Tag: Kelly Schuknecht

Book Marketing, Kelly Speaks, Marketing Your Self-Published Book, Uncategorized

Planning for 2017: Plans for the Pantser

This week we’re going to talk ‘plans for the “pantser.”’ No, not plans for someone who likes pulling people’s pants down, but rather, plans for someone who is writing or marketing by the seat of their pants. Now it may seem counterintuitive to think that if you’re doing something by the seat of your pants that you’d have any sort of plan at all, but it doesn’t have to be! Sometimes we’re forced to write by the seat of our pants because life is so busy, thus we need to plan around our busy lives to make time for our writing.

clock with wings procrastination

So, how is it that we can plan as we go when writing or marketing our newly published book? First off, set aside time for writing or marketing every day. If you only have five minutes, so be it. Make a social media post, pat yourself on the back and call it a day. If you have multiple hours, make some serious progress on that chapter or blog you’re working on.

If you haven’t begun writing yet, start by researching to get an idea for your story. Once you have a story idea, write a 100-word synopsis–one you’ll find on the back cover of your book when you successfully publish it in the future!

When you finally get the ball rolling and start having regular writing sessions, always finish them by making a plan for where you’re going next. This can be bullet-pointing the next scene, deciding which character you’re going to develop in the coming chapters, or maybe you have a hole in your plot that needs to be filled.

Ask yourself questions at the end of each writing session about where your time could be used most productively next time you sit down to get to it. Write this down. Give yourself enough detail so that when you come back to it, you won’t be stuck wondering where to start. That way if it’s a week from now, you won’t forget what seemed like a pressing issue today.

The thing is, having a plan makes you accountable to yourself and yourself only. If you’ve written out your goals, it is you who sees whether or not you’ve followed through with them. A mental note is a lot easier to shove into the dark recesses of your mind when you’re feeling unmotivated after a long day’s work. So whether you write it on a word document that you’re working on and will open up next time, or you do it the old fashioned way with pen and paper, keep yourself accountable, and keep yourself writing!

Thank you for reading!  If you have any questions, comments, suggestions, or contributions, please use the comment field below or drop us a line at selfpublishingadvice@gmail.com.  And remember to check back each Wednesday for your weekly dose of marketing musings from one indie, hybrid, and self-published author to another. ♠

Kelly

ABOUT KELLY SCHUKNECHT: Kelly Schuknecht is the Executive 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, kellyschuknecht.com
from the archives, Holidays, Uncategorized

From the Archives: “5 Reasons to Self-Publish in December”

Welcome back to our Tuesday segment, where we’ll be revisiting some of our most popular posts from the last few years.  What’s stayed the same?  And what’s changed?  We’ll be updating you on the facts, and taking a new (and hopefully refreshing) angle on a few timeless classics of Self Publishing Advisor.

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[ Originally posted: December 4th, 2013 ]

With so much going on in December, you may be wondering if now is the right time to self-publish your book. Here are five reasons why December is a great month to start the self-publishingprocess.

Savings

Many self-publishing companies are getting in the holiday spirit by offering great deals on publishing packages and marketing options. This can save you money and provide you with services that will enhance the success of your book.

A Gift to Yourself

Publishing a book is one of the best gifts you can give yourself. The sense of accomplishment and pride is better than any box of chocolates or new sweater. Celebrate the holiday season by giving yourself the memorable gift of self-publishing.

Plenty of Time to Market

By starting the self-publishing process in December, you will have your printed book early in 2014. This gives you the rest of the year to market your book and plenty of time to accomplish your yearly marketing and sales goals.

A Jump Start on Your To-Do List

If you are reading this, “publishing a book” is probably on your 2014 to-do list. Start the year off right by checking it off the list before the ball drops on New Year’s Eve.

Be a Part of a Great Trend

According to Bowker, the self-publishing market is up 59% compared to last year.You can be a part of that amazing statistic and be a part of the changing publishing industry.

Happy Holidays!

– by Kelly Schuknecht

2016 is not 2013, it’s true, but some things hold true–including these five reasons to self-publish in December which I originally posted waaaaay back when. But look, it’s all well and good to pat myself on the back for being accurate three years ago. What about now? What’s new in terms of arguments in favor of self-publishing in December?

I have one big contribution, a stellar sixth reason:

Holiday Marketing Bundles

The market and industry have both come a long way in three years, and one of the things an increasing number of self-publishing companies offer is a holiday marketing bundle geared towards providing both discounts (and attendant big savings) as well as specific services geared towards boosting sales during this generosity-inducing time.

