Wendy Stetina

Am I Self-Publishing If I Use a Self-Publishing Company?

When you decide to publish your book, there are essentially two well-traveled paths you can take – seek out an agent/publisher or self publish. Of course, there are a few other options in between but most authors fit into one of either of those buckets. Traditionally published books are those that the author doesn’t have to pay to publish. Normally the author secures representation by an agent, is sometimes provided an advance, and allows the publisher to do all the “work”. Of course, these authors still have to market their books, but all of the production costs are absorbed by the publisher. When you self-publish, you pay all of your own costs and are in complete control of your book.

Some that are from the school of thought that if you use a self-publishing company to publish your book, you aren’t really “self-publishing”. That couldn’t be further from the truth. You are as much of a self-published author as any other author.

Let’s take it one step further. Dictionary.com defines the adjective “self-published” as “having published one’s own work independently: a self-published author”. The site also defines the adjective “independent” as “not subject to another’s authority or jurisdiction”. Most self-publishing companies, including Outskirts Press, allow authors to have complete control over their book. So, by definition, authors that are able to exercise full creative freedom over their own work are self-published authors.

Using a self-publishing company is much like hiring a freelancer to work on your book. Why pay someone else to publish your book? The answer is simple – because you are a professional in your field, but not necessarily as well-versed in the world of publishing. Do you plumb your own toilet? Repair your own car? Wire your own electricity? Probably not. Can you? Sure – but you would lose more money in the time it takes you to learn how to do those things than it would cost to hire a professional. The same is true for publishing a book. In the end, will your “savings” really be worth it?

Have you ever published a book on your own? Would you do it again?

ABOUT WENDY STETINA:
Wendy Stetina is a sales and marketing professional with over 30 years experience in the printing and publishing industry. Wendy works as the Director of Author Services for Outskirts Press. The Author Services Department is composed of knowledgeable customer service reps and publishing consultants; and 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, Wendy Stetina can put you on the right path.

Book Promotion Strategy

Consider Your Sales Annotation Early In the Publishing Process

You’ve written a book that you’re ready to publish. Now you have to decide on quite a few key ingredients – including how you will publish the book (i.e. will you use a self-publishing company or try to publish on your own), what price you will set it for, etc. One thing that’s fairly simple to overlook when you’re starting the process is how you will market your book. Aside from some of the more obvious reasons why authors should start thinking about marketing early on in the process, you should also consider your marketing plan when putting together your sales annotation.

What is a sales annotation, you ask? That’s a great question! It’s the information about your book that is submitted to sites like Amazon.com, Barnes&Noble.com, etc. Sometimes authors opt to have this match what’s shown on the back of their book. However, this isn’t necessary, and I actually recommend that your annotation be different because your online description not only describes your book, but it also can be neatly packaged with your book’s keywords because you can fit more information in an online description space than on your back cover.

In the example below, you’re able to see the online description for Sell Your Book on Amazon that can be found on Amazon.com:

As you can see from the above image, it is important to not only describe your book in a way that will entice your reader but also make sure that you are using your keywords frequently.

DISCUSSION: What tips can you share for writing a solid sales annotation?

Uncategorized, Wendy Speaks

Using Your Own Self Publishing Company

There are many ways to self publish a book. Some of these options have associated costs, others don’t. As an author it is important to research all available options and choose the one that works best for you. Sometimes this may mean publishing under your own self-publishing company. After all, this will allow you to not only publish your own book but also the books of others.

There are many things to consider when “going it alone”. You have to consider whether you have the skillset to publish a book on your own, whether you will enlist the services of independent contractors, or if you will hire another self publishing company and publish the book under them using your name. Each of these have different costs (time/financial) associated with them, but they each come with their own benefits/rewards.

For example, at Outskirts Press, we allow authors to publish books under their own company name (aka an “imprint”) for a nominal fee. This allows you to enjoy all the flexibility that comes with publishing your book and books of other authors with all of the documentation pointing to your own company. We do all of the work, and you get all of the credit. Contact one of our Publishing Consultants if you’d like to learn more.

