Self Publishing Advisor

Marketing Missteps Episode 3 : Waiting till the book is done to start marketing

Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve been delving into some of the marketing mistakes I’ve made or seen made over my many years of experience in the self-publishing industry as an author who works alongside other authors to bring books to fruition. The first mistake? Devolving into a self-centered campaigner. And the second? Confusing the sales message with the marketing campaign. I’d like to stress that both of these mistakes–in fact, all of the missteps I’ll be unfolding over the course of this blog series–are incredibly easy to make, and have more to do with the vast numbers of authors flocking to indie publishing each year, with little to no experience in marketing to start, and no easy way of filtering through the noise of the countless resources available online. A blog post like this one is only helpful if it actually cuts some of the clutter, right?

Which is why, as we tackle the third most common misstep I see self-publishing authors make in marketing, I am reminding myself of one very important fact: No grandstanding. Just deliver the facts, with exactly the right amount of necessary context, and shine a little light on the path forward for busy authors with limited time to spend marketing much less researching new marketing strategies. And with no further ado, I give you:

He Who Waits To Finish–May Never Really Get Started

I speak with authors on a regular basis who are just one month–or one week–or one day away from having their book out, but who haven’t yet launched a website. “I’ll get around to it when the book’s actually ready for people to read,” they often say. And when’s that? When it’s already on bookstore shelves but there’s no buzz to sell it? But the fact of the matter is, if an author waits that long, anything they try to do after the fact will be too little, too late–no matter how much time and effort he or she pours into the attempt.

Don’t wait to launch your website, your social media platforms, your blog, and other aspects of your digital strategy. I want to repeat that: DON’T WAIT for your book to come out before you start marketing in earnest. Sometimes, a delay can’t be avoided–and I get that, really I do–especially since self-publishing authors are carrying a heavy burden on top of already busy lives. But in most cases I’ve run across, maybe eight out of ten, the delay is artificial, not practical. And it’s usually because the author in question underestimated the months and even years it can take to generate traffic on a website.

The instant a website is live, it can be paired with all of your existing online interactions. If you’re already blogging, fantastic! If you’re already on Twitter and Tumblr and Pinterest and Facebook and YouTube and Goodreads, great! Start shepherding your existing followers in the direction of your official website for updates. Get them used to turning to your website as a resource before your book is out–and that way, they can become advocates for your book even before its publication. One of the toughest things to do as a book-lover is to recommend a new book without having either the actual book in hand or some easy-to-find website to point new readers to. But if your website is live, then you leave room for anticipation and that much-desired “buzz” you’ll need to start selling books on the day of your book’s release. And don’t forget, you are the most undervalued tool in the toolbox. New readers don’t just fall in love with books; they fall in love with the people who write them, too. They will (understandably) want to know more about you, and when your next book is coming out, and where they can contact you for media and review inquiries–all of which is made 500% easier if you launch a website … and early.

One more time for those in the back: don’t wait!

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. ♠

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. 10:00 AM

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

From the Archives: A Reader Views Book Awards Retrospective

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: March 16th, 2009 ]

Last week Reader Views announced the official winners of their 2008 Literary Awards and just in time for National Reading Month.

The Reader Views annual literary awards were established to honor writers whoself-published or had their books published by a subsidy publisher, small press, university press, or independent book publisher geared for the North American reading audience.

If you’re looking for something good to read this month, why not try one of these award winning books: Click here to view Reader Views winners.

AND

[ Originally posted: November 14th, 2012 ]

As a self-publishing author, it is important to constantly market your book and improve your credibility. One of the best ways to accomplish both of those tasks is entering your book into contests. Winning awards shows potential readers that your book is worthwhile and that you are a serious author, and it often results in great publicity as well. One of my favorite book award contests for self publishing authors is the Reader Views Literary Book Award. Here are all of the details.

What is the Reader Views Literary Book Award?

The annual literary awards were established to honor writers who self-publishedor who had their books published by a subsidy publisher, small press, university press, or independent book publisher. POD books are accepted.

Who is eligible?

Reader Views Literary Awards are open to all authors regardless of residency; however, the books must be published in the English language and targeted for the North American market. Works published by major book publishers are not eligible. Books must have a 2012 copyright date. Submission for more than one category or more than one title is acceptable. Books that have racist themes will be not be accepted.

Three finalists will be chosen in each fiction and non-fiction category. First and second place winners will be awarded in each category. Third place will receive an honorable mention. One finalist, the top score in each area, will be chosen in each regional and global category. Each winner will receive a certificate.

Finalists will be announced in Reader Views’ weekly e-mail newsletter on March 4, 2013 and the winners on March 25, 2013.

For more information, visit http://readerviews.com/Awards.html.

I’d love to know, have you entered your book into the Reader Views Literary Awards before or are you planning to do so this year? Tell us about it in the comments below.

Well, it’s that time of year: Reader Views have released their list of finalists for their 2015/16 Literary Book Awards, with winners and placements to be announced in upcoming weeks.

We’ve been following Reader Views and the awards in question for some time, as you’ll see in the first post above, which ran on Self-Publishing Advisor back in 2009. We’ve kept up with them, too, and in 2012 I took a moment to break down what, exactly, the awards are all about. (Hint: You.) And the good news is, in the interim Reader Views has kept up its good work, delivering year after year of high-quality indie finalists for their subscribers to discover and enjoy. Books appearing in the final rounds of competition see, as a matter of course, spikes in popularity and sales–and this is exactly the kind of exposure that you should pursue as a part of your holistic marketing strategy!

It’s for Authors

Luckily, submitting your book for consideration remains as easy in 2016 as it was in 2009 and 2012, and all the information you might need to do so can be found at the Reader Views website, under the “Literary Awards” tab. Submission dates change from year to year, of course, so it’s always worth double-checking what this year’s requirements are (particularly if you’re a time-traveler and stumble across this in some other year than 2016)!

It’s for Readers, Too

That’s right! As I’ve already mentioned, the exposure finalists and winners alike receive throughout the submission and consideration process reaps all sorts of rewards for authors–but it has a wonderful side-effect of benefiting readers of indie and self-published works in equal share. How? First and foremost, the competition generates lists. Several lists! Lists of nominees, lists of finalists, and lists of winners and their placements. Each list serves as a siren call to readers looking for something new to add to their to-read bookshelves and to their Amazon shopping carts. By raising awareness about such a carefully curated list of high-quality indie works, Reader Views broadens the discerning reader’s horizons.

It’s Worth a Look

A lot of book awards are the province of institutionalized hierarchies enforced and policed by the traditional publishing industry–but Reader Views is something else altogether. In the spirit of discovering the undiscovered, recognizing the unrecognized, and treasuring the undervalued, the Reader Views Literary Book Awards filter through the noise of a crowded self-publishing market to find the very best of the best–and then they present their findings to the public, free of charge and free of any agenda other than celebrating the good work done by good authors. That’s an agenda I can get behind–and I think you can, too!

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. ♠

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: 4.4.2016

This week in the world of self-publishing:

Self-Publishing Platforms Deemed Distributors, Not Publishers in Privacy Suit over Unauthorized Book Cover

In the world of self-publishing, we know just how important precedents can be–and we have a lot to learn about and deal with when it comes to the legal ramifications of going solo. And well–another precedent has just been set, as reported in this April 1st article for the National Law Review by Jeffrey Neuburger, a Partner in the New York office as well as co-head of the Technology, Media & Communications Group and a member of the Privacy & Data Security Group. In short, Neuburger is an expert. He knows what he’s about, and he takes the conversation about self-publishing’s future seriously.

Writes Neuburger, “We live in a world that has rapidly redefined and blurred the roles of the ‘creator’ of content, as compared to the roles of the ‘publisher’ and ‘distributor’ of such content.” And what exactly is the nature of this precedent? In short: “This past month, an Ohio district court ruled that several online self-publishing services were not liable for right of publicity or privacy claims for distributing an erotic (and so-called “less than tasteful”) book whose cover contained an unauthorized copy of the plaintiffs’ engagement photo because such services are not publishers.” The plaintiff brought suit not just against the author but against Amazon’s Kindle Digital Publishing, Barnes & Noble’s Nook Press, and Smashwords. Luckily for self-publishing, the suit was dismissed on the grounds that the author had signed agreements with all three companies stating he owned the rights to all material he published–and therefore bore sole responsibility for violating the plaintiff’s privacy. But the implications, should a similar case be brought against self-publishing authors and companies in the future, are massive. And in an industry that is increasingly hybridizing–with companies offering book cover design packages among many others–the boundaries become even more blurred.

With Romance Novels Booming, Beefcake Sells, but It Doesn’t Pay

Have you ever wondered if there might be a hidden cost to the self-publishing industry’s near-rampant success? Well, there is one, but it might not be what you think: The rise of self-publishing and the high demand for uber-cheap stock photos of steamy men to grace the covers of new (self-published) romance novels has cut the bottom out of the industry that used to supply these photos. Or at least that’s what Laura Holson argues in this March 30th article for the New York Times Business Day.