Now, Christmas might seem like the absolute worst time to lay out a big chunk of change on your book when it could be going to so many other good things. And it’s true that there are other good things well worth investing in during the winter holiday season–friends, family, needy strangers, coffee kiosks–but I would argue, gently, that this is the perfect time. After all, you’ve been working hard all year to get your book out–and typically, a well-marketed book will move the greatest bulk of its copies during the months between October and January.

I of course have a slight vested interest in holiday marketing bundles–my employer, Outskirts Press, offers a stellar example. I don’t shy away from mentioning this because I truly believe in the quality of services that Outskirts offers, and have had the pleasure of working alongside the staff who put this deal (and others) together. But no matter where you choose to pick up your bundle–while the details may differ a little–the core principle remains the same: bundling services allows for great discounts, and for very refined targeting of your consumer base.

Now, if you miss out on the holiday marketing bundle this time around, don’t panic! There’s always next year. And you won’t even have to wait a full twelve months for such an opportunity; there is always a small bump in sales around late spring and early summer as well, due to the “beach reads” trend, and this gives you plenty of time to recoup those unavoidable (and, let’s face it, sometimes inexplicable) holiday expenses!

winter christmas holiday decorations

Thanks for reading.  If you have any other ideas, I’d love to hear them.  Drop me a line in the comments section below and I’ll respond as quickly as I can.  ♠

Kelly

ABOUT KELLY SCHUKNECHT: Kelly Schuknecht is the Executive 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, kellyschuknecht.com.
Kelly Speaks, news from the self publishing world, self publishing news, Uncategorized

Self-Publishing News: 12.12.2016

And now for the news!

This week in the world of self-publishing:

Did you know Mark Twain, E.E. Cummings and Emily Dickinson were self-published authors? In this compelling article by William Kowalski, we are given ample reasons to reject any notion that self-publishing is for those without talent, for those with things that aren’t worth publishing or for “hacks.” If the commercial publishing world has rejected your book, Kowalski wants to assure you that’s not because your book is bad or that you are lacking the skills needed to be a successful writer–it’s just that they don’t see a market for it. We live in a society that follows the whims of the invisible hand of the market, and that means, like most businesses, most publishing companies’ bottom line will inevitably be the almighty dollar. In Kowalski’s view, this bottom line is part of the reason they’re dying out; because it has driven amazing authors to find other means, such as self-publishing. According to him, genre writers are now better off self-publishing, as they do substantially better than genre writers who seek commercial publication. This article is a giant affirmation of the fact that we live in the 21st century and no longer have to hold ourselves prey to the commercial publishing industry, but can instead take matters into our own hands and connect ourselves to the global market via resources like the internet.

In this article, discover how Mary T. Wagner of Wisconsin became a children’s author after a stint of cat sitting for her son’s cat, Finnigan. Her story is set in Wisconsin and is centered around two circus mice who come into cahoots with an unlikely friend, the cat Finnigan, with whom they adventure at a circus museum. Wagner says she had trouble going through traditional publishing companies with her idea–especially because it tested her patience too much!–so she decided to self-publish. She even went so far as to take out “how to draw” books from the library so she could be her own illustrator. The positive response Wagner received after winning a few awards were compelling enough for her to develop her book into a series. Read the article to get some great advice from Wagner on becoming a better author in any genre.

Lisa Marie Latino’s experience as a business woman has helped her immensely in her first pursuit in self-publishing. After Latino approached “about fifty literary agents, and got rejected by all of them,” she decided that she would just add another business skill to her resume: self-publishing. Latino’s enthusiasm for writing is apparent when reading more about her. “For four or five days at a time, all I would literally do was write,” says Latino. “I did this five times over the course of a year and a half until the manuscript was done. Being away from everyone was like going on vacation. It was a lot of fun.” Find out more about Latino’s approach to self-publishing, and some enticing details about her newly published book “Ten Years Later,” which features a woman trying to squeeze out some serious life experience the year before returning to her ten-year high school reunion.

spa-news

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 Monday to find out the hottest news. If you have other big news to share, please comment below.

Kelly

ABOUT KELLY SCHUKNECHT: Kelly Schuknecht is the Executive 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, kellyschuknecht.com.
Alternative Marketing Methods, Book Marketing, Kelly Speaks, Marketing Your Self-Published Book, Uncategorized

Taking It On the Road

Whether you’re facing the stresses of commuting home for the holidays–like sitting in a car or airport for hours–or the stresses of hosting and feeding your extended family for days on end, you’re probably not getting much time in as far as writing or book marketing goes. The past few weeks we’ve done blogs focused on how to bolster your marketing efforts during the holidays, but you may find yourself unable to make time for those efforts.

on the road asphalt

While some holiday stress may be unavoidable, your support team at a company like mine (Outskirts Press) may have some suggestions for at least mitigating it and remaining as productive as you can in the midst of the flurry of holiday travel, shopping, socializing, hosting and dining.

