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Your Book is More Than The Story

When you think of your book, the first that comes to mind is probably the manuscript you spent months or even years writing. But a self-published book is more than just the words in the story, and readers often consider the other elements before they ever read your book. As a self-publishing author, it is important to pay attention to all the details, such as the cover art, back cover text and author biography. In fact, these are the elements that influence a reader’s decision to purchase your book. While you probably already know the importance of great cover art, most self-publishing authors forget about the other text associated with their book. Here is why the back cover text and your author biography are so important and how to make sure both are great.

The Back Cover

The text on the back cover of your book is often referred to as a synopsis. This text pulls readers into the story without revealing all the details. Think about all the times you’ve browsed through a bookstore and read the back of a book. This synopsis probably influenced whether or not you purchased the book. This is also true for online shoppers. The synopsis is often used as the description for your book. Therefore, it is important that it is intriguing and professionally written. In the world of online shopping, it is also important to consider keywords.

The Biography

Most books include an author biography. This will also appear on your author website and online retailers information pages. You want to make sure this biography is interesting, reflects the image you wish to promote and is professionally written. Since most readers never meet the authors of the books they love, this is their first impression of you as a person.

How to Make Both Great

You probably spent a lot of time making sure your manuscript was interesting, clear and well-written. If you want readers to take you and your book seriously, you must do the same for your back cover synopsis and author biography. Here are a few pointers to help you.

  • Don’t rush. Spend a quality amount of time writing the synopsis and biography. Think about what you want to say and how you want your readers to perceive you.
  • Proofread! Proofread! Proofread! The worst thing you could do is submit text with errors. Ask someone you trust to proofread your work or consider hiring a professional.
  • Ask for help. Sometimes, self-publishing authors are too attached to their work to write a good synopsis and biography. Plus, this type of sales writing typically requires different skills than those needed to write a book manuscript.  This is why many self-publishing companies offer services to assist you. For instance, Outskirts Press offers a cover scribing option, which uses a professional copywriter to write your cover copy and biography.

I’d love to know, do you read the back cover and author biography before purchasing a book?

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.
Elise Speaks, Marketing Your Self-Published Book

Use Any Holiday – Not Just THE Holidays – to Promote Your Book

Santa might be the ultimate celebrity pitchman, but you don’t have to hold out till Christmas to take advantage of holiday promotional opportunities for your book. If you strike when the iron is hot (or heat a different iron entirely) you can create demand for your book any time of the year – and that is most wonderful!

The key to tapping into holiday sales opportunities is knowing your audience. If you can identify who your buyer is likely to be, you can make an educated guess about when they’re most likely to respond to the opportunity to buy.

While Christmas does indeed tend to be a hot time for book sales, it’s certainly not the only peak sales opportunity and not every type of book or book consumer will peak during this season. For instance, readers who buy a lot of diet and motivational books for themselves throughout the year may prefer a juicier indulgence than the usual self-help fare at Christmas. If your book is a saucy bodice-ripper, go for it! (In fact, you can push that romance novel again come Valentine’s Day.) However, if your specialty is, say, finance, self-improvement or inspirational, consider a New Year’s campaign to help readers get started on those resolutions.

Everywhere you look and for every type of book, there’s an ideal time to on which to focus marketing efforts. (Think at least a couple of months ahead for major holidays.) Here are just a few examples of holidays and books that may sell well at those times:

  • Halloween – horror, crime, mystery, thriller
  • Thanksgiving – cooking/food, crafts
  • Spring – gardening, romance, sports, home improvement, nature, travel
  • Mother’s Day – biographies, romance, fiction
  • Father’s Day – sports, humor, home improvement, auto
  • Summer – sports, fiction, romance, travel
  • Secular Holidays (Labor Day, Memorial Day) – patriotic, historical (fiction and nonfiction), ethnic heritage, political
  • Festivals – cooking/food, crafts, music, ethnic

In addition to the obvious possibilities, there are scads of anniversaries and national days or months recognizing just about everything: Black History Month, D-Day, National Doughnut Day, Administrative Professionals Day, St. Patrick’s Day, National Chili Day, Breast Cancer Awareness Month … and Elephant Appreciation Day, for Pete’s sake! If you’ve authored a biography on President Ronald Reagan, you can market your tome on Presidents’ Day, Memorial Day and the lesser known National Jelly Bean Day, in honor of The Gipper’s affinity for the sugary treat. Find one that aligns naturally with your area of interest and promote, promote, promote!

Elise Connors ABOUT ELISE L. CONNORS:
Elise works as the Manager of Author Support of Outskirts Press.  She also contributes to the Outskirts Press blog at blog.outskirtspress.com.Elise and a group of talented book marketing experts assist self-publishing authors and professionals who are interested in getting the best possible exposure for their book.
Self-Publishing Book Review of the Week

Weekly Self-Published Book Review:The Keya Quests: The Battle for Shivenridge

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:

the keya quest

The Keya Quests: The Battle for Shivenridge

Glenn Skinner

Publisher: Outskirts Press

ISBN: 9781432773625

Reviewer: Tracey Rock

In this second installment of “The Keya Quests,” the battle with Lord Randar has just ended. Keya, along with Orren, Julie, Grant and Travis have made their way through the portal into Keya’s realm. Many of the villagers are startled at the sight of the undead soldiers walking through Shivenridge, so they are leery of Keya’s claim of freedom and the wielder of the Black Sword who commands the soldiers. They welcome Keya, but with a watchful eye. Knowing this, Orren tells Keya that it is best that they not tell the people of Shivenridge who she really is until they know she can live there safely without harm. Keeping his promise to Keya’s mother, Orren gives Keya a book for her birthday. It is an ancient book of her people. As keeper of the book and successor of the throne, Keya is destined to fulfill the prophecy and free her people. Since she grew up in hiding, Keya has no training and  very little skills of being morthos fairy. She finds help in learning about her people in some unlikely new ways.

