Author: selfpublishingadvisor

Self-Publishing Book Review of the Week, Uncategorized, weekly self published book review

Weekend Book Review: “The Other Side Continent”

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, courtesy of Midwest Book Review:

the other side continent michail vavarousis

The Other Side Continent

by Michail Varvarousis

Publisher: Outskirts Press

ISBN: 9781478772408

Synopsis*:

A book that under a logical procedure examines the case of ancient sea voyages on the world’s great oceans, including all those components that give light to an ancient effort to explore the Atlantic Ocean and probably even the American continent. A 20 year’s effort researching ancient texts, maps, visiting libraries, archaeological sites, discussing with different kind of specialists (archaeologists, traditional shipbuilders, sailors with experience in ocean voyages), studying some of the ancient astronomical mechanisms, and living by the spirit of sailing in the open sea. The book includes 133 photographs, drawings and watercolor paintings that help illustrate the results of this study.

 * courtesy of Amazon.com

Critique:

Profusely illustrated throughout with 133 photographs, drawings, and watercolor painting illustrating how seafarers lived and works, and how their ships looked and functioned, “The Other Side Continent” is a compilation of the incredible histories and mythologies of ancient voyages of exploration. Michail Varvarousis has supplemented his own study of primary sources by interviewing archaeologists, traditional shipbuilders, and sailors with experience in ocean voyages and ocean weather conditions, and himself sailing the open sea, many times pushing his boat and crew to the limits to better understand what those explorers of yesteryear experienced.

Exceptionally well written, organized and presented, “The Other Side Continent” is an impressively informed and informative study that is very highly recommended, especially for community and academic library collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of students and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that “The Other Side Continent” is also available in a Kindle format ($9.00).

[ reviewed on the World History Shelf of Midwest Book Review ]

Here’s what some other reviewers are saying:

The author tries to research the possibility of Transatlantic crossing during the Pre-Columbian era focusing in Minoan, Pre-Minoan and Cycladic periods. In his enterprising work he gleans clues from ancient Greek and Egyptian literature and makes a diligent study based on a variety of well documented archaeological findings from Minoan and Cycladic civilization, along with philosophical references, historic documents and maps mainly from Classical antiquity and Medieval period. A 20 years delving into rare bibliographic references along with data collected through several contacts with archaeological authorities and field based research, resulted in a very comprehensive and intuitive study. To my knowledge there is no similar research until recently so this book could fill the gap for such a kind of textbook. On the other hand it could be approached as a popular reading. Dates used sparingly mainly on documentation purpose, figures and shapes are of very good quality, carefully and aptly selected.

Conclusively it is a very interesting work that does not aim only at history affiliates but at anyone who is interested in a pretty controversial and not very adequately enough investigated topic.

– Amazon Reviewer TSACHALIS THEODORE

Let me first say that I get many requests for reviews daily and I politely say no. To agree to write a review of this book was a first for me.

This book is FASCINATING! This book is not just for ancient history buffs. It is for history class slackers like me. As a chemistry major, I barely paid attention in history class. All I remember is a map of the ancient world that had a notation where the Atlantic Ocean was, with the words “Beyond here, there be dragons!” For those who still believe Christopher Columbus discovered the “new world”, this is also for you.

This author, a Greek physician, has spent 20 years compiling information, visiting ancient lands, and talking to scholars to amass this treasure trove of information on ancient maritime history. I was reintroduced to Homer and others who wrote of the exploration of the Atlantic. I was unaware of the religious beliefs of the time that inspired, no, compelled the explorers to seek answers to what lay beyond the horizon where the sun went every evening.

The pictures and maps are likewise fascinating, showing details of the world as the ancients understood it to be. Also amazing, are the pictures of the boats, engineering marvels for their time, that took the explorers into the unknown.

Spoiler alert: Very ancient civilizations discovered the continent on the other side of the Atlantic long before Christopher Columbus. Read here about how they did this, and most interesting, why they went in search for it.

– Amazon Reviewer Carol Lynn

 

Book Trailer

 

saturday self-published book review

Thanks for reading!  Keep up with the latest in the world of indie and self-published books by watching this space every Saturday!

Self Publishing Advisor

selfpubicon1

Conversations with a Self-Publishing Writer, Royalene Speaks, Uncategorized

Conversations: 6/23/2017

WRITE THEIR STORIES:

Developing the Biography, Part IV

STUDY your favorite biographies! These authors have walked this path before us and have much to teach us. Plus, their works are useful illustrations of both the art of biography and adjusted techniques of storytelling. Just a few days ago I received a marvelous little book on the life of Jules Verne. It is a library hardcover edition for “young readers” age eight to twelve. It is, for me, a very concise outline of how to write a biography—one that is quickly accessible and understandable for any age or writing community interested in writing biographies. The title is: Who Was Jules Verne? by James Buckley Jr. (There is a whole series that start with WHO WAS. I’m certain you’ll find one or more to enjoy.)

However, don’t forget the biography classics. Included in my collection is author Jean Fagan Yellin’s narrative biography of Harriet Jacobs: Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl. For writers who wish to develop realism in their novels about the early history of America, or any biography attached to this time period, this book is essential reading. Yellin is admired for her “groundbreaking scholarship” in the writing of this book because it “restores a life whose sorrows and triumphs reflect the history of the nineteenth century.” Can you even imagine hearing your words acclaimed as bringing someone’s life back to life?

Although the majority of the biographies/memoirs that I may write will, most likely, never reach the acclaim that this book has, I approach the writing of it as if it will—as if this person is the most important person on the planet.

One of my all-time favorite writers is C. S. Lewis and until recently there has been only one highly acclaimed biography of his life: JACK: A life of C. S. Lewis by George Sayer. Within these pages are found instructive information nuggets about writing on many levels. However, recently, a new book has arrived on the scene titled: C. S. Lewis and the Art of Writing by Corey Latta. It is already being heralded as “…a treasure trove of eminently practical advice for the aspiring writer, and fills readers with a poignant sense of the nobility of the writing vocation.” It is also shorter than any of the others I’ve seen about Lewis! I can hardly wait to get my hands on a copy!

biography of john carey muriel kinney and carol kinney grimes

Each of the four books mentioned above will offer writers unique insights to build our own biography writing skills. And yet, I offer you one more to bring into your resources collection. The title is: The Biography of John Carey by Muriel Kinney and Carol Kinney Grimes. These ladies became passionate about their family ancestry—the heritage they are carrying forward. Because they wanted to honor their grandfather, they’ve written the story of one of America’s pioneers and, in doing so, offer readers detailed history lessons we’d never find in a textbook.

This is what I love about well written biographies—the blend of storytelling and well-researched historic facts. This is how a whole lot of other Readers also learn history—as they take our books home!

What I hope you’ll take away with you today is that Biography writing IS FUN! Writing within this one genre we can enjoy the writing techniques of other genres such as: children/young adult books, American (or any country’s) ancient to current history, books on “the writing life,” and personal genealogy. Who is the person who has captured your interests? What questions would you ask them if you stepped into a Starbucks and saw them sitting there? Make a list of people and questions today! Contact your local librarian to find out what has already been written about that person. Your approach to their story will be distinctive. It needs to be written and published! ⚓︎

 

Royalene

ABOUT ROYALENE DOYLE: Royalene has been writing something since before kindergarten days and continues to love the process. Through her small business—DOYLE WRITING SERVICES—she brings more than 40 years of writing experience to authors who need “just a little assistance” with completing their projects. This is a nice fit as she develops these blogs for Outskirts Press (OP) a leading self-publisher, and occasionally accepts a ghostwriting project from one of their clients. Her recent book release (with OP) titled FIREPROOF PROVERBS, A Writer’s Study of Words, is already receiving excellent reviews including several professional writer’s endorsements given on the book’s back cover.
Royalene’s writing experience grew through a wide variety of positions from Office Manager and Administrative Assistant to Teacher of Literature and Advanced Writing courses and editor/writer for an International Christian ministry. Her willingness to listen to struggling authors, learn their goals and expectations and discern their writing voice has brought many manuscripts into the published books arena.
elizabeth speaks, in your corner, Uncategorized

In Your Corner: When Free Isn’t Free

When it comes to self-publishing, “free” isn’t always free, if you catch my meaning. In an industry where we’re used to self-publishing and indie presses being the much-lauded “little guy” going up against the Big Five traditional publishing houses, we sometimes overlook an important fact: indie authors still need to read the fine print.

