Book covers — I understand the fear that comes to first time writers who think covers will be some expensive part of the publishing process. Wrapped up in this fear is the thought "I can do it for cheaper, and it'll look good." The fact of the matter is, if you don't have graphic design… Continue reading Book Covers & What You Should Know
Category: Prepublishing
ACX
Audiobooks are a huge market for a variety of reasons. It could be long commutes, travel, visual impairments, or the ability to multitask while doing mundane tasks. This post will cover cost, expectations, and things about ACX that you might not know of even after reading the FAQ and such. Length Audiobooks are generally 2x… Continue reading ACX
Professional Communications
Do you remember how school taught you how to write letters? Addresses on one side, familiarity greetings, and signing it with personal endearments such as “I can’t wait to write to you again.” If not, you probably didn’t do the pen pal project. Contacting freelancers and writing to submission editors for magazines, agents, and publishing… Continue reading Professional Communications
Beta Groups and Facebook
Two questions I hear frequently follow each other. "How do I find beta readers and what do I do with them?" The short answer is "it varies." I know plenty of writers who have beta groups, street teams, ARC groups, etc. And for many writers, the easiest thing is probably a FB group to manage… Continue reading Beta Groups and Facebook
Approaching Book Bloggers
Book Bloggers can be your best friend or a headache that you tackle because you don’t know where else to turn for reviews. Some authors find the whole process intimidating and others find it a time-consuming sinkhole. Other authors find working with bloggers the magic that gains them new readers and valid/credible reviews. I hope… Continue reading Approaching Book Bloggers
How To Find Beta-Readers
If you don’t know what a beta reader is, check out this blog post—https://writingwithoutdrama.wordpress.com/2019/06/25/alpha-beta-crit-and-beyond/ If you’ve established an online presence, such as a FB page, twitter, or a newsletter, it’s easy to find beta readers. Put out a post/send a newsletter stating that you’re looking for beta readers with relevant information (length, time frame, a… Continue reading How To Find Beta-Readers
Is Kindle Select Good For Me?
Kindle Select gets confused with the Kindle program. They are not mutually exclusive. Your book can be in the Kindle program but not be in Kindle Select. Until recently (Autumn 2018), to enroll the book into Kindle Select, you had a check box on the third page of the book set up. They have now… Continue reading Is Kindle Select Good For Me?
ISBN
No catchy title on this one. The ISBN debate is as great or more enduring than the KDP vs CS vs IS and the Traditional vs Indie publishing path dilemmas. This topic makes the rounds in writer groups, especially larger groups who can't use a search feature, that many of the knowledgeable writers have stopped… Continue reading ISBN
Stocking Shelves—Getting Your Book into Brick and Mortar Stores
This post is USA orientated. I have no first-hand knowledge of UK, CA, AU practices on this subject. Let's go ahead and draw a distinction between a store like Books A Million (BAM) being able to order your books for a customer and being able and willing to order copies to sit on a shelf… Continue reading Stocking Shelves—Getting Your Book into Brick and Mortar Stores
Where Do I Go To Publish?
Where do I go to publish? This is by far one of the most frequently asked questions I see novice writers ask. If you're going traditional, then this post isn't for you. Sorry, your publisher will handle all of that. If you're indie, that list starts rather small and then blossoms into an overwhelming list.… Continue reading Where Do I Go To Publish?
