Category: Kelly Speaks

Book Design, Kelly Speaks, Uncategorized

The Book Beautiful: The Back Cover

It’s More Than a Graveyard for Details

A potential reader has your book in their hands, they look at the front illustration, they flip through and subconsciously note how the book it formatted, and then they turn the book around to read the back cover. The back cover becomes a crucial piece for a reader deciding whether or not they are going to purchase your book. You essentially have 150-200 words to sell your story to the reader, anything more than that will appear cluttered or have to be excruciatingly small in order to fit, alienating some potential readers who didn’t bring a magnifying glass along with them to the bookstore.That being said, a great thing to do before you begin brainstorming the back cover of your own book is to go through your own library and look at the back covers of some of your favorite books for reference.

Is your book fiction? If so, provide a short summary of what the story is about, including some enticing plot points to hook your reader in (don’t give the ending away!). An exciting way to end your back cover blurb is with a question or introducing a point of tension that the reader will feel compelled to explore further.

Is your book nonfiction? Begin by addressing the primary purpose of your book, or the ‘why’ a reader should choose your book. Proceed by making a bullet-point list of the topics your book will cover, i.e. what the reader can gain from reading your book.

Once your blurb is written, it’s time to introduce yourself as an author. A professional photograph of yourself (a face shot with no background noise, the focus is on you here) with a short bio is another essential component of a back cover. This bio won’t be as detailed as the formal bio on a page inside the book (or book jacket if a hardcover), and is not meant to be. If you are a nonfiction writer, this is a good place to list your qualifications, experience, or training in the area you’ve written about.

Endorsements are another appropriate feature to add to your back cover if you have them. An endorsement is just a short little quip written by a well-respected author in your genre (if fiction) or professional in your field (if nonfiction). If you don’t have someone well-known to endorse your book, it is best to omit this feature as it will simply look like you couldn’t obtain a more reputable endorsement and instead settled for anything.

If you’re struggling with any of the components of your back cover, Outskirts Press’ one click publishing package includes a personalized back cover that is professional and polished and relieves you of the stress of choosing the right few words to include to reel in potential 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 at selfpublishingadvice@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. ♠

Kelly

ABOUT 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
from the archives, Kelly Speaks, Uncategorized, Wendy Speaks

From the Archives: “HUGE MISTAKE: Using ‘Traditional’ Business Cards as a Coach/Speaker”

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.

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[ Originally posted: February 28th, 2011 ]

You’re an AMAZING speaker. You know how to work the room when you’re in front of an audience. Once your presentation is over, though, you make a HUGE mistake. This one is really big, but no one told you what you were doing wrong: you hand out a business card. That sounds harmless enough, right? Not if you’re a coach or speaker.

A business card can’t portray the true value of a speaker’s knowledge in their field. Last week, I presented at Kathleen Gage’s New Horizon’s Telesummit on the topic “Your Book – Your Business Card”. If you haven’t published a book, you are doing your business (yourself) a great disservice. Think about how easy it will be to attract/retain clients and book speaking gigs if you had a published book —

  • Your audience can get to know more about you and your business
  • You can share your expertise with your target customer and others in your field
  • Coaching is intangible. A book allows the client to touch the coach via the book.
  • A well written content rich book will validate the author as an expert. Experts get to charge more.

Okay, I’m sold. I know I need to publish a book to build my business. How can I get started? If you decide to self-publish, it’s not as difficult as you think. There are some companies that offer self-publishing packages for coaches and speakers, including Outskirts Press. Packages like these are designed for busy professionals that are always on the go. If you think self-publishing is right for you be sure to choose a self-publisher that can accommodate your marketing and distribution goals. Truthfully, creating the actual book is the easiest part. Make sure that you are maintaining the rights to your material and that you have control over your retail piece and your trade discount.

Some authors don’t want to pay to publish their books. In cases like these, you may consider going the “traditional” publishing route. Remember that you will be selling your rights to the book, but you will still be responsible for promoting your book after the process is complete. Also, publishing your book this way could take months or even years (if it’s accepted).

It is important that you weigh the pros and cons of each option and decide which one works for you.

