Author: selfpublishingadvisor

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

Saturday Book Review: “A Journey Through My Soul”

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 Pearl’s Book Journey:

a journey through my soul by lena sousa day

A Journey Through My Soul

by Lena Sousa Day

Publisher: Outskirts Press

ISBN: 978-1478754367

Synopsis:

I want you to get my message … And I want these words to shine a light. A Journey Through My Soul is a collection of one passionate, thoughtful, lyrical young woman’s path from early adolescence to the present day. Many of the poems reflect her teenage years, giving wonderful insight about the wonder and wisdom of emerging maturity, with experiences ranging from the ecstatic thrill of first love and crushes, the deep comfort and bonding of true friendship, and the heartbreak of learning to deal with betrayal and the end of relationships. You will be carried along on an expanding world view that includes the quiet despair of longing for loved ones stationed overseas, the joys and fears of motherhood, and the multifaceted discovery of true and lasting love. These poems reflect experience that is both universal and unique, illuminated by a personal voice and sensitivity that allow the reader both a sense of community, and a glimpse into something beyond the everyday. Moving, inspiring, and honest, A Journey Through My Soul is a perfect companion for every life path.

Critique:

A Journey Through My Soul is a quick and easy collection of beautiful poems. I finished this in one sitting and I’m glad that I was able to experience such thoughtful and sensible verses.

I admire how the author was able to write poems based on her personal experiences. I love reading poems, although I am not an expert of it. I don’t even know how to construct one (I tried years ago and that was when my high school teacher assigned us to write one. lol but it was lame), so reading the series of poems written here kind of dazzled me because wow, they’re created in a very delectable way. I have plenty of favorite poems in this book and one of them is from chapter 1 called Crying Soul which was written to inspire fiction lovers like me. It’s a very heartbreaking story and it ended in tragedy, but the thing that made me like it was the life lesson it instilled.

Another favorite of mine is the poem called Our Anniversary which was dedicated by the author to her husband. The prose simply made me fall in love because of how sweet it sounds.

To give you a glimpse:

“And if you ever wonder
Why I love you so
Just look into my eyes
And then, you’ll really know

I’ve loved you since I can remember
Or at least for a very long time
I’m so glad that we’re together
And that I can call you mine

The day we met was a special day
About that, I have no doubt
Because I met the love of my life
And that’s what life’s all about”

Overall, A Journey Through My Soul is a sweet, inspiring collection of poems. It’s a great read for people who are soul-searching and who just simply love to devour poems.

[ reviewed by Pearl on Pearl’s Book Journey ]

Here’s what another reviewer is saying:

This book is a collection of poems by this author that span from her adolescence to more recent experiences in her life. Wonderful reading and an enhancement to the soul to see the this author’s journey over time, including challenges but also triumphs, along with her burgeoning talent as a writer! Highly recommend this to others and I look forward to seeing more from this author in the future!

– Amazon Reviewer SouthPaw

A hit in the bull’s eye of average

These poems fall right into the category of average, the author shows promise and should be encouraged to continue, but right now there is little to move the reader. Some of them sound like they would be more appropriate if they were in a children’s book. For example, the opening stanza of the poem called “Narrow minds” is:

Prejudice and discrimination
They’re everywhere you go
People claiming to love their neighbor
It’s a put-on, don’t you know

The general structure is a series of four line stanzas where the second and fourth lines rhyme. In many cases the conclusion of a stanza reads as a bit forced, generating a lack of smoothness.
The majority fit on a single page where there is whitespace between the stanzas, making each a delivery system for a basic message. The messages themselves are about life, the good as well as the bad and are easy to discern.

– Goodreads Reviewer Charles

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: 6/17/2016

JUNE IS BUSTING OUT ALL OVER

The Season for Short Stories (Part III)

Within most every month on our calendar there is some type of celebration honoring the men and women who serve our countries in the military. To support, encourage and thank them, children have sent handmade cards to those on active duty. Family and Friend groups have hired local artists to create one-of-a-kind Thank You cards and sent them with personalized messages to thousands of our armed forces around the world. The big-name producers of greeting cards (e.g. Hallmark etc.) have created animated eCards that deliver messages such as: “Spirit, promise, hope. Once a soldier, always a hero,” and “Thanks for being the kind of person our country can depend on.” I love the concept of eCards. Their short messages are like short stories from the heart—much like eBooks.

In a previous blog I mentioned that a collection of short stories can quickly build into a book. One excellent example of this development method combined the author’s love for canine companions with her knowledge of training police and military working dogs. Violetta Kovacs collected multiple short stories about various K9s who exemplify excellence in the daring and often deadly “jobs” they carry out. Then, she published her book: K9 COMMANDO, Police and Army Dogs from New York to Berlin.

k9 commando
k9 commando

YOU, TOO can collect short stories and publish!

  • Are there people in your writing group (s) who’ve written an excellent short story but never did anything with it?
  • Are you in contact with friends who love to tell a good story, but have never written them?
  • Have your parents, grandparents, great-grandparents told you a story that is so vivid in your memory you could write it yourself?

What is stopping you?

