Tag: Kindle

Choosing a Publisher, Publishing Trends, Self-Publishing

Comparison of Outskirts Press and Trafford’s Self-publishing Packages

Deciding which self-publishing company to go with can be a real challenge. To assist you with this process, I’m writing a series of posts where I do the leg work for you! I’ll prepare a side-by-side comparison of two similar publishing packages from two self-publishing companies. I’ll strive to keep it as simple as possible to help cut through the vast amount of information out there by giving you an easy to read chart and a brief summary of my impressions on the comparison.

This installment of the series is a comparison of two of the most robust self-publishing packages available: The “One Click for Coaches & Speakers” from Outskirts Press (which you can enjoy even if you’re NOT a coach or speaker, by the way) and the “Scroll,” from Trafford. The information shared here is current as of the date I completed the comparison (19 December 2012) and is dependent on what I could located on the websites without contacting representatives.

Outskirts Press One-Click Publishing For Coaches & Speakers
$4,497		 Trafford Publishing Scroll Publishing Package
$5,749
Production Options Paperback Format ✓ ✓
Custom Cover ✓ ✓
Professional Interior Formatting ✓ ✓
Copyright registration ✓ ✓
Library of Congress Control Number ✓ ✓
Interior Elements Up to 20 images Up to 60 images
Copyediting Up to 75,000 Words Up to 250,000 Words
Author Copies (Paperback) 10 Copies 40 Copies
Expedited Service ✓
Cover Scribing ✓
Your ISBN/ Imprint or ours ✓
Hardback Format ✓
Author Copies (Hardback) ✓
Indexing Up to 500 entries
Additional Formats Secure EBook Edition ✓ ✓
Amazon Kindle Edition ✓
Espresso Book Machine Edition ✓
Marketing Services Book Video Trailer & Distribution ✓ ✓
Custom Press Release ✓ ✓
Author Webpage ✓ ✓
Barnes & Noble See Inside ✓ ✓
60 Second Book Video Trailer ✓ 1 of 3 choices
Social Media Marketing Setup PMA ✓
Post-Publication Marketing Assistance Marketing COACH (2 years) Learning Center (1 year)
PR Publicist Campaign ✓
Personal Marketing Assistant (PMA) ✓
Submission to 10 Reviewers ✓
Electronic Clipping Service ✓
Publication Press Release ✓
Streaming Audio ✓
Amazon Cover Enhancement ✓
Amazon See Inside the Book ✓
Bookseller’s Return Program ✓
Marketing Promotional Materials 100 pieces

With Outskirts Press, for $1,252 less you receive expedited service, a private label (optional), the Amazon Kindle edition of your book, the Espresso Book Machine edition, a PR campaign, 10 Book Reviews, a clipping service and 5 hours of personal marketing assistance with a professional book marketing expert, among other benefits.

There are a few options that come with Trafford’s Scroll package that are not included with the Outskirts Press package such as a hardback format and more author copies.  Although, you could order most if not all of those services a la carte with Outskirts Press and likely still come in at an overall lower cost.

My vote? Outskirts Press! See all the benefits and features of the One-Click Package for Speakers & Coaches by clicking here.

I’d love to know, which option would you choose and why?

Kelly Speaks, Kindle

The Bestselling Self-Published Kindle Books of 2012

Amazon recently announced its Top 100 Kindle Books for 2012. I was very excited to see that 15 of those books have self-publishing origins! One of the most notable titles is the Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy, which was originally published by an Australia-based e-book and print-on-demand establishment. Many of the other self-published titles were also in the romance genre. However, several of the titles were from other genres. Here is the complete list:

2012’s Bestselling Kindle Books (Self-Published Origins)

1. Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James

2. Fifty Shades Darker by E.L. James

3. Fifty Shades Freed by E.L. James

4. Bared to You by Sylvia Day

5. Reflected in You by Sylvia Day

6. On Dublin Street by Samantha Young

7. Snake Skin by CJ Lyons

8. Wool by Hugh Howey

9. The Sweetest Thing by Barbara Freethy

10. The Lion, the Lamb, the Hunted by Andrew Kaufman

11. Wife by Wednesday by Catherine Bybee

12. The Wedding Gift by Marlen Suyapa Bodden

13. Blood Stained by CJ Lyons

14. Secret Lives by Diane Chamberlain

15. Down to You by M. Leighton

This list is great news for self-publishing authors! It proves that you don’t have to go the traditional publishing route to be successful, and it provides significant insight into the types of books that have been successful. If you are considering self-publishing, you may want to check out some of these books to see what makes them hits among readers. However, never feel obligated to follow trends. Just because 2012 was a huge year for the romance genre, does not mean you must write romance novels, and it doesn’t guarantee that the genre will remain popular.

I’d love to know, what is your favorite self-published e-book?

