Self Published Author | Category

Is What You Have to Say What People Want to Hear?

by Brian Jud
Bowker | Tue May 4, 2021

When authors complete their manuscripts, they are proud of their work, thinking it will be a blockbuster. That is certainly understandable. However, in the final analysis it is the reader — not the author — who defines the value of the content. It is valuable only if the readers believe they are better off after reading it than before.

Creating reader value is less likely to happen if the content is written from the author’s perspective — what he or she believes the readers need to know. Invariably, that is based upon the author’s personal experience, not upon the perspective of those in the target market and even more rarely on analysis of competitive sources of information. A typical comment (one that generally leads to failure) is, “There is no other book like mine out there.”

If authors will ask themselves and answer these five questions, their chances of creating valuable content — valuable to the reader — is greatly enhanced.

Writing

Marketing & Publicity

Read more about Is What You Have to Say What People Want to Hear?

Self-publishing Essentials: Hybrid Authorship

by Ellie Marney
Bowker | Tue Oct 9, 2018

The publishing industry has gone through big changes in the last few years — and perhaps the biggest change has been the emergence of a new model of authorship.

What is a hybrid author?

A hybrid author is a writer who is published both traditionally and independently. Some of their work (books, articles, poetry, screen or stage works, critique) is released through traditional means, and some is self-published.

You’re allowed to do that?

Inside Publishing

Writing

Marketing & Publicity

Read more about Self-publishing Essentials: Hybrid Authorship

Self-publishing Essentials: the Purpose of Publishing

by Ellie Marney
Bowker | Tue Oct 2, 2018

When planning to self-publish, the first questions that most people ask usually relate to process. How do I turn a document into an ebook? What do I do about distribution? Who do I contact about ISBNs?

Before that stage, however, there are a couple of essential questions about purpose that an author needs to consider in order to work out which self-publishing path is the right one to take. Figuring out the answers to these questions will give you a stronger understanding of what you’re doing and how to handle the production process for your book — and it will give you a greater chance of success.

Why did you write this book?

We write for all different reasons — and not all books are written with the intention of hitting the New York Times bestseller list.

Inside Publishing

Writing

Read more about Self-publishing Essentials: the Purpose of Publishing

How to Turn Publicity into Profits – Part Two: Writing Body Text That Keeps People Reading

by Brian Jud
Bowker | Tue May 22, 2018

(This is the second of a two-part series)

You can generate more publicity, sell more books and become more profitable if you follow several simple techniques for writing promotional material sent to business buyers. These are people in corporations, associations, schools and other non-retail organizations.

Part One in this two-part series described writing attention-grabbing headlines. Part Two tells how to write body copy that keeps the reader through your communication. Once you hook the readers with your headline, you must deliver on their expectations or they will stop reading immediately. Use the body of your press release to continue the momentum started with the headline and get the readers to take the action you recommend.

Inside Publishing

Writing

Marketing & Publicity

Read more about How to Turn Publicity into Profits – Part Two: Writing Body Text That Keeps People Reading

How to Turn Publicity into Profits – Part One: Writing Attention-Grabbing Headlines

by Brian Jud
Bowker | Tue May 15, 2018

(This is the first part of a two-part series)

You can generate more publicity, sell more books and become more profitable if you follow several simple techniques for writing press releases. This is particularly true when communicating with buyers in niche segments such as corporations, associations, schools and the military. Part One in this two-part series describes writing the headlines, and Part Two tells how to write body copy that leads the reader through your release.

Publicity is the least expensive and perhaps most productive of the promotional strategies publishers use to generate exposure for their books. And a press release is the tool most commonly used to stimulate publicity. However, too many publishers' press releases go unheeded because the publicity copywriters make one major mistake – they write their press releases about their books.

Inside Publishing

Writing

Marketing & Publicity

Read more about How to Turn Publicity into Profits – Part One: Writing Attention-Grabbing Headlines

The Universal Pitfall

by AC de Fombelle
Bowker | Mon Dec 4, 2017

We all are disappointed when we miss an objective, but did we really do what was needed to reach it?

