Book Marketing, Kelly Speaks

5 Ways to Promote Your Book in November

Halloween is over and holiday shopping has begun!  During the hustle and bustle of all of the holidays events, don’t miss out on any opportunities to market your book.  Here are five easy ways to promote your book this month:

  1. Make sure you have business cards with your book cover image ready to hand out at all of your holiday events this year.
  2. Many book award deadlines are approaching fast. Make sure you have plenty of copies on hand to send out to the award competitions you want to enter.  Winning awards will increase the exposure for your book.
  3. One upcoming book award deadline is for the Reader Views Literary book awards is Friday, December 15th. Another upcoming deadline is for the IBPA Benjamin Franklin Awards, December 31st.  Visit their websites now to find out if your book is eligible and submit your book before you get caught up in holiday activities.
  4. Offer a Black Friday deal on your book.  Visit http://www.couponsnapshot.com/ to get a promotion coupon for your book.
  5. Visit the website for National Novel Writing Month (NanoWriMo) to find out about events in your area during the month of November.  At NaNoWriMo you can write a novel (in a month!), network and get support from other writers.

DISCUSSION: How are you planning to promote YOUR book this month?

ABOUT KELLY SCHUKNECHT:
Kelly Schuknecht works as 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.
Cheri Speaks

LOC Acronyms Explained

If you are an aspiring author, you’ve probably heard the terms LOC, LCCN, CIP and PCN. But what do this acronyms mean, and which ones are important? Read on to find out.

LOC – Library of Congress. It is the largest library in the world, and its mission is “to support the Congress in fulfilling its constitutional duties and to further the progress of knowledge and creativity for the benefit of the American people.” To learn more about the LOC, visit loc.gov.

LCCN- Library of Congress Control Number. This number is similar to an ISBN. It can be helpful when marketing your book to libraries, but it not necessary for publication. To learn more about this number, read Who Needs a LCCN?.

CIP – Cataloguing in Publication. This program creates a bibliographic record that is printed on the verso of the title page. This program is not available to self-published authors.

PCN – Preassigned Control Number. This is the self publishing alternative to a CIP. This program creates a LCCN prior to publication. Self publishing  companies provide authors with this service.

I’d love to hear your questions or concerns about LOC acronyms. Feel free to leave comments, and I will try to address you questions directly or in future posts.

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

Spooky Self Publishing Statistics

Happy Halloween everyone! In honor of this spooky holiday, I want to share some self-publishing statistics that may shock you. Don’t be afraid; just keep reading.

As you can see, self publishing is a popular option in the publishing industry. Despite the tough economy, self publishing is thriving. If you have been waiting for the perfect time to self publish your book, that time could be now.

 

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

Self Publishing Weekly Book Review: Nightmare at Camp Forrestwood

Book reviews are a great way for self-publishing authors to gain exposure. After all, how can someone buy your book if they don’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:

Nightmare at Camp Forrestwood

 Kelli Sue Ladon

Publisher: Outskirts Press

ISBN: 9781432770860

Genre: Young Adult

Reviewer: Margaret Lane

Nightmare at Camp Forrestwood by Kelli Sue Landon was a surprisingly interesting read. As it is marketed in the young adult category, I wasn’t expecting much of a “whodunit?” aspect to the book, but I was pleasantly surprised. I also didn’t see the guilty party coming, but there was plenty of explanation after the fact as to why he or she did the terrible that was done.

I found Nightmare at Camp Forrestwood to be an engrossing read. I started and finished it in the same day, over a period of about eight hours. It wasn’t that the story was too easy, rather it was too good; I wanted to know what was really going on at Camp Forrestwood and who was behind it. Once I was invested in the tale, I had to keep reading to find out what was going to happen next and to whom and more importantly, to see if I could figure out who was doing it. ( I couldn’t .)

I thought the storyline was clever and creative and only slightly predictable:  A bunch of kids go to camp and start turning up dead. There is no phone, no technology – which is explained – and no help available. I would have been a little more convinced of the reality of the storyline had it happened over a shorter period of time; it went on for more than a full day, so it was a little hard to believe a group of high school seniors couldn’t band together and get out to find help during that time.

Overall, I thought the author did a fair job of portraying the tension of the situation and the results that tension would have on a group of teenagers. I thought the mystery was believable except for the amount of time it encompassed before help was finally reached. I thought it did a good job of showing how suspicion of even innocent people can be raised in extreme circumstances and how stress can tear people down or bring them together to fight a common enemy.

I would recommend reading Nightmare at Camp Forrestwood. I found it interesting and enjoyable, and except for the setting, it was hard to predict what was coming next. I think it would be appropriate for  upper middle-grade readers as well as young adults, though I would avoid going any younger because of the gore involved in the story.

Cheri Speaks, Choosing a Publisher, Self-Publishing

Self Publishing Expectations

Self publishing a book is like delivering a baby. You must spend time nurturing and preparing for the birth to ensure a healthy child. If you rush the  process, you could potentially harm the child. The same is true for publishing. Many authors have a deadline in mind when they decide to self publish their books. While deadlines can provide positive motivation, they can also be detrimental to the success of your book. Great books take time to complete, just like healthy babies take nine months to be born. Here are a few ideas to make sure you don’t rush the self-publishing process.

1) Don’t schedule marketing events until you have your completed book in hand. There is nothing worse than canceling marketing events because your book isn’t complete.

2) Do your homework. Research the self-publishing company you plan to use. Ask questions. Read the website. Learn everything you can about the publication process and the cost. Also, express your expectations. Find out what types of author support are available, and find out what they expect from their authors.

3) Take the time to submit a manuscript that is error free. (A professional edit is usually a good idea.)

4) Review proofs carefully. Make sure corrections are done properly.

5) Enjoy the process. Publishing a book is a major accomplishment. Instead of rushing it, take the time to savor each moment.

 

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.