to promote your book and improve your credibility. ForeWord Reviews is a trusted source for book reviews. Now that the publication will be available in Barnes & Noble, featured books will be exposed to an even larger audience. You can learn more about ForeWord Reviews at www.forewordreviews.com.

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.

Kelly Speaks, NaNoWriMo, Uncategorized

Top 5 NaNoWriMo Blog Posts

There are only a few days left in the NaNoWriMo challenge! I hope everyone is meeting their goals (even if your only goal is “I just want to write something by the end of the month!”) and, more importantly, enjoying their writing time. During NaNoWriMo, it is helpful to read stories and get advice from other people participating; that’s why I’m always looking for great blog posts about NaNoWriMo. Here are five of my recent favorites.

Stay Motivated – NaNoWriMo 10 Minute Writing Sprints

Sometimes it is difficult to find the motivation to sit and write for long periods of time. This is especially true as you get closer to the end of the challenge. I love this idea of 10 minute writing sprints to help you finish your novel and stick to your writing goals.

So You’ve Written a Book…

You may be wondering what you should do once you finish your novel. This is a great post that offers four things you shouldn’t do. I love the author’s advice on not rushing into the self-publishing process. While I obviously encourage authors to consider self-publishing, you don’t want to cut corners if you want to be taken seriously as an author. It is very important that you take time to polish your book and make decisions that will make your book and yourself more professional.

Quotes for Writers and Readers

This link isn’t actually a blog post. It is a pinterest board, but it is still a valuable resource for writers. This board is a great place to find a little inspiration or get a good laugh.

NaNoWriMo 2012 Week Three: Six Writers Each Pen a Book in One Month

It is always fun to hear about other authors’ writing experiences. This is a great post to read when you need some inspiration. If other people can complete the challenge, so can you.

Pep Talk from Ally Carter

This post discusses two types of writer’s block and how to handle them. It is a great read for anyone who is struggling with finishing their novel in the last week of NaNoWriMo.

I’d love to know, what is your favorite blog post about NaNoWriMo? Share below.

Kelly Speaks

4 Reasons to Be Thankful for Self Publishing

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! I hope you have a wonderful holiday as you celebrate all of the things in your life that you are thankful for. One of the things I am thankful for is self-publishing. The shift in the publishing industry from traditional publishing to print-on-demand has changed the lives of so many writers. Here are four reasons I am thankful for self-publishing this holiday season.

1. Freedom of Speech

Authors who submit to regular publishers are at the mercy of editors. The editors decide what types of books to publish based on what is most likely to sell to a large audience. With self-publishing, you, as the author, decide if and when your book is ready to be published. You don’t have to change your story or writing style to fit a mold. Just because a certain type of story, such as paranormal romance, is popular at the moment, doesn’t mean every author has to write for that audience

2. Quicker Timeline

Traditional publishing is very time-consuming. The author must do extensive research on publishers, agents and the market. Then the author must write query letters to the editors and/or agents. Some editors and agents don’t allow for simultaneous submissions, so the author can only submit one letter at a time. Once the letters are submitted, it can take several months to get a response from the editor. Even if an editor or agent accepts your manuscript, it can take over a year to see your book in print. Self publishing takes much less time. While authors still need to do research, they don’t have to wait for editors to accept their manuscript, and the publication process typically can take just a few weeks.

3. Control

If you choose to go the traditional publishing route, you have little control over your book once it is accepted by an editor. The publishing house will determine the artwork, cover design, and price point. They may even choose to change entire sections of your book. With self publishing, you get to control the entire process. You make all of the decisions.

4. More Profit

Traditional publishing houses pay a royalty for published books, and some publishers will pay a small advance. These royalties are typically very low and don’t generate much income for authors. With most self publishing companies (such as Outskirts Press), the author receives 100% of the profits. The profit is determined by the selling price and printing cost. Therefore, there is potential to earn more royalties from your self-published book.

These are just a few of the reasons I am thankful for self publishing. I’d love to know, what are you thankful for this Thanksgiving?

Kelly Speaks, NaNoWriMo

NaNoWriMo Check-In: Day 19

I can’t believe it has been almost a month since the NaNoWriMo Kick-Off Party I attended. I honestly wasn’t sure if I was even going to participate in NaNoWriMo until the night of that event. In October I had been kicking around the idea of using NaNoWriMo as an excuse to finish the non-fiction (gasp!) book I have been working on a long time, but I had read a comment on a blog post that was making me feel guilty about doing that.

This person suggested that “participating” in NaNoWriMo but using the time to work on a non-fiction book was cheating because that wasn’t the true purpose of NaNoWriMo. Although I don’t totally agree with this person, the guilt she instilled in me was enough to convince me that if I was going to partipicate, I needed to do it right. I personally wouldn’t be able to show off my non-fiction book at the end of the month and tout that I had finished it while participating in the National Novel Writing Month.

SIDE NOTE: However, I do personally believe that the true purpose of NaNoWriMo is to get people writing, so even if you’re not a “fiction writer,” you can participate in whatever way that means to you. In fact, my new writing friends at the Kick-Off Party told me about a NaNoWriMo forum just for rebels like me: http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nano-rebels. If I participate again next year, I just might go this route.

So, my new friends at the NaNoWriMo Kick-Off Party told me I could “cheat” if I wanted to, and they would still like me, but I was just so inspired by the writers I met that night that I decided I was going to write a novel! Some of them had participated in NaNoWriMo before and some were first-timers like me, but we were all in it together.

Fast forward to today – November 19th – and I now have 33,138 words on “paper”! My novel is almost 2/3 complete and I have made it my goal to always stay slightly ahead of the daily goal to give myself some room in case I get behind over the Thanksgiving holiday. Now there are 12 more days and I have 16,862 more words to go! I can do this!

Whether or not you are participating in NaNoWriMo, I’d love to know how you are doing so far with your writing goals this month.

Contests, Kelly Speaks

Self Publishing Author Contest: Reader Views Literary Book Award 2012

As a self-publishing author, it is important to constantly market your book and improve your credibility. One of the best ways to accomplish both of those tasks is entering your book into contests. Winning awards shows potential readers that your book is worthwhile and that you are a serious author, and it often results in great publicity as well. One of my favorite book award contests for self publishing authors is the Reader Views Literary Book Award. Here are all of the details.

What is the Reader Views Literary Book Award?

The annual literary awards were established to honor writers who self-published or who had their books published by a subsidy publisher, small press, university press, or independent book publisher. POD books are accepted.

Who is eligible?

Reader Views Literary Awards are open to all authors regardless of residency; however, the books must be published in the English language and targeted for the North American market. Works published by major book publishers are not eligible. Books must have a 2012 copyright date. Submission for more than one category or more than one title is acceptable. Books that have racist themes will be not be accepted.

Three finalists will be chosen in each fiction and non-fiction category. First and second place winners will be awarded in each category. Third place will receive an honorable mention. One finalist, the top score in each area, will be chosen in each regional and global category. Each winner will receive a certificate.

Finalists will be announced in Reader Views’ weekly e-mail newsletter on March 4, 2013 and the winners on March 25, 2013.

For more information, visit http://readerviews.com/Awards.html.

I’d love to know, have you entered your book into the Reader Views Literary Awards before or are you planning to do so this year? Tell us about it in the comments below.

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this: