Category: Uncategorized

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

Self-Publishing News: 3.13.2017

And now for the news!

This week in the world of self-publishing:

This incredible series by Bennett Voyles goes over how digitalization has changed “book consumption, book production and book marketing.” This part of the series focuses on the writer.

While Voyles is quick to admit that the top five publishing companies control 80% of all the book industry’s sales in the US, he quickly counters that staggering percentage with the fact that “The Big Five” only has a 23% share of the Amazon ebook market. Further, three of the top ten best selling books on Apple iBook this past February were written by self-published authors.

So what are the advantages to the digitization of the publishing industry for writers? Voyles suggests that the publishing process is now more streamlined. If you want to make edits to a book you’ve already created, you can quite literally do that with a few clicks of a button–better yet, if you do so through an Amazon e-book, those changes are instantly made to already purchased books. This means that the authors can immediately adapt to the reactions, reviews and input of their readers.

Think about it this way, if you’re worried about the response you might get from a book, you can almost give it a test run by publishing it first as an ebook, gain some feedback from readers all around the world and then adapt your manuscript to create something more reader friendly. Looking at digitization in this way, it seems as if the quality of books coming out in this age will be enhanced, contrary to the all too oft made argument the proliferation of ebooks/self-publishing would in general lower the overall quality of books today.

Voyle hammers this home when he points to successful self-published authors who end up landing deals with traditional publishing houses, meaning that the quality of self-publishing leaves room for cross-over. But he almost seems to suggest that this cross over to traditional publishing may not actually be that profitable for self-published authors who can make anywhere from 35-70% royalties over the 7% royalties they’d get in a big publishing house. Further, traditional publishing houses seem to be moving in the direction of outsourcing a lot of the copyediting, proofreading and production to freelance workers, workers that can just as easily be hired by self-publishing authors meaning that you now have access to the same quality of editors as traditional publishing companies anyhow.

Not only do self-published authors have a higher chance of getting a bigger paycheck than they would in a traditional publishing house, they are given the chance to publish first and foremost, which “raises the odds of success from nil to slim,” according to Voyle, who acknowledges that self-publishing is not a sure thing either. Self-published authors have to be a publishing company of their own; they have to find editors, deal with copyrighting, create an interior and cover design, be marketing savvy, etc. etc. Doing all that on top of creating a solid manuscript is obviously a bit overwhelming, which is why we at Outskirts Press offer services to help writers with those somewhat laborious tasks.

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.
Self-Publishing Book Review of the Week, Uncategorized, weekly self published book review

Saturday Book Review: “A Slice of History, Musing on Religion”

Book reviews are a great way for self-publishing authors to gain exposure. After all, how can someone buy your book if he or she doesn’t know it exists? Paired with other elements of your book promotion strategy, requesting reviews is a great way to get people talking about what you’ve written.

When we read good reviews, we definitely like to share them. It gives the author a few (permanent) moments of fame and allows us to let the community know about a great book. Here’s this week’s book review, courtesy of Midwest Book Review:

a slice of history, musing on religion by frans koning

A Slice of History, Musing on Religion

by Frans Koning

Publisher: Outskirts Press

ISBN: 9781478760061

Synopsis*:

A View of the World from Three Continents. . . From a farm in The Netherlands to poverty-stricken Sierra Leone…from the brief peace after the Great War to the horrors of World War II…from Europe to America…this extraordinary book of anecdotal essays ranges through the life of a man who has lived broadly and deeply.

Author Frans Koning shares his observations and impressions on topics ranging from what it was like to be a teenager in a Nazi-occupied country, to his experiences in Africa with the Peace Corps, and his move to the United States. He has experienced the effects of brutality and fear and lived to tell about man’s inhumanity to man. With a perspective gained from three continents, he can see how human experience is both diverse and similar…and how patterns in human behavior emerge, from the Waffen SS to ISIS. Immediately engaging, loosely structured, and retaining a piquant flavor of his native land in a Dutchman’s English, A Slice of History is a uniquely personal yet immediately accessible memoir of life during the most turbulent decades of our time.