– by Wendy Stetina

Wendy was right–the best advertisement for an author is a book, and the best means of marketing a new book is to start working on the next one. This isn’t to say you won’t have valuable things to add to the conversation about self-publishing if you yourself haven’t finished publishing your book, but as someone interested in indie publishing you probably know better than most the true importance of timing. It’s worth waiting to give that big presentation until after you have some hard copies of your book in hand, even though waiting is agonizing and fun for no one.

We’re talking about the power of tangibles. There’s a lot you can do with the force of your personality alone in terms of capturing an audience and convincing its various members of your sincerity and authenticity … but there will always be at least one person who will lobby a comment during the Q&A session asking how and where to purchase your book.  If you don’t have an answer for that person, your credibility as a presenter tanks.  It may not tank a lot, but any tanking is a bad thing.  On the other hand, if your book is for sale digitally and you can confidently state its retailers, you’ll earn credibility.  The more at home you are with the particulars of your own publishing experience–the date on which your book was or will be published, the retailers where it can be purchased, and your personal website address and social media account handles where your audiences can seek out more information–the more your image as a worthwhile presenter is built and the more your listeners will see you as an author and not just as any old speaker.

When it comes to speaking about self-publishing, there’s real currency in sharing your personal experience.  This is why I’m 100% an advocate of signing yourself up to be a presenter … and just a tad cautious about signing up too soon.  Make it worth your while.  And if you’re absolutely going to be steam-rolled into a presentation before your book is out in print, make your business card an access point to the publication process.  By which I mean: make sure it not only includes your publication date and website information, but make the giving of it an actual incentive to buy.  Incentivization is king!  You might offer a 15% discount to everyone who can provide proof of business card acquisition at online checkout–perhaps each business card is printed with a discount code–or you might use it as the first clue in a series that will lead your presentation listeners on an Easter egg hunt around town to friendly businesses that are promoting your work.  You can get really creative at this point–my suggestions barely scratch the surface!

Just … don’t let your business card be boring.

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.  ♠

Kelly

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

Self-Publishing News: 9.19.2016

And now for the news!

This week in the world of self-publishing:

Ever heard of self-publishing sensation Samantha Bond?  If you haven’t already, Maya Fleischmann of the Huffington Post blog fame is here to save the day with this September 14th article on Bond, an author she introduces first as fleeing the corporate sector to find solace in writing–prolifically–for traditional publishers until launching her own self-publishing company in 2011.  “And she hasn’t looked back,” writes Fleischmann before launching into a lengthy interview with Bond, featuring questions like “What was the inspiration for your Coma Girl Daily Serial?” (Bond’s latest series), and “You have numerous books in the works. What makes you want to share your writing progress with your followers? How do you focus on so many books and decide which book to work on each day?”  Fleischmann’s skill at stacking questions is equaled only by Bond’s ability to answer them; if you’re curious to find out her answers and learn more about her latest round of work, you can read Fleischmann’s full interview with Bond here.  (We here on the SPA blog find it utterly relatable.)

“There are plenty of perks to self-publishing,” writes Kylee McIntyre for Tech In Asia in this September 14th article: “You get a lot more control over the way your work is presented. You can also can end up making more money in the long run – e-publishers can take just around 40 percent of sales, much smaller than the 75 percent cut that traditional publishers receive.”  But there are downsides, too, she warns–including the assumption “that you’re responsible for plenty of the publishing process yourself, including marketing and design. You also probably charge much less for people to buy and download your work.”  Which brings us to the nebulous “they” of the article’s title.  As it turns out, writes McIntyre, there are some parties out there who are interested in “trying to level the playing field” for authors who choose to publish digitally.  This company, Notion Press is based out of Chennai and was founded by three men, only one of whom has a background in publishing.  The other two, McIntyre writes, have backgrounds in engineering–“appropriate,” she writes, for a company which “describes itself as an accelerator for books.”  With roughly 1,500 books under its belt and 120 members on staff, Notion Press is doing quite well.  Its authors are doing even better.  It has turned what it calls “productivity trash into treasure,” meaning that its founders have a pretty good handle on transforming authors’ experiences in self-publishing by way of social and personal management tools.  To learn more about their fascinating approach, read the full article at the link.

