Tag: self-published

Wendy Speaks

What Book Reviewers Look For

Book reviews are a great way to boost your credibility and market your self-published book. However, a bad review can ruin your reputation and potentially damage your book’s success. So what do book reviewers look for in a good self-published book? Here is the answer.

Book reviewers aren’t just considering your plot or characters. They look at EVERYTHING, including the content, cover, grammar, writing style, plot, characterization, flow, clarity, consistency, and more. This is just another reason that hiring a professional editor is so important. You may have a great story, but a poorly edited book can result in a poor book review.

It is also important to remember that most books should follow the Chicago Manual of Style rules. These may differ from the rules your learned in school or see in newspapers and magazines. Book reviewers are often aware of these style issues and look from them in your book. If your book is not consistent with this style, it may be perceived as unprofessional.

Don’t worry. You don’t need to be an expert in Chicago style, although you should be familiar with it. If you want your book to appear professional, hire a professional copyeditor who is trained in Chicago style. You can find an editor online, through references, or through your self-publishing company.

 

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

How to Select a Good Title for Your Self-Published Book

The title of your self-published book can impact your ability to sell it. A good title will catch readers’ attention and encourage them to buy the book, while a bad title can cost you by driving away customers. If you want to choose a good title for your self-published book, keep these tips in mind.

  • Make it memorable. This may mean choosing something humorous, shocking, or intriguing based on the subject of your book.
  • Make it unique. Do some research before choosing your book’s title. Visit bookstores and browse for books online. You don’t want to pick a title that is too similar to the books that have already been published.
  • Use keywords. Many people search online before purchasing a book, so make sure readers will find your book when they search for your topic.

I’d love to know, what are your favorite book titles?

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: My Journey to Know the Truth

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:

My Journey to Know the Truth

Tony Kent

Publisher: Outskirts Press

ISBN: 1598000845

Finding the truth in one’s life can always be quite the endeavor. “My Journey to Know the Truth” is a spiritual memoir of Tony Kent as he presents his own tale of coming back from a broken life. Through faith, he put it all together again and shares his tale in hopes it will also inspire others to find their own faith to spur their life forward. “My Journey to Know the Truth” is worth considering for those seeking an inspirational memoir.

Self-Publishing Book Review of the Week, Weekly Wednesday Podcast

Weekly Self-Published Book Review: Twenty-Eight Snow Angels: A Widow’s Story of Love, Loss and Renewal

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:

Twenty-Eight Snow Angels: A Widow’s Story of Love, Loss and Renewal

Diane Dettmann

Publisher: Outskirts Press

ISBN: 9781432777043

Reviewer: Joseph Yurt

Author Diane Dettmann was still hopelessly in love with her husband of twenty-eight years when he died suddenly at age 54. The grief and pain one feels is no less when the death of a spouse is anticipated, but as Diane Dettmann discovers, a sudden death is more difficult at the outset because of the shock of the suddenness. There is no time to think, no time to plan, no time to brace one’s self. For Dettmann, the experience was even more difficult because she is an extreme griever. According to Therese Rando, Ph.D, “If you are such a griever, you probably are suffering from extreme feelings of bewilderment, anxiety, self-reproach, and depression, and you may be unable to continue normal life.”  It was just this state in which Diane Dettmann found herself.

I have always possessed a strong ability to cope with adversity, but the intensity of emotions and the state of mind about which Dettmann writes stunned and puzzled me. As I accompanied her on her descent into the depths of her despair, I was stunned and confused by her debilitating feelings and thoughts. Her anguish opened my eyes to the power that the sudden death of a loved one can have over our abilities to cope.

The author’s stream of consciousness writing style and the intensity of her words and feelings are so genuine that I could not help wonder if Dettmann would ever fully recover from the severe assault to her emotions caused by her loss. After what seemed like an ample amount of time had passed, Dettmann made the decision to sell her husband’s piano. She made the arrangements, but as she watched out the window, seeing the piano moving truck pulling away, she vividly recalls: “What have I done? I screamed as I looked at the huge void along the living room wall. I was not sure which was bigger, the empty space on the wall or the hole in my heart. I cried, screamed and paced the floor. Why did I let this piano go? I ran to the kitchen and grabbed the portable phone… ‘Manny’s Piano Movers.’ I sobbed into the phone, ‘Two of your guys picked up my piano a few minutes ago. It was my husband’s. He died. I need it back.'”

None of the conventional wisdom and counsel seemed to help Diane Dettmann much. But ever so slowly, after what seems like an agonizingly long period of time, her state of mind begins to ascend from the depths of despair to which she had sunk. And I realized that “Twenty-Eight Snow Angels,” despite Dettmann’s traumatic, life-changing journey, is really a story of patience and hope. It is a story that will inspire others, whether they have had a sudden death experience or not, to live each day to the fullest.

Wendy Speaks

Famous Self-Published Authors: Mark Twain

At some point in your education, you probably had to read Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, but did your English teacher ever tell you that the famous novel was originally self-published? Mark Twain reportedly self-published the novel in 1885, selling over 40,000 advanced copies before the publication date. When his book was banned by a public library in Massachuset, his book sales shot up.  Today, there are more than 150 American editions of the novel, and 200,000 copies are sold each year.

The next time someone says that self-publishing is not real publishing or remarks that self-published books are of poorer quality than traditionally published books, tell them that Mark Twain not only sold millions of copies of a self-published book, but he became one of the most well-known and respected names in American literature.

Self-published books are just as reputable as traditionally published books. Not convinced? Check back each month for my post on a famous self-published author. You may be surprised by the names on the list.

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.