  • Are you an art collector of ODD pieces—maybe found in dumpsters or garage sales? Does each individual item TELL you a story?
  • Are you a photographer whose focus is on Mountain Peaks, or Tree Tops, or Valleys, or Meadows? What are the STORIES behind your specific photographic interests?
  • Are you a sculptor of clay or wood who allows the object to inspire the piece AS IF it TELLS you its story as you work?

ARE YOU LISTENING to all these stories?

IF (or when) you find yourself struggling with completing your novel, writing and/or collecting short stories will send you on a whole new adventure! It will give you fresh insights and fresh perspectives that can not only give you a publishable collection, but will loosen your writing flow and provide a boost to the completion of your novel!

Grab hold of one (or two or three) of the ideas listed here today, and run with it! You’ll be happily surprised how much FUN you’ll have while becoming a published author! ⚓︎

RoyaleneABOUT 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.
Advocacy in Self-Publishing, elizabeth speaks, in your corner, Marketing Your Self-Published Book, Uncategorized

In Your Corner : The Side Benefits to Starting Early

I woke this morning to grey skies and a half-mowed yard.  As I write this, the rain keeps coming down in a steady drizzle, leaving the roads slick with oily puddles and my lawn thick and green and completely wild-looking, with weeds poking up through the grass in some kind of chlorophyll-rich reminder something along the lines of you really should have thought this one through before we got to this point.  It’s not that I haven’t put thought and a little muscle into mowing my yard–I picked up one of those engine-less little reel mowers that require a lot more pushing because I thought it would be a good and simple way to incorporate a little more exercise and a little less carbon exhaust into my routine … but the end result has been I mow a lot less, it takes a lot longer to finish the yard, and the lawn looks like an overgrown mess.  Sometimes a retired neighbor of mine will even take pity on me and use his ride-on lawnmower to take care of my jungle while everyone else is away at work.

mower

You might be thinking, what’s the big deal?  Why the long monologue about your yard, Elizabeth?  How could this possibly relate to self-publishing?  The answer lies in the planning:

Making publishing decisions early will help your end result.

I’m talking about editing and putting together a strong, custom cover design.  These things will make a book far more successful than a book without–and putting them together at the last minute or even in the frenetic rush of the middle of your publication process can hamstring your ability to create a truly high-quality, attractive final product.  But your book’s appearance isn’t the only beneficiary of planning ahead: as others have said before–and no doubt with more panache–you simply can’t wait to start marketing until after you’ve published your book.  I mean, you can wait, but your plan is likely to fall apart under the pressures of the day-to-day realities of working, writing your next book, promoting your current book, and managing all of the other intricacies associated with sales … if you don’t have a sound plan and well-established marketing strategies.

Your marketing plan will help you to determine if your targeted audience is going to want a paperback or a hardcover, for example–and this knowledge creates a feedback loop to how you approach the publishing process which is far easier to exploit if you’ve started your marketing and planning process in advance.  What kind of cover design would appeal to your targeted audience?  You’ll know a lot more about them if you’re already in contact, before your book rolls off of the (digital, sometimes) printing press!

Perhaps this subject is only on my mind because I’m staring out my window at my soggy excuse for a yard, and wishing I’d had the foresight to have a plan for days like today–days where I don’t have the energy to mow a large lot with a little reel push mower, and when the weather exacerbates all of my finest procrastinatory tendencies.  Or perhaps it’s part of a larger whole–a larger set of decisions that I, and every other person working in the self-publishing world, face every day.  We can either let life get ahead of us, or we can feed those parts of ourselves that give us the foresight and energy to get ahead of it!  Some days its harder than others, but I hope you always feel convinced that …

 

You are not alone. ♣︎

 

ElizabethABOUT 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.
Book Marketing, Kelly Speaks, Marketing Your Self-Published Book, Uncategorized

Marketing Master Strokes Episode 2: Be willing to reach your readers where they live.

Last week, we pivoted from the back foot (thinking about the many ways we can mess up the marketing process) to the front foot (thinking about the many ways we can knock this marketing thing out of the park).  Our first marketing master stroke?  Being all ears.  (Which is to say, listening to the stories of others, and keeping an open mind to actually changing your own approach.)

In thinking back on what I’d written after the fact, I realized it might strike some readers as strange that I would start a series centering on positivity and proactivity with a piece of advice that, at first glance, serves as a passive act.  Listening.  But that’s part of the problem, isn’t it?  We think of listening as passive, and allow others to think the same as a consequence, when really–really listening is the most revolutionary and active thing we can do.  I’ll keep off the soapbox now, but think about it: how much better could our world be if we refused to let listening be passive?

On to today’s master stroke:

Be willing to reach your readers where they live.

http://www.gettyimages.com/license/496460698
[ source ]
This isn’t the same thing as reaching your readers where you think they live–the process of marketing requires meticulous research and a willingness to set aside the authorial ego (“I Have an Important Message and I Know How Best to Share it Best”) in order to put the reader first.  Writing a book may indeed be a selfish process (I’ve heard good arguments both for and against this statement) but marketing has to be a selfless one.  Sure, the premise of making money is necessarily self-serving, but so is the process of shopping.  Right?  Both consumer and seller/marketer can’t be selfish at the same time, or else we’re talking about a complete disjointure.

