selfpublishingadvisor

Get (or Give) the Gift of Self-Publishing

Are your friends and family members asking you for last-minute holiday gift ideas? How about the gift of publishing?! Many self publishing companies offer gift certificates that can be used towards a variety of publishing and marketing services. For instance, Outskirts Press offers instant gift certificates in the amount of $99. Here is how their process works.

Click the “Add to Cart” button on the page and complete the transaction on a secure server.
Outskirts Press will email the purchaser to find out who the special author is and whether to include any special messaging on the gift notification.
If the writer isn’t yet registered with Outskirts Press, they will create a free account and apply the $99 credit to the new account.
If the author is already registered and/or published with Outskirts Press, they will apply the $99 credit to the existing Publishing Center account.
Once the credit has been applied to the writer’s account, Outskirts Press will notify the writer via email of the special gift using any messaging provided.

The turnaround time is typically 2-business days, and there is no searching for a parking spot at a busy mall, waiting in a long line, or paying expensive shipping charges. Your friends and family will appreciate an idea that makes their shopping a little easier and that they know will bring you great joy. This is also a wonderful for the self-publishing authors on your list.

I’d love to know, what are you asking for this year?

ABOUT JODEE THAYER: With over 20 years of experience in sales and management, Jodee Thayer works as the Manager of Author Services for Outskirts Press. The Author Services Department is composed of knowledgeable customer service reps and publishing consultants; together, they all focus on educating authors on the self-publishing process in order 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, Jodee Thayer can put you on the right path.

Book Reviews, Self-Publishing Book Review of the Week

Weekly Self-Published Book Review:The Ultimate Job Directory: Comprehensive Guide to Legitimate Work at Home

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 by Midwest Book Review:

The Ultimate Job Directory: Comprehensive Guide to Legitimate Work at Home

SM Consulting

Publisher: Outskirts Press

ISBN: 9781432741846

Reviewer: Kathleen Dowdell

As promised by author Amber Scanlon of SM Consulting, “The Ultimate Job Directory” delivers a comprehensive list of legitimate work-at-home job opportunities. In the introduction, Scanlon builds a case of how this book can help people who are tired of daily commutes that keep them away from home and family. Having had many jobs as a work-at-home mom, she is qualified to develop this guide to help readers find companies that provide opportunities to work from home.

There are over 300 pages filled with names, brief overviews of services, and contact information of nearly 1,000 companies. I like the ease at which one can visit the websites of the various companies to gain more information. Also included are the required job skills and career background necessary to perform the work, equipment that may need to be purchased, and potential salary of the job. The list is comprehensive. The book ends with a list of similar job opportunities such as mystery shopping, direct selling, business start-ups, auction sites and e-stores, and turning a hobby into a business.

This book does not guarantee an offer of employment. There is still work to be done by comparing what each company has to offer to see what is a good fit for you. Because the companies are listed by sub categories according to skills needed to perform the work, it is easy to find the type of work you are qualified to do.

Working from home is not for everyone. It takes discipline and the ability to separate work you’re getting paid to do from work you do around the house. Many of the jobs listed are for non-traditional work hours so you have to decide if you are willing to work during your dinner hour or late at night. The pay may be better, but are you able to adjust your lifestyle to fit the needs of the company?

A final chapter is devoted to tips on starting your own business from a hobby or skill that you have. Included is a list of companies where you can find more information. The website of SM Consulting provides additional information about Scanlon’s company and how you can download this book for $10.00 less than purchasing the hard copy. I suggest you check out the website first if you are interested in pursuing the opportunities found in “The Ultimate Job Directory: Comprehensive Guide to Legitimate Work at Home.”

Uncategorized

Your Book is More Than The Story

When you think of your book, the first that comes to mind is probably the manuscript you spent months or even years writing. But a self-published book is more than just the words in the story, and readers often consider the other elements before they ever read your book. As a self-publishing author, it is important to pay attention to all the details, such as the cover art, back cover text and author biography. In fact, these are the elements that influence a reader’s decision to purchase your book. While you probably already know the importance of great cover art, most self-publishing authors forget about the other text associated with their book. Here is why the back cover text and your author biography are so important and how to make sure both are great.

The Back Cover

The text on the back cover of your book is often referred to as a synopsis. This text pulls readers into the story without revealing all the details. Think about all the times you’ve browsed through a bookstore and read the back of a book. This synopsis probably influenced whether or not you purchased the book. This is also true for online shoppers. The synopsis is often used as the description for your book. Therefore, it is important that it is intriguing and professionally written. In the world of online shopping, it is also important to consider keywords.

The Biography

Most books include an author biography. This will also appear on your author website and online retailers information pages. You want to make sure this biography is interesting, reflects the image you wish to promote and is professionally written. Since most readers never meet the authors of the books they love, this is their first impression of you as a person.

How to Make Both Great

You probably spent a lot of time making sure your manuscript was interesting, clear and well-written. If you want readers to take you and your book seriously, you must do the same for your back cover synopsis and author biography. Here are a few pointers to help you.