 * courtesy of Amazon.com

Critique:

Most Americans know World War II from secondary sources like books, documentaries, etc. or from people they know who were alive at that time. “A Slice of History: Musing on Religion” by Frans Koning is a delicious primary source on how a young man experienced the war in the Netherlands. The dominant theme coming so often from the US public on “How we saved Western Europe” misses the complexities involved for the Dutch and all other liberal minded youth in this part of Europe who lived through this period.

The book is written in the style of letters written to friends, or even a thoughtful diary, is a refreshing reading experience. Koning shares his religious and political thoughts and feelings as he tries to create meaning in the midst of the forces of the war around him. The author’s colorful descriptions of a few of his medical practice experiences at home and in West Africa will certainly raise the reader’s curiosity. His ancestors trace back to the Reformation, as he reflects on his own struggles to understand the Christianity he encountered from parents, country, and Americans when he moved to the US. His long, soul searching for religious meaning caused his involvement with a liberal church. The openness and critical thinking of that religion served his questioning mind well.

Finally the narrative is full of personal details that most Americans could never imagine. This includes discovering the proper placement of straw into his wooden shoes, and how his mother saved Koning’s life from a belligerent Nazi SS officer by bribing him with a ham and a half bottle of gin.

This book causes readers to imagine how they would have reacted to events if they had been there. Overall, anyone interested in WWII will find this to be an excellent excursion into understanding how WWII affected a thoughtful young man.

[ reviewed by Gary Gustafson of Midwest Book Review ]

Here’s what some other reviewers are saying:

A nice piece of personal contemporary history from early twentieth century Holland (with some WWII drama, also). There are also medical observations from his years as an doctor in the African bush, and thoughtful views on comparative religion. Enlightening and fun as well.

– Amazon Reviewer Aaron Stafford

A personal opinion of the author and his life experiences: Dr Koning is a friend, and has very cogent opinions about the world, based upon his eighty plus years of life and experiences. His observations, in my experience, are keen and penetrating.

– Amazon Reviewer Scott Chester

saturday self-published book review

Thanks for reading!  Keep up with the latest in the world of indie and self-published books by watching this space every Saturday!

Self Publishing Advisor

selfpubicon1

Conversations with a Self-Publishing Writer, Royalene Speaks, Uncategorized

Conversations: 3/10/2017

MARCH INTO SPRING

WITH A SPRING IN YOUR WRITING STEP Part II

Continuing with concepts about genre writing that meets my criteria of educational reading, this week I’ll focus on the Fiction/Mystery/Historical Fiction genres. For me, these novels pivot on the depth of development of the main character(s) and key supporting characters.

cover-1Just recently I discovered the author Valentine Cardinale—wondering if that is a pseudonym—then discovering it’s his real name and a memorable author’s name it is, indeed. His most recent book release is BREAKAWAY staring Father Richard Bianchi who can’t help but become a “private” investigator in the drama surrounding the abduction of Eddie Dvorak.

Cardinale has tapped into a growing concern among people around the world, especially Americans who travel abroad. I don’t know if this author did any background research in abductions, however, here are a few statistics that may peak your interest.

  • In 2014 there were 83,957 missing person cases in the U.S. alone.
  • 50,569 adults
  • 33,388 under 18 years of age
  • An average of 750,000 are reported each year

Should we (people) be educating themselves about the abductions happing in their cities? Fiction/Mystery novels can open our eyes to many things—and just may encourage you to consider researching and developing your own mystery novel with this key component.

cover-2The second novel I’ve recently found is TURNINGS: Love In A Time of War by Chloe Canterbury.  The story revolves around a young woman named Sarah (of the Shaker community) and John (a Colonel in the Confederate army). It is 1862 in Kentucky where the Civil War is causing havoc.

