Self Publishing
Tidbits
- Writer’s Digest announced The Self-Published Book Awards. It’s deadline is May 3, 2010 and its entry fee is $125. Grand Prize is $3000, in addition to Writer’s Digest endorsed submissions to major review publications like the New York Times. The contest is open to books published between 2005 and 2010. Go to Writer’s Digest for a list of categories and to enter.
- Beginning of an interesting series of blogs called “The Seven Book Marketing Mistakes That Authors Make” can be found on BookBuzzr. I have a portion of my book, Dreams Thrown Away, formatted for viewing by Book Buzzr. They create a wonderful widget with an inside look of your book. You get to choose the number of pages you want to share, and you can place the widget on your own website. See the product below:
- Sign up for Sandra Beckwith’s e-newsletter at Build Book Buzz. The most recent newsletter had an excellent article on book reviews. Her blogs are filled with outstanding advice. Stop by for a visit.
- Want to be interviewed on the air? Try ArtistFirst. Listen to the many interesting author interviews. Schedule yours.
Self-Publishing and Print-On-Demand – Is There a Difference?
A year ago, I was re-writing Dreams Thrown Away, my suspense novel with a dash of romance. The main character is a young woman who, weeks before going off to college, is left tragically without family or anyone who really cares. Her anchors in this world have dissipated. She is just out there, alone fending for herself. That is the feeling I have now that I have self-published a novel. Self-publishing fiction is a lot different from self-publishing non-fiction, but I wasn’t aware of the differences. Nor was I aware there was a difference between self-publishing and print-on-demand.
If you are considering swimming in the waters of self-publishing, look carefully to make sure you are prepared to go in. It could be a deep jump or a shallow jump depending on your resources and desires. First of all, let’s talk about fiction versus non-fiction. Fiction is a lot harder to sell without an anchor, the traditional publisher or the large distributor. Your mainstream bookstores don’t want to touch you and your Indie stores want to sell on consignment. Though, non-fiction that has a niche is a shoo-in (not necessarily with the bookstores, but for other reasons) and probably the best way to go as a self-publisher. I had read reference to that, but my head was like that of a teenager with a new toy. And, I couldn’t fathom waiting to go through the traditional process. I had to learn the hard way. So, I am sharing what I have learned.
Self-publishing is different from your typical print-on-demand, yet it is the same. True self-publishing means the author takes on the project of the whole book, creating a publishing company, looking for printing presses, designing the cover, page setting design, typesetting, formatting, locating distributors, purchasing your own lot of ISBN’s, submitting the paperwork for copyright and Library of Congress, creating your index, choosing the manufacturer, and more. Paying for each piece separately, hiring professionals to take on separate chunks of the project, and then pulling it together for your finished product. There are some excellent books out there to take you through each step in much greater detail, but you get the picture. You are responsible for the entire production, as well as the marketing, publicity, and sales. And, don’t forget inventory. You may order X amount of copies to store in your garage until you sell them. You become the distributor paying for shipping fees to you and shipping fees to your customer. Or, if you are really good in the non-fiction arena, all you have to do is sell them in the back-of-the-room of your speaking engagement, a popular way of selling niche books.
Now, what does print-on-demand self-publishing offer? It depends on the self-publishing company you use. Whether it is an established giant like Xlibris, iUniverse, Authorhouse, or Outskirtspress or an almost freebie, bare bones company such as Lulu.com and Createspace.com, your product is self-published in a format chosen from a menu of services to build, market, and sell your book, then sent to Lightning Source Ingram to print one or two or two thousand copies as ordered and shipped directly to your consumer, whether it is a bookstore or you. No inventory required.
All self-published and traditionally published authors are responsible for letting people know your book is out there. So we are all on the same playing field when it comes to marketing and publicity. The biggest difference is how much it is going to cost you in getting your product (book) developed, who is going to distribute it, and is your price right for the market. Self-published novels can run into a costly sum, requiring a price that may keep you from being market competitive. Something else to consider. However, if you have that great niche non-fiction book under your belt that people won’t care how much cash they are peeling out of their wallets, self-publishing may be just right for you. You will be able to control your profit margin, and increase those back-of-the-room sales as a bonus.
