Self Published Author | Category

Bonus Content: Fresh Ideas for Promoting a Book

by Penny C. Sansevieri
Bowker | Tue May 2, 2023

Are you at wits’ end for new ideas for promoting a book? It’s difficult to stay on the cutting edge of book marketing. So, here’s an idea: bonus content.

For both self-published and traditionally published books, bonus content is severely underutilized. This, coincidentally, makes it even more enticing to readers because it’s so rare. The first thing you might think of when talking about bonus content is budget, and the second is probably time. If you’re limited on either, or both, you’re in luck because you likely already have everything you need to create great bonus content.

Here are some considerations for promoting a book using bonus content:

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Marketing & Publicity

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Is AI-Generated Content Copyrightable?

by Digi-Rights
Bowker | Wed Apr 12, 2023

CopyrightTips from experts* at CopyrightsNow.com

If your book includes AI-generated images or text from Chat-GPT or other tools… can you copyright it?

The topic of AI (Artificial Intelligence) is front-and-center in the news, as Congress is considering new laws to regulate its use — and many ‘tech gurus’ like Elon Musk and Steve Wozniak have advocated a temporary halt on artificial intelligence systems that are more powerful than GPT-4.

Despite these concerns, AI is becoming more prevalent and available to authors and creators… including ChatGPT plug-ins that enable writers to easily generate text. But will AI-generated content be copyrightable?

Is AI-generated content copyrightable?

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Rights

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Possibility Planning

by Brian Jud
Bowker | Tue Apr 11, 2023

Before you embark on a long drive, one that you take periodically, you check traffic conditions and make appropriate adjustments. If there are no problems, you embark on your regular route. However, on the way an accident happens. Traffic is backed up for miles, but your intrepid GPS warned you in time to take an alternate route. As you travel this new path you may discover that it is an equally pleasant or even better course than your standard one, and it becomes your new “regular.”

As we travel the highway to our publishing objectives, unforeseen developments will occur. Murphy’s Law is active and potentially pernicious in our industry, periodically forcing us to seek different paths to achieving our goals. Fortunately, some of these alternative routes yield unexpected benefits.

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Marketing & Publicity

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What You Should Know About Cover Design

by S4Carlisle
Bowker | Tue Apr 4, 2023

Congratulations… You have just finished writing your first book! As you embark on self-publishing the work, are you bewildered at the thought of designing an attractive cover? Well, you are not alone! There are numerous articles and pieces of advice out there in the virtual space (this one included!) that could confuse you further.

Parts of a book cover

Though we mostly visualize and get to see the front cover, a paperback book cover has three parts – front, back, and the spine – all of them equally important for the author, publisher, and the potential reader. A hardback will have two additional spaces in the ‘flaps.’

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Design & Production

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Hybrid Author Events: Clever Ideas for Promoting a Book

by Penny C. Sansevieri
Bowker | Tue Mar 28, 2023

Events have always been a favorite book marketing strategy of mine. While most events have moved and remained online, many have embraced a hybrid format for conferences, speaking events, and more. There are certainly some drawbacks to online and hybrid events, mostly around monetization, however, the benefits of this strategy should make the time and effort worthwhile.

Understanding Hybrid Author Events

A hybrid event is one that combines both in-person and hybrid elements. Here, you would have both an in-person and a virtual audience. And those watching remotely might be able to watch synchronously or asynchronously. This can feel a bit tricky the first time you do it — but, after one of these sessions, you’ll quickly get the hang of this way of presenting. In reality, it’s not that much different from speaking to an all in-house audience, only now, you can reach even more readers, or potential readers.

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Marketing & Publicity

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Is a Copyright Needed for Each ISBN?

by Digi-Rights
Bowker | Tue Mar 21, 2023

CopyrightTips from experts* at CopyrightsNow.com

ISBN vs. Copyrights?

An ISBN (International Standard Book Number) is a unique numerical identifier assigned to each specific edition and format of a book, such as hardcover, paperback, e-book, audio-book, etc. It is used to identify and track books in the book industry. ISBNs may be purchased and maintained at Bowker's myidentifiers.com website.

Copyright is a type of intellectual property that grants legal protection to the creators of original works, such as printed book, e-book, audio-book, video, photos, illustrations, pictures, songs, software and website.

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Generating Sales After Self-Publishing: Five Things You Must Know

by Penny C. Sansevieri
Bowker | Tue Mar 14, 2023

Do you know the difference between book marketing and book sales? Well, it’s pretty easy.

Book marketing is raising awareness. It’s the social campaigns, the websites, the Amazon profiles; it’s what introduces you and your book to a potential reader. Meanwhile, book sales is done by your book. Is your work good enough to secure the sale? Is your cover enticing and your description flawless? I hope the answer is yes if you’re doing all this work to market it.

If you’re drawing potential readers to your book and getting them in the door, but you’re not getting many sales, that’s a sign there’s something wrong with your book, not with your marketing.

So let’s dig in and find out what really matters:

1. Know your buyer market.

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Marketing & Publicity

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Short-Term Actions to Reach Long-Term Goals

by Brian Jud
Bowker | Tue Mar 7, 2023

Entrepreneurial book publishers are regularly faced with a dilemma. They recognize the need to focus on long-term growth and they create five-year plans to achieve it. On the other hand, they understand they must generate short-term revenue to stay in business long enough to reach their ultimate goals. The dilemma? How to survive during the short term to achieve long-term success?

The answer is not to find better books to sell, but to find better ways to sell books. That is to create and implement an array of marketing tools that allows each to fulfill its designated function over a specific time period.

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Marketing & Publicity

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What Is a Copyright?

by Digi-Rights
Bowker | Tue Feb 21, 2023

Copyright Tips from experts* at CopyrightsNow.com

You've written a book. Now what? How do you protect it from piracy? And what are your copyrights?

What is a Copyright?

A copyright is a form of legal protection granted to the creators of original works, such as printed book, e-book, audio-book, video, photos, illustrations, pictures, songs, software and website.

It gives the copyright holder the exclusive right to reproduce, sell, distribute, and display the work, as well as to create derivative works based on it.

Copyrights enable authors to make money by selling their work and preventing others from copying or selling their work without their permission or a license. This means that others cannot use, share or distribute the work without the copyright owner’s permission.

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How to Improve Your Website for Better Book Marketing

by Penny C. Sansevieri
Bowker | Tue Feb 7, 2023

Consider your website to be your first introduction to a reader. They may have heard your name, or maybe they’ve seen your book in the store, but they don’t really know you or your writing. With your website, you get to decide what their first impression of you will be. What does that look like for you?

Your website doesn’t need to have all the bells and whistles and look like an aesthetic masterpiece, but it should be professional and competitive. To a potential reader, the quality of your website may be indicative of the quality of your work. So if your website looks thrown together and unrefined, that may be what they expect from your book.

There are a few must-haves for any good website. Here is a list of what you’ll need to get started:

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Marketing & Publicity

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