Working towards success is a bit like riding a bike. First, you need to get on the bike, preferably a good one. Actually, first, you’ll need to make sure your bike is ready to roll, adjust the saddle and lights, check the brakes, chain, and tires. Then, you get on the bike.

You’ll also need to pedal, and not too slow, otherwise you’ll just stay in the same spot and fall/fail miserably. You will then put your bike into the right gear depending on the difficulty. Get the wrong gear and you’ll overtire yourself for no reason; either using way too much energy on an easy road or struggling on steep paths. Finally, you’ll need to keep in mind where you are trying to go otherwise, all this effort will be for nothing. You’ll end up going in circles, backwards or in a totally useless direction.

Inside Publishing

Writing

Read more about The Universal Pitfall

What if They Hate My Book?

by Penny C. Sansevieri
Bowker | Tue Oct 3, 2017

Everyone has a few fears before they publish their book and a big one is fear of what happens next. When I was first published, some 17 years ago now, I recall having nightmares that people hated my first book so much that they were chasing me down the street, throwing copies at me. Seriously. Even now, after 16 books, I still have concerns that each book will be hated. I know I’m not the only one, and I’m sure this fear has meant that a lot of great books never get published.

When authors ask me, “What if they hate my book?” my inevitable answer is “They might. But they might love it, too.” Candidly, there isn’t much you can do to get past the fear except to publish your book anyway. And even if you have written the best book on the planet, someone somewhere will dislike it. It may be surprising to you now, but you may even welcome constructive criticism since it can help you improve in the long run.

Inside Publishing

Writing

Marketing & Publicity

Read more about What if They Hate My Book?

Top editing tips and tools to get your book published

by Kelly Marone
Bowker | Tue Dec 22, 2015

Writers have an immortal feeling when their first books are published and the ambrosial effect would last forever. For any writer it seems that Nature has designed such glorious destiny for them and the moment is unforgettable. However, getting published is not simple and there are many conditions and procedures to cope with before your work can get into printing machines. Most amateur writers feel disappointed because their work is rejected, but one must be aware that in most cases of rejection the problem is not with the content but with the presentation. Let us learn the procedures through which a new book is dealt with in a stepwise manner so that one can understand how certain books go through while some do not.

Tools to reduce errors while writing

Inside Publishing

Writing

Editing

Read more about Top editing tips and tools to get your book published

How to Think About Content Differently and Reach New Audiences through eBooks

by Devorah Ashlem
Bowker | Tue Nov 17, 2015

When you write a book, you want to get it into as many hands as possible. Technological innovations make it possible to reach more than just hands by enabling you to produce audible books and accessible, portable content for a variety of mobile devices. More than ever, readers demand a high-quality user experience with content, and, through social networking vehicles, they have more ways to complain or share with others when it doesn’t go so well.

In a 2015 survey covering trends in digital publishing, conducted by Bowker and Data Conversion Laboratory (DCL), 72% of respondents indicated that they currently publish digital content and 79% plan to in the future. Whether you author non-fiction, fiction or technical material, you can leverage opportunities to distribute digital books via your own website, Amazon, Apple, and other ebook distributor sites.

Read more about How to Think About Content Differently and Reach New Audiences through eBooks

Authors Are Superheroes

by Sharon C. Jenkins
Bowker | Tue Nov 3, 2015

It takes a lot of courage to be an author. Particularly in the 21st Century, when the new literary pathway to success is still being charted. I liken being an author to being a hero. The other day I happened to be looking for synonyms for the word “heroes” and the following words were suggested: Supermen, Champions, Conquerors, Idols, Brave Men, Stars, and Leads. Now all of these words speak of individuals who perform above and beyond their human ability. It is my opinion that authors fit in every last one of those categories. Here’s why:

Authors are supermen and superwomen because they can lift unusually large boxes of books and a pop-up stand with a single hand while talking to their agent on their cellphone in the other hand.

Authors are champions because they still meet publishing deadlines while suffering from acute writer's block.

Inside Publishing

Writing

Read more about Authors Are Superheroes