Let’s say that your flight has been delayed due to inclimant weather and you’re stuck at the airport. This could be seen as a wild inconvenience, or as an opportunity to sit down and write a chapter of your book, or maybe even spend some time on book marketing. Write a blog and broadcast it on all of your other social media networks to get more traffic on your pages–then your time has inadvertently gone from being wasted to being productive!

Squeezing out these windows of productivity doesn’t have to come from unfortunate travel mishaps, though. If you find yourself stuck in the kitchen waiting on Christmas cookies, ham or pie, why not bring along the laptop and get some work done? And when you present your goodies to your company, maybe suggest that everyone bring along a favorite holiday themed poem or writing clip to read before you feast. This will provide you the opportunity to share something you love–writing–with those you love most. I’m always surprised by how excited people become when sharing a few words of their favorite authors. This seems to give me newfound motivation to produce more thoughtful material, especially after experiencing a shared enthusiasm for the written and spoken word!

While those are two small examples of how to stay sane and at least slightly engaged in your writing and marketing during the holiday season, that’s not to say that you’ll make an abundance of progress in any small window of time. Mitigating stress should be your number one priority, and if thinking about marketing your book during the holidays is too overwhelming, never forget the power of asking for a helping hand. We at SPA are always here to help you get through the holidays, and if I can put in one little plug for my employer, Outskirts Press’s Holiday Marketing Bundle is a great way to make sure your book marketing doesn’t falter just because you’re a busy bee!

Thank you for reading!  If you have any questions, comments, suggestions, or contributions, please use the comment field below or drop us a line at selfpublishingadvice@gmail.com.  And remember to check back each Wednesday for your weekly dose of marketing musings from one indie, hybrid, and self-published author to another. ♠

Kelly

ABOUT KELLY SCHUKNECHT: Kelly Schuknecht is the Executive 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, kellyschuknecht.com
Kelly Speaks, Uncategorized

Self-Publishing News: 12.5.2016

And now for the news!

This week in the world of self-publishing:

While a lot of the focus on self-publishing is focused on literary pursuits, this wonderful article from Publisher’s Weekly puts the spotlight on photographer Jeremy Enlow. Enlow admits that he was overwhelmed when he saw 1,500 books being unloaded into his studio, but was happily surprised that he sold them all in just ten days. With the help of some marketing professionals through both social media, television, print and web media, Enlow’s book marketing was a giant success. However, he is very direct in admitting that you have to be prepared to spend double what you spent producing the book on your marketing efforts, or else you will end up with a stock pile of books as he expected to when they were first unloaded at his studio doorstep. Heed some advice from this successful self-publisher on why you shouldn’t second guess yourself and why quality and deadlines are so important by reading the original article above.

This week I wanted to go down another avenue of self-publishing that we often don’t talk about; self-publishing for business owners. In this article by Business News Daily, a compelling argument is made for why business owners should consider self-publishing as a means of ‘building their brand.’ There is some fantastic advice for business owners thinking of going down this path such as: surveying your potential audience and keeping them involved in the process and figuring out your message and ‘believing in it.’

The strategy of looking at writing a book as a business pursuit is something that can be helpful for authors in general, “Because writing a book is work and a contributing factor to your income, it should be treated as such.” This can mean taking measures as far as setting strict hours for yourself to work on your book like you would at an actual job and holding yourself accountable to upholding those hours. Think about making your publishing efforts public via social media so that you have people interested and invested in your progress. Find more advice on marketing and securing a return on your investment in your book by clicking the link above.

For the last article in this week’s roundup, I chose Charlotte Ahlin’s 7 quick tips for self-publishing, as it is an extremely streamlined and thoughtful list. Ahlin begins by reminding readers “that self-publishing is not a shortcut to success. It’s difficult, and rarely glamorous. But if you work hard, it can be well worth the effort.” She goes on to stress the importance of not relying on spell check to catch all of your errors, but instead insists that you should take the time and spend the money to get your manuscript professionally edited. Ahlin provides useful tips further down the list for how to potentially raise those funds, such as making a GoFundMe or Kickstarter account. Click the link above to see more of Ahlin’s poignant advice.

spa-news

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 Monday to find out the hottest news. If you have other big news to share, please comment below.

Kelly

ABOUT KELLY SCHUKNECHT: Kelly Schuknecht is the Executive 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, kellyschuknecht.com.