Author: selfpublishingadvisor

Kelly Speaks, news from the self publishing world, self publishing news, Uncategorized

Self-Publishing News: 6.13.2016

This week in the world of self-publishing:

“There was a time when a small, independent movie studio was looked down upon by the industry,” writes Bud Simpson in this June 10th article for the Logan Daily News.  “Because it was produced with a small budget and, most of the time, unknown actors, it was considered an inferior product.”  He goes on to draw comparisons between the indie film engine and self-publishing, noting that while indie film has reached critical acclaim and a kind of legitimacy within the larger movie industry, self-publishing has not achieved the same thing within the world of traditional publishing.  “It still ‘don’t get no respect!'” he declares, quoting American stand-up comedian Rodney Dangerfield.  What follows is a litany of self-publishing successes as well as a list of blockbuster successes (in traditional publishing, at least) which began with plentiful rejection slips.  Simpson makes a convincing case for self-publishing as a tool worth considering; check out his complete article here.

As a presenting panelist for the Bay Area Book Festival, Brooke Warner was recently confronted with the question: “A question surfaced from the audience: Do some people avoid self-publishing because they don’t qualify for awards?” as she recounts in this June 10 piece for HuffPost Books.  One of her fellow presenters, with the best intentions, responded with a statement that awards are open to self-published works–and what follows shows just how much misinformation is out there.  “I almost felt bad to have to inform him of his industry’s bias,” writes Warner: “that no, you can’t just submit, and that countless awards programs bar self-published authors (and any author, in fact, who’s invested in their own work) from entering.”  As founder of an author-subsidized publishing model, Warner serves as a lightning rod for those looking to define their work as something more than a less-respectable ripoff of traditional publishing.  She writes:

As independent authors and publishers, we need to repair a broken system, and we can’t do that by trying to “pass” as traditionally published authors in order to benefit only ourselves. When one indie author rises, we all rise. When one awards program or review outlet lifts their ban on self-published authors, others take notice, and eventually the measure of author-subsidization as a way to determine which books are worthy will fall. To me, this is the goal, to level the playing field in an industry that is hellbent on keeping self-published authors contained and separate.

To that end, she presents a list of five ways authors can better advocate for themselves.  I won’t repeat them here, as they really shine in full context.  You can catch Warner’s full article by following the link!

In this current political climate–in America at least–the battle lines are so clearly drawn and the arguments so rife with strong emotion that you can well imagine people are on the hunt for new ways to express their (very strong) opinions.  As Kim-Mai Cutler details in this June 9 article for Tech Crunch, that demand is soon to be filled by at least one new entry into the increasingly crowded–and specialized!–self-publishing world.  You may already have heard of OpenVote, a political startup from software powerhouses Bobby Goodlatte and Sean McCann.  Now OpenVote is “unveiling a larger publishing platform where people can debate policies and pledge their votes,” as Cutler puts it: “OpenVote comes out of the concern that political communication hasn’t really evolved or been fully translated into online or social networking mediums. People see news stories, they get enraged, but that doesn’t exactly translate into votes or political commitments.”  In other words, OpenVote is looking to boost voter turnout amongst undervoting groups, particularly the tech-savvy “Millennials.”  How are they going to do this?  Says Cutler, “Think Medium, but centered around politics and with widgets that let you pledge and recruit votes. Goodlatte brought on different political bloggers to do hot takes on issues like marijuana legalization or the 2016 presidential race.”  The hope is to to use the controversial issues to draw users in, and then present them with more curated, more neutral content to promote actual conversation and long-term engagement.  For now it looks as though the material published will mostly be in thinkpiece essay formats, but watch this space!  As a startup, OpenVote may eventually diversify into publishing longer formats.  If you write politically-charged or reflective material, this might provide an opportunity for you in the future.

spa-news

As a self-publishing author, you may find it helpful to stay up-to-date on the trends and news related to the self-publishing industry.This will help you make informed decisions before, during and after the self-publishing process, which will lead to a greater self-publishing experience. To help you stay current on self-publishing topics, simply visit our blog every Monday to find out the hottest news. If you have other big news to share, please comment below.

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.

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

Saturday Book Review: “Visions of the Last Adam”

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 Deal Sharing Aunt:

visions of the last adam

Visions of the Last Adam

by Rafael Garcia (Last Adam)

Publisher: Outskirts Press

ISBN: 978-1432783051

Synopsis:

Set against a surreal, modern-day backdrop, Visions of the Last Adam reveals that there are two Gods: the Father of Jesus and the Gentile God of Michael and his angels during the Second Roman Empire of the Technology Age.

Michael and his angels have kicked Satan and his angels out of heaven, becoming the Servants of God called the Elect, Predestine, or the Lost to battle the whoring hearts and eyes of humans on Earth. Satan, a control freak who wants all the best things in life, uses Quantum Mechanics to claim ownership of foreign lands. Jesus Christ captures the Gentile God as God the Son confronting oppression, bringing in the Word of God—through crystal-clear dreams—to rescue Servants of God when they take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, bringing a new type of resurrection of Jesus. Their goal? To create a new Jerusalem and provide a portal between the new heaven and the new Earth.

