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3 Essential Tips For Self-Publishing

Penny C. Sansevieri's picture
by Penny C. Sansevieri
Bowker | Tue Jan 4, 2022

Self-publishing a book is really an exciting, frustrating, and emotional time, and it’s easy to lose focus along the way — believe me, I know — because I just released my new book, From Book to Bestseller this past fall and it’s been a love-hate relationship from the start.

But I always say it’s a lot easier with smart planning, and I stick by that.

If you take self-publishing a book one step at a time, and check all those boxes, cross the T’s and dot the I’s, you’re not only more likely to end up with a final product you’re proud of, you’re much more likely to end up with a final product readers gravitate toward, recommend, and review positively.

Step 1: Writing Is About You
And I don’t mean it’s just about that bucket list item, or getting that fantastic idea on paper, of course that’s important, but you want your book to be a reflection of you.

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5 Book Marketing Services Always Worth Collaborating On

Penny C. Sansevieri's picture
by Penny C. Sansevieri
Bowker | Tue Dec 21, 2021

A lot of authors hire out book marketing services not just because they don’t know how to do the work, but because they’re also strapped for time.

But what if you have the time, or don’t have a lot to invest yet, what do you do?

Ideally, you’d like to hire out services that require lots of early heavy-lifting and research, because often once the initial round of work is done, handing this over to the author gets much easier — at least that’s how we’ve always worked.

I never like to assume that authors want to hire book marketing services and companies for the duration of their career — most want to do an initial push with a pro team, and then take over the reins. I really encourage this kind of collaboration!

So here are some factors to consider when determining which book marketing services you should hire out, at least to start, and why it will likely support you better in the long run.

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Don’t Just Do Something, Stand There

by Brian Jud
Bowker | Wed Dec 8, 2021

Now is the time to plan what you will do next year to meet your goals. Many do not plan because they know what they are going to do. Just for a moment, think it differently. Planning is like laying track for a railroad — it establishes a solid foundation, provides a path to your destination and controls deviation. And it helps you to continue moving toward your destination when uncontrollable events occur. But just as the track does not propel you forward, neither does your plan. Your passion and productive action provide the fuel for the engine taking you on your journey to success. 

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The Latest from The Hot Sheet Newsletter

by Richard Smith
Bowker | Tue Nov 30, 2021

If you’re an author and want to stay on top of the important issues in the world of publishing — issues that affect you — you need The Hot Sheet.
 
With all the chatter out there, it will help you sort through the noise with stories that focus on relevant topics from across the publishing spectrum. From author success stories to key industry statistics, you’ll find what you need to know in The Hot Sheet. Among the most important insights in this issue:
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The Equation for Book Marketing Success

by Brian Jud
Bowker | Tue Nov 16, 2021

When authors are told they must actively market their books, many say, “I don’t like to promote. I only want to write.” However, when a book is published the author becomes a salesperson running a business. It is an abrupt, and in many cases unwanted transition that is usually not handled well. But it doesn’t have to be that way. I created a formula to help people make the transition from author to marketer. It is not a scientific, qualitative equation, but a quantitative method that is adaptable to any author’s personality and genre. 
 
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14 Ways to Find Potential Buyers

by Brian Jud
Bowker | Tue Nov 9, 2021

 
Publishers limit their book sales when they see bookstores — bricks and/or clicks — as the only place through which to sell their books. If you want to sell 10,000 books through any retailer, you must get 10,000 people to go there and buy one. But if you want to sell 10,000 books in non-retail markets, you find one person to buy 10,000 of them — non-returnable. Which do you think is a more profitable way to sell your books?
 
The world of special sales (non-bookstore sales) is actually larger than the opportunity for selling through bookstores. Many publishers do not attempt to sell there because they do not know who is the best person to contact. 
 
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Make that Email Worth Their Time and Energy

Penny C. Sansevieri's picture
by Penny C. Sansevieri
Bowker | Tue Oct 26, 2021

Email book marketing is a great way to get out the word about your brand, your books, your events, and the other unique things happening in your life that are critical to helping indie authors make personal connections with fans and potential readers.

But most of us can’t open our inbox without seeing dozens of emails for products, services, or promotions. How do you break through the noise?

Below are my tips for ensuring your emails and emailed newsletters get opened.

Stay Relevant

Think about the last few promotional emails you opened. What made them stand out? Was it simply brand loyalty? A limited time discount? A new product announcement?

If you find yourself just throwing random ideas together because you have a book marketing email to get out, you’re not doing it right, and to be candid, you’re being lazy and wasting a good opportunity to grow your audience and sell more books.

Have a goal.

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The Latest News from The Hot Sheet

by Richard Smith
Bowker | Tue Oct 19, 2021

If you’re an author and want to stay on top of the important issues in the world of publishing — issues that affect you — you need The Hot Sheet.
 
With all the chatter out there, it will help you sort through the noise with stories that focus on relevant topics from across the publishing spectrum. From author success stories to key industry statistics, you’ll find what you need to know in The Hot Sheet. Among the most important insights in this issue:
Inside Publishing
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Get Discovered and Make the Sale!

Penny C. Sansevieri's picture
by Penny C. Sansevieri
Bowker | Tue Oct 12, 2021

 
It’s officially autumn and you know what that means. Yes, pumpkin spice and everything nice. But also, time to check in about those book marketing resolutions you made way back in January — the holidays will soon be upon us, and now’s a great time to get your bookselling house in order.
 
Maybe you started off the year with the best of book marketing intentions. Maybe some of your efforts did well, while others fell a bit flat. Regardless of where you are in the book marketing process, you should be able to use today’s post to explore and evaluate how well your book discovery is working out.
 
Doing some self-assessment in this area will help you realign your marketing efforts and start moving the needle to really sell more books.
 
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Seven Secrets for Successfully Selling Books

by Brian Jud
Bowker | Tue Oct 5, 2021

 
The trek to special-sales success can be long, arduous and frustrating — but at the same time personally rewarding and profitable. Through it all, a strong and determined attitude can serve as the GPS on your path to success. There are several basic axioms in book marketing in general (and special sales in particular) that may have a negative impact on your attitude. Know in advance that these are going to occur, and the negative impact on your attitude may be reduced.
 
  • Rejection is a way of life. Be forewarned that you will be rejected far more times than you will be accepted, and this may wear away at your attitude. But do not take rejection personally. That is easy to say, yet it can be done if you accept rejection as a challenge to learn, improve your strategy and tactics and thereby increase the likelihood that you will close the sale next time.
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