Self-Publishing, Wendy Speaks

Top 5 Reasons to Self Publish in April

April is one of my favorite months. The weather is getting warmer, and the flowers are in bloom. Everyone is slowly starting to come out of winter hibernation. Plus, April is a great month to self publish a book! Here’s why:

You can put your tax refund to good use.

Instead of letting it sit in the bank or wasting it on material items you’ll forget in a month, invest in something great: you! Whether you’re a creative writing wanting to publish your debut novel or a professional wanting to increase your platform, publishing a book is a wonderful investment.

April is National Poetry Month.

April is the perfect time for poets to publish their collections. Take the jump, and do it in honor of all your favorite poets.

Spring is a time for new beginnings.

Spring is often associated with new beginnings and rebirth. So start your new beginning today by going from aspiring author to published author.

Celebrate April Fool’s Day by proving you’re not a “fool.”

Too often people dream of writing a book and never do it. Whether you want to share your family’s recipes, write the next best-selling young adult book, or build your credibility with a nonfiction book, now is the perfect time. Stop waiting for the right moment, and take the plunge.

Save 20% off an iPad.

Every month, self-publishing companies such as Outskirts Press offer promotions. This month, Outskirts Press is offering 20% off an iPad. For details, visit their website by clicking here.

ABOUT WENDY STETINA: Wendy Stetina is a sales and marketing professional with over 30 years experience in the printing and publishing industry. Wendy works as the Director of Author Services for Outskirts Press. The Author Services Department is composed of knowledgeable customer service reps and publishing consultants; and 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, Wendy Stetina can put you on the right path.
Self-Publishing Book Review of the Week

Weekly Self-Published Book Review: Abe’s Lucky Day

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:

Abe’s Lucky Day

Jill Warren

 Illustrations by Kalpart

Publisher: Outskirts Press

ISBN: 9781432773052

“Abe’s Lucky Day” is the first kid’s book I’ve encountered to have as its main character a person who is homeless. Warren and artist Kalpart illustrate very well the statement “What goes around comes around” with Abe, who even though he is homeless, thinks more of others than himself. By the end of the book, something positive happens to him that bears out the statement. “Abe’s Lucky Day” is an affirmative message for readers of all ages.

Cheri Speaks

The Importance of Genre

The genre of your book is one of the most important decisions you will make when self-publishing. It will impact who buys and reads your book as well as how reads it.

The most important to thing to remember when choosing a genre is to not pick a genre too soon. Too often, authors set out thinking “I want to write children’s books” or “I want to write adult mystery novels,” but writing often takes on a life of its own and your book may not best fit in the genre you originally intended.

Once the book is finished, it is important to consider the audience you hope to reach. Are children your target audience? Are professionals in a certain field your audience, or do you want your book to appeal to a wide, general audience? A narrow genre can limit the readers who find your book. This is one of the few cases where general can be better.

Finally, think about how readers will find your book. Will they primarily search online, or will they visit a  bookstore? If your readers will be searching online, consider keywords when choosing a genre. This will ensure that your book shows up in the search results.

If you are still unsure about the genre of your book, talk to other writers and people who work in the publishing and book distribution industry. Visit your local bookstores to look at the titles in your genre and talk to the sales people. Seeing and hearing what other writers are doing and what readers are buying can help make this difficult decision easier.

Cheri Breeding ABOUT CHERI BREEDING: Since 2005 Cheri Breeding has been working as the Director of Production for Outskirts Press. In that time, she has been an instrumental component of every aspect of the Production Department, performing the roles of an Author Representative, Book Designer, Customer Service Representative, Title Production Supervisor, Production Manager and, Director of Production. She brings all that experience and knowledge, along with an unparalleled customer-service focus, to help self-publishing authors reach high-quality book publication more efficiently, professionally, and affordably.
Wendy Speaks

Make Your Publishing Dream Come True

Have you dreamed about publishing a book since you were a child? Do you spend countless hours perfecting your craft and hope to one day share your story with the world? Are you a professional who wants to improve your platform by publishing a non-fiction book?

Whatever your dream, you can make it come true. Too often, people think of the endless rejection notices and years of disappoint associated with traditional publishing with thinking about professional writing, but this doesn’t have to be your story. You can see your book in print without years of heartbreak and rejection.

Self-publishing lets you decide if and when your story is ready to be shared with the world. You call all the shots, including how the book looks and how much it costs. By deciding to self-publish, you are deciding to make your dreams come true. Everyone has a story to share, and everyone deserves to see their writing in print. If you are ready to stop dreaming and start celebrating your accomplishment of writing a book, start the self-publishing process today. You deserve it.

ABOUT WENDY STETINA: Wendy Stetina is a sales and marketing professional with over 30 years experience in the printing and publishing industry. Wendy works as the Director of Author Services for Outskirts Press. The Author Services Department is composed of knowledgeable customer service reps and publishing consultants; and 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, Wendy Stetina can put you on the right path.
Self-Publishing Book Review of the Week

Weekly Self-Published Book Review: Corinthia Falls

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:

Corinthia Falls

Kim Hutson

Publisher: Outskirts Press

ISBN:9781432771676

Reviewer: Olivera Baumgartner

There was little to make “Corinthia Falls” appealing to me at first glance. The book opened with scenes of two warring factions in a small church in Corinthia Falls and a bunch of the town’s teenagers, their ruminations, and pranks. While they were certainly funny, I was afraid that this would become one of those preachy reads on saving souls and superiority of their religion over any other. I could not have been more wrong. Sure, there was plenty of soul saving, but none of it ever became preachy or even remotely boring. I found myself totally engrossed in the little town of Corinthia Falls and the stories of its dwellers, particularly the newcomer, traveling evangelist Pavlos Lincoln Armstrong. As colorful as his name and truly multi-layered, he became a catalyst for a major change in the formerly rather sleepy congregation. Helped along by his bear-like canine companion Silas, as well as a posse of the town’s teenagers, Colonel Armstrong managed to bring together the “Standers” and the “Setters” as well as the former observers.

I’ve truly enjoyed the story and the wonderfully quirky characters in it, particularly the teenage cast. The narrative had a nostalgic, nearly dreamlike feel to it, and I found myself looking forward to each new chapter and each new victory that Colonel and his helpers managed to achieve. Timber, TJ, Anthony the Ant, the Sam’s boys – what a wonderful cast of young men to help change the dysfunctional course the church found itself on. And let’s not forget Becky and the tender love story developing between her and one of the main characters – what a treat! There was so much to enjoy in the first part of the story that I actually wished the story would have ended there.

While I understand the rationale about the “30 years later” second part of the story, and the showing of how goodness will bring positive results in the end, part of me wished that the author would have left that part unsaid. It felt slightly rushed, slightly forced, and not completely convincing. I guess that at times I would prefer to keep wondering how a certain character – or characters – fared later in life, and I found this second part of the story less heartfelt and less persuasive than the first one.

I would recommend “Corinthia Falls” to any lover of good fiction, particularly those readers who enjoy Christian and inspirational books. Corinthia Falls is a place they will enjoy getting to know