London Book Fair

Networking is essential in any career, and publishing is no different. Networking can help self-published authors  make contacts that help move their careers forward. The London Book Fair is the ideal place to make a connection with industry professionals, including those who are interested in international rights.

The London Book Fair is regarded by many as the most important spring publishing event and welcomes tens of thousands of attendees from all over the globe. Capitalize by exposing your book to key industry contacts like acquisitions agents, editors, and translation rights agents.

The London Book Fair takes place Tuesday, April 8, 2014 through Thursday, April 10, 2014. This year’s event features a great group of big names from the world of publishing and Film and TV as well as a wide range of exhibitors, conferences, seminars, and events.

The London Book Fair is a great opportunity to network, find inspiration, learn about the industry, and promote your book. To learn more, visit http://www.londonbookfair.co.uk/en/Home/.

ABOUT KELLY SCHUKNECHT: Kelly Schuknecht is the 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 at http://kellyschuknecht.com.

Self-Publishing Week in Review: 4/08/14

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 Tuesday to find out the hottest news.

How to Hire the Right Editor for Your Self-Published Book

This article discusses the importance of hiring a good editor. It also explains the difference between developmental editing, copyediting, and proofreading and offers tips on hiring the right editor for your self-published book.

4 Questions to Ask Before Self-Publishing

This article recommends four questions authors should ask themselves about their book before self-publishing. These four questions will improve your story. This article is a must read for fiction writers.

Complimentary Standard iPad Edition Offered to Authors Beginning to Publish with Outskirts Press in April

Leading self-publishing services provider Outskirts Press offers the new Standard iPad edition complimentary to authors publishing a book with either the Diamond or Pearl book publishing services in April. The Standard iPad/iPhone Edition offers many benefits to self-publishing authors.

If you have other big news to share, please comment below.

ABOUT KELLY SCHUKNECHT: Kelly Schuknecht is the 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 at http://kellyschuknecht.com.

Poetry Styles Explained

April is National Poetry Month. In honor of this, I encourage everyone to try their hand at writing poetry this month, even if you usually shy away from this genre. To help you get started, here is an overview of some of the popular poetry styles.

Ballad

A typical ballad is a plot-driven song with one or more characters and a dramatic ending. This form uses the show, don’t tell approach to writing. Examples include Ballad of the Goodly Fere by Ezra Pound and  The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge.

Blues Poem

This is one of the most popular forms of American poetry. It stems from the African American oral tradition. It often discusses difficult topics. Examples include Riverbank Blues by Sterling A. Brown and The Weary Blues by Langston Hughes.

Epic

An epic is a long, often book-length, narrative in verse form that retells the heroic journey of a single person, or group of persons. One of the most famous examples of an epic is The Odyssey by Homer.

Haiku

A traditional Japanese haiku is a three-line poem with seventeen syllables, written in a 5/7/5 syllable count. Haikus often focus on images from nature.

Limerick

This form is popular among children’s authors. Limericks are often comical, and they consist of five lines that adhere to a strict rhyme scheme. These poems are easy to memorize. Nursery rhymes are often considered limericks.

Sonnet

The sonnet is a fourteen-line poem written in iambic pentameter. It adheres to one of several rhyme schemes. Two well-known sonnet forms are the Petrachan and the Shakespearean.

To learn more about poetry styles, visit Poets.org. It is an excellent resource for all poets.

I’d love to know, what is your favorite style of poetry?

ABOUT KELLY SCHUKNECHT: Kelly Schuknecht is the 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 at http://kellyschuknecht.com.

Self-Publishing Week in Review: 4/01/14

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 Tuesday to find out the hottest news.

My Self-Publishing Journey: On Becoming an Indie Author

“My Self-Publishing Journey” is a new monthly column from Publisher’s Weekly that tracks, step-by-step, one author’s adventures in self-publishing. I always encourage authors considering self-publishing to talk to other writers about their publishing experiences, so this column will be an interesting read for anyone considering self-publishing.

 Bologna 2014: Realism Reigns

If you weren’t able to participate in the Bologna Children’s Book Fair last week, be sure to check out this recap of the event. This article discusses children’s book trends and other news. It is a must read for children’s book authors and young adult authors.

 Outskirts Press Reveals Top 10 Best Selling Books in Self-Publishing for January 2014 

One of the best ways to improve your writing is to read the work of others. Be sure to check out this list of best-selling self-published books.

If you have other big news to share, please comment below.

ABOUT KELLY SCHUKNECHT: Kelly Schuknecht is the 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 at http://kellyschuknecht.com.

Self-Publishing Week in Review: 3/25/14

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 Tuesday to find out the hottest news.

Nook Press self-publishing platform is now available to authors in the UK and parts of Europe

Barnes and Noble, the bookseller behind the Nook e-reader devices and e-reader store, has announced that the Nook Press self-publishing platform is now available to authors and publishers in the UK, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands and Belgium. As part of the move, Nook Press now supports multiple languages including French, Italian, German, Spanish and Dutch. This is great news for ebook authors because they know have access to even more readers.

Steven Berkoff makes self-publishing debut

After rejection by conventional imprints (despite having previously published), actor and director Steven Berkoff has decided to self-publish two books. This is an interesting read for authors considering self-publishing.

Next Time, I’ll Self-publish

This is an honest look at traditional publishing from a professional writer. It explains why next time, she’ll self-publish. This is a must read for all writers.

If you have other big news to share, please comment below.

ABOUT KELLY SCHUKNECHT: Kelly Schuknecht is the 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 at http://kellyschuknecht.com.