The demand for steamy cover photos has never been higher–but indie authors aren’t willing or able to pay what traditional publishing companies have paid in the past, so the (mostly male) cover models make less per photo. Holson quotes Liz Pelletier, “the chief executive of the romance novel company Entangled Publishing” as saying: “I never thought I would say this […] but I am so tired of looking at men’s abs. I don’t know if these ones are sexier than those other ones.”

Most telling of all is the average income for these models, and Holson singles out a Mr. Baca to illustrate the difficulties facing them now: “Few romance models, if any, make enough money to eke out a living. Mr. Baca, for example, works at the Housing Authority of the Santa Clara County, Calif., as a customer-service clerk. And although he has an agent, he said he earned only $20,000 in his best year. This, despite the fact that he is a tireless self-promoter who fancies himself the next Fabio.” And appeared on the cover of Playgirl in 2004. While you may or may not be a romance novelist in addition to being a self-publishing author, Holson’s article serves as a useful reminder that every change in the status quo or in a market trend is bound to have some kind of human cost. To read the rest of Holson’s article, follow the link.

Roslyn Heights Author Shares Her Journey of Persistence

In his March 31st interview with self-publishing sensation Elyse Salpeter for The Island Now, Adedamola Agboola begins with the author’s rocky path to improvement. “I wasn’t always a great writer but I had great ideas,” Agboola quotes Saltpeter as saying, after recounting her early humiliation at the hands of an unkind schoolteacher. And more importantly, Saltpeter never gave up: “Since 2011,” writes Agboola, “Salpeter has self-published nine books in four different genres from thrillers, horror, fantasy to young adult novels.” Nine books! And all of them brought into existence as the final product of a creative mind set at liberty to realize its full potential–without the limitations and criticisms systemic to traditional publishing. But Saltpeter didn’t start with self-publishing; as Agboola recounts, she published her first book through the traditional imprint of Coolwell Press. But over time, her relationship with her editors deteriorated, and after they “trashed” another round of drafts, it took “almost 15 years to hit [her] strides” again–and she did so by going indie. While Saltpeter is honest about the challenges facing self-publishing authors in a crowded marketplace, she sticks by her decision. For more information about Saltpeter and her latest book, The Call for Mount Someru, you can access Agboola’s full interview here.

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.

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

Saturday Book Review: “What Was I Thinking? Volume 1: My Brainy Best Friend”

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 The Fairview Review:

What Was I Thinking?

Volume 1: My Brainy Best Friend

by Zac Lange

Publisher: Outskirts Press

ISBN: 978-0996849005

Synopsis:

As everyone who has ever been a kid knows, mistakes and accidents are a part of growing up. “What Was I Thinking?” is a series that examines and finds solutions to an endless list of experiences that are universal to both children and families using the incredible tool of brainpower. It is told from the engaging, humorous, and relatable perspective of a young boy in the process of figuring out his place in the world, and whose creative mind, Brain, is his own best friend. “What Was I Thinking? Volume 1” encourages kids to celebrate their brains and their amazing potential. It also teaches the importance of using those powerful brains to think before acting, and to consider consequences both good and bad. Ultimately, the series wants to help kids be aware of their own thought processes, so they can make positive decisions for any given situation in their own lives. Hopefully, there will be fewer and fewer times when they have to ask themselves, “What was I thinking?”

Critique:

“As much as I love my brain, sometimes it seems like it takes a break for a while and forgets to tell me.” Who hasn’t had that feeling at one time or another? The narrator of the story imagines his brain snoozing in a hammock under some palm trees while taking a break. That is the reason he decides to kick a ball inside the house and winds up breaking his mother’s favorite vase. As soon as his mother sees the damage she asks, “What were you thinking?” Of course he didn’t think, he just did it. And then, when the damage is done, his brain decides to show up again. Kids and parents alike will recognize such a familiar situation and the results. Our narrator and his brain come up with a plan to avoid this trouble in the future; a plan which begins with STOP and THINK.

Readers will find plenty to laugh about in the story and the illustrations. The boy and his brain do everything together (except when Brain takes those unexpected breaks). A picture of the boy when he was a baby shows his brain nearby, also wearing a diaper. When the boy is at the playground, he is on one end of the see-saw and his brain is on the other. His mother is also shown in humorous ways. When she hears the vase break and runs into the room, she is shown dressed as a police officer and the boy is in a prison uniform. When he claims it was an accident, the picture shows his mother behind the desk at “Moms’ Olde Tyme Excuse Shoppe” pointing to ‘No Sale” because she does not buy his excuse. (That’s probably my favorite of the illustrations.)

