Book Marketing, Book Promotion, Book Reviews, Networking, Self-Publishing

Self-publishing Book Promotion Tip

It’s no secret that self-publishing involves some elbow grease on your behalf as author to promote your work. The control available in that area may be either boon or bane. Ultimately, it’s your choice, and as our real American hero states so poignantly, knowing is half the battle. Tip #1:

Understanding how to conduct an advanced Internet search yielding applicable promotional and review results is very important. Luckily, it’s also very easy.

For example, go to the Google website here http://www.google.com

Then, use access defined search criteria by clicking on the link that reading “Advanced Search” in small type next to the “Search” button.

You will find a page that enables you to fine-tune your search.

For example, search for the words “freelance” or “book reviewer” to find many places to begin with book promotion.

– Karl



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Self-Publishing Book Review of the Week

Self Published Book Review of the Week: Painting The Invisible Man

Review_CoverPainting The Invisible Man

by Rita Schiano

This self-published book was recently reviewed on BookFinds.com:

What is often talked about in fiction writing is that every novel has pieces of the author’s life hidden in the details. In Rita Schiano’s emotionally riveting novel, Painting the Invisible Man, there is no hiding the parallels between Rita’s life and that of her main character, Anna Matteo. And yet it is with this honesty and quiet depiction of reality that Schiano creates memorable characters and beautiful prose. Schiano explores the emotional ties that bind us to our family and our history. She shows that it is our past that gives birth to our dreams and it is our future that gives us hope. Rita Schiano’s Painting the Invisible Man explores truth through the veil of fiction and highlights these truths with honesty and emotional intensity. A beautiful poetic read! — BookFinds.com

For more information or to order the book, visit the author’s website: www.paintingtheinvisibleman.com



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Choosing a Publisher, Self-Publishing

Self-publishing: The Control Game

Among the many advantages self-publishing presents authors over the traditional model is content control. Case study. I spoke with a published author at a recent conference about her experience with her traditional publisher. She handed me her book and paused. “You see my name’s on the cover,” she said. “But none of that is mine.”

Aside from changing even the title, the published pulled a full two-thirds of the submitted content for final publication. Talk about an incarcerating publishing experience.

We throw around the term non-exclusive quite about when talking about self-publishing contracts. A non-exclusive contract, in short, means that one person is in charge of the book – the author. Most self-publishing options hold non-exclusive contracts, but not all.

I was working to help one author transition publishers recently, and found this in his contract:

“While Section Six (6) of your Publishing Agreements states, ‘If I cancel, <publishing company> will have the non-exclusive right to produce, market, and sell my Title for one year following receipt of my cancellation notice,” <publishing company> has chosen not to exercise this right.”

This self-publisher’s contract maintains the right to sell your book without paying you, but then they tell you it’s not good enough to do that. Talk about insult to injury. But be sure to carefully read and understand your contract. Ask your publishing consultant if you have questions.

In the meantime, have fun and keep writing.

– Karl



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Self-Publishing Book Review of the Week

Self-Published Book Review of the Week: Moaning Banshee

The Mystery of the Moaning Banshee

by Barbara Carroll

This self-published book was recently reviewed by www.readerviews.com:

I forgot how much I love reading a good Gothic tale until I read this story. The author captures the reader from page one until the very end. It is a great story to read as a family, or for older readers to read alone.

When Cassie Baker inherits her great grandfather’s old Victorian mansion in a small town on the Maine coast, she gets a lot more than she bargains for. Cassie, at thirteen, is the oldest of eight very adventurous siblings. The estate includes an old mansion with secret passages and unexplained happenings, a Carriage House, Care Takers cottage, an old lighthouse, a spooky marsh and cemetery and a beach house. Silas, the spooky old caretaker, warns Cassie about the dangers of the estate.

As Cassie and her brothers and sisters begin exploring the old estate they encounter many scary and unexplainable things. Apparently ghosts and banshees come with the estate that has been closed up for over fifty years due to an unexpected death of a relative. But it is rumored that the estate is also home to a hidden fortune and Cassie needs to find it to pay off long-time unpaid bills and save her family’s home from auction. Many exciting adventures await Cassie and her family as they look for the treasure and the answers to so many mysteries.

As these brave children encounter puzzles, ghosts, crooks and thieves, elements of this story remind me of one of my favorite movies “The Goonies.” Hopefully “The Mystery of the Moaning Banshee” by Barbara Carroll will not be the last time that we have heard from Cassie and her family.

For more information or to purchase a copy, visit the author’s webpage: www.outskirtspress.com/moaningbanshee



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Book Marketing, Book Promotion, Book Signings, Networking, Self-Publishing

The Do’s of Pitching Your Self-Published Book to Producers

Here are 5 things to do when composing a letter to a radio producer to promote your self-published book:

1 – Do keep your letter short. No more than one page.
2 – Do include your hook. This is a 5-10 word sentence or phrase that should attract everyone’s attention about you or your book.
3 – Do format your letter so it’s easy to skim. Use bullet points.
4 – Do write your letter with the producer’s point of view. Re-read it as if you were the producer. Is it clear what you want and what value you offer to the radio listeners?
5 – Do be available to respond to interest immediately. These people are often on deadline and if you are the easiest solution to their problem, you’ll get the call.

Karl Schroeder


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