You've Written Your Book. Now What?

Here at Self Published Author.com, we offer tools, advice, and resources to help you through the publishing process. Bowker is the official ISBN agency in the US and Australia. We're excited about authors taking the publishing process into their own hands, and we're here to help however you need it.

At Self Published Author.com, we

offer industry advice and perspective, giving you an inside scoop on the business
explore marketing tools
refer you to partners who can help
list events specifically for self-published authors

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How to Maintain Your Book-Selling Passion

by Brian Jud
Bowker | Tue Mar 30, 2021

Every year over 1,000,000 ISBNs are assigned to books, but a year later, how many of those authors are still actively marketing them? I would venture to say very few. When initial high expectations and valiant effort result in few sales, most authors quit to pursue other ventures. Their attitudes become exhausted, like a ball dropped on a basketball court. If left unattended, it will bounce lower and lower each time until it finally rolls to a stop.

Authors’ attitudes fade similarly. Those who do not reinflate their mindsets allow their actions to roll to a stop. Their books are still on Amazon, but the passion behind them is not. If you are in that position, here are three things you can do to reignite the fire you once had.

Inside Publishing

Marketing & Publicity

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5 Features of Effective and Engaging Author Websites

by Penny C. Sansevieri
Bowker | Tue Mar 23, 2021

Congratulations! You’re a published author and that makes you a public persona. Even if you spent hours in your youth imagining yourself as a famous author walking and talking with Barbara Walters as a camera trailed behind you, capturing your infinity pool and the sun setting over your horse barn, you may still be adjusting to what exactly that means.

In a digital world, your author website is your calling card and your platform. Spending some time evaluating your current website — or planning for the one you’ll set up after you finish this post — is time well spent.

Look at it from a reader’s perspective. Because, to them, author websites show them who’s serious and who’s not, they establish which authors seem to be in it for the long haul as well as which authors they should feel comfortable investing their time and money in.

So let’s talk about 5 important features that separate successful author websites from unsuccessful ones.

Inside Publishing

Marketing & Publicity

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Four Tips for Negotiating Large Book Orders

by Brian Jud
Bowker | Tue Mar 16, 2021

Have you ever bargained with a potential employer for a job offer? If so, you already know the basics of negotiating a large, non-returnable book order since there are many parallels in the two situations.

For example, when discussing employment compensation, you probably did not focus on a specific salary, but on a total package that included salary, benefits, vacation time, annual reviews, etc. After summarizing your unique skills, knowledge and positive attitude, you asked for the job. Similarly, when discussing compensation for the sale of your books, you do not focus on the price, but on the total package consisting of variables such as cost, returns, payment terms, shipping dates, customization, possible referrals and the likelihood of recurring orders. Here are four tips to help you prepare to ask for — and get — an order for your books.

Inside Publishing

Marketing & Publicity

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