Tag: children’s book

Self-Publishing Book Review of the Week

Weekly Self-Published Book Review: Later Gator, In a While Crocodile

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:

 later gator

Later Gator, In a While Crocodile

Mike Fortunato

Publisher: Outskirts Press

ISBN: 9781478712855

Reviewed by Miles Cassells (age 3.5) and Mom for Reader Views Kids

“Later Gator, In a While Crocodile” by Mike Fortunato was a super fun book to read with Miles. Lately, Miles has been interested in reptiles and learning about them in school, so when we sat down to read this book he was excited. Not to mention, “later gator” is a favorite expression when saying bye to someone on their way out the door.
Gator is hanging out in the swamp and realizes none of his friends can come and play with him. He is lonely and wished there was someone to hang out with. Then, along comes Crocodile. Gator wasn’t sure how he was going to play with him because he was an alligator and the crocodile was, well, a crocodile. After discovering that they are very similar in their abilities and enjoy the same things, they joined up to have a blast in this 3 part picture book.
“Later Gator, In a While Crocodile” by Mike Fortunato is a great example of how to teach children that even though we may be slightly different, we are all still the same. We can come from different species and still be friends, or in our case as humans, different races. This is a lovely way to remind children that we can all play together and have lots of fun even if we look different from each other. This is a lesson that many adults need to learn as well.
Awesome book!!

Self-Publishing Book Review of the Week

Weekly Self-Published Book Review: The Job

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 job

The Job

Cramer Louis Jackson

Publisher: Outskirts Press

ISBN: 9781432784584

 

It is often said that good things come in small packages and this certainly is the case with this read. In the beginning we meet Joe, a man on a mission. Joe is out of work, and despite all his attempts to find a job, he keeps failing. However, good fortune is about to smile upon him as he receives a mysterious email offering him an opportunity for work, but it is cloaked with mystery. Joe is hesitant at first, but his desperate situation pushes him to respond and from that moment on, his life will never be the same. Joe is thrust into a world he never dreamed truly existed and the job that he must undertake will bring him into a realm that even Science Fiction Writers could never pen, but for Joe it is real. Here he finds adventure, and true love. For Joe, his journey is just beginning.

I really enjoyed this read; it definitely was not a storyline that I had encountered before. The character Joe can easily be identified with in our world today, and you will find yourself smiling at the good fortune that has come his way. It is ‘out of this world’ adventure, well packaged in a warm storyline that draws you right in and keeps you reading until the end. Very well done, and I am pleased to recommend it.

Self-Publishing Book Review of the Week

Weekly Self-Published Book Review: Puppies and Poems

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:

 puppies and poems

Puppies and Poems

Nancy Sack

Illustrator: Kaitlyn Fuchs

Publisher: Outskirts Press

ISBN: 9781432784706

Poetry is just another way of telling a story and imparting solid values. “Puppies and Poems” is a collection of poetry from Nancy Sack, who presents a children’s picture book that embraces poetry as its storytelling method. Charming stories of friendship and festivities with full color illustrations from Kaitlyn Fuchs make “Puppies and Poems” a choice pick and very much recommended reading.

Kelly Speaks, Self-Publishing Week in Review

Self-Publishing Week in Review: 7/08/14

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, simply visit our blog every Tuesday to find out the hottest news.

Should SFWA Allow Self-Published Authors To Join?

Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America has invited comment on how to include self-published and indie authors in its membership. The association currently requires members to publish a few short stories or one novel with a publisher paying “professional” rates.

Indie Spotlight on Children’s Authors

This article interviews five successful self-published children’s authors who share their self-publishing advice. This is a must read for children’s authors.

15 Insightful Quotations About Self-Publishing

If you are looking for inspiration or self-publishing words of wisdom, you’ll love this post. It features 15 insightful quotes from industry professionals.

The Guardian’s First Self-Published Book Prize Winner – Finally Some Recognition for Self-Published Authors

The author of this article shares her views on self-published authors receiving more recognition. It is an interesting read for all writers.

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.
Jodee Speaks, Uncategorized

In-House vs. Third Party Illustrators for Book Covers

Children’s authors already know the importance of a great graphic artists, but even authors who write for older audiences need to understand the importance of a great artist and how to find one. While your book may not be filled with graphics, there is one image that can make or break your book’s success — your cover.

A great graphic artist will help you great a custom book cover that catches readers’ attention, demonstrates your professionalism as an author, and represents the essence of your book. By using a generic cover or a poorly created one, you may send your readers a negative message about your work and they may be less intrigued to buy and read it. Because a graphic artist is so important to the success of your book, you need to make sure you hire a talented, trustworthy one.

Before hiring a graphic artist, understand that there are two types of custom covers:

1)      A custom cover –created by a professional graphic artist

2)      An illustrated custom cover – The illustration is created by a professional illustrator and then that illustration is used in a custom cover design created by the professional graphic artist.

It is helpful to know which type of cover you’d like for your book before hiring a graphic artist. Another important decision is whether to use a third party graphic artist or an in-house graphic artist. Using a third party artist can be more expensive and complicated to work with.

It is important to know . . .

  • Some third-party graphic artists require you to share a portion of your royalties. This creates an ongoing cost instead of a one-time fee for the service.
  • You need to know what the trim size of your book is prior to the artist beginning work.
  • The graphic artist needs to know specifications about bleed and gutters for the self-publisher being used.
  • You should arrange for the graphic artist to provide high-resolution image files, not just hardcopies.
  • Be sure to get a written contract.

If this sounds like a headache, there is an easier way. Instead of hiring a third-party graphic artist, you could hire an artist through your self-publishing company. To learn more about hiring a graphic artist from your self-publishing company, contact a representative at your publishing company.

ABOUT JODEE THAYER: With over 25 years of experience in sales and management, Jodee Thayer works as the Director of Author Services for Outskirts Press. The Author Services Department is composed of knowledgeable customer service reps, publishing consultants and marketing professionals; together, they all focus on educating authors on the self-publishing process in order to help them publish the book of their dreams and on assisting authors with marketing and promoting their book once published. 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.