Don’t rush. Spend a quality amount of time writing the synopsis and biography. Think about what you want to say and how you want your readers to perceive you.
Proofread! Proofread! Proofread! The worst thing you could do is submit text with errors. Ask someone you trust to proofread your work or consider hiring a professional.
Ask for help. Sometimes, self-publishing authors are too attached to their work to write a good synopsis and biography. Plus, this type of sales writing typically requires different skills than those needed to write a book manuscript. This is why many self-publishing companies offer services to assist you. For instance, Outskirts Press offers a cover scribing option, which uses a professional copywriter to write your cover copy and biography.

I’d love to know, do you read the back cover and author biography before purchasing a book?

Self-Publishing Book Review of the Week

Weekly Self-Published Book Review:The Keya Quests: The Battle for Shivenridge

The Keya Quests: The Battle for Shivenridge

Glenn Skinner

Publisher: Outskirts Press

ISBN: 9781432773625

Reviewer: Tracey Rock

In this second installment of “The Keya Quests,” the battle with Lord Randar has just ended. Keya, along with Orren, Julie, Grant and Travis have made their way through the portal into Keya’s realm. Many of the villagers are startled at the sight of the undead soldiers walking through Shivenridge, so they are leery of Keya’s claim of freedom and the wielder of the Black Sword who commands the soldiers. They welcome Keya, but with a watchful eye. Knowing this, Orren tells Keya that it is best that they not tell the people of Shivenridge who she really is until they know she can live there safely without harm. Keeping his promise to Keya’s mother, Orren gives Keya a book for her birthday. It is an ancient book of her people. As keeper of the book and successor of the throne, Keya is destined to fulfill the prophecy and free her people. Since she grew up in hiding, Keya has no training and very little skills of being morthos fairy. She finds help in learning about her people in some unlikely new ways.

As Keya and her friends try to fit in to gain the trust of the people of Shivenridge, Neil Foster, Lord Randar’s lieutenant, is plotting to take back Shivenridge and capture the Black Sword. Knowing that the people of Shivenridge have an uneasy feeling about Keya, they use this weakness to turn the people of Shivenridge against them, leaving them vulnerable for an attack. Keya now must try to use all of her powers to defeat Foster and gain the trust and respect of the people of Shivenridge — or die trying.

In “The Keya Quest: The Battle for Shivenridge,” I liked how the storyline picked up exactly where the first book left off. I was glad to see Keya as a much stronger character, yet at the same time, sad that Orren’s character was minor by comparison in this book, since he had a much larger role in the first book. The book introduces some predictable new characters, which may have more prominent roles in the future, I hope. Grant and Jenny’s characters are surprisingly the most notable, while Julie’s loveable character in the first book seems to turn a bit too motherly and dull. I feel that the storyline seemed almost inevitable given the nature of the first book. The author does provide the reader with some history of Keya’s people, but if you really just like the story itself, I don’t know if it really matters about her history. The characters and storyline can stand up without this, just as the first book did. Readers will more than likely want to continue to follow Keya and her circle of friends as the adventures were non-stop throughout the book. “The Keya Quest: The Battle for Shivenridge” is all to be expected from a sequel: light on storyline, but fun to read all the same.

Choosing a Publisher, Jodee Speaks, Uncategorized

Compare CreateSpace and Outskirts Press Self Publishing Packages

Deciding which self-publishing company to go with can be a real challenge. To assist you with this process, I’m beginning a series of posts where I do the legwork for you! I’ll prepare a side-by-side comparison of two similar publishing packages from two self-publishing companies. I’ll strive to keep it as simple as possible to help cut through the vast amount of information out there by giving you an easy to read chart and a brief summary of my impressions on the comparison.

I’ll start this series with a comparison of two of the most robust self-publishing packages available: The “One Click for Coaches & Speakers” from Outskirts Press (which you can enjoy even if you’re NOT a coach or speaker, by the way) and the “Total Design Freedom” from CreateSpace. The information shared here is current as of the date I completed the comparison (18 November 2012).

		Outskirts Press One-Click Publishing For Coaches & Speakers	CreateSpace Total Design Freedom Marketing Pro
		$4497	$4634
Production Options	Expedited Service	✓
	Copyright registration	✓
	Custom Cover	✓	✓
	Enhanced Interior Formatting	✓	✓
	Cover Scribing / Promotional Text	✓	✓
	Library of Congress Control Number	✓	✓
	Your ISBN/ Imprint or ours	✓	✓
	Interior Elements	Up to 20 images	Up to 10 images (add’l @ $15 each)
	Copyediting	Up to 75,000 Words	Up to 60,000 Words
Additional Formats	Amazon Kindle Edition	✓
	Secure EBook Edition	✓
	Espresso Book Machine Edition	✓
Marketing Services	Publication Press Release	✓	✓
	Custom Topic Press Release	✓
	PR Publicist Campaign	✓
	Electronic Clipping Service	✓
	Author Webpage	✓

After comparing these two self-publishing services side by side, the winner looks to be Outskirts Press. For $137 less, you receive expedited service, official copyright registration with the US Copyright Office, the Amazon Kindle edition of your book, the Espresso Book Machine edition, electronic clipping service, a PR campaign, and five hours of personal marketing assistance with a professional book marketing expert, among other benefits.

See all the benefits and features of the One-Click Package for Speakers & Coaches by clicking here.

I’d love to know, which option would you choose and why?

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