Archive for March, 2008

Self-publishing is the New Black

Saturday, March 29th, 2008
self publishing
Michael McCain asked:


Writer’s scour around for the perfect ending to their story and sometimes beat around the bush because they are in dire need of a bottom line. The truth is writers are just waiting for the best solution to their finished project – which is of course, to publish what they have slaved over for years.

Writing a book is the easiest part of the process and getting them published may impugn one’s patience and bank account. When authors give up hopes of ever being picked by a traditional publisher, they turn to self-publishing.

Authors who have made it big in the industry have chosen to self-publish at some point in their careers: Rudyard Kipling, Ernest Hemmingway, Margaret Atwood, Stephen King, Carl Sandburg, and James Redfield just to name a few, and one can see how they all fared in the industry.

If a writer is looking for self-publishing companies to publish a book, there are a few companies that practically hold court to everything a book needs from book cover design customization, layout consultation, copyediting and even marketing. This brings the writer then to the process of going through production and seeing the actual product in book form already.

Primarily, as the writer, you would need to assess your book’s publishing plan. Ask yourself if you need editing, marketing, book cover layout consultation, interior design customization and all that jazz. After mapping out your book’s requirement, find a self-publishing company that will cater to all of your needs. Xlibris is one self-publishing company who practically has everything an author requires. The company has been in business for over a decade and they already to know what they are doing. They have programs that have all the inclusions that will turn your manuscript into a book.

Second, is to edit and polish your book before submitting them to the publisher. The editing part is crucial considering that you might need to go back to your book a couple of times to reassure yourself that you did not miss anything.

Third, is to come up with a final book cover. If editing is crucial, your book cover is pivotal to your book’s success. Book cover sets the tone, the impact and the force that will make a librarian, reviewer, bookseller, distributor, and customer to pick up the book long enough to read a few sentences in it. It takes about two seconds for a customer to glance at your book’s cover. Make certain that those two seconds is all worth it.

Fourth, is to check for quality control. Self-publishing companies print on demand and seeing that your book is going to be priced by the publisher’s own printers, you might need to request for a sample copy of how they print their books. Binding, text, and paper quality is key and if it misses out on of any of those, then it is not qualified at all to produce the kind of book you have in mind.

Average publishing timeline is within two to three months and by that time, your book will already be available in market for sale. Self-publishing gives you full control of the publishing process and no one will tell you what to do.

Now, publishing is one thing – selling a book is another. The main crux is to publish the book and translate it into book format.

Perhaps any writer needs to ask himself: have I investigated the industry thoroughly before launching? Producing and marketing may instill unforeseen investments that he might not be able to handle. If all authors believe that the book will succeed by adding their own effort, then self-publish. They’ll even have fun.

Now let’s get that book published first, shall we?



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One Woman Shares Her Wisdom on Appetite in the Xlibris Self-published Book, Eating Desire

Friday, March 21st, 2008
self publishing
Michael McCain asked:


The Xlibris book, ‘Eating Desire’, celebrates a woman’s appetite in all facets of life. Author Lisa Powers explains the logic of excessive indulgence as a result of depriving oneself from what one really wants. By learning to listen to what a person really wants for his or herself instead of suppressing them, one can have a truly happy life.

 

Eating Desire is a personal account of Lisa’s obsession with food to conceal the terror and shame of her dark childhood. She also chronicles her transformation from being self-loathing to self-loving. This book transcends satisfying one’s appetite for food, as it explores other important desires of life. These include comfort, connection, personal fulfillment, power and protection, sexual pleasure, transcendence, transformation and witness.

 

In this Xlibris self-published book, Lisa stresses how one’s relationship to food mirrors one’s struggle for emotional, spiritual and sexual fulfillment. One’s hunger for food is a wake-up call to listen to what one truly wants in life. It is not about indulging in the excess but in going down to the things that truly matter: that of steering the path that one is meant to take.

 

People with eating disorders will find the wisdom of Eating Desire truly helpful. The more one listens to what they really want, the less one tends to overeat or deprive oneself. Therefore leading one to become happier.

 

 

About Xlibris

Xlibris was founded in 1997 and, as the leading publishing services provider for authors, has helped to publish more than 20,000 titles. Xlibris is based in Philadelphia, PA and provides authors with direct and personal access to quality publication in hardcover, trade paperback, custom leather-bound, and full-color formats.