There is so much history research available for this time period the writing of such a novel might feel too heavy. However, once an author understands the main characters, they will “write” their own story and Readers will increase their knowledge base—which makes it vitally important that:

  • Places and events are fact-checked several times.
  • Settings, equipment, clothing, etc. are correctly described.
  • Military ranks/positions are accurate.

And, of course, writers must constantly make their own reality-check of how a woman—of the Shaker belief—will respond to her love of God and her growing affections for this Confederate soldier.

The world we live in is full of amazing and complicated personal relationships. It is through safe, fictionalized relationships that we can learn how to develop better relationships in our own lives. Both of the novels listed here have been developed to do just that.

I believe every writer has their own favorite novels that have inspired and encouraged them—especially as examples of excellent writing techniques. Mine include a sweeping time period novel titled: Mary Called Magdalene by Margaret George. It is my hope to someday become such a writer who carries Readers into the different worlds of historic times. The goal: Never quit! Keep writing! Publish! And you, too, will have amazing success!  ⚓︎

Royalene

ABOUT ROYALENE DOYLE: Royalene has been writing something since before kindergarten days and continues to love the process. Through her small business—DOYLE WRITING SERVICES—she brings more than 40 years of writing experience to authors who need “just a little assistance” with completing their projects. This is a nice fit as she develops these blogs for Outskirts Press (OP) a leading self-publisher, and occasionally accepts a ghostwriting project from one of their clients. Her recent book release (with OP) titled FIREPROOF PROVERBS, A Writer’s Study of Words, is already receiving excellent reviews including several professional writer’s endorsements given on the book’s back cover.  

Royalene’s writing experience grew through a wide variety of positions from Office Manager and Administrative Assistant to Teacher of Literature and Advanced Writing courses and editor/writer for an International Christian ministry. Her willingness to listen to struggling authors, learn their goals and expectations and discern their writing voice has brought many manuscripts into the published books arena.

elizabeth speaks, in your corner, Marketing Your Self-Published Book, Uncategorized

In Your Corner: Nom de Plume (Part II)

Last week, I launched a short new series on the pen name, AKA the nom de plume. I examined some of the reasons, historically, why some authors have been drawn to the partial anonymity it provides—as well as some of the “pros” to doing so today. (Hint: some of the old reasons don’t apply any more, so it’s worth knowing that time has not been kind to nom de plume-rs.)

But what are some of the “cons”? What are some of the reasons not to use a pen name for you, the self-publishing author?

pseudonym pen name nom de plume

PEN NAME CONS:

Some reasons which lead authors to publish under a pseudonym can lead to problems, whether legal, ethical, or moral—or might simply be bad for business. If your motivation for using one involves any of the following reasons, you might want to reconsider:

  • Skipping libel lawsuits. Lambasting your rivals under a pen name will not keep you from facing a libel or slander lawsuit in the slightest. The libelees may not be able to personally identify you, but your publisher can be subpoenaed and forced to turn over your name, and you should never underestimate the regular old information highways of the Grapevine and social media to reveal you to fans and foes alike.
  • Riding on someone else’s coattails. Adopting the name of some other, more famous writer can land you in serious trouble for identity theft, or for copyright infringement. So don’t give yourself a nom de plume like “Edgar Poe” or “Stephen King” unless you’re prepared by the original (or the original’s estate, in the case of deceased persons). Besides, that’s just confusing. Some authors whose real and actual names are shared with other, more famous authors will even choose a pseudonym simply to differentiate their works from their more famous namesake’s.
  • Tax evasion. Nope. Don’t do this. It’s dangerous! Tax fraud is something which the IRS takes very seriously, and authors are not exempt from the law. As with other legal issues, your publisher or publishing company can be subpoenaed for your information if the government has fair reason to suspect you (or your pseudonym) of doing something shady.

