Category: Uncategorized

Choosing a Publisher, Uncategorized

5 Things to Look for in a Self-Publishing Company

You’ve decided to self-publish your book but are confused about where to start. That’s a reasonable cause for confusion because there’s a lot of information out there to digest. To get you moving in the right direction, here are a few questions to consider while “shopping” for a publisher:

  1. What percentage of your royalties will you receive? As a self-publishing author, you are entitled to ALL of your money. After all, your sales are a direct reflection of all of your efforts. Your best bet is to work with a book publisher that pays you 100% of your royalties.
  2. What are you paying for as a part of your publishing package? Some publishers will charge you for “fluff”. Look at what you’re paying for with your package. If you are seeing things included in the price such as Copyright Registration or Library of Congress numbers, be sure these are things you feel you need. Your book is automatically protected under copyright law once written/published, and the Library of Congress number is no longer needed to get your book into most public libraries across the country.
  3. Are you able to set your own price without paying an extra fee? This one gives me the most pause. There are some self-publishing companies out there that charge you extra fees to set your own price. Be cautious when working with companies that charge such a fee (or worse yet — don’t allow you to set your own price at all), because you can be certain they will be inflexible with other things related to your book as well, such as royalties (see above).
  4. Will you be able to exercise full creative freedom when publishing your book? Why pay a company to publish your book if you will be as limited as authors who publish using “traditional” publishing houses? If you’re giving up your creative freedom, be sure you are getting paid for your book and not the other way around.
  5. What is the upfront cost of publishing your book? Different companies have different pricing structures. Prices can range from around $200 up to and over $10,000. There are two keys for making a decision on price — perceived value and budget (in that order). While I don’t recommend making decisions based on price, your budget is your budget. A phenomenal publishing package is no good if you can’t afford to purchase it. Keep in mind, the self-publishing industry is so dynamic that the cliché, “you get what you pay for”, isn’t always accurate. Some publishers may charge more for their services but offer a terrible result. Be very careful here.

There are many other things to look for when deciding on a publisher for your book, but these were the ones that top the list as far as importance. Your best bet for getting started is to enlist the services of a Publishing Consultant who can show you the ropes. Only then can you make an educated decision in choosing the “right” self-publishing company for you.

DISCUSSION: What are the top things you look for in a publisher?

Self-Publishing, Uncategorized

Quick Question – What is Self-Publishing?

That’s a powerfully loaded question…

The simplest way to define it is: self-publishing is the act of getting your own book to print, distributing it, and then marketing it. That said — there are some authors who prefer to create their own books from the ground up. While this can be done – is it always the most feasible option available? Not usually.

Authors can also decide to hire the services of a self-publishing company, which some incorrectly label as “vanity presses”. A vanity press is an outfit that offers little to no support for the author and actually allows them very little involvement in the process of making their book. Naturally, authors should be very careful when dealing with such companies because they may not end with what they are looking for in the end.

However, a full-service self-publishing company will keep you involved in the process and offer support before, during, and after you publish your book. The biggest reason why an author would choose to go this route is if they need assistance creating their book. All authors are not cover designers, book blockers, and marketers. So, they enlist the expertise of a team who knows the book publishing industry inside and out. It’s honestly no different than paying a plumber to fix your toilet. Sure, you can research, study, and practice fixing it yourself. But, do you really want to commit all of the time required to do it?

DISCUSSION: Have you worked with a company to publish your book or did you do it all yourself?

 

Blogging Tips for Authors, Book Promotion, Social Media Marketing, Uncategorized

Top 5 Tips for Blogging Success and Why Blogging and Self-Publishing Go Hand in Hand

Imagine being looked to as an expert in your field. Everyone will want a copy of your book when it’s published, right? If only it were that easy…well, now it can be! As a blogger, you can potentially gain an unbelievable online following of folks in your target market who will likely be interested in buying your book. Blogging is a no-brainer when it comes to marketing your self-published book. But way more than a handful of authors are missing the boat on this highly successful tactic.

Why? Many self-publishing authors are afraid of blogging. As a matter of fact, many don’t know what a blog is. However, if you intend to be successful at the whole “book publishing thing”, you have to learn this trick to gaining exposure — especially since blogging has been called “the most important thing an author should do to promote a book“.

Think of a blog as an online journal. In it, you can share your own thoughts while getting only as personal as you feel comfortable. As an author, though, you are able to write about topics related to your book. If you are a fiction author, a blog related to fiction books is a great idea. If you have written your own self-help book, share your expertise in mini-digests on your blog. Either way, be sure to post something interesting to get readers involved.

But, won’t I feel like I’m talking to myself? That is precisely how you will feel in the beginning. Many times it can takes months (or maybe even years) for your blog to be found and gain a steady readership. This won’t last forever. The best way to approach it is to think of when you’re planning on self-publishing a book. Are you 100% sure that people will read it? Of course not, but you keep writing because you have faith in your own success. Why should your blog be any different?

Wait a minute…so how do I even sign up for a blog? That’s a great question, and it’s one that someone else answers much more easily and efficiently than I do. So, here’s a video to help you learn more:

The above video walks you through the steps of signing up for a Blogger blog. There are several other platforms, but this is the least expensive and you can even completely personalize it by purchasing your own domain for it, which I highly recommend.

Once a self-publishing author gets started blogging, there are a few rules of thumb that must be following in order to be successful (skipping either of these is NOT recommended). I’ve listed the basics out for you below, but you may learn even more on a site like Blogging Tips:

  1. Define your niche early on and stick to it. The key here is to define yourself as an expert. That cannot be done if you’re talking about everything in your life all at once. Stay focused, and you will be surprised at the results.
  2. Come up with a posting schedule early on and stick to it. Post consistently, even if you’re only posting once per week. Try to schedule all of your posts around the same time.
  3. Use the “schedule post” feature that is available in your blogging software. You may not always be available at 8:15 am, but you want to remain consistent. So, instead of publishing your post right away, schedule it for sometime it for 8:15 am the next day so that you can be sure to have content up when your reader is looking for it.
  4. Purchase your own domain for the blog. This is SUPER important (I’m having a feeling of déjà vu here — didn’t I already say this?) You have to craft your own identity online if you want to be seen as an expert. The #1 ingredient for that identity is branding (aka – your own domain name).
  5. Participate in discussions on your blog. Make sure you post follow up comments to users who comment on your blog posts. This is crucial to networking and building strong relationships with your readers.

The above advice is just the tip of the iceberg. There is quite a bit to learn about successful blogging. However, you shouldn’t feel overwhelmed because you can learn as you go. There are so many resources out there to help you, so get to blogging!

DISCUSSION: Are you an author with a blog? How has this help you build your brand and sell more books?

 

Uncategorized

Top 5 Considerations for Effectively Pricing Your Self-Published Book

“Is my book too expensive?”

“Am I selling myself short?”

Traditionally-published authors usually don’t have any control over the price of their book. As a self-published author, though, how can you make sure you have priced your book appropriately? There is no hard and fast rule, unfortunately. However, here are a few things to consider while coming up with a pricing strategy for self-publishing a book:

  1. How much royalty will you earn from every book sale? If you’re planning on writing full-time, you want to make sure you’re making a sustainable amount per book ($1.50 – $2.75 is reasonable).
  2. What is your target market? Is your intended reader a teenager or an affluent attorney? You want to keep your audience in mind so that you don’t price yourself out of the market. You won’t be very successful if your ideal reader can’t afford to buy your book.
  3. Where do you want to sell your book? Trade discounts often determine where a book is sold. Most online retailers are fine with a short trade discount (less than 40%). However, big box stores, such as Borders, Barnes&Noble, etc. require at least a 50% discount (in addition to a solid marketing plan and full return-ability) to consider carrying your book. If you can’t imagine self-publishing your book without it being stocked on the shelves of your nearest B&N, you should consider going with 50% (though it will cut down on your royalties).
  4. How has your competition priced their books? Research books similar to yours. Make sure the page count is similar, it was published recently, and hopefully self-published. You don’t want to price your book too high above (or too low beneath) these books.
  5. Have you asked an expert? Now is not the time to guess. This is your livelihood. Your best bet is to employ the services of someone who is already familiar with the self-publishing industry, like a Publishing Consultant. These people know the book business, and they can help you with questions like these.

DISCUSSION: How did you decide on a price for your book?

Uncategorized

Self-publishing Amazon and the Kindle

I love the feel of a book in my hand, marking up pages and highlighting my favorite passages. The process of it all. And books are also a contribution to my physical space in a design sort of function. I enjoy the presence of the different sizes, shapes, and colors on my bookshelves. The collection is somewhat a statement of self, and often a conversation catalyst with visitors.

But for the publishing industry, the importance of e-books is undeniable. This past Christmas, for the second year in a row, the # 1 selling item on Amazon.com was the Kindle e-book reader. Guess what – if people are buying e-book readers, their buying ebooks. Your e-books. The advantage for self-publishing authors is that you can price your e-book version more competitively, sell in more places instantaneously, and market for virtually nothing.

Do you have a Facebook page and Twitter handle? Are they linked to your publisher? Do you follow and participate in your publisher’s blog? If not, now is the time to start. Social media avenues provide a great place to promote your books.

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