 

For more information, please visit www.xlibris.com/requestkit/index.asp?src=apr&key=gc, e-mail pressrelease@xlibris.com or call at 1-888-795-4247, to receive a free publishing guide.



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5 Common Self Publishing Mistakes That Stamp Unprofessional on Your Book and How to Correct Them

Thursday, March 20th, 2008
self publishing
Earma Brown asked:


Have you joined the ranks of aspiring authors ready to take the next step to self publishing in the digital age of publishing? If so, congratulations! But wait, before you rush off to press, there are some things you should do to prepare your book for successful self-publishing. The preparation step of the self-publishing process includes everything you need to do to your book manuscript before you deliver it to the book printer. This includes deciding your publishing goals.

For example, is your book a personal family history book that you plan to sell to a few friends and family? Or do you plan to mass-market your book to the world? After deciding your market then you should avoid the following common mistakes:

1. Failure to write a Business Plan

This is where your book publishing journey should begin. You don’t have to start with a 15-page document. But do create an outline of all the costs that you will encounter in the self-publishing process.

Outline your costs before publication, after publication and everything from the beginning costs to the shipping price of mailing a book. This is the time you decide whether you should print a small amount of books for family or set up a small publishing company by buying a block of ISBNs.

2. Failure to get ISBN Numbers.

An ISBN number is what identifies you as a book publisher. Currently, it is the only way you can be considered a self-publisher in the publishing industry. At the time of this writing, no one can give, assign or sell you ISBNs except RR Bowker, the U.S. ISBN agency.

3. Failure to invest in Book Editing.

Don’t cut corners here. Invest in your book; get it professionally edited. Copy or line editing will bring your manuscript up to professional standard. Don’t settle for just having your family member take a look at your manuscript.

4. Failure to hire a book designer for book layout.

The book layout is what structures the content of your book and makes it look like a book. Again invest in your book project; this is not the time to settle for anything less than a professional look. If your book looks sloppy, it will limit its success in the market.

5. Failure to invest in cover design.

75% of 300 booksellers reviewed (half from independent bookstores and half from chains) recognized the look and design of the book cover as the most important part. They agreed the jacket is prime real estate for promoting a book. On that note, your book cover design has great importance. It can cause your book marketing campaign to fail or succeed. So, I encourage you to get your book cover professionally designed.

Are you ready to publish your book successfully? Did you consider all your options including a business plan and book cover design? Great! Now that you know how to set up your book for full speed ahead self-publishing, go ahead take the plunge. Don’t wait any longer. Start today. Your audience is waiting for YOUR unique message and viewpoint. Make it different. Make it count. Make it yours.



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Chinese Economy Evaluated in Self-published Book

Wednesday, March 19th, 2008
self publishing
Michael McCain asked:


China has become the world’s third largest economy, and in the midst of a global financial crisis, that says a lot about the resilience and strength of the Chinese economy. Revised figures of the country’s gross domestic product released Wednesday show a 13 percent expansion in China’s economy.

Economists are saying that with continued growth at its current rate, China could overtake the economies of Japan (in three years) and the United States (in 18 years). Reports say that China’s economy is on track to have a positive gross domestic product in 2009.

A study on the factors that led to healthy condition of China’s economy is presented in the self-published book, Analysis of Chinese Macroeconomy. Dr. Fengbo Zhang definitively depicts the development process and the existing state of Chinese economy, and provides materials for comprehending modern China and the future for economic reform.

This Xlibris release includes an evaluation of the country’s different economic sectors, the impact of foreign trade on the national economy, and an assessment of investment and macroeconomic policies – factors that have contributed to China’s current economic condition. The analyses presented by Dr. Zhang in this book are valuable guidelines in predicting the future of Chinese economy.

Dr. Zhang has helped Chinese top leaders in policy-making and led China’s economic research since 1980s, and his self-published book is going to be a valuable guide for those who want to learn from the country’s economic fortitude.

Analysis of Chinese Macroeconomy is available on the online bookstores of Xlibris, Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

About Xlibris

Xlibris was founded in 1997 and, as the leading publishing services provider for authors, has helped to publish more than 20,000 titles. Xlibris is based in Philadelphia, PA and provides authors with direct and personal access to quality publication in hardcover, trade paperback, custom leather-bound, and full-color formats.