Youngsters will enjoy the story line and see the similarities to their own experiences. Parents and teachers will appreciate the suggestion to stop and consider consequences before acting. Talking about what happens in the story can lead to a very helpful discussion on thinking things through instead of acting impulsively. It could also spark a class discussion where students might share their own memories of times when they should have taken a moment to consider their actions, but didn’t.

Recommended for children up through elementary school age, as well as the adults who care for them.

[ reviewed Suzanne Costner of The Fairview Review ]

Here’s what another reviewer is saying:

Everyone has one and believe it or not you cannot function without one
You need to love it, admire it and use it wisely in order to succeed in life
It is always with you helping to guide you to make the right choices
It is your very best friend and you are never alone without this precious thing. Everyone loves friends, mom’s brownies or even just hanging out with friends. But, how any of us realize that our Brains share our feelings too and without it we would not be able to think!

Using your brain you can tell when something is sad, funny or just plain fun
Look at the pictures and see just how your brain helps you when you need to feel loved and wanted. Sometimes great things happen and it’s your brain that lets you know. Check out what happens when the bulb stays lit and you realize you have a great and fantastic idea. Great ideas come and guess where you get them? You experience things together so it is wise to take care of yourself and keep your best pal, your brain healthy!

You love to play with your friends and even have fun exploring outside and having adventures and my favorite things that helps keep my brain active, healthy and smart is reading lots of books just like this one and the ones the boy in the book is showing up that he is reading too. But, sometimes we are careless and mistakes happen when we forget to consult our brain and we accidentally kick something and our mother’s flower vase breaks and the flowers and water splatter all over the place. The author of this great book will now teach all children and parents some valuable lessons when this happens so that he understands that mistakes happen but it’s how we handle them in the present and hoping to avoid more in the future. You start by making a thinking chart and placing the words and heading it with Thought Process! Interesting as this is the first step to remembering what to do and not to do. Number one says: Do it when you admit to yourself that you forget to think before you did something and just did it! Excuses do not always work so sometimes we need to rethink our actions and create something to help us to remember. When you are not sure of what you do wrong check with you brain and find out! Ask “Where were you brain when I messed up? Hopefully the two of you will come to some sort of solution and figure out where you both went wrong!

After much deliberation and thinking and rethinking both our narrator, our little boy and of course our brain with the help of our creative author came up with what young children and even adults need to do before something else happens. Check out the Special List that gives you three steps that will help keep you out of trouble. If you stop and think decide if this could hurt and could doing this get you in trouble before you do it you might not do the wrong thing. If the answers to the last two questions happen to be YES: DON’T DO IT! The author continues with examples of how you can implement this great list to keep you out of trouble and not has to deal with mom’s consequences.

Each time you do something and if you are not sure stop and think, look at the chart, think again and figure out if you should do it or not. Check with your brain, remember no one is perfect, check out the checklist and see add who will be happy as a result of what you have learned and if you remember to Think before doing something. Learning is the best and soaking up as much knowledge and information will keep you and your brain healthy, smart, growing and having fun together now and forever. So, create your own checklist of who you want to make happy besides you and you can add things to your list like: Will I get a consequence if I do this? Will my parents be disappointed in me? Will I let myself down? Is there someone I can ask about what I am about to do before I do it and get into trouble? Stop: Look: Think and Listen. This is a great book for teachers to help children avoid getting consequences in school. This is great for parents to teach children how to understand the differences between doing the right thing and the wrong. Great for discussion groups and teachers and parents can even create lists of things that I do that are great and things that I know I should avoid and look at the lists to make sure you are not doing the ones that will get you in trouble. This is a great book for everyone. What Was I Thinking: I was thinking that I just read a great FIVE GOLDEN BRAIN BOOK! Your brain is what keeps you alert, alive, thinking and in the know: Keep reading, keep learning and keep out of trouble.

– Amazon Reviewer Amazon Customer

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

news from the editorial desk, Uncategorized

Website Glitch Addressed : 4.1.2016

Dear Readers,

There was a glitch with the schedule this morning, and those of you who subscribe to the blog will notice that you got a little early “preview” of tomorrow’s book review–only for the actual post to disappear. Well, I have only good news for you: the universe has re-aligned, the book review will reappear as if by magic at its designated time tomorrow, and we have every hope that the technology we love so much will continue to behave.

Thanks for all for your patience, and thank you for reading! Keep up with the latest in the world of indie and self-published books by watching this space every day.

Self Publishing Advisor

He Who Waits To Finish–May Never Really Get Started

Share this:

It’s for Authors

It’s for Readers, Too

It’s Worth a Look

Share this:

Share this:

Synopsis:

Critique:

Here’s what another reviewer is saying:

Book Trailer:

Share this:

Share this: