Self Publishing Books
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Today's Self Publishing Books Articles
Successful Self Publishing-February 2007
Successful Self-Publishing Issue 2: February, 2007 Inside this issue: How to get your book into stores. Pitching your book to retail bookstores and chains can be a time consuming and frustrating process. In this issue, we help prepare you for increased chances of success. Read more. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- How to get your Book into Stores Getting your book successfully onto the shelves of a bookstore is easier said than done. Major bookstore chains are notoriously difficult to win over. Even smaller bookstores, where your chances of reaching the person with the purchase authority are more likely â" are still very choosy and cautious. Especially when presented with new books from unknown authors. Without the representation and backing of a major publishing house, you will be entirely responsible for every aspect of this process. Promoting your book to stores is not complicated. But it can be a long and disheartening process that requires persistence, staying power, determination, conviction and total belief in the âgreat readâ quality of your work. Identify your targets The key to successfully selling into a bookstore is to start small. Identify and target smaller local bookstores and boutique stores specific to the topic of your book. Aim to saturate your entire local market place. Having a measure of regional success will also help in convincing larger chain stores that your book is a worthwhile commercial product, suitable for a national and even an international marketplace. Develop and prepare your pitch Initiating contact and approaching bookstore buyers in the right way is essential. Sending an initial âsales packageâ followed up by a polite phone call, is probably the most effective platform for getting your foot in the proverbial door. The package should be based on a carefully developed sales letter, accompanied by a complimentary copy of your book. By sending a package through the post, you are allowing the bookstore buyer time to absorb and consider your book and proposal. When you call a week later, you are then âwarm callingâ rather than cold calling â" as they have already had initial contact from you. They are a lot more likely to be receptive and interested. Getting your sales letter right is vital. Keep it at two pages maximum, and ensure it contains all the following core points: * Introduction: introduce yourself and your book, and state that your reason for contact is to enquire as to their potential interest in purchasing your book for stock. * Book summary: a short (one paragraph) summary of the core plot of the book * Book commercial impact: state who would want to read your book (target audience) and why (USP) * Your credibility: clarify any background and experience you have in writing, or your specific experience and authority in the subject matter. * Pricing proposal: put forward your proposal for the retail price of the book, and bookstore commission or preference for outright purchase. * Business development: state that you are engaging in a comprehensive marketing programme for promotion of the book, and that the marketing plan is available for them to review. * Guarantee: state that you will offer a full refund for books purchased outright, that do not sell within a specified timeframe (8-10 weeks) Know what the bookstores want Referencing to your marketing plan within the sales letter is important. It indicates your proactive and professional business approach to the sale of your book. Bookstores will want to know what you are actively doing to promote your book. They do not like to sit on dead inventory. If they feel confident that any books they buy from you can be promoted and sold through marketing and promotional activity directly driven by you â" they are more likely to purchase. Create strong relationships The founding principle behind successfully selling anything is by establishing genuine and positive human connections. Taking the time to initiate and cultivate lasting relationships with bookstore owners and buyers will dramatically increase your chances of getting your book on their shelves. Even if initially, they feel your work is not right, by presenting yourself as a professional and credible author and self publisher â" they are significantly more likely to be open to being pitched on any subsequent projects you may develop. Even if they do say no the first time, keep the relationship open and positive. Send a short follow-up email or letter thanking them for their time regardless. It could pay dividends in the future. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This article has been written by Terence Tam, CEO of Book Pal, a self publishing and book printing company based in Brisbane, Australia. Terence is a self publisher himself and is a keen supporter of experienced and budding self publishers. He also specialises in print on demand books. Terence can be contacted at terence@bookpal.com.au . Also, please visit http://www.bookpal.com.au Ready, Set, Go Sell Your Book In The Real World!
We hear a lot these days about more books actually being sold 'outside' the traditional bookstore. Think about it. When was the last time you actually took time to linger and explore the bookshelves? When did you last impulsively grab a book, flip it over, read the blurbs, and finger through a few chapters? Let's face it; most of us are too hurried. So What's The Point? If you don't take the time to browse, why expect your potential customer to do so? Try This: Grab about five copies of your book, and head for the "Ma and Pa" stores in your hometown area. Pick a time when you know it won't be too busy. Talk to the owner or manager. Ask him if you may set up a small display on his counter. Offer him a percentage of each sale. Get Impulsive! Go for the impulse buyers! Haven't you at one time, while waiting at a cash register, seen a small display of books on the counter? Before it was your turn to get checked out, you grabbed it, became excited, and added it to your other purchases? Maybe it was a novel set in your locale. People love reading tales taking place in their familiar surroundings. They think, "Oh, I've driven that road! I know where it is! Where's the next landmark? Have to find out!" They feel they become a "part" of it. Is your book set in your region? Try your local gift shops, bed and breakfast inns, pharmacies, hair salon, even the little "quick stops." You get the picture. Is the hero in your book of Italian descent? Is there a lot of ethnicity? Head for the specialty shops like that little corner deli. Pesto. Gnocchi. Fresh-baked focaccia. Get your book on that counter! Maybe kayaking through turbulent river rapids is a large part of your novel. Or sky diving, race car driving, hang gliding, deep sea diving. Head on out to the sporting goods stores. Whatever, go for it. Take control. Another Idea Grab your books and get a booth at the local festivals taking place in and around your area. Maybe share one with an author friend. In my area, there are different festivals every weekend throughout the summer and early fall. In the winter, many craft fairs. Think "thousands of potential customers!" What Are You Waiting For? I know you're thinking, "But I only want to write!" That may be so. Promoting is time consuming. But what's the alternative? Your book just sets there and gathers dust. So ease on out of that chair, and head on out. Let people know about your book. Talk it up. Readers who love your book will add another dimension to your promotion - word-of-mouth advertising! Start Small and Think Big Some stores you approach may not work! Granted. But you'll get the ball rolling and your mind spinning. "Where else can I sell my book?" You'll find yourself eyeing every little store as a possibility, while driving your car or strolling the sidewalks of your hometown. Who knows, you may even become your hometown's next "celebrity!" Give it a try! For More Free Resources visit www.onlinepublishingsite.com Haunted Lighthouses - New London Ledge Lighthouse
Located at the mouth of the Thames River, entrance to New London Harbor, Connecticut at the eastern end of Long Island Sound sits the New London Ledge Lighthouse. Built in 1909 on the Southwest Ledge, the lighthouse was originally called the Southwest Ledge Light, but to avoid confusion with another lighthouse in New Haven, the Southwest Ledge Light, the lighthouse was renamed to New London Ledge Light in 1910. This lighthouse itself is a unique, one-of-a-kind structure with square red brick quarters topped with a mansard roof (a French type of roof designed to make maximum use of the interior space of the attic) and a circular lantern room. To appease the residents who didnt want to gaze upon an eyesore sitting in the sea, the lighthouse was built in Colonial and French architectural style in order to blend in with the large and historic homes on the shores. The lighthouse was finally built after a half-century of petitions requesting an offshore lighthouse - the first one in 1845 - from mariners and residents stating the dangers to maritime traffic in the area due to the inadequcy of the four buoys in the harbor and the The New London Harbor Lighthouse on the shore. The Lighthouse Board detailed the inherent dangers to maritime traffic at New London to Congress in 1902 and 1903 and requested funds for constructing a lighthouse. The construction was completed in 1909. The United States Coast Guard officially took over the care of the lighthouse in 1939 and still keeps an eye on the place. Most of the stories of the ghostly lightkeeper have come from the Coast Guard crews manning the lighthouse. New London Ledge is locally famous for the ghost nicknamed Ernie who allegedly haunts the lighthouse. The famous ghost legend Ernie was a lightkeeper supposedly jumped to his death from the roof of the lighthouse after learning that his wife ran off with the captain of the Block Island Ferry in 1936. Ernie is said to make his presence known by opening and closing doors, washing the decks, operating the light and fog signal, and untying secured boats to let them drift away. Before the station was automated, Coast Guard crews on duty reported frequently hearing mysterious knocks on their bedroom doors in the middle of the night, doors opening and closing, the television being turned on and off repeatedly, and covers pulled off the end of their bed. The New London Ledge Lighthouse was the last remaining manned lighthouse on Long Island Sound when it was finally automated in 1987. Since then, reports of Ernie's visits have dramatically decreased, most likely because there is hardly ever anyone there. This seems to be a relief to those who were stuck manning the light house. The final day of manned operation shows a log entry reading, "A Rock of slow torture. Ernie's domain. Hell on earth. May New London Ledge's light shine on forever because I'm through. I will watch it from afar while drinking a brew." There have been investigations at the lighthouse. In the late '90s, a TV reporter from Japan spent a night inside the lighthouse to investigate the story of Ernie, and loud whispering noises were heard through the night, audible on camera. The Atlantic Paranormal Society (TAPS), who have become known by their series "Ghost Hunters" on the Sci-Fi Channel, investigated the place in 2005 but made no significant observations. Today, the lighthouse is leased by the Coast Guard to the New London Ledge Lighthouse Foundation, partly funded by the City of New London. The lighthouse is used as a maritime classroom, while the Coast Guard continues to maintain the automated light. The group plans to eventually open the lighthouse as a museum and may offer overnight accommodations. Denise Villani is an author and the webmaster of several websites and article directories. Find more articles and information on haunted lighthouses by visiting <a href="http://www.hauntedlighthouses.info">HauntedLightHouses,info</a>. Make money 15 minutes from right NOW! 100% Automated System!
Make money 15 minutes from right NOW! 100% Automated System! "You Will Very Easily Earn An Extra $500, $1000, Even $5000+ Every Week With Only 15 Minutes Of Your Time..." Discover the automated power! New fail-safe system virtually runs 100% on autopilot... Just set it and forget it! Make money 15 minutes from right NOW! 100% Automated System http://www.futureboerse.com/earnmoney.html Make money 15 minutes from right NOW! 100% Automated System! How the Writer Survives
So itâs your dream to write novels? Be a freelance writer and make a living off of your articles? Or maybe you nurture an ambition to write and sell enough short fiction to put bread on the table, like those writers of the golden age of the pulps? Well, those are all noble dreams to have. Iâm smitten by the writerâs glamour myself. Also Iâm grateful for the others who were, those authors whom I love to read and return to time and again. Iâm grateful that they possessed not only their artistic vision, but also the sheer stubbornness and will to persevere and see their dreams become reality. So weâve settled on the fact that we want to be writers, and that no other dream will do. Now letâs take a look at what this is likely to mean in terms of the sacrifices weâll have to make along the way. 1. Misunderstanding. Make no doubts about it â" even those closest to us may not understand or even sympathize with our dream. Young authors still in school or living at home should prepare themselves for the advice of well-meaning but frightened parents; which typically will be encouragement in ANOTHER direction. With all that time spent on the computer, you could build a career as a typist. How about data entry? Web design? They have a lot of great courses at the college for that. Adult writers can oftentimes expect a similar reaction from their significant others; though in this case, the motivation might be someone different. Why donât you pursue something that thereâs a FUTURE in? People who give this sort of advice are doubtlessly well-steeped in all the lore of the suffering artist. Parents donât want to see their children go through it; husbands and wives arenât all that eager to see their spouses get caught up in that trap either. But the real question here is this: are YOU ready to believe in yourself enough to persevere even in the face of this negative (though well-meant, perhaps) feedback? 2. A social life? Whatâs that? To finish a novel could easily take up a thousand hours or more of your time. That means almost three hours a day if you want to get it done in a year. And this is a modest estimate. Now maybe youâre willing to give up T.V. time, leisure reading, evenings out with your sweetheart, etc. You want to be a novelist that badly. But wait! The trials donât stop there. Your friends and family will want explanations. WHY canât you go over to Luckâs and hang out tonight? Why do you never pick up the phone at night (or in the morning or whenever you write)? Now itâs one thing to have college papers to write, or mid-terms to study for, or overtime hours at work. Those are all socially acceptable obligations. But tell your friends that youâre staying in every evening to write and probably the best reaction you can hope for is a blank stare. Are you ready to say: âToo bad if they canât understandâ? 3. Rejection upon rejection. Letâs say we pass the first two hurdles. We donât listen to peopleâs attempts (however well-intentioned) to dissuade us, and we plug away at our stories even though it means we canât enjoy the leisure and down time of ânormalâ people. We put those thousand-odd hours into our work, and when itâs all done weâre proud of it. We write query letters, mail submissions, and sit back and dream of that fat advance, the book signing tour and the movie offers. Then the unthinkable happens. We get one return letter after another, and all of them are variations of this: âThank you for sending us [our work]. It was indeed interesting, but not quite what weâre looking for at this time.â This happens to everyone. It has happened to me numerous times, and if it never happens to you then you will be entered into the history books of publishing. You may reach the point where a PERSONAL rejection letter instead of a pre-printed rejection feels like an accomplishment. Remember the dream. Remember the passion that drove you to devote all those hours to writing in the first place, at the expense of your social life and leisure. Then send your work out again, because you didnât pass the first two tests for nothing. When and if you get feedback, see if thereâs anything constructive within it and learn for next time. Youâll be another rung up the ladder to success. We writers survive and find our way because we werenât meant to BE anything else. www.onlinepublishingsite.com Successful Self-Publishing
Successful Self-Publishing Terence Tam Issue 1: January 2007 Inside this issue: Developing a marketing plan for your book. Discover how a carefully structured marketing plan can make the world of difference to the commercial viability and success of your book project. Read more. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Developing a Marketing Plan for your Book A marketing plan is a business development document designed to help you identify and plan out the actual activities that will promote and sell a product or service. It is a crucial planning tool that provides focus and check-list type clarity. Marketing programmes attempted without the backup of a proper plan, often fall victim to an unstructured, ad-hoc approach and money down the drain. Why should you develop a marketing plan for your book? A book may not seem like the kind of item relevant for the development of a marketing plan. This is definitely wrong. Your book is ultimately a product. It is a commercial item that must be promoted and distributed to a pre- targeted marketplace. Approaching the sale of your book in this professional and business-like manner is the best platform to realise any kind of commercial success. Core components of your marketing plan The marketing plan for your book does not need to be an elaborate, 20+ page document full of graphs and market research analysis. This will be your marketing plan, for your book. It does need to be a clearly written and sharply presented professional document, suitable for bookstore buyers/managers, publishers and distributors to review. However, it only needs to reflect the fundamental essentials that will influence the potential commercial success of your âproduct.â Goals and Objectives Establishing clear goals and objectives for the commercial success that you would like to achieve from your book is the first step in the development of the overall marketing plan. Think of these goals in terms of numbers. How many units of the book do you aim to sell and over what period of time? Taking into account your estimated retail price per book, how much revenue (money made before costs and tax) and profit (money left after costs and tax) do you anticipate from your unit target? Target Audience: Who exactly are the people most likely to be interested in reading your book? Create a picture of this person in your minds eye, and describe this profile within the plan. Are they male or female readers? What age? What kind of social or economic background do they come from? What level of education are they likely to have? Unique selling proposition (USP): You now have a profile picture of the type of person most likely to read your book. Now, clearly define this next essential question â" why would this person want to read your book? Does the book address important social issues such as politics, economy, health, war or religion? Is it going to evoke strong emotive response? Will it capture the minds and hearts of the audience? How? In what way will it strive to achieve this? The qualities that will entice your target audience are the qualities that make your book unique. These unique characteristics form the foundation of your USP. They are the core messages that should be openly and clearly emphasised in all your promotional and selling activity for the book. Study the back covers of books in your local store. How does the text describe the book? What unique statements does it emphasise to capture and hook your attention? These back covers may appear to be simple synopses, but they use the essential principles of a USP. Promotional Activities: What promotional activities will you implement to generate publicity and public awareness of your book â" especially among your selected target audience? Will you use media, through public relations or press advertisements? Will you look for speaking or networking events relevant to your book topic? How much of a role will the internet play? Do you plan to host a book launch event? Developing a marketing plan is your opportunity to think precisely about what strategies and activities you will engage in, and structure them in a tangible form. A marketing plan also gives you the best forum to plan out the specific details for each individual activity - such as timeframes and dates, costs, essential contacts and suppliers. In summary, a marketing plan is not a âquick and easyâ document. It requires thought, research and planning. Developing one really should be approached as a project in its own right. I guarantee however, that the time spent will be a worthwhile investment in the commercial success of your book. It will represent all your hard work in a professional fashion, and create a strong business impression. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Terence Tam is the CEO of Book Pal and is a self publisher himself. His vision is to help both experienced and budding authors self publish their books. Book Pal also prints print on demand books to help the author print the number of books they require. Please visit www.bookpal.com.au ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Terence Tam is CEO of Book Pal, a company specialising in self publishing and book printing Australia wide. He is a self publisher himself. His company also excels in printing print on demand books. Are Parents the Best Teachers?
Are Parents the Best Teachers
Children even as infants often copy what they see their parents do. Most often your child's first wish is to be like their mother of father. In my open parents are the best teachers not only because they wish their child or children to success but they take great care in teaching them what is right and what is wrong in their eyes. Hi, my name is Mary Womack and I am a 55 year old mom trying to support a teenage daughter. I am rather new to this so please have patience with me as I get use to all of this. Thanks, Mary Earn Money From Freelance Writing
If your writing skills are not so good, or youâve failed your English test on the high school, you may be feeling a little slighted about writing an article, report, sales copy or eBook. If itâs your case, there is a solution just for you. Writing doesnât have to be the hardest part of your eBook creation. You can actually hire someone to do it for you by going to a site like Elance.com and let qualified people ( Ghost-writers or freelance writers ) bid on your project. There are plenty of good writers there willing to write your eBooks for you at a discounted price. Many novelists, Hollywood celebrities, biographers and others utilize the services of a freelance writer at some point of their careers. So whatâs a ghostwriter? Itâs someone you pay to provide you with quality professional content in about any format you require. Here is what a ghostwriter / freelancer can do for you: ⢠Research on the internet and other sources ⢠Compilation of all the information you provide them ⢠Professional writing that makes your ideas sound really great ⢠Write a compelling book that rivets a readerâs interest ⢠Usage of language that is apt according to the topic ⢠Delivering the complete packaged product version â" ready to sell. All you have to do is provide them with your ideas, research, and information about your eBook then let them do the work for you. Here are some of the advantages of letting a ghostwriter write for you: ⢠All the writing work and designing is easily outsourced to ghostwriters. They do all the work⌠you get the benefit (and the profits)! ⢠Save time and energy that could be used efficiently in other directions. ⢠You keep 100% of the copyright. ⢠They can do the research for you. The procedure is as follows. You have to post your project on the website. The freelancer who is interested in your project will place a bid. The cost of this work depends on the expertise required, the nature of the project and the volume of work. You are free to negotiate. Ghostwriters work mostly for themselves. If you generate repeat business for them a business relationship gets established. The ghostwriters or freelancer may then charge a lower fee for the returning client as it helps generate higher business volumes. The investment you make in hiring a ghostwriter is returned many times over and gives beneficial results. You get an excellent product made and the readers get their value for money through high quality material. This is definitely a win-win situation where you, the freelancer and the client, all are benefited. Your bid request should include: ⢠A clear description of your project without giving a lot of details. ⢠Maximum Bid. This is the highest bid offer you will accept. Freelancer can bid lower to gain your business, but not higher. ⢠Bidding Close Date. This is the date (in U.S format--mm/dd/yyyy hh:mm:ss) you want to close bidding and not accept any more bids. ⢠The number of days the freelancer have to work on the project and deliver the final work. If you omit a deadline, then the he is under no time obligation to deliver! Before accepting any bid you should verify that the person you are selecting is apt to handle the project effectively. You can do this by: ⢠Asking the ghostwriter for his references. ⢠Asking for a sample of his work. ⢠Visiting his profile page, where you can find more information about him and also what people who worked with him have to say about his work. For More Free Resources visit www.onlinepublishingsite.com Choose the website correctly
Someone will ask his friend to call and order the essay; the other will ring up himself and will elaborate on the content of his work for hours. Another believes that informing the custom service about the topic of his dissertations 3 days before the deadline he can expect flawless work because he pays quite enough. You will be surprised, but the work quality does not depend only on its price. Here a lot of conditions matter. If you fulfill them, your work will be perfect and both the customer and the writing service will enjoy this partnership. So⌠Rule 1. The earlier you place your order, the better essay paper you will get. Some companies promise you to complete a dissertation in three days, but will you trust such a company? Sometimes working on a tiny cause and effect essay will take a lot of time if the topic is too complicated and unclear. Rule 2. Donât put off. If you know the deadline of your paper, in the order form write a date 1 â" 2 days earlier. There are always some unexpected and unpredictable events that are sure to happen just before the closing date. Interrupted internet connection, the phone is off, the writer suddenly falls ill and so on. All of these situations are real and in most cases it is not so difficult to solve them, if you still have a few days in store. We donât know if certain writer will finish his work before the indicated deadline. And I am 100% sure that he wonât as he has a lot of orders to be completed, a number of force majeures and the only thing he usually lacks is time. That is why you must take care of this yourself. So, we have discussed when you must order. Now we have to determine whom can we trust our assignment with? Rule 3. Your friendâs recommendation is the best solution. In this case you have a real example of the offered services. You can judge about the quality, timeliness of the order, terms of the revision and other details. If your friends keep silent, you should rely only on yourself. Choosing a site pay attention to the grammatical correctness of the texts and the terms of partnership. You may also judge about the writing company from the samples of completed works. The information presented on the site must give you more or less clear and complete picture of the company. Rule 5. Be precise. The more details about your work you will include in the order form, the better final product you will get. If the tutor gives you an opportunity to choose a topic by yourself - leave the choice for the writer. If you have additional requirements indicate them with as much detail as possible. Rule 6. Trust, but control. Even if you are very busy, spare a minute and give a call or write an e- mail, wondering how the order is progressing. After a few days you may ask the writer if he has any difficulties with the order, if he will manage to complete the order by the deadline. Rule 7. What you have for your money. You have the right to demand the fulfillment of the following rules: ⢠Free of plagiarism work ⢠Complete coverage of the problem topic ⢠The appropriate structure and format of the work ⢠No grammar or spelling mistakes ⢠Free revision if the indicated requirements are not met ⢠Appropriate and thorough research ( if necessary) Perhaps these are the main things you should keep in mind while surfing the internet in search of the nice site able to develop your confusing persuasive essay topic into an elegant piece of writing. The Author Kamal Kumar from Chandigarh, India, Loves to write Artciles. How to eat with a scissors
For many years I eat with cutlery, knife, fork and spoon. I mean, even more than one of each. Tea spoon, table spoon, you know what I mean.. Now my life is easier; I only eat with scissors, one scissors, a pair of scissors, both halves of scissors. Are they singular or plural anyway? Is this a joke? No, no, they really work! Try it, get out your scissors and start eating. Open them slightly for a scoop affect, squeeze them very gently for a tong affect. Want to cut sometimes? Who needs a knife ¨C just flail away cutting to your hearts content with your¥ you got it..,scissors. Sometimes my right hand gets tired, then I grab my scissors with both hands. I take them with me to Chinese restaurants. They think I¥¯m cool. Some people use chop sticks, some a regular knife and fork but no one else uses a scissors. I bring a bright red pair. Once this Chinese guy asked me if I had an extra pair of scissors on me. I didn¥¯t but I let him use mine for awhile The kitchen was pleased to wash them for me. Scissors as an eating utensil is very romantic for a candlelight dinner. We each hold a side and eat off the scissors at the same time. It¥¯s a precursor to a French kiss. But I just don¥¯t eat with a scissors, I cook with one. I cut vegetables, cut toast, scramble eggs, stir fry, mix, I do just about everything with a scissors. I love my scissors and my scissors loves me. They have never let me down. They do a phenomenal job if you talk to them. I find that they like certain phrases such as ¥°pretty scissors¥¹ and ¥°want to go for a walk?¥¹ Let me know how it goes with your scissors. May we could start a blog, a fan club, a forum, a focus group. We will then be in a position to organize a cruise and have seminars. |
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