Self publishing advice from writing to marketing and everything in-between.
Bouncing Billy
by Ricky Pierce
This self-published children’s book was recently reviewed on mamalaw.blogspot.com.
Bouncing Billy is an interactive book written by Ricky Pierce, who retired from the National Basketball Association (NBA) in 1998. He is the creator and inventor of the AccUShot22 Basketball, which aids children through adults in ball-handling and shooting skills.
Read the full review here.
Lately I’ve been discussing radio interviews for the self-published author. I hope you’ve found these tips helpful. On-air interviews are one of the staples of a good self-published book publicity campaign. Here’s one more tip to help you get started.
It probably comes as no surprise to you that New York is the largest radio market in the United States. But who is number 2? Or number 22? By understanding market size, you can better prioritize your on-air marketing efforts.
The link below will take you to lists of US Radio market size organized by size and also organized alphabetically by market name.
Good luck and have fun!
Kelly Schuknecht
selfpublishingadvice.wordpress.com
If you are a self-published author and have a review for your book that you would like posted online, we can help! In the interest of helping self-published authors find success in publishing, we will post a weekly book review of a self-published book.
To submit your review, please send it to selfpublishingadvice@gmail.com with a .jpg image of your cover. Self Publishing Advice will post your review and cover image on our blog.
If you do not have reviews for your book yet, here are some blog posts that may help give you some ideas on how to obtain them:
Getting your Self-Published Book Reviewed
Soliciting Book Reviews for your Self-Published Book
More on Getting your Self-Published Book Reviewed
Book Review Leads for the Self-Published Author
Karl Schroeder and Kelly Schuknecht
https://selfpublishingadvice.wordpress.com
A very informative article was recently published outlining one author’s success self-publishing over traditional publishing, most notably in terms of higher net royalties on book sales. In fact, the case study recorded significantly higher royalties on a lower quantity of book sales along that self-publishing route.
The book pricing advantages of self publishing is no stranger to this blog, nor the increasingly successful population of authors who follow that path. But this particular article also mentioned that writers should never have to pay for publishing upfront.
Unfortunately, I’ve seen authors who have been pulled in by that concept, but end up publishing an often poorly produced book sold back to them at highly marked-up costs. (Publishers are businesses and need to make money, after all.) So that model really only puts poorly produced books right back in the hands of authors, not readers.
The successful alternative does involve upfront publishing fees, which opens a direct contract between authors and publishers including quality, professional production on books that are competitively sold in the marketplace, where readers buy books. Make sure your self-publishing choice includes those things like cover design, interior formatting, and full distribution. Also, as I’ve mentioned before – and the significance here is worth the redundancy – make sure your publisher offers pricing flexibility (control) and 100% royalties on book sales.
I hope that helps. Have fun and keep writing…
Karl Schroeder
On-air interviews are one of the staples of a good self-published book publicity campaign. Here are some tips that may help you secure some on-air interviews with radio stations:
TIP # 1 – Press releases are not just for the publication date. If your book has been out for awhile now, you may want to consider another press release with a different angle. The media likes topics that are fresh and new (that’s why they call it news), so come up with a different approach or “hook” for your book and draft another release. Then send it to your local media and follow-up in a few days with a phone call.
TIP # 2 – During the call, try to refrain from heavily pitching yourself or your book. The producers are only interested in one thing — whether or not YOU will be entertaining to their viewers or listeners. The way you can be entertaining is by establishing yourself as an expert on a subject people care about (and hopefully, in some way, is connected with your book).
TIP # 3 – Follow the news voraciously. The media likes nothing better than a savvy author who knows the hot topics of the moment and can be both entertaining AND topical. News stations are always looking for a tie-in between segments, something that is connected with the stories or news items they are reporting that day. When they report on a subject and then have an interview with an expert (you) connected to that very topic, they look good. (And you look good).
TIP # 4 – Producers keep hot-files. Even if you are NOT the current topic of the month, you may very well be the hot topic NEXT month. Be sure local media know about you and have your contact information so that when a story comes along that relates to your expertise, they know who to call. The easier you make their job, they more they will like you.
TIP # 5 – Try these website to find radio stations around the world: www.radiolocator.com and www.newslink.org
Good luck and have fun!
Kelly Schuknecht
selfpublishingadvice.wordpress.com
Self Publishing Advisor 