Self publishing advice from writing to marketing and everything in-between.
Today, we will cover:
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Today’s post is by publishing industry expert, Cheri Breeding.
Did you know that a strong book title can many times translate to more sales for the author? Or that a weak (or ineffective) title can many times mean lackluster sales?
Not only do readers judge a book by its cover, but they also find books based on their title. For instance, if you’ve written a book about the battles of the Civil War, you surely want readers to find you using the term “civil war” or “civil war battles”. If your title is not reflective of the subject, you can miss out on readers. The title Love Lost, for example, would not be one I would click to if I’m looking for information about the war. Your title, while catchy and creative, just cost you a sale.
You should consider ALL of the following when choosing a book title:
Remember your title doesn’t have to stand alone. A strong subtitle can help a title that may not be descriptive enough alone. Referring to the example above, Love Lost: Short Love Stories of the Civil War is much more descriptive and would encourage a reader searching for “Civil War battles” to at least take a peek (provided you have an attention-grabbing cover).
While a subtitle is not required, you can see that many times it can make the difference by adding a few additional keywords, etc. that are related to the title.
DISCUSSION: What tips do you have for authors choosing a book title?
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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. |
Today’s post is by publishing industry expert, Wendy Stetina.
How much will it cost to self-publish my book? That’s a loaded question.
There are many factors that go into how much it will cost to self-publish. Your cost will be dependent on the route you choose — whether you opt to do all of the work yourself, outsource some of the work, or hire a full-service self-publisher.
If you do all of the work yourself, the costs will be minimal and dependent on your skills and knowledge. Some of the top things you will be responsible for are (in no particular order):
Of course, this only scratches the surface as there is quite a bit involved with turning a manuscript into a published book.
A good alternative for those who have a bit of book industry savvy is to outsource small jobs that are a part of the book creation process. Of course, your costs for these jobs will be dependent on the quote you receive from the professional you intend to hire.
Lastly, if you have limited knowledge or would rather leave book creation completely to the industry experts, you can choose to go with a full-service self-publisher, like Outskirts Press.
A good rule of thumb would be for an author to invest an equal amount in production and marketing. Serious non-fiction authors, for example, should plan on investing around $5000.00 – $7000.00. This would break down into approximately $2500.00 – $3500.00 for the creation of the book (designing interior, editing manuscript, cover design, etc.), and $2500 – $3500.00 to launch the book (book launch parties, marketing efforts, book orders, etc.). Post launch there needs to be an ongoing marketing effort.
DISCUSSION: How much did you spend to create and distribute your book?
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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 Stentina can put you on the right path. |
Today’s post is by book marketing industry expert, Kelly Schuknecht.
A Tag on Amazon is a keyword or category label that customers can add. Tags can help customers find similar items on Amazon. For example, adding Tags to the listing for your book on Amazon can help customers find your book when they are searching the Tags for similar books.
You can find the Tag section within a listing on Amazon towards the bottom of the page. Here’s an example of the Tags associated with the book 33 Million People in the Room:
As a customer, you can click the existing Tags and add your own Tags, up to 15 per item. As you can see, customers have Tagged this book as “facebook,” “internet marketing,” “social media marketing,” “twitter,” and several other things. The first Tag, “facebook,” shows that this book has been Tagged “facebook” by 46 customers on Amazon.
After reading this book, a customer might be interested in reading more books about Facebook. Clicking on the “facebook” Tag will open up a new page of all products that have been Tagged “facebook” (currently 585 products).
On the left side the customer can narrow the search results by other popular Tags. For example, if the customer wanted to read more about marketing on Facebook, they could select “internet marketing” and narrow the results to 101 products. The results might give the customer a few ideas of books they might want to read, such as:
#1 – Attention! This Book Will Make You Money: How to Use Attention-Getting Online Marketing to Increase Your Revenue by Jim F. Kukral
#5 – Social Media Marketing: Strategies for Engaging in Facebook, Twitter & Other Social Media by Liana Evans
# 11 – Content Rules: How to Create Killer Blogs, Podcasts, Videos, Ebooks, Webinars (and More) That Engage Customers and Ignite Your Business (New Rules Social Media Series) by C.C. Chapman
As an author, make sure your book is Tagged on Amazon with a number of keywords that will help potential readers locate your book. Look at the Tags for similar books to be sure you are using the same Tags, when appropriate.
Post a comment below and tell me about the Tags you’ve added for your book.
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ABOUT KELLY SCHUKNECHT: Kelly Schuknecht works as the Director of Author Support for 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. |
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 about it? Paired with other book marketing efforts, 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 let the community know about a great book. So, without further adieu, here’s this week’s book review:
Did Success Spoil Jayne Mansfield?: Her Life in Pictures & Text
Frank Ferruccio
Outskirts Press (2010)
ISBN 9781432761233
Reviewed by Carol Hoyer, PhD, for Reader Views (2/11)
“I must say that many of us always wanted to know more about the mysterious Jayne Mansfield and the author has certainly done his research on her life and family.
Many individuals dream of being a movie star and Jayne was no different. Even though she came from a very strict upbringing she never lost sight that she would become a star. Jayne was a very beautiful child and teenager and did what she wanted. At the age of fifteen she got pregnant much to the dismay of everyone. She met her first husband, Paul Mansfield, during this time and even though he wasn’t the biological father he stepped up to the plate.
She married two more times, but it was hard for her husbands to deal with her fame and publicity stunts. Jayne knew how to get attention and she went for what she wanted and usually got it.
While she was married to Mickey Hargity, she began to party all night long and become very close to Matt Cimber, who would later become her third husband.
Jayne was fun, interesting and had a good heart. She loved her children and she loved acting. It’s sad that there are so many negative stories about her.
The author has provided pages and pages on Jayne throughout her life till the end. There is so much information in “Did Success Spoil Jayne Mansfield?” coming from interviews with family, friends and others in the entertainment field. The author has done an exceptional job in his research and providing references for all his information.”
DISCUSSION: Are you trying to obtain book reviews as part of your overall book marketing strategy?
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