For more information, please visit the book publisher’s website, e-mail pressrelease@xlibris.com or call at 1-888-795-4247, to receive a free publishing guide.



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How You Can Make Serious Money Self-publishing With Adsense

Tuesday, March 18th, 2008
self publishing
Christopher Kyalo asked:


Some folks may think that self-publishing began with the invention of the PC (personal computer) and others may be convinced that it has really taken off with the arrival of Adsense.

It is important to understand what self-publishing is and its’ enormous potential to fully appreciate and indeed take advantage of Adsense. Actually self-publishing (the act of producing and marketing your own writing) is as old as America. It is an American tradition that is very much part and parcel of the American dream. Ben Franklin was one of the first Americans to self-publish and many others have followed since. Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn was self-published. As was Ulysses, Lady Chatterley’s Lover and the Tarzan series amongst a host of other popular classics that would never have existed without the authors ignoring publisher’s rejection lips and taking the bold step of publishing their own work.

There are thousands of other examples from recent times that we can mention here but the point is that a few important developments in recent times have only helped to fuel the power of self-publishing but did not trigger off this revolution. The personal computer put a very powerful publishing tool on the desktop for the first time allowing the easy setting of type and design for publishers at a tiny fraction of what is cost previously.

Then the World Wide Web came along and proved to be many wonderful things to a self-publisher. They could use it to promote their work and sell millions of copies of their self-published work all over the world. Suddenly there was no niche that was too small to be viable. Then the Internet could also be used to publish online at a cost that was very close to zero.

Still, as wonderful and revolutionary as these developments were, none of them comes anywhere near what Google Adsense has done for self-publishers world-wide. Understanding this will open your eyes and enable you to fully cash in using Adsense as an key part of your online self-publishing efforts.

With Adsense, Traffic Does Not Matter In Online Self-publishing, As Much As Relevance And The Right Well-paying Keywords **************

I often wonder if those guys at Google fully understood the impact of what they were doing when they decided to open Adsense for smaller sites and blogs with very little traffic. Sure, they must have done it knowing that it would have an impact on their bottom line, but did they know that it would start an online revolution with far-reaching effects and impact? I doubt it.

You will already be aware of the fact that thousands of online concepts were dead in the water as far as making a profit online and this situation has been changed dramatically by Adsense.

Now anybody with a site online can apply to Adsense to carry their ads and within no time, the new revenue stream will be putting money into their pockets. You will of course need to do a lot of work to get to use the highest-paying keywords for every content written for your site. But the really exciting bit for online self-publishers is the fact that even a few visitors every day, clicking on high-paying Adsense ads will earn them lots of cash.

But let’s be extremely careful here because Adsense rules do not encourage folks to start web sites or blogs with the sole intention of making money from Adsense ads. And if truth be told, anybody who does this is leaving a lot of easy money on the table.

Why It Is Important To Combine Adsense With Other Profit Centers In Self-Publishing ****************

What Adsense has done, is introduce a revenue stream that helps a site focus more closely on its’ niche subject, and actually sets it up for success



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Self-Publishing: How Important Is An ISBN Number?

Saturday, March 15th, 2008
self publishing
Scott Lindsay asked:


You’ve weighed all your options and have determined that self-publishing makes the most sense for your foray into publishing. You understand that there is an increase in the need to self-market your title, but there is also a correlating increase in profit margin. Other risks have been assessed and you’re comfortable moving forward in the direction you’ve chosen.

Have you applied for an ISBN number?

“What’s that?” You might be asking yourself. Well, an ISBN (International Standard BookNumber) is a specific number that helps identify your book and has provided the standard of book identification since 1970.

Some brick and mortar stores as well as online retailers have policies that disqualify the sale of a book that does not contain an ISBN.

