Tag: Self-Publishing

Choosing a Publisher, Self-Publishing

Copywriting done right in Self-Publishing

Okay, copywrite is not actually a word. Copywriting is, and an equally important element in self-publishing your book as successfully as possible on the market.

Copywriting, as spelling would imply, has less to do with copying anything and more to do with writing. So what is copy? Copy in this case as a noun is, according to Merriam-Webster, “something considered printable or newsworthy.”

Copywriting by that definition is akin to marketing, and helps promote your book once published. It is perhaps most effectively implemented on your book’s back cover.

Studies show that a book has around 8 seconds to convince the reader to buy it. 3 seconds for the cover image to captivate them and 5 seconds for the back cover copy to sell them on the contents. The fact is most authors don’t know how to write sales copy. Sales copy is an entirely different animal, after all. A skill honed by advertisers and marketing folks.

A handful of quality self-publishers offer those services. Look for that option when choosing yours.

Have fun and keep writing (just not copy).

-Karl Schroeder

Book Promotion

Writing for Self-Publishing: Ask the Book Doctor

Pseudonyms

Q: I am simply a hobby writer. I do get the occasional how-to article published in a magazine; however, I want to write some western fiction novels. One problem, as I see it, is my surname. It is of eastern European origin and sounds strange to most Americans. If I write under an alias, are there any special rules that might apply to using a nom de plume, getting paid under the assumed name, copyrights under that name, et cetera?

 

A: Without being an attorney, I cannot give you the full and legal answer you deserve, but as I understand it, pseudonyms are not a problem in the publishing business. Your publisher will know your real name and send your checks to your legal name. Once you produce a written piece of work, the copyright automatically belongs to you until and unless you sell those rights, and the rights will belong to you no matter what name you may choose to use when and if you register the copyright.

 

What would you like to ask a book doctor? Send your questions to Bobbie Christmas at Bobbie@zebraeditor.com. 

Book Promotion, Choosing a Publisher

Quality and Control in Self-Publishing

A very informative article was recently published outlining one author’s success self-publishing over traditional publishing, most notably in terms of higher net royalties on book sales. In fact, the case study recorded significantly higher royalties on a lower quantity of book sales along that self-publishing route.

The book pricing advantages of self publishing is no stranger to this blog, nor the increasingly successful population of authors who follow that path. But this particular article also mentioned that writers should never have to pay for publishing upfront.

Unfortunately, I’ve seen authors who have been pulled in by that concept, but end up publishing an often poorly produced book sold back to them at highly marked-up costs. (Publishers are businesses and need to make money, after all.) So that model really only puts poorly produced books right back in the hands of authors, not readers.

The successful alternative does involve upfront publishing fees, which opens a direct contract between authors and publishers including quality, professional production on books that are competitively sold in the marketplace, where readers buy books. Make sure your self-publishing choice includes those things like cover design, interior formatting, and full distribution. Also, as I’ve mentioned before – and the significance here is worth the redundancy – make sure your publisher offers pricing flexibility (control) and 100% royalties on book sales.

I hope that helps. Have fun and keep writing…

Karl Schroeder

Editing Your Self-Published Book

Ask the Doctor: Editing and Self-Publishing

Q: I plan to self publish. My book was written and designed and ready to go to a printer, but somebody warned me that it needed editing.  I sent it to an editor, but he said he can’t edit it when it’s already designed. Why not?

A: A manuscript should always be edited before it is designed into book format, and the reasons are simple. If you plan to have the editor work on the hard-copy version of your manuscript, it has to be in standard manuscript format; that is, twelve-point Courier or Times New Roman type, double-spaced, with margins of at least an inch on all sides. This format is standard in the industry and gives the editor room to work. If the book is already designed, it won’t be in standard manuscript format; it will be in book format.

If you plan to have your editor work on your electronic file, the format won’t matter, but it must be in a word-processing document, not a design program or a PDF. Most editors are not designers and won’t have the design program used to design your book. If it is in a PDF file, most editors cannot change those files electronically. Worst of all, even if the editor has the capability of opening the design program or manipulating a PDF (which some do), editing a book after it is designed will surely interfere with the design. After the file is edited you’ll have to return it to your designer to get it redesigned, and there will certainly be an additional charge for that service.

As you can see, it’s cheaper and easier to follow convention. After you have made all the revisions to your manuscript that you can make, get it edited. After it is edited, reread the manuscript for a final proof before getting the manuscript designed into a book.

 

Bobbie Christmas, book doctor, author of Write In Style (Union Square Publishing), and owner of Zebra Communications, will answer your questions, too. Send them to Bobbie@zebraeditor.com. Read more “Ask the Book Doctor” questions and answers at www.zebraeditor.com. 

Book Promotion, Choosing a Publisher, Self-Publishing

Self-Publishing simplifying the Traditional Paradigm

We’ve discussed previously the new, revolutionizing self-publishing model and how it is quickly changing the industry.

As one industry expert recently noted, “The traditional model for print publishing is broken.” He is right, it seems as though everyone has gotten a hand in the process between penning and publishing: agents, editors, and bookstores. That process not only bogs the system, it takes rights and royalties from authors.

Sure there are advantages there coming in the form of editors, distributors, and bookstores. A good self-publisher will include all of those details, but keep the author in the driver’s seat. What does that accomplish? It keeps authors one step closer to their prospective reader, and at the top of the royalty food chain.

Look for a self publisher that offers an e-book option as well as a quality published trade paperback and hardback option – that’s authors touching readers on every level. What author could ask for more?

Have fun. Keep writing.

Sincerely,

Karl Schroeder