Self-Publishing Book Review of the Week

Weekly Self-Published Book Review: Fourth Branch – Money Trail

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 by Midwest Book Review:

 money trail

Fourth Branch – Money Trail

Daniel Shine Kim

Publisher: Outskirts Press

ISBN:9781432784669

There is nothing in the world that can go without improvement. “Fourth Branch – Money Trail: No More Financial Corruption” is an argument from Daniel Shine Kim, as he discusses his idea for routing financial corruption in today’s financial systems, which seems to be drenched in it. Worth considering for anyone with a strong interest in economic systems: “Fourth Branch – Money Trail” is not to be missed, highly recommended.

Alternative Marketing Methods, Blogging Tips for Authors, Book Marketing, Book Promotion, Book Promotion Strategy, Kelly Speaks, Marketing Your Self-Published Book, Self-Publishing

Rising Through the Ranks | A Beginner’s Guide to Search Engine Optimization (Part IV)

Welcome back to my five-week series on Search Engine Optimization (or SEO)!  I’m back this week to speak to the specifics of Google Analytics and what it can do to boost your digital platform.  Three weeks ago, you’ll remember, I launched this series with a brief history of search engines and an inquiry into the necessity of SEO.  I investigated a few ways in which we can better employ keywords.  Two weeks ago, I dedicated an entire blog post to talking about matters of content.  Last week, I opened up the possible Pandora’s Box of metadata by showing some of the benefits of maximizing your SEO through the use of carefully curated titles and tags.  

Analytics, on the other hand––Google Analytics is its own unique creature, and unlike the other SEO tips I’ve already described, Analytics exists outside of your material.  It is a third party, so to speak, and consulting a Google Analytics report is a little like consulting a book review written by an independent literary critic: sometimes, it’s hard to know just what to do with the material.  In this blog post, I hope to unravel some of its many mysteries for you.

Step 5: Optimize your use of Google Analytics

What is Google Analytics, in the first place?  As you will already have guessed, it’s an offshoot of––or a service provided by––Google for producers of digital content.  If you own or otherwise run a blog, that’s you.  Google Analytics tracks the traffic to your web pages, particularly the number of times individual (or “unique”) internet users access (or “hit”) your pages, how long they stay on a given page, and their general demographic data.  Best of all, it’s free!

In order to set up Analytics, you first need to have a Google account (if you have a Gmail address, or use Google Documents, you already have one).  Then, you log in to the Google Analytics home page by clicking the “Access Google Analytics” link in the top right corner.  If it’s your first time using Analytics, Google immediately provides a handy and relatively intuitive tutorial on how to set up your websites to be tracked.  In simple summary, for any website platform other than WordPress, you will copy a short digital code that Analytics generates for you and insert that code into the HTML of your blog’s template.  (WordPress provides a handy plugin that does this for you, with a little tweaking.)  If you’re not familiar with HTML, that’s okay!  You can type “How do I use Google Analytics in Tumblr” (or any other platform you can think of) into a search engine, and find several step-by-step tutorials.  The trick is not to be daunted by the fearsome language of code!

Once you have successfully set up Analytics for your blog, you need to give the service a good span of time to collect information before checking back.  Google Analytics only tracks content going forward from the date it is installed, so it can’t retroactively give you information on the traffic to your website.  I recommend giving yourself about a month before logging back in––a month will give you a good chunk of useable data.

And then?  It’s as simple as clicking a link to view the compiled reports.

So, how are Google Analytics reports useful to the self-published author?

What Google Analytics really does––what it really boils down to––is it sheds light on how users behave once they access your digital content.  You will quickly see what material is popular––more people will “hit” that material, and stay on those webpages longer––and you can easily measure what impact your decisions have on your readers.  Did you adopt a few of the SEO tips I’ve talked about in previous weeks?  Google Analytics will show you if they’re working.  Did you alter what content you provide?  That’s easy to track, too.  Did you host a reading at a local bookstore, or promote your book using a seasonal discount on social media?  The “audience” reports on Google Analytics will show you just how effective that outreach has been in boosting traffic to your blog.  You can use the “Content Experiments” feature to test the efficacy of specific changes––whether you shake up your website design, or start using meta tags, or adopt some other change to your method.  There’s even a specific report you can run to view details about traffic directed to your website by search engines (check out the “Acquisition” tab, then the “Search Engine Optimization” sub-tab).

Essentially, the benefits of Google Analytics to SEO are manifold.  I could go on and on about how much I love using the Analytics interface, and how I used to watch in real-time as my blog posts were accessed in various cities and regions across the globe.  Google routinely updates the features offered by its Analytics service, and every year (sometimes, every month!) I stumble across some new and great application it provides.  Google Analytics is the ultimate resource to help those of us who are striking out on our own to tailor our digital content to our readers!

Once again, I find that I’ve run out of room—check back here next Wednesday as I wrap up this five-week series on SEO.  I have a few final tips and tricks to help you maximize your digital platform, and you don’t want to miss a single one!

If you have a question about any of these tools for self promotion, would like to hear from me about something specific, or have other big news to share, please comment below!

KellyABOUT 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, Self-Publishing Week in Review

Self-Publishing Week in Review: 11/11/14

reading succesAs 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 Tuesday to find out the hottest news.

The Fifty Shades effect: women dominate self-publishing

The success of EL James and her Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy did much to overturn the stereotype of a self-published author. Now academic research further challenges the image of eccentric hobbyists scribbling away in their sheds by revealing that it is middle-aged and well-educated women who dominate the growing e-publishing market. This article is an interesting read for all female writers.

