Category: Kelly Speaks

from the archives, Holidays, Kelly Speaks, Uncategorized

From the Archives: “5 Ways to Promote Your Book in December”

Welcome back to our new 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: December 21st, 2011 ]

The holidays are here and while you are probably busy with holiday parties, baking, family gatherings, etc., don’t forget about book marketing.  Here are a few things you can do this month to promote your book:

  1. Give copies of your book away as holiday gifts.
  2. Add a Kindle edition (or other ebook format).  Many people will be giving away ebook readers as holiday gifts.  Make sure your book is available in at least one e-bookstore for potential readers who will be browsing for books to read after they receive their gift.
  3. Enter your book in the ForeWord Book of the Year Award contest.  Deadline is January 15th, so submit it now before it’s too late.
  4. Start planning for 2012.  As you make your new year resolutions, consider your book marketing efforts and how you will increase or modify them in the new year.  Reflecting on what worked well over the last year and what didn’t will help you plan for a bigger and better 2012!
  5. Enjoy the season!  Take a break for a few days to enjoy your family and maybe even begin writing your next book.

DISCUSSION: How are you planning to promote YOUR book in December?

holiday marketing

It’s the time of year in which everything tastes like Pumpkin Spice and smells like peppermint … and along with all of the holiday buzz comes a slightly less pleasant sensation: the sinking feeling of knowing there’s just so much to do, and absolutely no time to do it in.  At such times, it’s important to have a few concrete and manageable places to start–and my five-item list from 2011 remains (amazingly) a great checklist.  It’s not every day that I can slip and slide back five years and find a post that ages as well as the one above, but there you go–holidays are magic, right?

Still, a couple of notes: the ForeWord IndieFab Book Awards, mentioned above, remains a wonderful resource for writers looking to get their titles out there.  There is now an early bird discount if you submit before September 1, but … well, it’s now December so that’s a thought to keep in mind for next year.  The final deadline (sans early bird discount) is still January 15th, and I fully believe you should bookmark that day in your calendar.

Also, you should check out my series from last year, “Christmas is Here Again: On Holidays and Happy Chaos” (see parts One, Two, and Three at the links)–a series which remains the most thorough holiday-related marketing advice that I’ve doled out to date.  And my last admonition?  It remains absolutely true today:

This holiday season, take time to breathe.  Return to those ways and means that rejuvinate you.  Cherish the stories you’ve written, and the stories you have left to write, and live.

I don’t know about you, but the holidays are as much a time of intense stress as they are a time of intense rejuvenation and joy.  Sometimes I need reminding–perhaps more than many–that it’s okay to take a step back in order to re-evaluate what’s working and what still needs some finesse. Join me in regrouping this winter! ♠

 

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

News From the Self-Publishing World: 12/07/15

This week in the world of self-publishing:

Some writers get an early start, and as Britney Tabor of the Denton Record-Chronicle notes in this December 3rd article on fifteen-year-old self-publishing advocate Brittney Dear, a little help doesn’t hurt.  After moving from a fourth-grade essay on snow leopards to writing full-length novels, then battling her way through the dreaded-but-inevitable Writer’s Block, Dear faced yet another challenge (and one we’re probably all familiar with on this blog): overcoming the know-how barrier to moving her book from manuscript into published book.  She turned to an expert, Tabor records, and “Rocky Callen, a published author and book coach from Maryland, gave Brittney advice on self-publishing her first book. She referred her to editors and illustrators and gave her marketing pointers.”  With this help, Dear (who writes under the nom de plume Brittney Kristina) worked “six-, eight- and 10-hour shifts three to four days a week as a lifeguard in Prosper and teaching swim classes […] to pay editor and illustrator expenses for the book.”  Dear is already enjoying success as her book (Forsaken) finds its target audience, Tabor says, but it isn’t about the money.  Instead, Dear hopes her story “inspires teens to do anything they set their minds to.”  Here’s hoping, Brittney!

 

 

(Bear with me a moment on this one:)

Last Saturday, author Simon Abah (who has contributed to news outlets as diverse as the UK’s Guardian and Olaitan Ajiboye) voiced the concerns of many when he wrote in the Nigerian paper Leadership that “Book-shelves today are full of works by self-published, self-approved writers whose standards are dismal.”  And while Abah is specifically seeking to address a problem he perceives to exist in the Nigerian book market, who among us indie authors hasn’t heard this sentiment expressed somewhat closer to home, about what we do?  The reason I think it’s worth including Abah’s article in this week’s news roundup is to highlight exactly why this concern is ill-founded.

Where does Abah, and where do all those other nay-sayers go wrong?  They think the primary reason to self-publish is to avoid rejection.  Says Abah (case in point): “How can you be an effective writer if you do not suffer rejections leading to reworking of first, second and countless drafts? People who avoid this tortuous route do not have the writing spirit, aren’t confident of themselves and do not understand the concept of patience as a virtue.” But a self-published author might clue Abah in to one simple fact: self-publishing is no easier a route than traditional publishing!  Indie authors face equal, if different, barriers to entry into the publishing market: financial barriers, barriers of time and energy, barriers that can only be overcome by intensive research and application to marketing expertise, skill in self-promotion, and the readiness to put everything else on hold to get the book to its ideal readers.  In fact, we say an “Amen!” to Abah’s point that we ought to base our “writing efforts on conviction rather than commercial necessity,” that we should “not let insincerity become the hallmark that carries [us] into the future.”

Here’s some news: self-publishing makes room for more authors to hold true to their original visions for their books––to remain sincere––than any number of rejections might do.

 

In a December 4th article for HuffPost Books, self-publishing author Kristen Houghton (of HuffPost’s ‘The Savvy Author’ and Cate Harlow Private Investigation series fame) lays the groundwork for a beautiful argument to choose self-publishing this holiday season––and incidentally, provides the perfect rebuttal to our previous news item.  She takes the time to define and describe the distinction between self-publishing, hybrid publishing, digital publishing, and “boutique” publishing––all of which intersect in various ways, but occupy different axes on the indie spectrum.  “Major upheavals and changes in publishing benefit authors who now have choices other than the traditional press,” she writes.  “Publishing houses have staffers to read proposals and manuscripts, teams of editors, cover designers, book layout designers, printers, and distributors; all this is done with no certainty that the book will find its audience. They’re hesitant to take a chance.”  But, as we’ve mentioned before, it’s not all about rejection.  The fact that “you are in charge […] isn’t a bad thing. It’s your business and you are the CEO and CFO of the company.”  To start your week on a high note, check out the rest of Houghton’s article at the link.

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.

digital census, futurebook, Kelly Speaks, Uncategorized

Demystifying the Digital Census : A House Divided

We’re in the future-making business.  As indie, hybrid, and self-publishing authors, we have to look ahead, and we have to take an active hand in surfing that cutting edge in an industry that sometimes seems bent on keeping its authors penned up in the early decades of the Twentieth Century.  That publishers have reasons for this goes without saying, but those reasons don’t always equate to satisfactory treatment when we really examine how things play out for authors–traditionally published authors included.  (Ever heard of “publishing hell” and the dreaded “midlist“?  I rest my point.)

For the last couple of weeks I’ve been taking a look at the FutureBook‘s compendium of results from its Digital Census of 2015.  The FutureBook, an offshoot of its famous cousin The Bookseller, examines current publishing trends with a particular eye for how these trends intersect with an international readership and the rise of digital technology.  We’ve already looked at the first three points:

One: Mobile overtakes tablets and dedicated e-readers as the device of choice

Two: Digital sales are still growing, but they are also slowing

Three: Self-love levels recede as many indie authors report lower satisfaction levels

This week, we’re here to examine the fourth conclusion reached by the FutureBook editors: “Publishing,” it argues based on extensive survey data, “remains very much divided on matters digital.”  The full FutureBook publication, which is put together by The Bookseller’s Porter Anderson and Philip Jones, spells things out a bit more for us self-publishing authors:

futurebook

 

 

Division is rarely a good thing, when it comes to an emerging (but still fringe) market niche–tension between supporters of indie publishing tends to undercut our collective ability to make big gains in reaching new readers, and winning a broadened cultural acceptability.  There are some times, however, when division may be less of a “bad thing” than it is an indicator of something very, very positive: growth and market dominance.  The fact that we’re suffering from (seemingly petty) infighting over discounts shows that we’re now a force to be reckoned with–we’ve moved past being able to use words like “new” and maybe even “emerging” in reference to self-publishing.  (We’re here; we’ve emerged.  Hear us roar!)

And make no mistake, traditional publishing platforms as well as corporate giants (like Amazon) with a stake in the self-publishing game want us to keep fighting among ourselves over these things … because ultimately, if we’re fighting among ourselves we’re not fighting them.

tension

Yes, that’s right: All of these little squabbles benefit the Big Five and the Corporate Heavyweights.  Which is not to say that the concerns being fought over aren’t valid–we just can’t let them do what fights are always at risk of doing: keeping us stagnant.  If we are to remain the future-makers that The Bookseller and the FutureBook celebrate, we need to reach consensus and then act on that consensus.

And here’s some good news: We already are making progress!  In early October, 2015, a judge ruled against Apple for conspiring with the Big Five traditional publishing houses to artificially inflate e-book prices (the dividends of which were not trickling down to authors).  Prices for e-books have been climbing at least since April (although the jury’s still out on how effective these price hikes have been at increasing net profits for self-publishing authors).  More than ever before, indie authors are aligning to bring the full weight of our collective interest to bear on decisions and trends like these.

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. ♠

 

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.
Advocacy in Self-Publishing, from the archives, Kelly Speaks, Self-Publishing, Uncategorized

From the Archives: “‘Tis the SEASON to …”

Welcome back to our new 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: December 6th, 2013 ]

‘Tis the SEASON to …

Last year I pretty much gave up shopping—well shopping in the marketing-media frenzy sense, anyway.  My passion for books—and the authors I’ve worked with—inspired me to buy their books and send them to family and friends.  I enjoyed the “holiday bargains,” of course, but much more than that, I felt as if I was passing forward the legacy of writing (and good story telling) that my self-publishing clients represent.

It was also last year that I seemed to hit a wall of mounting disappointment as I listened to the younger generations of my family and friends talking about their “exasperating,” even “frightening”, holiday shopping experiences.  A long-hidden rebellion within me grew and my fingers flew over the keyboard writing op-ed pieces to send to every daily or weekly print publisher.  I wanted to make a statement!  I wanted THE SEASON to be different!  I wanted it to be PEACEFUL!  Full of GOOD CHEER!  LOVE and LAUGHTER abounding on every block, in every city, town and nation!  However, to my own discredit, not one of my pieces was sent.  Too many last minute details derailed my fervor.  However, this season, I’m thinking of pulling out those pieces—developing them into a book—and self-publishing it in plenty of time for next year’s marketing-media-frenzy.

In the meantime, I hope you’ll join me in a taste of rebellion and allow your thoughts to stroll back to your favorite Holiday Season(s)—and WRITE about them.  Besides finding “just what you wanted” under the tree, what other memories do you see?  A favorite aunt bringing her deee-licious walnut fudge to Christmas dinner?  Your grandmother telling her version of “naughty” stories about your dad?  The next door neighbor stopping by with a handmade toy carved from oak wood just for you!

Over the years our family has enjoyed many traditions such as the youngest child placing the ceramic Baby Jesus in the manger on Christmas Eve and attending Christmas Eve church services.  One fairly new tradition in our house is watching a made-for-TV movie titled Silent Night.  This true-story, produced in 2002, stars Linda Hamilton as the German mother of a young son (age 12) who will soon be conscripted into Hitler’s army.  She takes him out of the city to a cabin in the woods—not far from “enemy” lines.  It is Christmas Eve, 1944, and unexpected guests arrive: first three American soldiers, then three German soldiers.  She demands a truce between them—for this one night.

You may be wondering why this movie?  Simple answer.  It inspired me.  This movie was created from an oral history interview with a high school student!  Her subject was Fritz Vincken, the boy in the “story,” and the one thing he remembered most about his childhood was war.  Many of us—many of our neighbors—and too many the world over hold such memories or actually live in war zones today.  I don’t want to forget that.  I don’t want to get so caught up in shopping or party-planning that I misplace my compassion for those who are hurting.  And, for me, seeing/experiencing a well-written, well-directed, well-acted movie such as Silent Night helps me hold my center; helps me appreciate the gifts I’ve been given that cannot be wrapped.

Plus, realizing that this story was developed (written/scripted) from a collection of oral histories done by high school students is exceptionally inspiring to me.  Important, vital, must-be-told stories are out there waiting for the right person to write them!  Is that YOU?

– ROYALENE DOYLE

snight1

It may only have been two years since our friend Royalene first posted this piece for us on Self Publishing Advisor, but I personally think it’s worth bringing back every Christmas.  Why?  Because storytelling is what we do, and there’s simply no more fertile ground for storytelling than the holiday season.

“Holidays bring holiday memories, and, often a sense of nostalgia for good times long gone, perhaps even loved ones long gone,” writes Wynne Parry over at LiveScience.  “This bittersweet nostalgia helps us feel connected, both around the holidays and at other times. And, it can be a salve to those suffering through hard times,” says Parry, quoting psychology professor and “nostalgia expert” Krystine Batcho, of Le Moyne College in New York.

According to Batcho, “whenever there is a major change it can be very helpful to kind of keep grounded in the sense of who you are. That sense of nostalgia helps to link you to your own personal past; it helps you remember who you have been.”  By that definition, nostalgia is both an important element to our scientific understanding of the human brain and consciousness, and an important element of the way we tell stories about ourselves and to each other.

My thoughts, as we progress into yet another holiday season, following a year of both fantastic “highs” and incredible “lows”–personally, as self-publishing authors, and simply as human beings on this planet–are as follows: We ought not to be afraid of nostalgia.  We should use the nostalgic impulse as we use all others: that is, we should allow it to spur us on in our writing, to compel us to create new things that make the most of old things.  Do the holidays–does Christmas, specifically–make you feel something?  Use that as fodder for prose.  Do the holidays leave you hungering after something more substantial or just something different in your own life?  Use that as impetus for transformation, as a writer as in all other things.

And yes, be a rebel.  If the popularity of dystopic young adult literature has taught us anything, it’s that people–our readers–are thirsty for change, to see the world move away from the sorrows and griefs and injustices that sometimes rule it.  Readers are rebels, too, and they love it when they stumble across that voice which perfectly captures the carpe diem spirit of a spirit in search of positive change.  Just as that German mother portrayed in Silent Night brought a small slice of peace and change to that cabin in the woods, you can do great things in this world.  We’re excited to see where the holiday nostalgia leads you! ♠

Silent Night (2002) with Linda Hamilton

 

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

News From the Self-Publishing World: 11/30/15

This week in the world of self-publishing:

In this November 29th article for the Belleville News-Democrat, Teri Maddox writes from across the pond of Deborah Heal’s work.  Heal, who has self-published both what she calls the three-book “History Mystery Trilogy” and the “Rewinding Time Series” of four books, is a retired English teacher from Waterloo now fulfilling her dreams of becoming an author––and finding a great deal of success in it.  Maddox prompts her readers at BND: “Imagine being able to fire up your laptop and experience history in real time, whether at the Old Slave House near Equality or on the Trail of Tears in Golconda.”  And this is just what happens in Heal’s books, to Southern Illinois woman Merrideth Randall and her friends, “But their magic software works only when they’re visiting old homes.”  The premise is plenty interesting on its own, but what follows––Heal’s own story and route to success––is equally fascinating!  Heal isn’t content merely to use a textbook; she does her own research.  Maddox quotes Heal’s husband, Bob, as saying: “Debbie does a lot of deep research [….] The history is right. She makes up the characters, but she doesn’t fudge on the facts.”  The hard work has more than paid off; as Maddox chronicles, “More than 3,000 people have downloaded the Kindle version of ‘Time and Again’,” Heal’s first book––and now, of course, she’s making news across England for her unique approach to (religously-infused) history.  To read Maddox’s original article, follow the link.

Not every foray into self-publishing is made in the serious spirit of authors seeking self-actualization (although those forays are lovely, too).  According to Peggy Sturvidant in this November 27th piece for the Ballard News-Tribune, we have a new self-published entry into both our holiday canon and our updates-of-classic-science-fiction canon: Santa Meets Frankenstein.  The book, put out by illustrator Jan Harvey-Smith and Q13 morning meteorologist (turned author) M.J. McDermott, is shaking things up in the seasonal literature department––and raising eyebrows, in the best of all possible ways!  Says Sturvidant of McDermott, “She bubbles with the creative juices that led her into majors in drama, atmospheric sciences, and fuels her love of writing. She calls it ‘writing in the cracks,’ between work and family.” (Emphasis mine.)  What a beautiful way of expressing what so many of us indie and self-publishing authors know to be a daily reality!  And the spirit of the book, according to author and illustrator, could be considered a modern “Christmas fable, ‘for middle readers and the young at heart.'”  For more information, check out Sturvidant’s original piece!

Do you know how to find Reykjavík on a map?  Well, it’s a beautiful place and absolutely chock-full of brilliant writers––writers as diverse as Nordic Council Literature Prize winners Gyrðir Elíasson, Sjón and Einar Már Guðmundsson.  In this November 28th post to the Reykjavík Grapevine, Kári Tulinius writes a brief but to-the-point piece to all fellow Icelandic authors in search of that “next step”––and actively advocating for indie, hybrid, and self-publishing platforms while at it.  Tulinius, a poet himself, writes that “generally, if it is a good book, Icelanders do not look down on writers who self-publish […] so if you have no patience for regular publishing, go for it.”  His piece is straightforward, to-the-point, and––I think––perfectly on point for anyone (in Iceland or outside of it) looking for that final word of encouragement to pursue a non-traditional mode of publishing.

Esther Ashby-Coventry, contributor to the New Zealand-based paper The Timaru Herald, documents the self-publishing adventures of the Geraldine Writers’ Club members Edna Huber, Bernadette Joyce, Faye McGunnigle, and Judith Farley.  According to Ashby-Coventry’s November 27 article, which went on to be re-posted to the even more widely-read Stuff.co.NZ, these four women don’t think of self-publishing as “their only option,” but rather “the best option” available to first-time authors themselves.  The distinction may seem like semantics, but we happen to think this particular set of semantics is an important one!  “It’s a catch 22,” Ashby-Coventry quotes Farley as saying: “If you are not known the publisher won’t take you on but how do you get known?”  While the article closes with somewhat depressing words from HarperCollins’ New Zealand marketing manager Sandra Doakes (“It is rare to make a genuinely good living in New Zealand; a lot of authors still have day jobs.”) it doesn’t seem that the Geraldine Writers’ Club is suffering because of their decision to seek success outside of mainstream publishing.  Current members like Huber look to the example of Alice Mabin, who moved from New Zealand to Australia and whose 2014 novel, The Drover, has sold more than 21,000 copies.  “Success is not in bookshops competing with every other book,” Ashby-Coventry quotes Mabin as saying.  And that is, we think, a very wise final thought to close out this week’s 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.