There are, of course, other “cons” which have nothing to do with misdemeanors. They include:

  • Making the processing of your advances and royalties more complicated, thus complicating your relationship to both your agent (or company) and bank, as well as complicating the sale of your reprints and subsidiary rights, the administration of your personal estate, and the transfer of title to heirs upon your decease.
  • Making marketing an acrobatic act. If you’re trying to maintain anonymity, it is hard to take advantage of your personal and social networks for promotional purposes without immediately giving up your actual identity. Your real name carries a weight with family, friends, coworkers, and even more tenuous connections that a pseudonym won’t. How will you maintain anonymity at readings or signings, if anyone you know might see your face in pictures or other coverage? (And remember: Facebook can ruin things for you too, with its face-matching algorithms which “suggest” name matches to faces in uploaded pictures.)
  • Shortening your copyright protection. This will only apply if you fail to register your pseudonym with the Copyright Office, but it’s a very real concern since so many people do.
  • Not seeing your name in print. I mean, come on! It’s half of the fun.

All of this is not to say that not choosing to publish under a pen name is the only good way to go … but it is to say that you ought to be cautious, and make sure you’re willing to take on all of the challenges associated with doing so.

So: You’re ready. What next?

Don’t worry, that’s what next week is for! We’ll go over how to choose a nom de plume, and best practices for doing so. It’s going to be fun!

You are not alone. ♣︎

Elizabeth

ABOUT ELIZABETH JAVOR: With over 18 years of experience in sales and management, Elizabeth Javor works as the Manager of Author Services for Outskirts Press. The Author Services Department is composed of knowledgeable publishing consultants, pre-production specialists, customer service reps and book marketing specialists; together, they all focus on educating authors on the self-publishing process 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, Elizabeth Javor can put you on the right path.

 

decluttering, Uncategorized

Decluttering…Your Schedule

Making time to write is something we all struggle with. In our day to day lives, when we’re choosing between finishing laundry, making dinner, staying late at work, helping out a friend, etc., we’re probably going to put our hobby on the back burner. Sometimes, this is a necessary evil to remain a functioning human being who still gets eight hours of sleep at night. However, there are a few things that you can cut out of your schedule that are actually just time wasters and there are ways in which you can clear your schedule so that there’s always time for writing.

 

  • Stop using social media as a way to unwind after a long day.

 

In college, I often used StayFocusd, a Google Chrome app that helps you block certain websites for certain blocks of time when you want/need to be productive. Seriously, these things are great. You find yourself drifting off, go to open Facebook, and are immediately reminded that you are procrastinating. Scrolling through a newsfeed does not help you become a more well-rounded human being and does not teach you anything you don’t already know about the world–namely that people are self-absorbed and that politics are frustrating. Writing is time to focus on what matters–you and the things you care about. Clear out time wasters from your schedule and you’ll realize that those 20-40 minutes you spend per day on social media could be spent far more productively.

  • It’s okay to say “No!”

Nobody wants to be the naysayer. Someone needs you to cover a shift at work and they’ve asked you to do it, putting you in the awkward situation of not wanting to be a bad friend, but not wanting to add another shift to your already busy week. Guess what? When you’re overworked, you assuredly will be undermotivated to write. Sometimes you have to just say no. Putting yourself first doesn’t make you a bad person; if you think about it the person asking you for a favor is simply also putting themselves first, so you should follow suit and keep your spare time for partaking in the things you care most about.

  • Use a timer.

If you have two hours that you can allot to writing today, don’t force yourself to sit down and just hammer out two hours straight without blinking or using the bathroom. Set an alarm for every half hour and to give yourself five minutes to stand up from your desk, breathe some fresh air, grab a fresh coffee, etc. If you’re really on a roll and don’t need a break, so be it! But it’s always nice to be reminded that a break is an option, and it’ll keep you fresh!

  • Dial your meals

If you cook for yourself (which, hopefully…you do at least once in awhile), you know how time consuming it can be. Plan your meals out a week in advance and make them ahead of time. Throw together your breakfast and lunch while you make dinner and make lots of extras! This way, tomorrow you won’t be stuck with cooking, dishes, etc. all over again. This will free up hours between mornings, afternoons and evenings!

schedule scheduling agenda

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