Some self-publishing stories are not standout successes.  Some of them, sadly but truthfully, are horror stories.  As Melissa Nightingale reports in this September 16th piece for the New Zealand National Herald, author Sean Colenso’s story is one such nightmare.  After choosing to self-publish his photo book of material gathered around his home town of Twizel, NZ, through Xlibris, he found himself  “$11,000 out of pocket.”  (These are NZ dollars.)  “Now,” writes Nightingale, “he is using his experience to warn other new authors to be careful choosing a self-publishing business.”  His experience stacked miscommunication upon miscommunication, and he faced repeated demands from Xlibris for more money to cover services they didn’t seem to make good on.  (For instance, he was promised that his book would be published in both print and digital editions, but to date the only version available to buy on Amazon is the e-book.  There’s also the issue of marketing–which as yet Colenso has seen none of, despite paying $3,000 NZ to cover those costs.)  The price of his e-book soared.  His books appeared at none of the promised outlets and book fairs.  His royalty payments haven’t come through and he hasn’t been told why.  “It’s just left me absolutely screwed,” Nightingale quotes him as saying.

Luckily, New Zealand-based authors have at least one advocate: The New Zealand Society of Authors.  “There are honest, reputable self-publishing services that can help a writer who wants to self-publish but who doesn’t feel confident about doing it alone,” NZSA president Kyle Mewburn said, as quoted by Nightingale.  “Unfortunately there are some rogue offshore organisations charging large fees to do very little. They misrepresent their services in order to profit from writers.”  Xlibris may be offshore for New Zealanders, but it’s very much onshore for those of us who happen to be based in the USA.  The moral of this story?  Read the fine print.  Be careful.  Trust no one until you have seen evidence, through previously published authors, of reliability and accessibility.  If this sounds like a mobster initiation rite, that may tell you something about the current state of affairs in self-publishing.  We must continue to advocate for truly ethical practices.  For more of Nightingale’s report, follow the link.

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.

Kelly

ABOUT 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.

 

from the archives, Kelly Speaks, Uncategorized

From the Archives: “Congratulations to the [2016] CIPA EVVY Awards Finalists”!

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.

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[ Originally posted: May 15th, 2013 ]

Later this week, on May 18th, the Colorado Independent Publishers Association (CIPA) EVVY Awards will be hosting the 2013 award banquet. The event will take place at Marriott Denver South at Park Meadows and all proceeds will benefit the literacy projects of the CIPA Education and Literacy Foundation (CIPA ELF).

CIPA is a nonprofit association of independent book publishers, authors, future authors and related publishing service providers that has been providing leadership since 1992. Members come from many states as well as from Colorado and three foreign countries to take advantage of the resources made available through CIPA membership. Organization membership, along with active participation in CIPA programs, can open doors to many opportunities and can save thousands of dollars in costly mistakes.

Best of luck to all the finalists! To learn more about the event, visit http://www.cipacatalog.com/pages/CIPA-EVVY-Awards.

– by Kelly Schuknecht

It’s been a long time since we’ve mentioned the CIPA EVVY Awards, an unforgivable lapse given that the EVVYs are one of independent publishing’s few (and most prestigious) award competitions.  Talk about a shortfall!  The world of traditional publishing is rife with similar awards (or as my dad would say, “It’s right lousy with ’em.”) and while yes, they’re sometimes the hallmark of snootiness and a competitive dynamic that self-publishing authors have for the most part eschewed, but they can also be a fantastic marketing tool.

Not only does winning an award create another cross-searchable entry in your Search Engine Optimization (SEO) strategy; not only does winning an award gain you recognition from those present at the awards ceremony and throughout the judging process; not only does winning an award give you a great new addition to your book’s listing on Amazon, Goodreads, and elsewhere that will boost your profile among new potential readers; not only does winning an award give you a great excuse to re-release your book in a new e-book or physical edition (after all, an award notice makes for a great new feature of your cover design); not only does winning an award do all of these things, but it also provides affirmation of your hard work and conversation fodder for the rest of your life.

The 2016 CIPA EVVY Awards differed, of course, a little from their 2013 ancestors. (And I’m not just speaking about the contest entries themselves.)  The EVVYs closed to entries this year in May and the Awards Banquet was held in August.  (August 20th, to be precise.)  In a gesture to its own growing profiles, the banquet wasn’t held in a hotel this year, but in a museum–the Forney Museum of Transportation.  (A beautiful place if you haven’t been.)