As Keya and her friends try to fit in to gain the trust of the people of Shivenridge, Neil Foster, Lord Randar’s lieutenant, is plotting to take back Shivenridge and capture the Black Sword. Knowing that the people of Shivenridge have an uneasy feeling about Keya, they use this weakness to turn the people of Shivenridge against them, leaving them vulnerable for an attack. Keya now must try to use all of her powers to defeat Foster and gain the trust and respect of the people of Shivenridge — or die trying.

In “The Keya Quest: The Battle for Shivenridge,” I liked how the storyline picked up exactly where the first book left off. I was glad to see Keya as a much stronger character, yet at the same time, sad that Orren’s character was minor by comparison in this book, since he had a much larger role in the first book. The book introduces some predictable new characters, which may have more prominent roles in the future, I hope. Grant and Jenny’s characters are surprisingly the most notable, while Julie’s loveable character in the first book seems to turn a bit too motherly and dull. I feel that the storyline seemed almost inevitable given the nature of the first book. The author does provide the reader with some history of Keya’s people, but if you really just like the story itself, I don’t know if it really matters about her history. The characters and storyline can stand up without this, just as the first book did. Readers will more than likely want to continue to follow Keya and her circle of friends as the adventures were non-stop throughout the book. “The Keya Quest: The Battle for Shivenridge” is all to be expected from a sequel: light on storyline, but fun to read all the same.

Kelly Speaks, NaNoWriMo

Didn’t Finish NaNoWriMo? No Problem!

So you tried your best to complete the NaNoWriMo challenge, but you just weren’t able to finish the manuscript. Don’t feel guilty. It happens to the best of us. Sometimes, our daily lives prevent us from committing our time to writing. While all self-publishing authors would love to dedicate their free time to their manuscripts, life often has other plans for us. Or maybe you had the time, but you just couldn’t find the words to explain the story bubbling in your head. It happens, so don’t feel like a failure.

Just because NaNoWriMo has ended, that doesn’t mean you should give up on your manuscript. Set realistic goals to help you complete the book. If time is an issue, space out your writing and give yourself a longer deadline. Maybe three or six months is a better goal for you. If finding the words is your challenge, brainstorm ways to get your creative juices flowing. Take a creative writing class. Pick up a new book on writing. Read books by your favorite authors. Google writing prompts.

If the above ideas still aren’t enough to help you finish your book, there is another solution: hire a ghostwriter. Many self-publishing authors choose to hire a ghostwriter to help them finish their book. Whether you don’t have the time to commit to your project or you need help getting your ideas on paper, a ghostwriter can help make your dream of self-publishing a book come true. Outskirts Press offers ghostwriting services. You can also get recommendations from other writers or look for freelance ghostwriters online.

I’d love to know, would you consider hiring a ghostwriter? Why or why not?

ABOUT KELLY SCHUKNECHT: Kelly Schuknecht is the 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.
Kelly Speaks, Self-Publishing Week in Review

Self Publishing Week in Review

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, I’m starting a new weekly post that will give you summary of the recent hot topics. Simply visit our blog every Tuesday to find out the hottest news in self publishing this week.

50 Free Books to Be Thankful For

One of the best ways to improve your writing, get ideas and find inspiration is by reading other books, especially classic and popular reads. While you never want to copy other authors’ stories, it is useful to learn how to read books critically  to figure out why readers love certain books and how you can use those techniques in your own stories. This post shares 50 free ebooks, most of which are classic stories all self publishing authors should read.

Best Writing Music of 2012

Some self publishing authors enjoy listening to music to make them feel inspired. Everyone has different tastes and techniques. Some authors love music while they brainstorm but need silence while they write. Other authors like to listen to music that is related to their setting, characters or storyline. Whatever your personal preferences, it is always fun to learn about other authors’ choices. This post might just include your next favorite song for inspiration.

Bookstore Installs Random Book Dispenser

Sometimes our favorite reads are books that we stumble upon on accident. This book store in Toronto installed a machine that reproduces that experience. You simply put two dollars in the machine and you receive a completely random book. I love the idea of being introduced to something I may not normally pick out for myself, and I’m interested to see if this becomes a trend in other bookstores.

What is New Adult Fiction?

A relatively new genre has been hitting the self publishing best sellers lists: new adult fiction. This growing genre is geared towards twentysomething readers who are at a point in their lives between YA novels and adult novels. This post is great for self publishing authors who are interested in writing in this genre because it explains the new category and offers examples of books in the genre.

If you have other big news to share, please comment below.

ABOUT KELLY SCHUKNECHT: Kelly Schuknecht is the 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.