Step One to making sure you reach your readers is, then, to let go of the assumption that you already know everything you need to know about the people you’re writing for.

Step Two is to research them.  Thoroughly.  What are their demographic details?  How old are they?  Where do they live, geographically speaking?  Are they diverse in terms of ethnicity and gender?  What social media platforms do they use and which have they discarded or never picked up to begin with?  In the case of younger readers, are they old enough to be in command of their own savings–or will purchases be made by parents and caregivers?  (If so, you will have to market to the parents and caregivers as well as the children, which is a very different proposition.)  What subjects occupy their waking thoughts?

Step Three is to actively go out and reach them.  Carefully and effectively.  With precision.  (Time will become your most threadbare resource, I guarantee you.)  Draft a well-thought-out, targeted marketing strategy that pares back on the manifold possibilities open to you … to just the ones that will reach your core readership.  Once you have established a sustainable system in place, you can begin experimenting your way through additional marketing strategies and see what is sustainable.

And there you have it!  Start reasonable, but keep ambition in the wings.

Go find your readers!

Thank you for reading!  If you have any questions, comments, suggestions, or contributions, please use the comment field below or drop us a line atselfpublishingadvice@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. ♠

KellyABOUT 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. 10:00 AM
Cheri Speaks, from the archives, Kelly Speaks, Uncategorized

From the Archives: “How Much Do Illustrations Cost?”

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.

∗∗∗∗∗

[ Originally posted: April 16th, 2012 ]

Like ghost writing or copyediting, illustrations take time and require a great deal of skill and talent. It is important to remember that illustrators must be paid fairly for their time and expertise. The price for illustrations can range from a few hundred dollars to a few thousand dollars. It depends on the size and complexity of your project. When considering illustrations, it is important to do some research, figure out your goals, and create a budget. Once you know your expectations, you’ll want to find an illustrator who meshes with your style. To do this, find out if your self publishing company offers illustration services and get a quote. You can also look at sites such as guru.com or elance.com to find a freelance illustrator. Be sure to always look at sample work before choosing an illustrator. There are many different styles, and you want to find an artist who matches your vision.

For more information on illustrations, check out these articles.

The Importance of Illustrations

What You Need to Know About Custom Covers

Illustrations Affect the Success of You Children’s Book

– by Cheri Breeding

I love Cheri’s post from 2012 in part because she has such a legacy on this blog of creating a space for illustration and fine art in the context of self-publishing.  Her attitude is not all that common!  Like many contractors with carefully curated skill sets, illustrators often struggle to make ends meet as well as earn the respect they deserve for a lifetime of work.  Why is this?  In part, it’s because illustrators often do not own the rights to the work that others commission, or pay for.  This depends on what contract they sign with the commissioner, of course, but self-publishing authors know all about what it’s like to sign away rights to something, and thereby lose access to future profits.  Illustrators also often struggle because making art for someone else just doesn’t have the social cachet or respect as making art for the sake of art.

The world can be an very unfair place.  But you don’t have to be!

To expand a little upon what Cheri rightfully included in her original post, I thought I’d provide a couple of resources to get you started calculating hard numbers–actual figures to pay any illustrator you hire.  And I won’t lie: good art doesn’t come cheap.  In fact, if you’re hiring someone and they’re not asking for much, you should always go back and re-read the fine print.  They may just be young illustrators starting out and looking to build their portfolios, or otherwise inexperienced in the market, or something more sinister.  It’s worth checking.

The first step is finding the illustrator whose art you like, right?  Between the Society for Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (very respectable, high-end) and DeviantArt (a real mix of experienced and inexperienced illustrators) it’s fairly easy to find what you need.  If you’re still feeling a bit lost, this article from The Creative Penn provides a handy launchpad for further illustrator-sleuthing.

The second step is negotiating a commission fee and contract.  I find it’s most helpful to start from the same materials that illustrators are using to determine their requested charges, and this article from the Business of Illustration blog is one that my illustrator friends keep pointing me to.  It is thorough, and allows for multiple different scenarios.  Illustrators Online provides a handy chart to start your rough calculations–another excellent resource.  And Elizabeth O. Dulemba provides a list of questions to ask before hiring an illustrator, specifically geared towards authors.

Last but not least, it’s worth keeping bundles in mind.  I mean the service bundles provided by hybrid or self-publishing companies like Outskirts Press, which provides options for a custom-designed book cover as well as full-color illustrations.  If you’re already looking for an avenue to self-publish your book, keep an eye out for deals and price specials amongst these bundles–it’s a great way to save money and let someone else manage the fiddly bits.

No matter which option you choose, do your own calculations.  Price check your illustrators!  And most importantly of all, get in direct contact with every contractor who is going to design material for your book.  The more an illustrator knows your mind, the more quickly and easily he or she will be able to create artwork that meets or even exceeds your expectations!

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.  ♠

 

 

KellyABOUT 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.