Category: Uncategorized

Alternative Marketing Methods, Book Marketing, Kelly Speaks, Marketing Your Self-Published Book, Uncategorized

Planning for 2017: Damage Control

I think a recurring theme in 2016 seemed to be that a lot of things can go unexpectedly wrong at highly inopportune moments. If your New Year happens to still be clinging on to that pattern from the year just passed, let’s talk damage control.

damage control

First damage control worthy scenario: maybe your holiday marketing plan was a flop, or you were too busy to enact one at all, and you’re still stuck with a pile of books. This is no time to tuck your tail between your legs and wallow in self-pity or defeat. Get online and create a compelling promotional copy for your Amazon book and ebook page, and get some endorsements! Test out your drafts for your promo copies on some members of your target audience and gauge what types of descriptions they find most intriguing. If you’ve written one that generates enough interest to trigger a purchase, then pat yourself on the back and put those marketing pants back on, because those books aren’t going to sell themselves!

Or, let’s say your resolution to spend at least 30 minutes a day on writing or marketing has already fallen through because you’ve become unexpectedly busy at work or home. Maybe recovering from the holidays and trying to get back into your old routine has taken longer than anticipated. I have a few quotes that I try and turn into mantras when I’ve fallen off the writing or marketing bandwagon that I’d like to share with you all, because motivation ultimately has to come from you, and I find that I can really inspire myself to get back into gear by just reading some motivational tid bits by other authors–or just reading in general!

“Be ruthless about protecting writing days, i.e. do not cave in to endless requests to have ‘essential’ and ‘long overdue’ meetings on those days.”

–J.K. Rowling

“Just write every day of your life. Read intensely. Then see what happens. Most of my friends who are put on that diet have very successful careers.”

—Ray Bradbury

“If my doctor told me I had only six minutes to live, I wouldn’t brood. I’d type a little bit faster.”

–Isaac Asimov

Maybe you have been writing, but your book is taking a different direction than you anticipated and you are trying to reconcile your original plan with the reality of what you’ve got down on the page. My advice to you here–readers love surprises. A book that goes exactly according to plan can sometimes be dull to read, especially if the plan was generic and not authentic to you and your voice. Since we’re talking damage control today, let’s use the comparison of a story taking an unexpected direction to your car hitting a patch of black ice. If you over correct the wheel to try and veer yourself back on course, you’ll end up off the road, or worse, cause an accident. If you slam on the breaks and try and bring the car to a halt, you’ll probably have a similar outcome. But, if you try to calmly go with the flow and let the car get itself back on track, you’ll hopefully ride it out safe and sound. Once your heart rate returns from the shock of the unknown, see where this unexpected turn in the story takes you, and you’ll surprise yourself as much as you’ll surprise (and excite!) the reader I’m sure.

Absolute worse case scenario: you have been writing and you’ve lost your manuscript. Maybe you spilt coffee on your laptop, or the file you were working on was corrupted. Don’t lose all hope. There are a lot of computer nerds in the world who can help with file recovery.

I remember just recently an article I had written for a magazine had been saved in a place I thought to be very safe–Google Docs–but the editor I shared it with accidentally deleted the entire thing! I felt nauseous when she calmly relayed this little factoid to me via email, because I had poured HOURS into the piece. However, after I calmed down, I spent a half hour on Google researching how to recover the older version of the document, and lo and behold, it worked! Now, that was an ideal situation, but I do highly recommend keeping online versions of all of your documents, in case there ever is an issue with your computer. If your manuscript really is unrecoverable, feel free to mourn, you’ve lost something you’ve worked hard on. However, do not let it stop you from starting over with a tabula rasa–something good always rises from the ashes.

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, Jodee Speaks, Kelly Speaks, Uncategorized

From the Archives: “Here’s to 2015, The Year You Publish a Book”

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: January 5th, 2015 ]

If you are like many writers, publishing a book is probably on your 2015 to-do list. You’re probably feeling inspired, excited, maybe a little scared or overwhelmed, and you’re hoping your dream won’t become another failed resolution that gets pushed to the back burner after the thrill of the new year wears off.

Well, I’m here to help. Each week in January I will offer you tips and tricks to help you accomplish your goal of publishing a book this year, and I encourage you to continue reading my posts every week throughout the year for inspiration, advice, and news that will help you become a successful author.

So let’s get started.

The first thing you must do if you want to accomplish your goal is break it down into smaller, more manageable and measurable tasks. This will keep you from feeling overwhelmed, getting side tracked, and losing inspiration.

