Kelly Schuknecht

Top 5 NaNoWriMo Blog Posts Every Self Publishing Author Should Read

You may have noticed that we’ve been talking a lot about NaNoWriMo lately, but we aren’t the only ones buzzing about this exciting annual writing challenge. Here are five inspiring blog posts about NaNoWriMo that every self-publishing author should read:

NaNoWriMo: Plot It or Pants It? : While I recently recommended spending the month before NaNoWriMo brainstorming and outlining your manuscript, there are many authors who struggle to decide if planning is the best approach for them. In this post, the blogger talks about her prior experiences with NaNoWriMo as well as her plans for this year. It is always helpful to hear about other authors’ writing experiences and preferences.
NaNoWriMo by Insane and Uncontrolled: As an author who has participated in NaNoWriMo before, this blogger offers great insight on some of the do’s and don’ts of NaNoWriMo. My favorite tip is to buddy up. It really is important to have people who will support you during this process.
“We’re going to do WHAT?”: How NaNoWriMo Has Changed the Lives of Over 700 of My Students: When most people think of NaNoWriMo, they think of adults trying to finish the books that have been playing in their heads for months or years, but adults aren’t the only people participating in NaNoWriMo. This great post tells the story of over 700 high school students who took part in the challenge.
How NanoWriMo Inspired Me to Start Writing Again: Although this blogger has decided not to participate in NanoWriMo, she shares how the challenge has inspired her to set a different writing goal. If you decide not to commit to the NanoWriMo program, you can still find ways to complete your manuscript.
90+ Published Novels Began as NaNoWriMo Projects: Just the title of this blog post would entice writers to head over to the NaNoWriMo website to sign up. The proof is in the numbers. Previous participates have been successful, and so can you. All you have to do is try.

Have you recently found (or written) a great blog post about NaNoWriMo? Share it below.

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

Join National Novel Writing Month: The Perfect Challenge for Self Publishing Authors

Earlier this week, Wendy introduced you to NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month), which takes place between November 1 and November 30. In case you missed the post, let me catch you up: NaNoWriMo is a program that challenges you write a 50,000 word novel in one month. Yes, one month! This challenge is perfect for self publishing authors who need an extra push to help bring their book idea to life. Here is how you can become a part of this exciting writing challenge.

1) Visit NaNoWriMo.org to sign up. The site features easy to follow directions, so you should have no trouble setting up your account.

2) Once you are signed up, login to your account and share some information about yourself and your novel.

3) Take advantage of all the resources available. There are some great articles and forums featuring information and stories about writing a novel.

4) On November 1, start writing your novel. Think about it – 50,000 words in 30 days. That’s under 2,000 words per day (roughly 3-4 pages per day). You can do that, right?

5) Once you complete the novel, upload it to the website for verification. By doing so, you will be added to the Winner’s Page and receive a handsome winner’s certificate and web badge.

6) Enjoy that feeling of accomplishment and pride. You did it!

So, what are you waiting for? Sign up for NaNoWriMo today! Then come back and post comments below to let us know how it’s going.

Kelly Speaks, Publishing Trends

Important Book Trends for Self Publishing Authors to Know

As a self-publishing author, it is important that you stay up-to-date on current and anticipated trends in the publishing world. This information will help you make important decisions such as how to market your book, what formats to offer, who your target market should be, and more. The 2012 U.S. Book Consumer Demographics and Buying Behaviors Annual Review recently released some interesting information that may impact your decisions as a self-publishing author. Here are the details.

Generation Y, those born between 1979 and 1989, spent the most money on books in 2011. Previously, Baby Boomers had the book buying lead.
With 43 percent of GenY’s purchases going to online channels, they are adding momentum to the industry shift to digital.
By the fourth quarter of 2011, online retailers’ share of unit purchases had risen to 39 percent, up from 31 percent at the close of 2010. Conversely, chains’ share fell to 30 percent in the fourth quarter of 2011 from 36 percent in the final period of 2010.
E-book consumption, which rose from 4 percent of unit sales in 2010 to 14 percent in 2011, continued to grow.
Among major subgenres, e-books had the most impact in the Mystery/Detective category, accounting for 17 percent of spending; followed by Romance and Science Fiction, where the format accounted for 15 percent of dollars spent.
Fifty-seven percent of book spending in 2011 came from households earning more than $50,000 annually, up from 54 percent in 2010.
There was a slight dip in women’s lead in book buying. Though still a more powerful spending group than men, women’s share of unit purchases declined to 62 percent from 65 percent in 2010 and their share of spending dropped to 55 percent from 58 percent in 2010.