*****

 

 

By all accounts, the awards themselves were a blast.  I take great pride in knowing that the self-publishing company I and several other of the bloggers here at SPA  work for (Outskirts Press) made the list of winners–regularly–and that we are in very good company.  Take a look at the list of all the 2016 CIPA EVVY winners!  Scan through the list of author names, and through their publishers.  I’ve never seen such a diverse list of hybrid and self-publishing companies, D.I.Y.-ers, and interesting book titles.

Clearly, I have some new reading material to get through!

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.  ♠

Kelly

ABOUT 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.

 

 

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

Self-Publishing News: 9.12.2016

And now for the news!

This week in the world of self-publishing:

“When I self-published my book, admittedly, it was the last resort,” writes Eva Lesko Natiello in her September 8th article for The Huffington Post‘s Entertainment section. Natiello, who self-published her book The Memory Box after a series of rejections from traditional publishers, goes on to describe the dejection and intense discouragement that followed. “Quickly,” she writes, “the consolation prize felt very much like a booby prize.” This discouragement was only amplified by the positive responses she received.  Says Natiello, “I’m probably the only author on the planet that cringes when a reader says, ‘I read your book in one night! I couldn’t put it down!’ Knowing the myriad all-nighters I pulled writing and editing it. And all the sleepless nights that are ahead of me to finish the next book.”

Natiello’s experience is hardly unique, however. Many authors turn to self-publishing as a last resort after rejection, and there’s a tendency to think that this somehow automatically equates to failure–that self-publishing is the hallmark of failed writers, even as sales soar and readers respond the way that Natiello’s do. But there’s a silver lining to the struggle, she reminds us: “It was unglamorous and worth every minute. I didn’t know it back then, but self-publishing is just a different way to do the thing I always wanted: to entertain readers. You can’t do that unless you produce something for them to read.”  And Natiello has.  To read her full story and catch up on the success of her book, you can access the full HuffPost piece here.

Some self-publishing companies are, shall we say, unique. And Erika Bester’s Fire Quill Publishing, the first fully female-owned publisher, is one of several experienced self-publishing authors who has taken steps towards activating the potential of other authors by launching a startup that defies the world of traditional publishing according to Neo Koza in this September 9th article for Eyewitness News.  Bester saw a need–“Our publishing companies focus more on non-fiction and memoirs, they are not very supportive of fantasy genres and non-adult science fiction”–and decided to set about satisfying that need.  But it’s not easy going, as Koza reports: when small publishers like Fire Quill do occasionally get their books into stores, they are often tucked away out of sight. “It’s always somewhere in the corner where nobody sees it,” says Bester.  But her struggle is an important one, as Koza records, since the field of traditional publishing leaves little room for diverse voices like Simamkele Dial’s, whose book was published through Fire Quill earlier this year. As many self-publishing authors have discovered, self-publishing is more than just a home to discouraged authors seeking shelter after rejection by the institution; the platform provides a wholly new launchpad for diversity in thought and representation. (And content.)  But enough of the summary; check out Koza’s coverage of Bester’s work at the link.

Award opportunities for self-publishing authors can be few and far between, but there are opportunities out there as this September 9th press release for Outskirts Press reveals. The full-service self-publishing company will by the time you read this have both sponsored and sent representatives to the first-ever Colorado Book Festival, held at the Denver Public Library.  “As a Colorado-based company that assists authors worldwide,” says the release, “Outskirts Press is thrilled to provide resources to aspiring authors attending this free event.”  The event is drawing some attention not just because of its novelty but because of the names attached; Colorado’s Governor, John Hickenlooper, attended the event as well as Outskirts Press’s founder and President, Brent Sampson, who took part in a panel discussion while the company’s CEO, Jeanine Sampson, met writers one-on-one in order to field questions about both the company and the process of self-publishing.  The event, which drew more than 75 local authors (!!), ran the gamut from crime to sports, poetry to photography, and fiction to history as authors mingled and shared their experiences with other attendees.  With book signings, giveaways, and children’s story times scheduled throughout the event, this first-ever Colorado Book Festival holds a lot of promise in terms of giving authors an idea of what they might come to expect in the future for their industry: Hope, optimism, and a great deal of public attention.  For the full press release, follow the link!

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.

Kelly

ABOUT 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