Tag: Outskirts Press

Uncategorized, Wendy Speaks

Using Your Own Self Publishing Company

There are many ways to self publish a book. Some of these options have associated costs, others don’t. As an author it is important to research all available options and choose the one that works best for you. Sometimes this may mean publishing under your own self-publishing company. After all, this will allow you to not only publish your own book but also the books of others.

There are many things to consider when “going it alone”. You have to consider whether you have the skillset to publish a book on your own, whether you will enlist the services of independent contractors, or if you will hire another self publishing company and publish the book under them using your name. Each of these have different costs (time/financial) associated with them, but they each come with their own benefits/rewards.

For example, at Outskirts Press, we allow authors to publish books under their own company name (aka an “imprint”) for a nominal fee. This allows you to enjoy all the flexibility that comes with publishing your book and books of other authors with all of the documentation pointing to your own company. We do all of the work, and you get all of the credit. Contact one of our Publishing Consultants if you’d like to learn more.

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 Stetina can put you on the right path.
Book Reviews, Self-Publishing Book Review of the Week

Self-Publishing Book Review of the Week: Russia’s Prestige by Kashif Parvaiz

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 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 let the community know about a great book. So, without further ado, here’s this week’s book review:

Russia's Prestige book cover

Russia’s Prestige: Historical Architecture

Kashif Parvaiz

Publisher: Outskirts Press, Inc.

ISBN 9781432766115

Reviewed by: William Phenn for Reader Views

“This is a very complete and concise volume of Russian architecture by a very talented writer. Mr. Parvaiz does more than just describe the beautiful architecture that is portrayed in the book. He goes the extra mile by giving the reader an insight into the history of the building. Beginning with Cathedral of the Dormition, to the Qolsharif Mosque, the chapters are descriptive and detailed. There is even a glossary at the end of every chapter that enlightens the reader to the terms used in that chapter.

Such amazing structures as the Catherine Palace in the Tsarskoe selo (the Tsar’s private city) are described with such detail that shows the author did his homework. He goes beyond the usual descriptions of the brick and mortar to include the reasons for its existence. It is this type of research that the author has done that makes this book stand out from the crowd of the usual architectural books.

The pictures are black and white, as would be expected in a book of architectural structures that date back as far as these do but that does not hinder the quality. The writing is top-notch and keeps the readers interest with the in-depth background and history.

The way the information is presented, with an in-depth history of the structures, makes it very interesting reading for everyone. He brought out some historical events that I had never seen or heard of in other books. It is general audience reading and full of wonderful pictures of all the old Churches and Cathedrals that are described and discussed. The cover graphics are appealing and the editing is a welcome change from most I have read recently. I enjoyed Russia’s Prestige: Historical Architecture and gave it my highest mark of an A+.”

DISCUSSION: Are you trying to obtain book reviews as part of your overall book promotion strategy?

Book Reviews, Self-Publishing Book Review of the Week

Self-Publishing Book Review of the Week: Blood Country by Dan Jewell

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 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 let the community know about a great book. So, without further adieu, here’s this week’s book review:

Burned: A Tragic Mystery book cover

Blood Country

Dan Jewell

Publisher: Outskirts Press, Inc.

ISBN 9781432765835

Reviewed by: Kam Aures for Rebecca’s Reads

“Dan Jewell’s Blood Country: A Nashville Sideman Mystery begins in January in Nashville. Joe Rose, guitarist and private investigator, receives a call from his ex-wife Patty Hill, an Associate Math Professor at Vanderbilt. Patty had just been talking to her friend Roxanne Hamlin, a country singer, on the phone. Roxanne is trying to leave her husband Vern, also famous in the country music industry, but Vern is not allowing her to leave. Roxanne doesn’t want to involve the police so Patty thinks that Joe may be a good choice to help out.

The domestic situation actually turns into a job opportunity for Joe as he ends up being hired by Vern for a different matter. Vern had received a letter from an anonymous source regarding his father’s murder which happened twenty years prior. In the letter, it is suggested that the man who was accused of killing Vern’s father was not actually the person who committed the crime. So, Joe is sent to investigate and to try to unearth the truth as to who killed King Hamlin.

Jewell does a wonderful job with character development. The individuals we are introduced to throughout the novel are very memorable and intriguing people. The story itself is fast-paced and has many twists and turns. I recommend Blood Country: A Nashville Sideman Mystery for those who enjoy mystery and suspense, particularly those who are also fans of country music as there is quite the focus on the Nashville music scene. I am sure we will see more Nashville Sideman mysteries from Dan Jewell in the future.”

DISCUSSION: Are you trying to obtain book reviews as part of your overall book promotion strategy?

Cheri Speaks

Choosing a Genre for Your Book

With so many genres to choose from, how does an author settle on one? Should you be general in your choice or should you be very specific?

From a marketing perspective, books should be marketed to a more narrow niche group, but this advice doesn’t apply to genre selection. For example, if you select a genre of Religious – Agnostic, you can possibly eliminate yourself from consideration by online retailers/bookstores that accept religious books because they are “turned off” by the “Agnostic”. So, to answer the above question – you should be as general as possible with picking your genre. This the case whether you are self publishing a book or especially if you’re going after representation by a literary agent.

It’s important to also make sure that your genre is reflective of your book. For instance, if you’ve written a murder mystery, your shouldn’t select a genre related to romance, and vice versa.

Have you ever experienced any issues with choosing genres or sub-genres?

Cheri Breeding 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.
Wendy Speaks

Avoid the 3 “Tell-Tale” Signs of Self-Published Books

You’ve self-published a book, and it’s amazing that you’ve dedicated so much time and energy into writing and creating you own masterpiece. While there’s nothing wrong with self publishing, and it’s actually a great opportunity for many authors, you don’t necessarily want your book to “look self published”. That could mean inability of your audience to take your book seriously, receiving horrible reviews, suffering from poor sales performance, or worse.

Here are a few of the 3 “deadly sins” not to commit when publishing your book:

  • Use of cover templates – Templates are often rather dull, at best. Invest your money into really making your cover stand out.
  • Unedited manuscript – Run on sentences, sentence fragments, etc. are all things that can leave a bad taste in the mouth of a reader. We always recommend that you hire a professional editor for your manuscript. No, your sister-in-law doesn’t count as a professional editor. You need more than a fresh set of eyes when it comes to choosing an editor. You need someone who is professionally trained in editing.
  • Non-traditional interior
    • Double-Spaced – A book should NEVER be double spaced. Just because something works great for reports and other forms of communication doesn’t mean it will work the same for a printed book.
    • Strange and/or difficult to read typestyles – You like typing in Script MT Bold. It looks beautiful on screen, but will not look as good in a printed book.
    • Missing headers/footers – Have you ever read a book (other than a children’s book) without a header or footer? Why leave them out on your book?
    • Non-standard page numbering – Make sure your page numbers are in the same position on each opposite page. Also make sure font is consistent across all numbering.
When you hire a self-publishing company, all of these things can be taken care of under one umbrella. However, if you are “going it alone”, it’s important to remember the tips above to make sure you avoid showcasing an unprofessional appearance.
What other “self publishing” don’ts have you seen?

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 Stetina can put you on the right path.