The cost to purchase an ISBN may seem prohibitive for many. Here’s the basic cost structure…

Registration Fee: $24.95

Service Fee for 10 ISBN’s: $225.00

Annual Fee: $25

Manual Processing Fee (if you file a print application): $50

Express Service (if required): $125

If you needed an ISBN number quickly you would spend close to $450 to get one. The truth is, you receive up to ten ISBN’s for the price listed above, but the acquisition of an ISBN doe note provide a distinction between the need for one or ten separate numbers, ultimately you pay the same price. This can be a benefit I you have additional titles planned, but can be a hefty expense for a single book

The online web address for ISBN acquisition is http://www.isbn.org/standards/home/isbn/us/secureapp.asp

You should know that there are resellers of International Standard BookNumbers and you can purchase a single ISBN for around $50 through these services. Another alternate avenue for the purchase of an ISBN is through your book printer. These printing firms often provide this as a service to their printing customers simply because they realize that you may not need 10 ISBN numbers and you may not wish to pay $300-400 for the use of a single ISBN.

The task of self-publishing may seem daunting, but it can be successfully done. Just as you spent time researching the subject matter for your book, so too is the process for the publication process. Beyond the need for an ISBN you will also need to manage copyright issues as well as filing your work with the Library of Congress. Again in many cases a qualified book printer can address these issues although you may find a less expensive alternative with a little online comparison-shopping.



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Successful Self Publishing - February 2007

Wednesday, March 12th, 2008
self publishing
Terence Tam asked:


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.

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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 – 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 ‘great read’ 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 ‘sales package’ 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 ‘warm calling’ rather than cold calling – 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 – 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 – 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.

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How To Make Money With Self Publishing

Saturday, March 8th, 2008
self publishing
Hunter Crowell asked:


If you have always thought about writing for a living or have written things that you think people would like, why wait for publishers to notice your queries and your submissions? You can make money by turning to self publishing as a business and reap the rewards of your work being sold to and read by your customers.

You can simply set up a web site that advertises all of the books and publications that you are selling. It doesn’t have to be overly complicated, but it should present your publications in a clear and enticing manner. You want to grab your potential reader’s attention with snippets of the books so that they want to buy them. And by buying them, you can make money without any work.

What you need

To begin a self publishing business to make money, you need to have title to sell. And there are two ways to go about creating your stock of books. You can either write the books yourself, researching popular titles and themes to write about, or you can have a freelance writer do this for you.

You can go to several different writing sites to search for a freelance writer that will write a book that will make money for your business. And true, you will have to pay the writer for their efforts; it can save you time down the road because you aren’t spending your days writing. Leave the work to someone else. Or ask for submission for your site, giving a small profit to the original author, but keeping a percentage for your self.

Next, you will need to set up a web site that is crafted to make money for your books. This will include the titles as well as summaries of the books that you are offering. You will also want to include ways for customers to purchase your books from this web site. You may want to hire a web page designer at this stage in order to be sure that your customers will enjoy the presentation as well as be able to make purchases safely. Again, this step too may cost money, but in the end, a well-designed web site pays for itself.

Because your web site will be able to take orders without your input, you can make money while you’re sleeping or when you’re away. Some business owners also like to create fax machine orders for customers that aren’t comfortable with Internet ordering.

Growing over time

The best way to continue to make money with a self publishing business is to continuously add titles to your web site. This means that as you learn what your customers are buying, you want to put more of the same kinds of books on your site. You may even want to create a suggestion feature so that you can learn what kinds of books people are shopping for so that you can meet that demand.

Another way to increase profits and make money is to offer a downloadable version of each of the books that are for sale. This allows your customers to print out or save the books if they choose, rather than having the need to print and ship them to the customers. And it’s faster for the customer as well because they can get their book as soon as their payment clears.

With self publishing, you can see your words in print and make money for your hard work. And with the low start up cost and wide market, self publishing is becoming one of the most popular ways to make money with your computer.



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Jay Smith Presents His Side of the Famous Murder Case in Self Published Book

Saturday, March 8th, 2008
self publishing
Michael McCain asked:


Just because you are the Upper Merion High School principal doesn’t mean the law gives you free reign over its mandate.

Self-published author Jay Smith was that Upper Merion High School Principal. He was sentenced to death in 1986 and spent six years on Pennsylvania’s death row for the murders of Upper Merion teacher Susan Reinert and her children. Jay is the only person to receive a double-jeopardy decision in a capital case and was released when the Supreme Court dismissed his case. He aims to redeem himself by making his story known to the public.

