Tag: self publish

Cheri Speaks

How Much Do Illustrations Cost?

Like ghost writing or copyediting, illustrations take time and require a great deal of skill and talent. It is important to remember that illustrators must be paid fairly for their time and expertise. The price for illustrations can range from a few hundred dollars to a few thousand dollars. It depends on the size and complexity of your project. When considering illustrations, it is important to do some research, figure out your goals, and create a budget. Once you know your expectations, you’ll want to find an illustrator who meshes with your style. To do this, find out if your self publishing company offers illustration services and get a quote. You can also look at sites such as guru.com or elance.com to find a freelance illustrator. Be sure to always look at sample work before choosing an illustrator. There are many different styles, and you want to find an artist who matches your vision.

For more information on illustrations, check out these articles.

The Importance of Illustrations

What You Need to Know About Custom Covers

Illustrations Affect the Success of You Children’s Book

 

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.
Uncategorized, Wendy Speaks

Celebrate Earth Day With POD

Earth Day is coming up, and everyone is trying to be a little more eco-friendly. Print on Demand (POD) is perfect for environmentally conscious authors because books aren’t printed until they are purchased. Therefore, no trees are being killed to create an inventory that will just sit around, and no energy is being used to create a book that won’t sell.

Self publishing can also be an eco-conscious choice if you find a company who shares your values. Check out Self Publishing for the Eco-Conscious to learn more. Happy Earth Day!

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.
Cheri Speaks, Self-Publishing

Should You Submit Print Ready Files?

As a self-published author, you will be asked to submit ether print ready or native files during the publication process. Which method you choose depends on your goals and skills. Here is a brief overview of the two options.

Print Ready Files

  • If you hire a graphic designer for your cover, the format needs to adhere to your self-publishing company’s print standards.
  • While self-publishing companies typically follow industry standards, it is important to look up or request your company’s specific standards.
  • Print ready interiors are not common and are usually only submitted when the manuscript has a complex interior that consists of many graphs and charts.

Native Files

  • Sometimes submitting native files can save you money. Often authors submit print ready file only to discover that the files don’t adhere to the publishing company’s standards.
  • Most authors must hire a designer to create the print ready files since the authors don’t have the proper programs and skills needed to create them.
  • On-demand printing is different from home printing. Therefore, the requirements are specific, and files must be converted to meet those requirements.

To learn more about print ready and native files, review these two older posts.

Submitting Native Files Can Save You Money

How to Submit Print Ready Files

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.
Cheri Speaks

The Importance of Genre

The genre of your book is one of the most important decisions you will make when self-publishing. It will impact who buys and reads your book as well as how reads it.

The most important to thing to remember when choosing a genre is to not pick a genre too soon. Too often, authors set out thinking “I want to write children’s books” or “I want to write adult mystery novels,” but writing often takes on a life of its own and your book may not best fit in the genre you originally intended.

Once the book is finished, it is important to consider the audience you hope to reach. Are children your target audience? Are professionals in a certain field your audience, or do you want your book to appeal to a wide, general audience? A narrow genre can limit the readers who find your book. This is one of the few cases where general can be better.

Finally, think about how readers will find your book. Will they primarily search online, or will they visit a  bookstore? If your readers will be searching online, consider keywords when choosing a genre. This will ensure that your book shows up in the search results.

If you are still unsure about the genre of your book, talk to other writers and people who work in the publishing and book distribution industry. Visit your local bookstores to look at the titles in your genre and talk to the sales people. Seeing and hearing what other writers are doing and what readers are buying can help make this difficult decision easier.

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.
Self-Publishing Book Review of the Week

Weekly Self-Published Book Review: Corinthia Falls

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:

Corinthia Falls

Kim Hutson

Publisher: Outskirts Press

ISBN:9781432771676

Reviewer: Olivera Baumgartner

There was little to make “Corinthia Falls” appealing to me at first glance. The book opened with scenes of two warring factions in a small church in Corinthia Falls and a bunch of the town’s teenagers, their ruminations, and pranks. While they were certainly funny, I was afraid that this would become one of those preachy reads on saving souls and superiority of their religion over any other. I could not have been more wrong. Sure, there was plenty of soul saving, but none of it ever became preachy or even remotely boring. I found myself totally engrossed in the little town of Corinthia Falls and the stories of its dwellers, particularly the newcomer, traveling evangelist Pavlos Lincoln Armstrong. As colorful as his name and truly multi-layered, he became a catalyst for a major change in the formerly rather sleepy congregation. Helped along by his bear-like canine companion Silas, as well as a posse of the town’s teenagers, Colonel Armstrong managed to bring together the “Standers” and the “Setters” as well as the former observers.

I’ve truly enjoyed the story and the wonderfully quirky characters in it, particularly the teenage cast. The narrative had a nostalgic, nearly dreamlike feel to it, and I found myself looking forward to each new chapter and each new victory that Colonel and his helpers managed to achieve. Timber, TJ, Anthony the Ant, the Sam’s boys – what a wonderful cast of young men to help change the dysfunctional course the church found itself on. And let’s not forget Becky and the tender love story developing between her and one of the main characters – what a treat! There was so much to enjoy in the first part of the story that I actually wished the story would have ended there.

While I understand the rationale about the “30 years later” second part of the story, and the showing of how goodness will bring positive results in the end, part of me wished that the author would have left that part unsaid. It felt slightly rushed, slightly forced, and not completely convincing. I guess that at times I would prefer to keep wondering how a certain character – or characters – fared later in life, and I found this second part of the story less heartfelt and less persuasive than the first one.

I would recommend “Corinthia Falls” to any lover of good fiction, particularly those readers who enjoy Christian and inspirational books. Corinthia Falls is a place they will enjoy getting to know