Author: Kelly Schuknecht

Kelly Schuknecht is a marketer with a background in the publishing industry. She is passionate about all things related to books and loves helping authors navigate the world of social media for book promotion. She recently launched the course Marketing Your Book on TikTok.
Kelly Speaks

Two Paths to Becoming a Children’s Book Author

Do you dream of publishing a children’s book? Well, your dream can come true easier than you may have thought.  Here are two ways you can become a children’s book author whether or not you have the ability to create your own illustrations:

1. Do-It-Yourself

If you are extremely talented, you may choose to write and illustrate your own children’s book. This DIY option allows you to fully engage your creativity and bring the story in your head to life. However, do not attempt this route if you do not have the skill or talent to illustrate your own book. With children’s books, the pictures are just as important as (if not more important than) the words you’ve written. You do not want your story corrupted by amateur illustrations.

2. Get Some Help

If you have a great story for children, but are not able to do your own illustrations, you can simply write your story and hire an illustrator. While there is a cost to this option, you are guaranteed quality illustrations which you would not otherwise be able to produce on your own. You may choose to hire an illustrator you find online or through a friend.  Be sure to consider whether this will be a one-time cost to you or if you will need to share a portion of the royalties with your illustrator.  If you prefer royalty-free illustrations, check with your self-publishing company for their illustration options.

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

What is an ISBN?

ISBN stands for International Standard Book Number. Every book that is sold has a unique number known as an ISBN to help book purchasers identify it.  It is like a social security number for your book.

Books published as of January 1, 2007 have ISBNs that are 13 digits long. Prior to 2007, ISBNs were 10 digits long. While it is not necessary for all books to display an ISBN, most book stores only carry ISBN-bearing merchandise, so it is very important that your book has a printed ISBN.

While there is a method to how the ISBN is determined, it may not be necessary for every self-publishing author to understand this process. What is important to know is how to get an ISBN for your book. The exact steps vary depending on your publisher of choice, but sometimes the ISBN is simply included in your self publishing package. Check with your publishing company before you start publishing to make sure your book will have its own ISBN and that they will handle the details of this for you.  After all, that is a benefit of using a full-service self-publishing company!

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

Top 4 iPad Apps for Readers

The iPad is perfect for people who love to read! Whether you prefer books, magazines, or newspapers, there is an app for everybody. Here are five of my favorites.

Zinio

This app is perfect for readers who love magazines. The best part: Zinio subscriptions are often under $10 for an entire year.

Kindle

Amazon’s Kindle eBook reader for iPad has the largest library of titles. No matter what title you are looking for, you can probably find it using the Kindle app. If you buy a book, you’ll be able to read it on your iPhone, iPad, Kindle device, and other smartphones. Plus, WhisperSync lets you pick up right where you left off on another device.

Press Reader

If you are an avid newspaper reader, this app is for you! There are 1700 international papers in its library, so there is a newspaper for every interest.

Flipboard

Flipboard is a web reader that combines all the things that interest you. In one place, you can view social media articles and photos as well as relevant headlines and web content. A recent update has even added Google Reader support for RSS. This app is customizable and allows you to share your comments.

What are your favorite reading apps?

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

Houghton Mifflin Declares Bankruptcy

It is becoming more and more clear that the publishing industry is seeing a major shift from traditional publishing to POD publishing. Traditional book publishers are also facing pressure from the online availability of published material, including e-books. Houghton Mifflin declaring bankruptcy is one event that is illustrating this shift.

Houghton Mifflin is a textbook publisher who has been struggling for various reasons. This isn’t a tiny company who is suffering. With a history dating back to 1832, Houghton Mifflin’s products serve 60 million students in 120 countries. They also publish legendary classics such Curious George and Lord of the Rings.

Houghton Mifflin recently declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy to eliminate $3.1 billion in debt. The publisher plans to restructure the company in hopes to again become a profitable business.

Despite the struggles among traditional publishers, non-traditional publishers are thriving and that is great news for self-publishing authors.

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

POD is Fueling the Publishing Market

Bowker, the global leader in bibliographic information, recently released an annual report on book publishing, which shows just how much self publishing is fueling the publishing market.

While the report shows growth in the publishing industry, if you took self publishing out of the equation, the market would be relatively flat since 2010.  This shows that self publishing is not only a viable publishing option for authors, but it also suggests that self publishing companies and their titles are strongly influencing the publishing industry.

New publishing methods, such as POD, have the power to change the face of publishing and improve opportunities for authors. This is true for all genres, including both fiction and nonfiction.

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.