Uncategorized – Page 166 – Self Publishing Advisor

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

Self-Publishing News: 3.7.2016

This week in the world of self-publishing:

Top 3 Amazon Alternatives for Kindle Writers

“Not happy with your Amazon royalties? Not thrilled with Amazon’s latest strategy to pay self-published borrowed books is a pool based on pages read?” asks Liesha Petrovich for HuffPost Business on March 3rd. Answers Petrovich: “You’re not alone.” And indeed, as she points out in her article, a number of high-profile as well as mainstream self-publishing authors are growing dissatisfied with Amazon’s offerings, services, and standard of treatment for its customers––readers and writers alike. And just because Amazon may appear to have a stranglehold on the indie publishing marketplace doesn’t mean that it’s the only option available; as Petrovich writes, “If you’re a current or future writer, with dreams of making a living writing, Amazon isn’t the only path to self-published success.” Her suggestions are threefold, and they don’t rely on switching companies––such as leapfrogging from Amazon to Kobo, or some other platform––but rather upon changing the sales paradigm altogether. Her recommendations are to:

Sell from your own site
Sell on other platforms (such as the Apple store, or through B&N), and
Create your own path to publishing success.

“You’re not limited,” says Petrovich, “and you may have to try a few [options] before you find the results you’re looking for. Just remember you choose to go independent for a reason, and not to increase Amazon’s profits.” Amen to that. For the rest of Petrovich’s article, follow the link!

13 Self Published Books You Won’t Find At A Book Store, But Need To Read

Says Meg Kehoe of the Romper in another article from March 3rd, “The amazing range that self-published books provide can be hard to navigate, but thanks to sites like Indie Reader and Goodreads, the world of books becomes slightly less daunting.” Kehoe herself is a handy resource for readers looking to break into the world of ebooks but find themselves without a map or compass. Her list of books you can’t afford to miss includes Jabberwocky by Theodore Singer (CreateSpace)––with obvious ties to Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland series, just in time for a new movie coming out this summer––and Jack Hammond Junior’s The Last Hanging in Scots Bend (Lujack Press), Nina Ansary’s Jewels for Allah (Revela Press), and Russell Newell’s The Boy and the Bastard (Dog Ear). I don’t know about you, but after perusing Kehoe’s list and reading her summaries of each, I definitely feel like cracking open a few new ebook covers (figuratively, at least) this next week! You can view the entire list here.

The teen author bandwagon

Sometimes, it’s nice to hear from the very demographic we write so much about here on Self Publishing Advisor, and in his March 2nd column for The Beacon, the official (online and print) student newspaper of the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, Mitch Chapman speaks up for teen authors everywhere––and what he has to say may come as a surprise, in that he asks for us to stop defining teen authors as “teen authors” and instead define them simply by what they do (write) and how well they do it. Says Chapman, “even before the rise of self-publishing platforms such as CreateSpace and Lulu, there has been an unusual fixation towards teenage authors that sometimes bleeds into college life.” He goes on to argue that, although the phenomenon of the teen author pop icon has its roots in a fascination with the gifted youngsters among us, it has created a culture which commoditizes and monetizes an author’s age … and by turning age into currency, we of course perpetuate an opportunity for unhealthy exploitation. The label “teen author” also has the undesirable side effect of following young writers into adulthood, and diminishing the true value of what they do. Chapman concludes that, “At the end of the day, what matters is not your age, but the quality of your work and your personal integrity.” Wise words for us all. You can find the rest of his article at the MCLA Beacon website.

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.

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.