In essence, self-publishing is becoming more user friendly and easily accessible. It still has its reputation to overcome, and not so easily accepted by mainstream book stores and media outlets. But, its there and its industry is growing. Don’t count yourself out, if you want to self-publish. Just don’t forget to take a close look at your options.
Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award Opened to Self-Published Authors
If you self-published a novel in 2009, don’t miss this opportunity to have your work recognized for its exceptional storyline and quality. Put yourself in the running for a $15,000 contract with Penguin USA and distribution by Amazon.com. For more information on how to enter the contest, go to www.createspace.com/abna. The contest opened January 25th at 12:01 am and ends February 7th at 11:59 am. Don’t delay, only the first 5,000 entries in each category of General Fiction or Young Adult Fiction will be considered. I have already entered Dreams Thrown Away by Dilsa Saunders Bailey. Wish me luck. Good luck to you, too.
Comma Ze This, Comma Ze That-Itis
I hate commas, and I love commas. Commas are the source of my greatest weakness in writing. That is why, I hate them. Commas are also the greatest source of my research, so I love commas. I don’t know why, but commas cause confusion in my overly active, highly distracted mind. I have always been under the assumption that commas were meant to either separate singular words, phrases, or clauses or, they were meant to indicate pauses in a sentence. When writing fiction, I write the way the character speaks or thinks. So, there are places I might automatically insert a comma for a pause effect. Where’s the buzzer, let it buzz loudly(NOT!). Just because the pause sounds perfect in my mind as I write, it does not mean it is the perfect place to put a comma.
Just in case, you suffer the comma ze this, comma ze that-itis that I suffer from (where’s my editor), here are a few tips on comma usage I have learned along the way.
1. A series of three of more items should be separated by commas.
The roses in the vase were red, pink, and white.
2. Commas separate related adjectives that modify a word. If the adjectives are not related or connected in meaning, commas are not required.
The tall, thin man leaned against the wall.
The tall tan man leaned against the wall.
3. Commas follows words, phrases, and clauses that have an introductory function.
Finally, Jim scored a home run after striking out the whole season.
As a result, the whole class began to follow the teacher’s lead.
As if that wasn’t enough, the dog barked louder than ever.
4. Stop. Interrupt a sentence with a comma.
The hurricane, unfortunately, turned back toward the shore.
The school, that held the highest scores for the SAT’s, was located in a surprising location.
5. Commas separate two independent clauses separated by a conjunction (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, and so).
I could have sworn I heard a train, but it was actually the screeching sound of a low flying airplane.
6. Commas separate the ordinary (this is probably where I got the pause theory from).
Hold still, Kathy, so I can take a great picture.
Stop running inside, Johnny.
The source of my comma tips range from many websites to many books. My favorite book for learning to write effectively is an old text book called “The Confident Writer” by Carol Kanar. I love writing and do my best to alway find time to jot down a few words here and there, even if I have to use commas.
Customer Service
Only of One of Two Choices
Have you walked out of a store because of poor customer service? Have you hung up the phone because you had to wait so long or the opening message was so long all you did was get distracted before you heard your option? I want to hear about your customer service experiences, good and bad. It hit me as I was driving the other day why some companies succeed no matter the economic climate. Instinctively, I believe it is because of great customer service. However, if you could share with me the good, the bad, and the ugly, I would like to compile a few snapshots of who is successful and who is not based on the type of service provided. Email me at dilsa@simplydilsa.com if you want to be discreet. Or post it here.
And don’t forget, pick up the book that nobody wants to end: Dreams Thrown Away by Dilsa Saunders Bailey.
Ongoing – Just the Beginning of the Marketing Journey
Whether you are self-published, or published through a traditional publisher, only one thing is going to generate sales. Marketing. You have to get the word out, whether it’s pushed through free medium or it is paid. There is no rest for the ambitious writer, yet you still have to find time to write. Thus, my blogging has taken a back seat. I am blogging today to let you know that I am not quitting the blog, just managing my time so I can get back to writing. Selling my book is now an ongoing journey. Each small step is bringing me closer to writing success and a full-time writing career. What steps are you taking toward your dreams?