According to Kelly Gallagher, vice-president of Bowker Market Research, “Consumers can now very easily purchase virtually any book they want, whenever they want it and get it at a competitive price. It’s more essential than ever before to understand who is buying and what their expectations and habits are.”

As a self-publishing author, it is important for you to understand your target market and base your marketing plan on their expectations and habits. For instance, if your readers are buying e-books, make sure you offer a digital version of your book.

I’d love to know, how are you using book publishing trends to help create your book marketing strategy?

Kelly Speaks, Kindle

Three Ways to Find Free and Low-Priced Books to Read on Your Kindle

One of my favorite things about reading books on my Kindle is finding free and low-priced books. As a book lover, my reading habit can get pretty costly, but these three awesome lists save me tons of money and help me find new books to read. To take advantage of all the free and low-priced books available on your Kindle, check out these three great lists on a regular basis as they are updated frequently.

Amazon’s Top 100 Free Kindle Books – This list is great because it is updated all the time, and it is based on what readers are actually downloading.

Amazon’s 100 Kindle Books for $3.99 or Less – While these books aren’t free, you still can’t beat the price! Most paper versions will cost you at least $10 to $15.

Amazon’s Kindle Daily Deal – Each day this list features amazing deals on Kindle books. When I was researching this post, I found a book for 88% off! It was originally $16.99, but for one day only you could get it for $1.99.

As you can tell by the number of available Kindle books, e-book reading devices are becoming extremely popular, and Kindle books aren’t limited to Kindle owners. Even iPad users can take advantage of the great prices on Amazon by downloading the free Kindle app for iPad. More and more people are choosing to read books on some kind of e-book reading device, and more and more self-publishing authors are realizing that offering a Kindle version of their books can help increase their overall royalties. If you are self-publishing a book, you must consider offering your book in Kindle format. By offering both hardcopy and electronic editions, you can increase the exposure for your book and reach a larger audience. This will ultimately result in greater sales potential for your book.

I’d love to know, do you plan to offer your book in Kindle format?

Kelly Speaks, Kindle

The New Kindle Fire: The Next Hottest Thing in Publishing

In just two days (on September 14, 2012), the new Kindle Fire will be released. This handheld device will change the way people read and the way authors publish books. Here are a few of the details.

40% faster performance, twice the memory, longer battery life
Perfect portability – thin, light, and durable
Over 22 million movies, TV shows, songs, magazines, books, audiobooks, and
popular apps and games
Ultra-fast web browsing over built-in Wi-Fi
Free unlimited cloud storage for all your Amazon content
Kindle FreeTime – a personalized tablet experience just for kids. Set
daily screen limits, and give access to appropriate content for each child. Free
on every Kindle Fire.
Kindle Owners’ Lending Library – Kindle owners can choose from more than 180,000
books to borrow for free with no due dates, including over 100 current and
former New York Times best sellers and all seven Harry Potter books.
No Set-up Required
Read-to-Me — With Text-to-Speech, Kindle Fire can read English-language content out loud to you, when available from the publisher.
1-Click Shopping

Readers are sure to love the convenience and upgraded technology offered by the Kindle Fire. Thanks to Kindle FreeTime, even children will be able to enjoy the hot , new device.

E-readers are already changing the way consumers buy and read books, and they are becoming increasingly popular. It is important that self-published authors offer a Kindle version of their books to meet the needs of readers who prefer using e-readers. By offering both a print and electronic version of your book, you can target a larger market and reach more customers. This will ultimately lead to more sales.

To learn more about the Kindle Fire, click here.

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