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

Saturday Book Review: “The Legacy of Skur: Volume One”

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 Blue Ink Review:

The Legacy of Skur : Volume One

by L.F. Falconer

Publisher: Outskirts Press

ISBN: 978-1478761914

Synopsis:

The Legacy of Skur is as grim a fairy tale as one could want. Volume One begins with Fane’s quest of misfortune upon the mountain of Skur which ultimately leaves him imprisoned there. His sole companion has come from underground. And his only protection is a crystal talisman. When Fane’s brother, Kael, is unwittingly thrust into the care of Fane’s newborn daughter, he also gains possession of the crystal talisman. Yet when the talisman’s rightful owner comes to demand its return and holds Fane’s daughter for ransom, an impossible choice must be made. How much is Kael willing to sacrifice? More than he realizes. Fane’s daughter is the legacy of Skur. She’s four and a half feet tall, wields a sword yet is no warrior, claims the title of wizard yet cannot cast a spell, and of the two parents she never knew, only one was human. Her story has only begun….

Critique:

L.F. Falconer boldly embraces complex narrative devices in The Legacy of Skur, the second of what promises to be an epic saga.

The tome reads like three fantasy books in one: Each of three sections boasts its own well-crafted characters, distinct tone and unique perspective. The first part follows Fane, the son of a warrior intent on becoming a wizard. Along with his companion Jink, Fane sets out to scale the ominous mountain Skur in hopes of bringing back gold and other riches guarded by the dragon Ragg, but the mountain ultimately ends up being his prison. The second part focuses on Fane’s warrior brother Kael, as he brings up his brother’s infant daughter, finds love and wages his own battle against the shape-shifting dragon. Fane’s grown daughter Elva is the protagonist of the third part, which is rooted in themes of legacy, revenge and redemption.

Although the book spans several generations and explores the Tillaman Realm, a world full of magic, mystery and complex mythology, Falconer ties everything together through characters and setting. She works to distinguish each story, using different tenses and perspectives, adjusting her narrative style to fit each epic chapter.

Throughout, the author offers a well-honed approach to storytelling, employing descriptive prose and a vast vocabulary. This description includes—as with George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire saga—plenty of graphic details regarding sex and violence. Even typical battle scenes contain far more bloody detail than one finds in J.R.R. Tolkien or Terry Brooks novels; after a battle with a monstrous boar, for instance, one character gleefully dines on the beast’s entrails and manipulates its corpse. This, and the shifts from first-person to third-person perspective, may make the book a bit too challenging for casual or young fantasy readers.

However, for adult fans of the genre who appreciate experiments with narrative conventions and aren’t repelled by graphic elements, Falconer offers an intriguing and well-crafted fantasy of epic proportions.

[ reviewed by the staff of Blue Ink Review ]

Here’s what some other reviewers are saying:

As I was reading this book, The Legacy of Skur, a blockbuster movie-in-the-making was all I could picture. Every chapter, every scene, was laid out before my eyes with such precision, such mastery, such descriptive prose that only a master at the craft of writing could accomplish, and L.F. Falconer is just that.

This “grim” tale could do no wrong. While darker than I normally like and gorier than I normally tolerate, it had me absolutely hooked from the very first page, the very first scene.

I pictured everything as if seated in a movie theatre, watching this tale unfold on a silver screen in panavision and technicolor. Move over Lord of The Rings because this Legacy needs to be seen and heard by the masses!

My heart was pounding from the get-go in Part One reading Fane and Jink’s trek to the dreaded mountain of Skur, and their encounters with Larque and Seret and Ragg were marvelous.

Ms. Falconer’s words jump right off the page and onto the silver screen of my imagination . . . it’s THAT good because this author is that good! I cannot wait to get my hands on Volume Two. Hurry it up, Ms. Falconer. Your loyal fans await the next exciting installment with bated breath.

– Goodreads Reviewer Elizabeth Good

L.F. Falconer is one of my favorite authors. This book was no exception in its complexity. It was like reading three different books that were all connected. The writing was superb, and the characters compelling. I learned a new word on almost every page. That being said, I wish I had known it was a dark fantasy going in. I’m more of a PG-PG13 reader and this book deserved more of an R rating. Plus, it was dark, which is not my preference. So, it’s a matter of taste. If you want a fantastic dark fantasy, you’ll love the Legacy of Skur. I guarantee it!

– Amazon Reviewer j. turner

Book Trailer:

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

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

Defining The Hybrid Publishing Experience

If you’ve spent much time on this blog or researching your publishing options, you probably have a fairly substantial definition in mind for the terms “self-publishing” and “traditional publishing,” but can you say the same for “hybrid publishing“? We use the term rather often here on Self Publishing Advisor as a catch-all for every company and business model that doesn’t fit neatly into the aforementioned binary––but what does it mean, really? It’s not enough to define a thing by what it is not … we need some basis for a positive, holistic understanding of what hybrid publishing has to offer the indie author.

What qualifies as “hybrid”?

Biologically speaking, a hybrid is “the offspring of two plants or animals of different species or varieties, such as a mule (a hybrid of a donkey and a horse).” Most of us are familiar with a different kind of hybrid, which is to say the mythological kind, where different species find themselves mashed up into one single creature on a physical but not cellular level. A centaur is a mythological hybrid between man and horse, the Sphinx between a woman, lion, and raptor. Is a hybrid publishing company, then, the offspring of two warring traditions (self- and traditional publishing)––or is it some oddball thing that adopts the best or most distinctive features of other publishing traditions to serve an entirely different narrative?

Says Jane Friedman of Publisher’s Weekly, it has become “nearly impossible to categorize certain publishers and services; some wish to avoid being labeled altogether. They consider themselves innovators, providing an important alternative for authors.” These companies self-advertise as providing a third way altogether, not just cutting the difference between the two established publishing modes. This reality would seem to indicate that hybrid publishing shares more with a centaur than it does with a mule, but perhaps we’re splitting hairs.

Perhaps, when it all shakes out, we can safely define hybrid publishing on its own terms. Brook Warner of Huff Post Books suggests four categories that fit the catchall term:

Traditional publishers who’ve been brokering hybrid deals for years. […]

Partnership publishing models. […]

Agent-assisted publishing models. [… and]

Other assisted publishing models.

All four of these categories acknowledge “assistance” as a defining feature, but here’s the problem: assuming that self-publishing and traditional publishing don’t offer assistance as a part of their mechanism creates a false dichotomy that does nobody justice, and many companies that Warner might call “hybrid” do in fact distance themselves intentionally from the term because it implies too heavy a reliance on paid assistance––or authors “taking the easy way out,” so to speak. This just in: elitism may be the bread and butter of gatekeeping traditional publishing, but it doesn’t have to be the same for self-publishing!

This still leaves us with a problem, however: How to define hybrid publishing? Let me suggest a new definition:

Hybrid publishing is any publishing model that allows authors to enter into direct, flexible, contractual collaborations with industry professionals that in traditional publishing would be indirect (they would be paid by the publishing house, not the author) and are not traditionally available to self-publishing authors. This includes companies like Outskirts Press, which offers a range of collaborative services, and excludes the so-called “hybrid author,” or someone who has moved from traditional publishing into self-publishing or vice versa.

Playing the field:

As Friedman goes on to point out, each of the companies that might fit into the hybrid category operates on a different business model, making it difficult to compare them against each other. She advocates asking a series of questions, such as “How will your books be distributed?” and “What marketing and promotion support do their titles receive?” before committing to a certain choice. But this doesn’t exactly help new authors decide whether hybrid publishing and a “third way” is for them––and with so many options now available, narrowing the field is an important part of the decision-making process. Ultimately, the choice of whom to choose may rest on individual features such as those Friedman suggests evaluating … or it may rest instead on the complicated matrix of human need. Hybrid publishing companies, despite their extreme differences, do seem to collectively meet authors’ desires for a human-driven, relational publishing experience.

In conclusion … for now:

The world of hybrid publishing is perhaps a bit too complicated to break down in its entirety within the constraints of an initial foray such as this one, but it is a world we will be returning to again and again here on Self-Publishing Advisor. As the world of publishing evolves and diversifies, so too must the companies who serve to send our stories out into that world.

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. ♠

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

From the Archives: “Avoid these 5 mistakes when choosing your publisher”

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.

∗∗∗∗∗

[ Originally posted: April 23rd, 2010 ]

1) DO NOT CHOOSE SPEED OVER QUALITY
Avoid publishers that claim to publish in 24 hours. After the time it took to write your book, do you want it published right, or overnight? Avoid overnight publishers no matter what they charge because the only one looking at your book will be a computer. It should take between 6-15 weeks.

2) DO NOT BE FOOLED BY HIGH ROYALTY CLAIMS
A royalty is simply a percentage of another number. The actual dollars and cents you earn depends upon that second number. The truest royalty is a royalty based upon the retail price of your book. Many publishers use “net royalty” which is a royalty based upon their profit. To be sure, always confirm your profit in dollars and cents.

3) DO NOT SIGN YOUR RIGHTS AWAY
The main advantage to self-publishing alternatively with a on-demand publisher is that you keep all the rights to your work. The rights are valuable. Read the contract. Your rights should clearly stay with you.

4) DO NOT BE CONFUSED BY BULK DISCOUNTS
If a publisher normally offers discounts to an author who buys their own book in bulk, that tells you two things. 1) It tells you they are more concerned with selling to you than to other readers. 2) It tells you they are charging you too much for lower quantities. Do you really want to be forced to buy 100 books at a time just to get a fair price? “Bulk” discounts simply trick the author into buying more books than they need, which defeats the whole advantage of on-demand printing.

5) DO NOT BE TRICKED BY AUTHOR DISCOUNTS
As an author, your per-book price should be based upon the production cost of the book, not the retail price. No wonder publishers inflate their retail pricing. You should always receive a below-wholesale price, regardless of how many you buy. You will never make money if you have to buy your own book at wholesale from the publisher.

When push comes to shove, all five of these points boil down to the same core idea:

You ought always to look for a self-publishing company that puts you––the author––first. A company that shares your ethics and vision for rendering stories accessible to readers. A company that knows how to treat people right and does so consistently, day in and day out.

A company that works solely to satisfy its bottom line and invested parties is a company that has forgotten the human element … and the whole point of self-publishing, to be perfectly frank. Responsibility to shareholders and investors is one thing, but the deliberate choice to inflate profits at the expense of quality products, customer satisfaction, and author empowerment is unconscionable and inexcusable. I sometimes wonder how much of the corporate soullessness we see in certain corners of the world today has its roots in people not loving the work they do––not finding value and meaning in enriching the lives of others in addition to their own, and not seeing the significance of their daily tasks or the opportunities to craft a career that is as much art as it is science. But here I’m rambling!

Looking back nearly six years to this original post, I now see the five mistakes noted above to be more a list of symptoms than a list of “to-not-dos” … because each and every single one points to a company that prioritizes itself over its product and clients:

If a company maximizes profits by creating artificially high prices that only seem reasonable when reduced to a bulk or “author-only” rate, it is clearly a company that cares very little about balancing the need for profit and survival in a competitive market with the reality that self-publishing is a market and industry that demands transparency, accessibility, and progressive thinking. It is a company that looks to trap its customers into a long-term, toxic, parasitic relationship.
If a company prioritizes speed over a quality product or quality customer service, then it’s a company that sells itself using gimmicks … and gimmicks, as we are all well aware, are the desperate empty gestures of a company lacking imagination. Innovation and creativity do not produce inferior versions of a thing; they find new and fresh ways to look at problems and to improve upon that thing.

In short, no, nothing really has changed in the six years since this post first hit the Self Publishing Advisor front page. There were ungenerous self-publishing companies in existence then, and there are ungenerous self-publishing companies in existence now. We haven’t changed that fact in half a decade, and we’re not particularly likely to change it in the next. What we can change, however, is our own degree of discernment. We can spot the warning signs––the symptoms above––and steer well away from companies that manifest them. We can choose not to sell ourselves short, and to choose instead a publishing option that respects us as authors and empowers us to better ends than a bottom line.

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. ♠

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