3 Questions for Jared Drake about TrailerShelf.com and Book Trailers
If you were around for the early days of MTV, you recall the novelty of watching music artists perform on your TV, rather than just through your speakers. There was a wide range of quality, and formats. Simple fare, like Robert Palmer’s iconic Addicted to Love, but...
5 Considerations Before Choosing a Book Launch Date
Your manuscript is done—edited, reviewed by beta readers, proofed. As far as you are concerned, choosing a book release date is no different than asking your self-publishing services company, “how soon can I get the book listed on Amazon?” I’ve heard this question...
What is a Self-Publishing Imprint? (Answers to 7 FAQs)
A self-publishing imprint is simply the publisher name under which a self-publishing author publishes his or her books. The most common use of this name, and arguably most important, is when a self-publisher buys an ISBN. In the US, this is done through Bowker’s...
How to Find Authors Similar to Us (and Why)
8 out of 10 authors I work with have done zero research into authors comparable to themselves. If they did, here are a few things they would learn: How do they market their book? Do they have a website? Do they blog and if so, what do they blog about? Do they have a...
3 Questions for Lightning Source’s Bailey Davis About IngramSpark Pre-Order
IngramSpark, the sister POD service of Ingram’s Lightning Source subsidiary, has long been a favorite of serious self-publishers. There are a lot of great reasons professional self-publishers use it, hardcover printing and affordable color printing being just two. But...
A Guide to Incorporating Book Blurbs into Your Book Pre-Release Timeline
This is not another post about how to get book blurbs. The questions I address are how to incorporate them into the book publishing process. The timing is tricky, especially for self-publishers. That’s because most of us have limited time and we’re using POD printers...
Is Publishing on Amazon CreateSpace Vanity Publishing?
One of the big challenges facing self-publishers today is how to evaluate the many ways to publish their books outside of traditional publishing. New technologies have created new businesses which has led to new terminology making comparison shopping confusing and...
Metadata Makeover Challenge-Runaway Inequality by Les Leopold
The Makeover Challenge series looks back at a previously released book to see how it can be improved. Today’s subject is the metadata associated with the book Runaway Inequality by Les Leopold, published by Labor Institute Press. About the Book Runaway Inequality...
Coping with CreateSpace and IngramSpark POD Print Quality-Get over it!
I was at a writer’s party recently when I ran into a client who is in pre-launch mode: sending out ARCs, building her mailing list, encouraging pre-orders, optimizing metadata, etc. I asked what her biggest surprise was so far. “The quality of IngramSpark books! I...
Getting Started with Email Marketing
If you’ve been putting off starting your mailing list, or are struggling with where to start (or restart), you’re not alone. It’s too technical and I’m not that good with computers. I don’t have a website. What do I talk about? Do I really need a mailing list if I’m...