 Amazon’s Impact on Publishing? It’s Complicated 

This article explores the question “Will Amazon Lead Us To the Golden Age of Books?” This is an intriguing read for all writers.

BookLife’s Best Books of 2014

This list of top self-published books is an excellent resource for authors wanting to learn more about the industry and craft by studying other writers. I recommend reading successful books by self-published authors as a way to see what works, what doesn’t work, and to improve your own writing and marketing approach.

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 at http://kellyschuknecht.com.
Jodee Speaks

To All Veterans, Thank You

I spent 13-years as a contractor with the Department of Defense working in a variety of locations: Germany, England, Hungary, Bosnia, Turkey, Spain, Italy, Hawaii and New Mexico. This work put me in day-to-day contact with military personnel and gave me personally a HUGE appreciation for veterans – for what they do and what they sacrifice, so today, I’d like to take the time to say thank you to all of the veterans who have served our country. I truly appreciate the sacrifices you have made and admire your courage, strength, and dedication.

In the past, I’ve encouraged writers to honor soldiers by self-publishing stories about them, but today I want to encourage all soldiers, whether they consider themselves writers or not, to share their stories. Each of you has a story to share. Whether it is a love story, a war story, or just general reflections on the time you served, people want to read it.

I think it is important that people get the opportunity to learn many versions of events, especially first-hand tales from those who were there. I also think writing and story telling is a great way to heal, remember, and honor. The American people don’t want to just hear stories from the media. They want to hear stories from the soldiers who were there!

Now, you may be thinking, but I don’t write, and that is okay. You can self-publish a book even if you don’t consider yourself a writer. There are professional ghostwriters out there who would love to help you turn your story into a great book. There are also amazing editors, illustrators, and marketing professionals who can help you be successful.

In honor of Veterans Day, I leave you with this message: share your story. People want to know it, and only you can tell it.

ABOUT JODEE THAYER: With over 20 years of experience in sales and management, Jodee Thayer works as the Manager of Author Services for Outskirts Press. The Author Services Department is composed of knowledgeable customer service reps and publishing consultants; together, they all focus on educating authors on the self-publishing process in order 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, Jodee Thayer can put you on the right path.
Conversations with a Self-Publishing Writer, Royalene Speaks, Uncategorized

Friday Conversations With A Self-Publishing Writer 11/07/14

CRITICAL THINKING—IV

“Knowledge is the advancing retrieval of clarity from uncertainty and confusion.” I may not have quoted that exactly (nor do I remember where I heard or read it), however, I love the concept of “advancing retrieval.”  Tis’ a bit of a paradox, which intrigues me and requires me to tap into my objectivity abilities to separate what is from what I imagine or believe.

One of my best childhood and young-adult friends (who is not a writer) was a master at stating his opinion in absolute terms. That was a trap I fell into way too many times, especially when restating his “fact” in term papers.  I could have gone the way of several of our other friends who discounted everything he ever said.  However, in some rather miraculous way, I came to appreciate his often unfathomable views and utilize them as a point of comparison with what I was discovering to be reality.  So it is that I offer you my final (for now anyway) points to consider on the topic of Critical Thinking.  Together with the previous three blogs, I hope these concepts will help you produce superb writings and reader-recognition.

    • Withhold Judgment. If a piece of information “tweaks” your ear and you immediately want to deny it—or accept and promote it—DIG DEEPER. Do the research. Go the extra investigative mile and put the puzzle pieces together. When the “fit” is natural, you’ll have your answer.
    • De-pressurize the Pressure. If editors are pushing you to complete a book or article and the words “just get it done” fall into your ear, STOP! The immediate temptation to follow that direction could produce a written work you will not be happy with and—as we know well—it remains “in print” forever—everywhere. It’s okay to remind the editor that their reputation is in play, too. If they don’t care, you may not want to work with/for them again.
    • Check and Re-Check the Facts. The journalistic rule of “two-or-more” sources is a good place to start. However, depending on your topic and the motive behind writing about it, building a chain of “evidence” that is good, better and best leads to a well-built and believable piece of writing.
    • Don’t Fear Questions. If uncertainty remains in your mind, it’s okay to include those in your writing. Readers appreciate being included in the discovery process and will buy your next book on that topic to “see” what you’ve learned that they missed.
    • Avoid Rationalization. I’ve listened to some “creative writing” instructors who insist that decisive writing is a technique that must be mastered and used in all written work. In the marketing arena everything is stated as “fact” and rationalization is a trap door used against the reader. Writers who employ this technique often fall into the consequences of poor decision-making themselves.
  • Appreciate Your Own Intuition. Hunches are those intriguing and sometimes logically-illogic threads that lead to great discoveries. Never hesitate to listen to them and follow their paths until you’re satisfied with what you find.

All of these elements of Critical Thinking serve the writer in “advancing the retrieval” of pieces to the puzzle of their writing projects—big or small.  Join the adventure! Retrieve that remnant of an idea and start advancing it!  Soon you’ll have it published and be writing the next one!

Royalene ABOUT ROYALENE DOYLE: Royalene Doyle is a Ghostwriter with Outskirts Press, bringing more than 35 years of writing experience to authors who need “just a little assistance” with completing their writing projects. She has worked with both experienced and fledgling writers helping complete projects in multiple genres. When a writer brings the passion they have for their work and combines it with Royalene’s passion to see the finished project in print, books are published and the writer’s legacy is passed forward.