I find it helpful to have a calendar in front of me when I complete this task to help with setting deadlines and factoring in events that may impact my writing goals.

Now ask yourself these questions:

1) How much time do I need to dedicate to writing each day, week, or month?

2) When do I want to complete my first draft?

3) How much time do I need to edit my first draft?

4) What tasks besides writing (i.e., researching, marketing, etc.) will I need to complete?

5) When do I want to start the publishing process?

6) How will I fund my project?

7) What will help me be successful?

Using your answers to these questions, write down small, measurable goals for your project and put them some place you will see them often. Be sure to periodically check your progress and adjust your goals as needed.

I’d love to know, what are your 2015 writing goals?

– by Jodee Thayer

There’s a lot we can learn from the past, both the personal past and the grand historical narrative. Like, for example, it’s not a good idea to put your hand on an open flame. The historical lessons are easy to call to mind, too: Hitler, slavery, segregation, overdoing the electric shock therapy.

But there’s a lot we can’t know about the future, right? That’s just how time works. We don’t know what’s just over the event horizon; if we could, we’d all be rich. (Among other things.)

Well yes … and no.

Yes, there’s a lot we can’t know. But there’s also a great deal we can predict about the future based on our past habits. And Jodee, in her prelude to 2015, lay out the groundwork for a highly predictable future–a future that would meet with both her highest expectations for success and, understandably, with the challenges she had the foresight to see coming a long way off. How is this possible? Well, she took a good long look at what challenges she’d faced in the past, and the good habits she’d pulled together to combat them, and then she extrapolated forward, assuming both would prove to be constants in her future, if only she could manage to meet them in full fighting mettle.

Busy-ness is a thing most of us are more than a little familiar with. But I urge you, dear readers, to take a quick look back at Jodee’s recommendations from 2015. They still hold true. First, to break each task “down into smaller, more manageable and measurable tasks.” Then to pull out a calendar and plot all of the deadlines you know you’ll need to meet, such as awards submissions deadlines, and any upcoming personal distractions you know you’ll need to plan around–weddings, vacations and traveling, holidays, surgeries, turning in grades, etc–so that they become a feature of, rather than a source of anxiety within, your upcoming year. And start sketching out answers to her seven questions, listed above. I’ll be revisiting mine next week, and I hope you will too.

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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: 1.2.2017

And now for the news!

This week in the world of self-publishing:

With the rise in self-publishing has come a rise in service providers who help take some of the ‘self’ out of the self-publishing platform. “There are companies that handle one step—or all of them—along the way: editing, marketing, design, distribution, and publicity,” says Alsever, and she has a name for this phenomenon which she calls “The Kindle Effect.” With the introduction of the Kindle to the market in 2007 came the option for Kindle Direct Publishing, which allowed anyone to upload, publish and sell their book, for free.

However, due to the fact that self-publishing means that authors keep 50-70% of the profit from their sales, rather than 15-25% royalties from traditional publishing, there is even more incentive to get your books sold, which often requires investing money so as to make your book a purchase worthy item.

Service providers have caught onto the fact that independent authors have created best-sellers as well; just look at Fifty Shades of Gray and The Martian, both of which have been made into Hollywood hits and have generated serious profits for their authors. While traditional companies miss out on these monumental literary pieces, less traditional companies who provide service to these independent authors get to say they played a hand in helping someone who’s idea had been wrongly turned away. When authors struggle to get noticed by traditional publishing companies, thanks to the Kindle Effect, their options have become seemingly limitless when it comes to getting their work out in the world. Outskirts Press is one of those options, and we’re proud to provide our services to independent authors.

Ylleya Fields and her daughter have always been avid readers, but Fields was shocked when she discovered that there were next to no books that depicted the experience of African American children to share with her daughter. “This inspired me to create my own children’s book series and in turn break down barriers for children of all races,” says Fields.

So began her pursuit to create Princess Cupcake Jones, a series with her daughter as the inspiration for the main character.

After a falling out with the person who was helping her write/edit her first story, Fields put Princess Cupcake Jones on the shelf for a half a year until her family insisted that these stories were crucial for young African American children to have access to. This persuaded Ylleya to really get the ball rolling again, to hire an illustrator and to bring the Princess to life. After sending her final polished copy to publishers and having it rejected over and over–I’m sure only reinforcing the importance of making her and her daughter’s voices and experiences heard and read about–Fields decided to self-publish.

Of course she didn’t reap success, profits or a fan base right away, but she stayed committed and wrote a second book, and this is when her audience began to grow.

As Ylleya is someone who had the odds stacked against her in more ways than just decided to self-publish, I’d like to leave you with a beautiful piece of advice from the author herself.

“…Make sure you surround yourself with a great team of people who want you to succeed more than you do — people who will make your idea great, not good; who are willing to give their opinions, but understand at the end of the day that it’s your decision…Finally, the last and best piece of advice I can give is to always believe in yourself; because if you don’t, you can’t expect others to!”

 

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

Saturday Book Review: “Still Marching On”

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.

Still Marching On Lynda Stephenson

Still Marching On

by Lynda Stephenson

Publisher: Outskirts Press

ISBN: 9781478771982

Synopsis:

Frankilee Baxter is back! And she is as sassy and resolute as ever. In Still Marching On, Miss Baxter aspires to participate in the Civil Rights Movement, become editor of the Athena College newspaper, and marry Calvin Morris-and odds are, she’ll make her dreams come true with sheer force of personality. A witty young woman with nerve and verve, Frankilee is in no way the traditional Southern sorority girl, which brings disappointment and alarm to her family, as well as shock and dismay to Calvin’s parents. With humor and heart, this highly anticipated third novel by award-winning author Lynda Stephenson depicts the triumphs and the failures of a plucky girl determined not only to stand against the Southern customs she loathes but also to marry the man she loves.
“Here is the story of the irrepressible Frankilee Baxter, who, while she may be a disappointment to the 1960s down-south establishment, will fight to the end for life and liberty, and all that she believes in. I loved it.”
-Carolyn Wall, author of Sweeping Up Glass and Playing with Matches

Critique:

A resolute college student rails against discrimination and injustice in the South in this third novel in the Frankilee Baxter series by Stephenson (The Southern Chapter of the Big Girl Panties Club, 2013, etc.).

Frankilee is well known for her steely determination. In previous novels, she helped save a girl from abusive parents, and dealt with burglary, kidnapping, a shooting, and heated racial issues – all taken in stride as part of her formative years.

In quieter moments, she continued her fervent hunt for a steady boyfriend. The third installment opens in 1960 with Frankilee transferring from Athena College in San Antonio to the University of Texas in Austin, along with her black roommate, Eleanor Wilson. Although the university is deemed to be integrated, they are met immediately with racial hatred. A landlady turns the two away screaming, “What do you mean, bringing this nigra girl to my front door?” They are pelted with tomatoes by fellow students who tell Eleanor to “go back to Africa” and hurl vicious insults at Frankilee. The women are rescued by Calvin Morris, Frankilee’s old basketball coach and love interest, setting the tone for the remainder of the story: a blend of endearingly quirky romance and determined resistance to Southern bigotry.

Choosing to return to the expensive Athena against her mother’s advice, Frankilee pushes to become an integral part of the civil rights movement, and attempts to gain a voice in the institution by becoming the editor of the college newspaper, her relationship with Calvin developing all the while. Stephenson possesses the rare ability to make a reader want to actively root for the protagonist. Frankilee is political, stubborn, and fiery, but she is also loyal, witty, and warm. It is difficult not to fall in love with her.

Despite excavating the abhorrent and often nonsensical nature of racism, the novel displays an effervescent humor and offers some delicious caricatures: “Mr. Hatham is a banty-rooster of a man with reddish hair carefully combed to hide no hair. He has an inflated chest and prancing feet.” This elegant and intuitive writing, loaded with wisdom and charm, is prevalent throughout. The book delivers an astute examination of American race and gender politics, with a generous serving of love and laughter.

In this compelling and insightful tale, a strong Texas heroine passionately advocates civil rights.

[ reviewed on the Reviewer’s Bookwatch of Midwest Book Review ]

Here’s what some other reviewers are saying:

Another outstanding book by Lynda Stephenson. Great character development, and very authentic to the period. If you were a college student during the 1960’s you can really identify with the subjects dealt with in this book. The civil rights movement, the freedom riders, the limited professional opportunities for women college graduates, and the predetermined expectations of parents for their children, especially girls. Frankilee, the main character, takes on all these issues with wit, humor, passion, and, yes, her rebellious ways. Ms. Stephenson’s previous book in the Frankilee Baxter series focuses on Frankilee’s freshman and sophomore year; in this book the focus is her junior and senior year. She is more mature, more thoughtful, and more concerned about social inequality. She truly grows into adulthood. Obviously, this is a great book for anyone that was a young adult in the 1960’s, but if you have parents or grandparents that lived through that period and you want to know what they experienced and what life was like, then this book is for you. FINALLY, THE BOOK HAS A GREAT ENDING!

– Amazon Reviewer AdaBill

In ‘Marching On,” Frankilee Baxter is fundamentally the same wonderful, perplexing, and often perplexed character that we came to know and love in “Dancing With Elvis” and “The Southern Chapter of the Big Girl Panties Club”. In this third novel of the series, author Lynda Stephenson expands upon the theme of integration as it developed in the 50’s and early 60’s. The struggle for civil rights in the South becomes the central factor in Frankilee’s personal struggle to establish her worth and purpose in life. More than ever, she is an idealist who pays dearly for pursuing social and moral goals that clash with purveyors of deeply entrenched bigotry. Though tempered by her comical girlhood blunders, Frankilee at the same time leads the patient reader down (or up) a primrose path seriously darkened by physical and emotional pain.
Looking for structure, Frankilee attempts to summarize her life in literary terms: as classical comedy, which ends with a wedding, rather than as tragedy, which ends in death. Yet more specifically one might say that her willful suffering bespeaks a more complicated persona than one finds in Jane Austin or Emily Dickinson, two of Frankilee’s heroines.
Nor is Frankilee’s journey deeply tragic in the Shakespearian sense of an uber-complicated Hamlet. Her sacrificial cause is rooted in the powerful utopian dream of idealists such as John Lewis and Martin Luther King, Jr. Buttressed by the somewhat enlightened progressives among her friends and family, her optimistic belief in a more just world seems realistically achievable.
Marching On is the story of a small town girl in the throes of becoming a world class woman. She entertains us with an overlay of buffoonery, but she is defined by her capacity for love, including love for her friends, for her family (no matter how obtuse or obnoxious); for her man, and, most importantly, for the unvarnished Truth, however awkward or undignified that makes her feel. In her own personable way, Frankilee Baxter embodies the correct side of our unfolding history.

– Amazon Reviewer James A. Moore

Book Trailer

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

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

Conversations: 12/30/2016

THE WRITER-AUTHOR-MARKETING SPECIALIST – Week V

Now that all the Christmas toys have found their way into our children’s room—or the downstairs family/playroom—or tucked away under our beds—it’s time for all writers to pause and catch a breath. Even during the holidays the relentless dancing-maid-characters of our novels-in-progress have been talking to us, demanding our attention, pushing us to write the next chapter. Please hit the PAUSE button! You and your Marketing Specialist/PR professional have done all there is to do this year. Now it’s time to pull in a deep breath and…

  • Settle in to your favorite reading place, close the door, and read (or re-read) a favorite book! I have shelves full of my “keepers” (as I’m sure you, do) and they range in genre from the Adventure/Sci-fi of Edgar Rice Burroughs, Isaac Asimov and H. G. Wells to the mysteries and miracles of faith from authors such as A. J. Cronin, Lew Wallace and Jonathan Cahn. Reading one of your keepers will refresh mind, heart and spirit—allow you to wallow in the excellence and expertise of creative authors—and heighten your own creativity!
  • Congratulate yourself on surviving yet another wild holiday season which has, after all, reminded you of all the love and laughter, joy and hope that can be found in the world—often in spite of the anxiety-driven drama that we hear on the News. When we pause long enough and consider history—both ancient and immediate—writers observe a kaleidoscope of perspectives that can enhance our every writing project. We’ve just added one more personal perspectives piece of history to this collection. Let’s make sure we’ve taken a few notes to remind us.
  • Take time—and make the effort—to reconnect with neighbors and friends who have just reconnected with you through emails and Christmas cards, Facebook posts or quick phone calls. Why repeat the contact so soon? When this was suggested to me I wanted to ask the same question but decided to simply start with one person and see where that took me. Not only did each conversation lift my spirits, I later learned that the other folks felt the same boost of energy, as if the not-so-great circumstances that many were experiencing would find good outcomes—simply because someone listened to them and cared.
    • There was another marvelous benefit that came from these contacts. Without me mentioning my books—or anything about my writing projects—each person asked about either my first book or the one I’d recently released. I will never know how many of them actually purchased one of the books, however, a few wrote nice online reviews.

books poinsettia

As this year of 2016 closes its doors, remember this: YOU ARE A WRITER! Every experience you’ve had this year, every person you’ve met, grown closer to and/or walked away from, every step you’ve taken to build your writing skills (and marketing skills) has moved you toward the New Year.  So enjoy these remaining hours! Rest! Relax! Imagine all your books in the homes of thousands of Readers who have received the gift of your writing skills and inspirations just a few days ago. 2017 will bring you more stories to write and many more FANS! ⚓︎

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.