Every publisher is a business–small presses, vanity publishers, and self-publishing companies like Outskirts Press included–and therefore, publishers still must make a profit somewhere. And that “somewhere” part is … well, the key. Rather than learn about hidden fees after you’ve gotten started down the path to self-publishing, wouldn’t it be better to know ahead of time how much you’ll need to spend? Planning, budgeting, and creative control are all vital facets of the experience, and we want to put you in the driver’s seat.

To that end, here are a couple of hidden fees to watch out for:

  • Amazon’s “Megabyte” Fee: If you happen to choose the 70% royalty option when publishing through Amazon’s KDP store, Amazon will charge you for each megabyte of your document. They have a full explanation on their KDP pricing page. It’s also worth noting that Amazon is not the only publisher to invoke this kind of hidden fee; many digital publishers do. So read that fine print!
  • Cover Design: Unless you opt for a bundle or collected service from a self-publishing company which offers professional cover design, you won’t be receiving one for free! And while many online websites offer free tutorials, the results … don’t always look so good. If you need a little convincing to pay out the money for a professional cover design, see one of our many previous posts on the benefits! The same is true for professional copyediting and many other interior design aspects of your book.
  • ISBNs: Unless you already knew you needed one, you might not know about this hidden fee. It’s a sneaky one, too–but there’s help at hand! It’s easy to file for an ISBN, if you know how or who to hire.
  • Street Cred & File Conversion: Some of the unquantifiables of self-publishing include more generic “business expenses,” like establishing credibility by having an imprint’s name rather than your own personal name on the Library of Congress information page, and paying for a good and accurate conversion of your manuscript file to the final format. Neither of these things is strictly necessary, in that you can self-publish without them, but it will take you much longer to get your book out there, and much longer to sell those books once they’re printed if they’re not formatted correctly or attached to a “legitimizing” imprint.

In many ways, you get what you pay for, so hidden fees aren’t strictly an evil thing. They exist for a reason, and your success depends on knowing which of them is useful to bow to and which ones you can forego. Just be aware … they’re out there, and you need to budget them in before committing to a final bank balance.

hidden fees

You are not alone. ♣︎

Elizabeth

ABOUT ELIZABETH JAVOR: With over 18 years of experience in sales and management, Elizabeth Javor works as the Manager of Author Services for Outskirts Press. The Author Services Department is composed of knowledgeable publishing consultants, pre-production specialists, customer service reps and book marketing specialists; together, they all focus on educating authors on the self-publishing process 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, Elizabeth Javor can put you on the right path
Growing Pains, Kelly Speaks, Uncategorized

Growing Pains: Part VIII

We all know how bombarding the marketplace can be. Ads are constantly smacking us in the face every time we open a webpage or app on our phones, computers, iPads, Kindles, turn on the TV, drive down the road, attend an event, etc. etc. Some ads just hit us and go in one ear and out the other, but some ads really stick out (for better or worse), and those are the ones we remember. In a world where you have a few seconds to make an impression, you need to embrace being different and standing out, because the first impression may be the only one you get to make before you blend into the white noise of the everyday marketing buzz.

This week, I’d like to talk about how being different can help you grow your business as a self-published author. You want to be able to hook customers off of more than just a random purchase based on your book cover. Yes, do stand out and hook customers with a unique book cover, but don’t be a one-hit wonder. Being “different” (whatever that really means) is something that you need to aim for in the long term, on a bigger scale. You want your readers to feel like they are consuming a product that also makes them different via consumption. We all know those niche, cult-classics that those really “hip” and “in tune” readers flock to just so they can say they read it, and when they do people will nod and say “oh yeah, I’ve heard about that!”. The kind of books people read in busy coffee shops so that everyone knows they’re reading it. You want to be produce that book.