Wendy Speaks

Avoid the 3 “Tell-Tale” Signs of Self-Published Books

You’ve self-published a book, and it’s amazing that you’ve dedicated so much time and energy into writing and creating you own masterpiece. While there’s nothing wrong with self publishing, and it’s actually a great opportunity for many authors, you don’t necessarily want your book to “look self published”. That could mean inability of your audience to take your book seriously, receiving horrible reviews, suffering from poor sales performance, or worse.

Here are a few of the 3 “deadly sins” not to commit when publishing your book:

Use of cover templates – Templates are often rather dull, at best. Invest your money into really making your cover stand out.
Unedited manuscript – Run on sentences, sentence fragments, etc. are all things that can leave a bad taste in the mouth of a reader. We always recommend that you hire a professional editor for your manuscript. No, your sister-in-law doesn’t count as a professional editor. You need more than a fresh set of eyes when it comes to choosing an editor. You need someone who is professionally trained in editing.
Non-traditional interior

Double-Spaced – A book should NEVER be double spaced. Just because something works great for reports and other forms of communication doesn’t mean it will work the same for a printed book.
Strange and/or difficult to read typestyles – You like typing in Script MT Bold. It looks beautiful on screen, but will not look as good in a printed book.
Missing headers/footers – Have you ever read a book (other than a children’s book) without a header or footer? Why leave them out on your book?
Non-standard page numbering – Make sure your page numbers are in the same position on each opposite page. Also make sure font is consistent across all numbering.

When you hire a self-publishing company, all of these things can be taken care of under one umbrella. However, if you are “going it alone”, it’s important to remember the tips above to make sure you avoid showcasing an unprofessional appearance.

What other “self publishing” don’ts have you seen?

Wendy Speaks

Self-Publishing Authors Can Get Their Books on the Shelves of “Traditional” Bookstores

Even with the recent changes in the book publishing industry, a “traditional” bookstore presence should still be a goal for authors who want this. Why? Well, with this presence, authors are able to target an audience that is passionate about books. Think about it — people have to leave behind the comforts of their own home to go into a bookstore. Most likely they are there to purchase a book. If your book is on the shelf, yours may just have a chance at being the book they buy.

How can you work toward getting your book into that bookstore, though? Is it a matter of luck? Can self-publishing authors make the cut? The good news is that even if you’re not necessarily on a “lucky streak”, it’s still possible to successfully target placement in “traditional” bookstores. However, you must have a solid plan in place for doing so. Here are a few action items to put on your list as you get started:

Make sure your book is fully returnable. If your book cannot be returned, there is great risk involved for the bookstore. For example, if they stock 10 copies of your book and only 4 sell over the course of a year, they are losing money. If the book is returnable, though, the store can simply send the book back that doesn’t sell. Think of this return-ability as a type of “insurance” for your book.
Offer a sufficient trade discount. What’s sufficient? Typically that will be around 50-55% (or higher). Of course this does cut into your profits, but a higher retail margin gives the bookstore more incentive to stock your book on their shelves. No incentive? No cigar.
Build proof that your book is desirable. This is probably the most difficult (though not insurmountable) part of it all because authors often have a bias view of their book. However, the best indicator of a desirable book is exponential sales figures. If the amount of books you sale doubles, triples, quadruples, etc. month-after-month, that is something that can work in your favor. If you aren’t a professional marketer, you may want to seek the services of a book marketing consultant. Make sure they are able to help you draft a marketing plan and go forth on planning your publicity.

After you’ve done all of the above, you must put together a proposal to submit to bookstore contacts. You can find others specifically on their websites, but Barnes & Noble can be reached here:

The Small Press Department
Barnes & Noble
122 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY 10011

Other bookstores can be found through Google. Another popular site for locating independent bookstores is Indie Bound.

Do you know of any other bookstores that are small press/self-published friendly?

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