In the self-published book, Joseph Wambaugh and the Jay Smith Case, Smith names another Upper Merion teacher William Bradfield, the state police investigators and the case’s prosecutor, and Joseph Wambaugh, the California crime writer as the collaborators responsible for placing him behind bars. “A frame-up” is an understatement because, as Smith asserts, the evidence privy to help his acquittal was concealed.

The author refutes in this Xlibris release everything that he was wrongfully accused of, and lambasted Joseph Wambaugh as the prime mover of the entire operation. Readers will be enlightened at the events that transpired as Smith describes them in detail.  One event exposed in the book is the emergence of hard evidence through a “junkman” who uprooted stems of documents stashed in the house of the state prosecutor, who apparently hoped to hide everything along with Smith’s innocence.

Smith says that even if he was a likely candidate because of a few accidental brushes with law, it was not enough for people to point their fingers at him. Joseph Wambaugh and the Jay Smith Case is an expression of the author’s suppressed cries for justice and freedom, which he was deprived of during his time in prison. He battled for the people’s unbiased understanding and judgment and is now fighting for an end to death penalty.

About Xlibris

Xlibris was founded in 1997 and, as the leading publishing services provider for authors, has helped to publish more than 20,000 titles. Xlibris is based in Philadelphia, PA and provides authors with direct and personal access to quality publication in hardcover, trade paperback, custom leather-bound, and full-color formats.

For more information, please visit www.xlibris.com, e-mail pressrelease@xlibris.com or call at 1-888-795-4247, to receive a free publishing guide.



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How to Choose the Best Title for Your Self Published Book

Thursday, March 6th, 2008
self publishing
Helen Hecker asked:


Authors, self publishers and book publishers often spend a lot of time thinking over possible titles for an upcoming book they plan to publish and rightly so. There are some basic considerations to keep in mind when choosing a title, assuming you’re publishing a non-fiction book.

The most important thing to remember is to choose a title that describes exactly what the book is about. Some of you may think this is common sense. But many publishers I’ve talked to have chosen titles that don’t give you any idea of what is in the book.

Many times publishers come up with cute, clever or humorous titles that offer the prospective buyer no clues.

Bookstores don’t like to carry books that don’t say exactly what the book is about. After all, many customers browse the spines of books on the bookshelves in search of the information they need.

Say your book is about repairing Volkswagen engines. If you pick a title like “My Life with Cutie Patootie” instead of “How to Fix Your Volkswagen Beetle Engine”, you’re signing a death warrant to your publishing efforts.

I recall a case when two titles came out about the same time. Both had the same title - “When the Bough Breaks.” They were similar in content but who knew what gems might really be inside. The books never had a chance without a descriptive title.

Publishers often find themselves in this ‘title’ dilemma after they publish their book. They have two options. Go back for another print run with the new title or continue to throw money down the drain and market the ‘heck’ out of the book. Granted they’ll sell some if they’re persistent but nothing like the rewards a good title would bring.

In any case, you want your title to be simple and exact for the search engines. And a ‘how to’ in your title guarantees you a lot more ‘hits’ from Google and the other search engines. After all, people use Google to search for information they need NOW - help that fills their needs, wants and desires. As a result, traffic will increase to your website or any other website that carries or mentions your book.

Besides bookstores and Google, librarians like titles that describe the book exactly. They’re likely to order more copies for their patrons. Librarians don’t necessarily order just one copy. They order multiples, for the main branch and all the branches. Don’t overlook them as a good source for sales.

I’ve seen many titles make or break publishers with great marketable non-fiction books. In some cases they were forced to change the title and go back for another print run - expensive. Some couldn’t afford to do it. They were stuck with a garage full of books on pallets. Don’t let this happen to you.

Knowing all of this, if you absolutely can’t bear the thought of giving up your ‘working title’, then use it for the sub-title. But using it as the title will guarantee a slow but certain death to your publishing and marketing efforts.

The title is the most important decision you’ll have to make when you publish a book.

To be safe, authors, self publishers and book publishers need to make sure they choose the best title for their book - a title that says exactly what their book is about. What it contains. No guesswork. And a ‘how to’ in the title will never be outdated or go out of style. Everyone will appreciate knowing what the book is about and a lot more copies will be sold.



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