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.
Kelly Speaks, Kindle

Three Ways to Find Free and Low-Priced Books to Read on Your Kindle

One of my favorite things about reading books on my Kindle is finding free and low-priced books. As a book lover, my reading habit can get pretty costly, but these three awesome lists save me tons of money and help me find new books to read. To take advantage of all the free and low-priced books available on your Kindle, check out these three great lists on a regular basis as they are updated frequently.

Amazon’s Top 100 Free Kindle Books – This list is great because it is updated all the time, and it is based on what readers are actually downloading.

Amazon’s 100 Kindle Books for $3.99 or Less – While these books aren’t free, you still can’t beat the price! Most paper versions will cost you at least $10 to $15.

Amazon’s Kindle Daily Deal – Each day this list features amazing deals on Kindle books. When I was researching this post, I found a book for 88% off! It was originally $16.99, but for one day only you could get it for $1.99.

As you can tell by the number of available Kindle books, e-book reading devices are becoming extremely popular, and Kindle books aren’t limited to Kindle owners.  Even iPad users can take advantage of the great prices on Amazon by downloading the free Kindle app for iPad.  More and more people are choosing to read books on some kind of e-book reading device, and more and more self-publishing authors are realizing that offering a Kindle version of their books can help increase their overall royalties. If you are self-publishing a book, you must consider offering your book in Kindle format. By offering both hardcopy and electronic editions, you can increase the exposure for your book and reach a larger audience. This will ultimately result in greater sales potential for your book.

I’d love to know, do you plan to offer your book in Kindle format?

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.
Kelly Speaks, Kindle

The New Kindle Fire: The Next Hottest Thing in Publishing

In just two days (on September 14, 2012), the new Kindle Fire will be released. This handheld device will change the way people read and the way authors publish books. Here are a few of the details.

  • 40% faster performance, twice the memory, longer battery life
  • Perfect portability – thin, light, and durable
  • Over 22 million movies, TV shows, songs, magazines, books, audiobooks, and
    popular apps and games
  • Ultra-fast web browsing over built-in Wi-Fi
  • Free unlimited cloud storage for all your Amazon content
  • Kindle FreeTime – a personalized tablet experience just for kids. Set
    daily screen limits, and give access to appropriate content for each child. Free
    on every Kindle Fire.
  • Kindle Owners’ Lending Library – Kindle owners can choose from more than 180,000
    books to borrow for free with no due dates, including over 100 current and
    former New York Times best sellers and all seven Harry Potter books.
  • No Set-up Required
  • Read-to-Me — With Text-to-Speech, Kindle Fire can read English-language content out loud to you, when available from the publisher.
  • 1-Click Shopping

Readers are sure to love the convenience and upgraded technology offered by the Kindle Fire. Thanks to Kindle FreeTime, even children will be able to enjoy the hot , new device.

E-readers are already changing the way consumers buy and read books, and they are becoming increasingly popular. It is important that self-published authors offer a Kindle version of their books to meet the needs of readers who prefer using e-readers. By offering both a print and electronic version of your book, you can target a larger market and reach more customers. This will ultimately lead to more sales.

To learn more about the Kindle Fire, click here.

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.
Kelly Speaks, Self-Publishing

Top 5 Questions New Authors Ask About Self-Publishing

Whether you are a regular visitor of this blog or this is your first time here, something led you to us.  Maybe you are interested in self-publishing or some of the specific topics discussed on this blog (like book reviews or book marketing).

In many cases, our readers come to us because they searched a particular term on Google or another search engine and that led them to one of our helpful posts.  Below are the top 5 questions readers ask that bring them to our blog.  Perhaps you will find answers to some of the questions you have about self-publishing (each question is conveniently linked to a post that discusses the individual topic in more detail):

  1. How much do authors make? – This post discusses what self-publishing authors can expect to earn in royalties and some of the considerations when it comes to successful book sales.
  2. How much does it cost to publish a book? – Read this post from Wendy Stetina as she advises on what self-publishing authors can expect to invest in the publication of their book, including professional cover design, copyediting, production and marketing.
  3. How do you market a Kindle ebook format? – This guest post from Dana Lynn Smith has been a top post for months.  As the publishing industry shifts from hardcopy to ebook formats, authors want to know how to increase their ebook sales.  Dana tells us just how to do that.
  4. How can you use tags to promote your book on Amazon? – A post by…yours truly about how to use Tags to help customers find your book on Amazon.
  5. Where can I find self-publishing advice? – This one doesn’t have a link because you’re already here! If you haven’t done so already, subscribe to the Self Publishing Advisor blog (top right corner of the page) and you will receive our posts directly in your email inbox.  We’re glad you’re here and hope you’ll come back for more.

I would love to know, what other questions do you have about self-publishing?

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.