Think in terms of 80s and 90s Apple ads, where Apple stressed how different they were from other companies, and how using Apple products would make you different too. Was this marketing effective? Take a look at everyone in your immediate vicinity and see if they aren’t staring into an iPhone, iPad or MacBook and you tell me. Is it possible for books to have this same effect? Think Fight Club, Infinite Jest, V for Vendetta, On the Road. People want to say they’ve read these books and they want to tell you how these books transformed them when they read them in highschool, college, on a road trip, etc.

How do you become a book like that? Well, it’s not easy, to be perfectly honest. But those authors probably didn’t know they were writing a cult classic when they wrote it, they just wanted to try something different. If you have a creative instinct that doesn’t follow the normal plot line, character structure, story structure, format, etc. — follow it. It could give you that “different” edge that will set you apart from the slew of book titles that people are bombarded with at bookstores and on Amazon every day. Be the different you want to see in the marketplace…to distastefully appropriate a Ghandi quote.

Thank you for reading!  If you have any questions, comments, suggestions, or contributions, please use the comment field below or drop us a line at selfpublishingadvice@gmail.com.  And remember to check back each Wednesday for your weekly dose of marketing musings from one indie, hybrid, and self-published author to another. ♠

Kelly

ABOUT KELLY SCHUKNECHT: Kelly Schuknecht is the Executive 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, kellyschuknecht.com
from the archives, google, Kelly Speaks, Uncategorized

From the Archives: Google Book Settlement & Registering your Self-published Book

Welcome back to our Tuesday segment, where we’ll be revisiting some of our most popular posts from the last few years.  What’s stayed the same?  And what’s changed?  We’ll be updating you on the facts, and taking a new (and hopefully refreshing) angle on a few timeless classics of Self Publishing Advisor.

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[ Originally posted: August 18, 2009 ]

Perhaps you’ve been following news about the Google Book Settlement over the past few weeks. The overall implications of the deal are still unclear, with notable opposition coming from The Authors Guild and the American Society of Journalists and Authors.

The details of the settlement involving copyright concerns and royalties first initiated through the Google Library Project in 2004 are a bit esoteric and apparently complex. Don’t be overwhelmed. There is no downside to registering your self-published book, so don’t miss the deadlines.

Outskirts Press has provided a step by step overview of the process in their most recent newsletter. Check it out here.

The good news, for most of us at least, is that the Authors Guild v. Google battle hasn’t rated the news much recently. During the battle, which lasted from “the filing of the case on September 20, 2005 to the Supreme Court’s denial of review on April 18, 2016” (that’s eleven years!), the internet was aflame with opinion. And in the initial aftermath of the initial settlement proposal in 2008 and again after the District Court ruling dismissing the case in favor of Google in 2013, tempers were hot. By the time the Supreme Court ruled in 2016 to uphold the District Court ruling, most authors had moved on, emotionally. Most of them had to.

You don’t win against Google if you’re the little guy, the results seemed to say.

Over at the Authors Guild website, they spin a slightly different story–and again, they probably have to, in order to maintain morale and keep up the energy to fight other battles, which they often do in defense of self-publishing authors as well as traditionally published authors. The fact remains–and is becoming increasingly hard to debate–that authors need to form alliances in order to protect their interests in a market that by its very nature lies open to exploitation and rapid evolution in ways that can undermine any one market’s profit base.

In short, all this is to say: the hubbub may be dying down, but we’ve learned a valuable lesson. Don’t hesitate to register your books, yes, but also … figure out who your allies are, and cultivate a few if you’ve started out solo. It will make a big difference down the road, if someone violates your copyright, for example, if you have a little weight behind your suit. Publish through a reliable self-publishing company (and of course I recommend Outskirts Press, after years working with the company) who is known to advocate for its authors. Put out feelers to join forces with other, local, indie authors. These may seem like small things, but they can have a very big impact later on, down the line.

google books
Google Books–a land of opportunity … and Copyright challenges.

Thanks for reading.  If you have any other ideas, I’d love to hear them.  Drop me a line in the comments section below and I’ll respond as quickly as I can.  ♠

Kelly

ABOUT KELLY SCHUKNECHT: Kelly Schuknecht is the Executive 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, kellyschuknecht.com.