Critique:

This book was a nice read for me because it centered on a few of the people in the Bible rather than everyone. It was easier for me to understand. The author talks about creating a new Jerusalem and making the world a different place. The end-times are seen through a whole new light. I really enjoyed chapter six and the information on the different seals. The author includes graphs, scripture and prayer to get his point across. I am giving this book a 4/5.

[ reviewed by vicjbr on Deal Sharing Aunt ]

Here’s what another reviewer is saying:

If you have looked around the world lately, you may have noticed a somewhat looking towards the future or just plain yearning to get to Heaven. Many of us, can’t wait for the rapture to take place because of the weariness this world brings. There are so many situations and terrible calamities that its hard to keep up with sometimes. Rafael Garcia is new to the scene, he has taken the end times prophecy and written a somewhat fictitious claim on true to life events. This book is anything but boring but I’m sure the magnitude that will actually take place will far outweigh anything we could ever create in our own minds.

If you would like to take a peek into someone else’s view of what this Heavenly battle will look like than you are in for a treat! To learn more, please visit this link.

– Amazon Reviewer Jalynn Patterson

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

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

Conversations: 6/10/2016

JUNE IS BUSTING OUT ALL OVER

The Season for Short Stories (Part II)

SO HOW IS YOUR COLLECTION of greeting cards coming along? My February file is filled with Patriotism cards—which I had to research to find—because it includes Lincoln’s birthday, Washington’s birthday and Presidents’ Day (just so all of the other U.S. Presidents don’t feel left out). But the real biggie is VALENTINE’S DAY.

There are numerous short stories from every person’s life that can be told about Valentine’s Day experiences. Some of my personal favorites include:

  • The guy who went to three florists before he found the “perfect” presentation of red roses—in a crystal vase—for his girlfriend. What she actually received was a box of black roses.
  • The friendly neighbor who baked a cherry flavored red cake for the guy next door. The thick layer of icing was topped with peanut “flakes.” When the ambulance arrived and he was carried away, both of them were in tears.
  • The great-grandfather who sent his only great-granddaughter a “magic box.” The secret compartment held the first Valentine’s card he’d given to his wife—75 years earlier.

There are also the legend/historical stories. Many of these relate to people with the surname Valentine and are rarely told these days because the historical accuracy is lacking. However this leaves plenty of room for the fiction writer to imagine characters and events.

  • Christian tradition tells of “Saint Valentine” of Rome who had been thrown in prison for performing weddings for soldiers who were forbidden to marry. Legend tells us that this “Saint Valentine” healed his jailer’s daughter, and before his execution, he wrote her a letter signed: Your Valentine.
  • About 270 AD there was a priest named Valentine who defied a law of Emperor Claudius II who “cancelled all marriages and engagements in Rome.” This Valentine secretly arranged marriages of young men and women who came to him. He was brutally beaten and put to death on February 14th, for his “romantic” efforts.
  • Ancient Rome also honored one of their pagan gods named Juno—the goddess of women and marriage. It was a custom for the names of the Roman girls to be written on slips of paper which were placed in a container. Then each boy drew a name of the girl he would be coupled with for the festival celebrations.

AND, for those who enjoy writing lighter short stories, consider the BIRDS.

  • This IS springtime, and the birds are looking for their mates and/or mating with their lifetime partners. From the Middle Ages until this very day, people have noticed the romantic melodies in the air. This lyric environment encouraged many humans to express their love in poetry, love notes and gifts of the beautiful flowers that begin blooming in this season.

One other event is celebrated in February that can inspire a wide variety of short stories—LEAP YEAR. Have you ever wondered about the complications that can come to someone whose birthday comes along ONLY ONCE EVERY FOUR YEARS?

the book of dreams by richard malmros

Today’s look at greeting-card-short-story-development may have focused on the month of February, but I’m hoping these bits of information will inspire many ideas in your writing-heart. One such author, Richard Malmros—who published his book of short stories titled: The Book of Dreams—has given Readers a collection of shorts that are full of life’s adventures. His book is published in both paperback and eBook editions. Is it time for your short stories to be collected in a book—and published? ⚓︎

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.
elizabeth speaks, in your corner, Uncategorized

In Your Corner : Want to win big at marketing? Unleash the wisdom of “Game of Thrones”!

Oh, I bet I could get myself into a lot of hot water for this kind of headline–from fans and the show’s detractors alike–but I can’t help it!  This paradigm shift of an HBO show (based, rather loosely at times, on George R.R. Martin’s bestselling book series) changed the way we watch television … for better or worse.  It ramped up the intensity of on-screen cruelties, particularly against women but sparing no one in the end, and has sparked some of the most interesting conversations about human nature and power that I’ve ever had the pleasure of listening in on–and yes, it has spawned its own raft of political memes during the current American presidential election season.

Game of Thrones isn’t the only pop culture machine to be churning out this kind of material … but it’s the show that everyone seems to be watching.  Or have an opinion about, as it were.  (A very very strong opinion, at that.)  So why do I love it–and what could Game of Thrones possibly offer a self-publishing author in respect to marketing acumen?

It’s all about consequences.

The similarities just about end there, but that’s plenty of food for thought.  Just about every five minutes, some character of other in the Game of Thrones universe makes a decision along the lines of:

game of thrones

Cersei Lannister (above) often serves as the show’s mouthpiece for raw human instinct: strive, dominate, circle the wagons, protect family, etc etc.  But the best part about her character’s storyline, and the narrative arc of the television series as a whole, is in the nature of action and consequence.  There’s no escaping the laws of physics: what goes up must come down, that sort of thing.  It might only take fifteen minutes of screen time for these actions-and-consequences scenarios to play out … but sometimes it takes five, or six, seasons to unwind the implications and effects of a decision some character made years back … and that George R.R. Martin probably made to write into the story over a decade ago

Which is … kind of like life.

And is kind of like … marketing!

Here’s the self-publishing parallel: it’s vitally important to consider how you plan on marketing your book, even before publication.  (Actions have consequences!)  You have an opportunity prior to publication to make decisions that can either help or hurt your marketing efforts after publication … sometimes long after.  And I guarantee you don’t want to be sitting in a room somewhere (in front of a roaring fire, with perfectly styled hair, and a mug of honeyed mead or whatever they drink in Pseudomedieval England With Bonus Dragons) thinking:

game of thrones

Which isn’t to say you should constantly battle to outpace regret.  There’s no such thing as a mistake-free life, just as there’s no such thing as a healthy parent-child dynamic in the Game of Thrones universe!  But you’re not a character in a niche television drama.  You’re an author, dangnabbit!  You’re not blind to the benefits of foresight … and you’re not trapped in the midst of a story you have no control over.  Every decision you make, from start to finish, drafting to publication, will have long-term consequences.  You can predict these consequences by being the most informed, educated, and responsible author you can be.  In a world of traditional publishing, this conversation wouldn’t be possible.  But in the world of indie, hybrid, and self publishing–it is.  You are in control of your book’s long-term success!  And …

 

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 1: What do ears, geysers, and self-publishing have in common?

Another Wednesday, another series!  For the last eleven weeks, we have been examining the missteps that can land a self-publishing author in hot water.  And hot water can be dangerous!

So:

You’re an indie author who’s recently published a new book, and you’re committed to marketing in the most serious way–doing what you can to ensure your book sales reflect the same hard work that you put into the crafting of your book itself.  What next?  Getting started is often the hardest part, in the same way that staring at a blank page is enough to give me writer’s block on the spot.  We’ve spent time examining the benefits and risks to a couple of false starts, and we’ve discussed the relief that comes with knowing you have permission to make mistakes … and in knowing that every writer, whether midlist or a blockbuster success, has made them.

So:

Mistakes aren’t the end of the story!  This fact is an unassailable truth.  At the same time, it’s important to note that there’s a difference between an honest mistake or a misstep … and deliberately ignoring the reality of a situation.  Remember how I mentioned that hot water can be dangerous?  I’m writing this episode just hours after a man fell into a Yellowstone hot spring in the Norris Geyser Basin–neither the first nor the last fatality to take place in our National Parks this year.  Every year, several people slip over the edge of the Grand Canyon and fall from cliffs in Glacier National Park, despite clearly posted signs stating the dangers these areas have to offer.  What’s the connection to self-publishing?

Paying attention to the signs can save you from disaster.  

You’ll be able to spot the difference between a misstep and regular self-delusion by paying attention to your decision-making process.  Is there a pattern being established?

Today I begin a new series, a mirror image of our last: we’ve looked at ten of the most important marketing missteps to avoid in order to avoid disaster–working with the negative things in life–and now we will examine positive steps–master strokes–that can ensure your success.

The first master stroke?

Be all ears.

baby foxes

By which I mean: Cultivate an attitude of respect towards and listen with sincere interest to the stories of other authors, marketers, and industry professionals.  And most importantly, keep your mind open to what they have to say.  There’s a very real difference between appearing to listen, and actually allowing your own opinions to be modified by the shared experiences of others–and I promise you, your marketing will be MUCH more effective if you internalize the successes and failures that you haven’t encountered yet … but others have.

I think a lot of self-publishing authors are incredibly humble.  I have certainly met dozens upon hundreds upon thousands of authors throughout my decades working with them who are willing and eager to mentor new or struggling authors, and I know for a fact that you can access still more wisdom born from experience just by throwing a couple of keywords into a Google search engine or browsing the archives of any number of self-publishing-centered blogs.  There’s uncountable gigabytes of wisdom at your fingertips, and the first marker of master marketers is the metaphorical size of  their ears.

Get listening!

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