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Four Steps to Self Publication

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Four Steps to Self PublicationPublishing a book can be a daunting process. It requires careful follow through and these four steps to self publication. Before you back off, know that even making a cake from scratch can be a big process, and yet, tons of people do it. You simply follow a recipe and take note of each step. Publishing requires the same sort of careful follow-through. Here’s the rundown on the four steps to self publication.

Edit with Eagle Eyes

There’s a trick to catching every typo. Read your work slowly and aloud. But what happens if you have 50,000 words or more? You either get used to the sound of your voice, or decide to ask friends or “beta” readers to edit with eagle eyes. Beta readers are kind souls who don’t mind if the book needs a bit more work. They are happy to have the chance to read a book for free in exchange for offering their input and hopefully, their eagle eyes when they catch typos or grammatical mistakes.  A good place to recruit beta readers is via Facebook or your other social media platforms.

The trouble is that friends and beta readers, just like yourself, may not look at your work critically. Or, they might not be educated in every grammar nuance. This is a risk you take if you don’t hire a professional editor. A professional editor won’t simply look for typos and grammatical mistakes. They’ll also advise you about the pacing and plot structure, the flow of the work, characterization, setting, and other literary devices that make your book stand out.

Create Captivating Cover Art

Is a cover worth a thousand words? When I used to work with screenwriters and film producers, I knew a film distributor that spent more money on the artwork used to advertise a  film then the original price she paid for the script. Her reasoning was that it was the first impression and the tool that would attract consumers. The same can be said for book covers. When perusing Amazon, the cover will stand out first. Then, readers will look at the synopsis or description, and then the reviews. Their decision will be swayed first and foremost by the look of the book cover.

This doesn’t mean you have to spend a fortune. Pre-made covers can be found for just $50. Custom covers are usually a few hundred. Working with a book packager, such as myself, gives you access to various cover artists specializing in different styles and genres. You’re more likely to find a cover that suits your genre than if you simply go with the bargain priced cover.

Format for Reader Ease and Visual Beauty

Book formatting takes your book from looking like printed pages off a computer to the way a paperback book should look. Digital formatting allows the same beautiful styles to be transferred to a Kindle or Nook for ease of reading.

Again, it is possible to do this yourself. There are a variety of formatting softwares on the market. The question is do you want to spend your time formatting rather than writing or marketing your book? This question is particularly valid when one learns that quality formatting from a professional does not have to break the bank. Most books that I format are under 100K words and therefore cost less than $200. Shop around and make informed decisions.

Upload to eBook Retailers

Getting your book onto Amazon and other ebook retailers such as Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Google Play, iBooks, Smashwords, and more is your final publishing step. You’ll need to have a few tools ready. This includes your author biography, a synopsis of your book, keywords and categories that help consumers find your book, and knowing what to charge for your book. Each of these components requires research in order to ensure your book is discoverable, fits into the marketplace, and attracts readers.

Fortunately, there are mountains of blogs that will share their opinions on each of these uploading necessities. On the flip side, there are mountains of blogs out there and sifting through the information can be overwhelming.

With all of these steps, my suggestion is to take each one individually. Take time to learn the basics. When it gets overwhelming, take a break and come back to it. Remember that you did just that when writing your book.

I’m Your Writing Muse

Finally, if you need help along the way, I’m just an email, phone call, or Skype/Zoom call away. As a book packager, I take your book from conception to publication. I keep my prices at a minimum, source from affordable vendors, and whenever possible, teach my clients how to do tasks on their own. I’m happy to answer questions and point you in the right direction. If you want someone to take any of these steps off your shoulders so you can focus on your next book, I’m here for you.

Build Marketing Muscle – Find Publishing Success

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Indie authors have long known that when they type the words “the end” their job is only half-way finished. Authors can no longer sit back and wait for book sales. Find publishing success and build your marketing muscle. 

How many jobs can one person handle?

Chances are you wake, prepare breakfast for yourself and possibly others, go to work, workout, work around the house, work in the garden, spend time with family, and maybe, just maybe there’s a bit of extra time to do your writing. But if you sacrifice writing time for marketing time, your book slate might suffer. If you don’t market, your book sales could suffer. 

I recommend that authors understand the different jobs associated with how you build marketing muscle for publishing success, and then decide which ones to take on and which ones to pass along to a professional. If you understand the basics, you can make informed choices on who to trust with your book as well as whether it’s worth spending money to save yourself time.

Publishing Success…If You Tell Them, They Will Buy

In my many years of working with authors, I have learned a truth about book marketing that still surprises me to this day. It’s what I call the “Field of Dreams” aspect of marketing. Similar to that movie’s famous line, “If you build it, they will come,” book marketing oftentimes carries the “if you tell them, they will buy” sensibility. I’ve always believed in a soft sell approach. And yet, I know that marketing means telling people about my book. But there are clever ways to market your book.

“Pull Quotes” Pack a Punch

As I write my fiction (under the pen name Mia Fox), I might notice a line of dialogue and happily think that I nailed it. I created something that will resonate with my romance readers. Perhaps I do a little happy dance, thanking the stars that writers’ block didn’t strike, but more likely, I make a note of this sentence in a separate document. These notes will become pull quotes. I recommend using an online graphic tool such as Canva to create interesting graphics featuring your quotes that can be posted on social media.

Your Own Book Contains Creative Marketing Ideas

You’ve probably tried a few book marketing tactics already. Perhaps reducing the price of a book, running a contest, advertising on one of your social media platforms…you know, the types of campaigns we’ve all run. But how successful can a campaign be if everyone is doing it?

In addition to these methods, look within your own book for ideas. Does your main character have a hobby? Do the characters eat at a particular restaurant? Do they live in a well-known town that offers special tourist attractions? These are all aspects of your book that can be expanded upon.

One of my most successful marketing campaigns was for my book, Malibu Angel. I sent out a newsletter pre-release that showcased the beauty of this well-known beach in a pictorial layout. I included articles about restaurants in the area, celebrity sightings, and must-see shops. These details weren’t mentioned in this paranormal romance book, but they served to elaborate on the setting and give some “behind the scenes” details.

Create Receptive Marketing Campaigns

Best of all, it gave me a way of talking about my book without the obvious plea to buy my book.

Let the details and descriptions sell your book.

To me, marketing is most effective when your target audience is receptive to what you want to sell.

Selling isn’t easy. Build marketing muscle. Take the time to spice up your campaigns with creativity, suddenly you’ll enjoy the process and your readers will reward you. It does take time and there’s no shame in hiring someone to do the marketing for you, or at least to create the template for your campaign.

What you must remember, whether you are doing the work or hiring someone to do it for you, make your campaigns resonate with authenticity. Ensure that your marketing campaign is appropriate for your book’s genre. And finally, never let your writing fall by the wayside.

Can Keywords Make Book Sales Soar?

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keywords can make sell your bookIf you’ve uploaded your ebook to Amazon or other sites, you’re familiar with the keyword and category fields. How important are the seven keywords and two categories that Amazon lets you choose? Can keywords make book sales soar?

Let me put it this way, your book can’t reach the bestsellers’ list if readers can’t find it. Consumers know what they want when they search for a new book. They’ll start by choosing fiction or non-fiction. Then the search becomes more narrow as they decide on a genre, such as romance. Their search gets even more specific when they choose a sub-genre, perhaps paranormal romance. The two categories you choose will help readers find what interests them.

How do I choose my book’s categories?

A simpler way to think of categories is to imagine you’re walking through a bookstore. What section will your book be found and within that section, which shelf will it be housed?

Once categories are selected, you still need to direct your reader to your book. After all, there are thousands of paranormal romances out there. This is where the seven keywords come in. It might be tempting to try and choose words to grab the largest audience, but this can end up muddying the waters and causing confusion.

Why are keywords important?

For instance, you don’t want people to think you’ve written a paranormal romance book with elements of an urban thriller, apocalyptic zombie, coming of age, whodunnit, marriage proposal, chick-lit, fantasy. Can you even imagine how this would make a reader or publisher’s head spin?

You have 2,800 subjects and subject codes called BISAC (The Book Industry Standards Advisory Committee) or BIC (the UK version) to choose from. Let’s explore a better example than the one above. Perhaps you’ve written a novel that you categorize as fiction under the sub-categories of contemporary romance and chick lit. When choosing keywords you might describe something to do with the setting of the book or its characters. Your romance book may be about a budding, but bumbling fashion designer vacationing in Italy, which opens up a new world of keywords such as: chick-lit, fashion, Italy, romance, love, marriage, comedy.

Remember, even if you’re a writer with a publisher who does the uploading process for you, it’s still important to be aware of your categories and keywords in order to work with the publisher (or pitch them, if you’re querying) to devise a clear plan of how to market your book.

Kill Your Adverbs

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girl writing strong prose and editingAsk a professional editor or publisher what makes them cringe and chances are they’ll reply, “adverbs.” Why? They seem like perfectly respectful members of a sentence. The type of word that can sit around a dinner table with the adjectives and verbs. But on closer inspection you’ll see why it might be necessary to kill your adverbs…to just throw them off the edge of a tall building.

Alright, maybe that’s a little harsh, but in truth, adverbs are the first sign of an unprofessional writer. I hear you gasp slightly as you read your well-crafted sentence, “She ran quickly.” Just keep reading. Let me show you a better and more descriptive way. Why not focus on the action of this sentence by stating, “She dashed” or “She raced.”

Those “ly” words seem innocent enough, but what they actually do is fill your writing with boring or redundant phrases and rely on weak verbs and adjectives. It’s much better to replace the adverb with a stronger word that can stand on its own. In short, a fighter who won’t end up on the edge of a tall building.

Still not convinced? Maybe you’ve decided to eliminate adverbs from your dialogue and descriptions, but not your dialogue tags. Let me tell you, they’re just as weak at the end of a sentence. For example:

“You are not welcome in this house!” she yelled angrily.

I hate to point out the obvious, but if someone shouted that sentiment at you I’m willing to bet that you already figured out they’re angry. You don’t need the repetitive adverb to show what you already demonstrated. Furthermore, if you truly believe that the dialogue tag is needed, then perhaps you should re-work the spoken line in the first place to be more descriptive.

You may think adverbs are descriptive, but if you eliminate them by altering your language, the result will be tighter and more powerful writing.