Image from Business Insider Marketing can seem like a huge task. However, it's also a very necessary part of self-publishing. … [Read more...] about Self-publishing: Marketing and Publicity
Self-Publishing
Marketing Tips for Self-published Authors
As a publisher, I send our authors a checklist of things they can do to help promote their book. I think it's important to get our authors as involved as possible, partly because the more people helping out, the more people will be reached, and the more books we can potentially sell. Many of our authors have also published books or are in the process of publishing a body of … [Read more...] about Marketing Tips for Self-published Authors
Do Editors Really Edit?
My second panel at SLICE Conference consisted of another group of editors. … [Read more...] about Do Editors Really Edit?
What Editors Think About Self-Publishing
Recently I attended the SLICE Conference, where I got to hear all about the ups and downs of self-publishing--from editors' perspectives. … [Read more...] about What Editors Think About Self-Publishing
EBook Conversion for Self-Publishers
There's a wide range of ebook conversion services out there, from tools to let you do it yourself to companies that will produce the whole ebook for you. Below is a list. (NOTE: I have not used all of these services). Remember: it's important to test your files on all devices you use. Books will look different depending on format and device. Validating is also important. If a … [Read more...] about EBook Conversion for Self-Publishers
Self-publishing ebooks: Why maximizing distribution matters
New technologies and startups have made it easier than ever to self-publish ebooks. But they don't make it any easier to make a living writing. The most important thing you can do as a self-published author, however, is to make sure your ebook is available through as many retail channels as possible. (FYI, ebook sales accounted for 20% of book sales in 2011, up from 10% in … [Read more...] about Self-publishing ebooks: Why maximizing distribution matters
EBook Design
Just like regular books, the design, both interior and exterior, of an ebook is important. To see an example of what I mean, see Carolyn Jewel's post, Why eBook Formatting Matters – A Case Study. She includes examples of how her ebook looks on different devices, as well as what a well-formatted ebook looks like compared to some that was converted automatically. Auto-generated … [Read more...] about EBook Design
Using Pressbooks to Make EBooks
Pressbooks is a new, and more importantly, FREE, service that claims to make ebook production simple and easy. Their secret? It's built on Wordpress. … [Read more...] about Using Pressbooks to Make EBooks
Self Publishing: Cover Design
Book covers are the most important marketing aspect of a book. People will make impulse purchases if they like the book cover; the cover is what gets a book attention. Covers that are white backgrounds with large text tend to look amateurish. You also want covers that persuade people to buy the book, with good flap copy. Use the template from Para Publishing to write effective … [Read more...] about Self Publishing: Cover Design
Self-publishing ebooks: An Overview
Fact: Self-publishing is growing. In 2011, according to BISG, over 200,000 books were self-published. Ebooks are also growing. By 2016, ebooks will account for 50% of book sales, and the book market will be worth $21 billion. … [Read more...] about Self-publishing ebooks: An Overview
An Interview with Mark Coker, CEO of Smashwords
I was very fortunate to be able to sit down and talk with Mark Coker, CEO of Smashwords. Smashwords is a site where you can convert ebooks and distribute them through at least seven outlets, including the Smashwords ebookstore. We spent the last hour of BEA discussing self-publishing, the beginnings of Smashwords and where it's going, metadata, ebook distribution, and even the … [Read more...] about An Interview with Mark Coker, CEO of Smashwords
iAuthor
Three weeks ago, Apple launched an exciting new app: iAuthor. It sounded very promising. Using iAuthor, you can drag and drop to make enhanced ebooks. iAuthor and iBooks2 were released on the same day with the intention of making it easier for students to use interactive textbooks. All textbooks sold on the iBookstore are priced at $14.99 or less. But anyone can use iAuthor to … [Read more...] about iAuthor
Self-publishing tools and APIs
My fellow NYU student Miral gave a talk for O'Reilly about self-publishing tools and APIs. She's the founder of BiblioCrunch, a self-publishing platform that connects writers with editors and cover designers. … [Read more...] about Self-publishing tools and APIs
Writing Sex
I'm taking an online class, via UCLA Extension, called Writing Sex. It's interesting. So far, I've learned that good sex writing revolves around good character development, and bad sex writing relies too much on cliches and the actual sex act. Does sex writing matter? Well, yes. Just like any other type of writing, it is used to convey a deeper meaning. Can it be thoughtful? … [Read more...] about Writing Sex
Writing Non-Fiction for Children
Nonfiction children's writing covers a very broad category. I was not aware just how broad nonfiction children's writing can be though, until I read Anastasia Suen's book, Picture Writing: A New Approach to Writing for Kids and Teens. So, here is a list of information I have gleaned from Suen about writing nonfiction for children. Read more here. … [Read more...] about Writing Non-Fiction for Children