Posts Tagged ‘self-publish’
Monday, February 1st, 2010
My favorite cover for Abundant Gifts
Trying to design your own book covers is one of the biggest mistakes I see new authors making, especially if they self publish.
One of the advantages of self-publishing is that you are in control of the whole process. When you work with a company like Intermedia, for instance, you own the rights, and you get to pick the cover, the interior design, everything.
However, there’s a downside to this. Just because you have the final say, that should not mean that you are the best one to judge the cover design, or even the title, for that matter. Having the final say should not mean having the only say–especially when it comes to areas you’re not trained in, such as the interior and exterior design.
Unless you’re an experienced designer yourself, (more…)
Tags: abundant gifts, book cover, book design, design book cover, Intermedia, self-publish
Posted in Writing, publishing, promoting books | 2 Comments »
Friday, October 16th, 2009
I find it very interesting that a traditional publisher, Thomas Nelson, just announced a new division–one that is basically providing self-publishing services.
I hinted that this might happen months ago on this blog, because I had heard of another publisher considering this very option. More than a year ago I predicted that publishers would eventually move toward more of a self-publishing model.
It’s really inevitable. The other day someone revealed to me something a traditional publisher told a prospective author: the author needed to guarantee they could sell 10,000 books from speaking in order to be published by them. That author would have to buy 10,000 of his own book (usually at a 50-60% discount only), in order to get published!
(I couldn’t help but wonder how the author advance, if any, would stack up against the investment the author would have to make.)
Increasingly, author platform (i.e. a large, loyal following) is a necessary prerequisite for being published by a traditional publisher.
So what’s an author to do who doesn’t yet have that following? (more…)
Tags: self-publish, self-publishing, self-publishing services, Thomas Nelson, traditional publisher
Posted in Writing, publishing, promoting books | 2 Comments »
Tuesday, September 15th, 2009
It hit me forcefully just how much publishing has changed as I reflected on my recent interactions with a major publisher over a client’s potential book.
As I mentioned in one of my Publishing Coach Weekly teleseminars, there are three paths of publishing one can take.
1. You publish just because your life dream is to have a published book. The book is really all you care about.
You can go either the self-publishing route (faster, possible to get published if you have the money), or you can take the longer, more uncertain route of trying to get a publisher to publish you. If you do go the traditional publishing route, you will need
Read the rest of this new Publishing Coach Weekly article
Tags: author, publish, Publishing Coach Weekly, self-publish, self-publishing
Posted in Writing, publishing, promoting books | No Comments »
Thursday, September 11th, 2008
Thursday at 1 p.m. Eastern, 10 a.m. Pacific is your opportunity to get your question answered about writing, publishing, or promoting a book on the next Publishing Coach Weekly teleseminar.
Each Publishing Coach Weekly teleseminar is held at 1 p.m. Eastern, 10 a.m. Pacific, for 30-45 minutes. Here you can ask your question, before or during the call. You can also get your Action/Resource Guide the day of the call. (Replays available within 48 hours at www.publishingcoachweekly.com/teleseminarreplays.html.)
The questions I plan to answer include:
- “Are there any ways to test the idea(s) one would have for a book? No sense working hard on a manuscript if it wouldn’t have market appeal.”-Barb
- “What are some good strategies for determining market interest as well as gaps in the existing book market?”–Lynne
- “If you were to write a book, how would you rank the most important things to spend time and money on? (Topic would sell or not, market, title, cover, content, etc.–not marketing, website, etc.–just the book…)”–Johnny
Plus I’ll tell you what I think is the most important quality you need to become a successful author.
It’s all here.
Tags: become a successful author, Diane Eble, promoting a book, publishing, Publishing Coach Weeky, self-publish, self-publishing, test book idea, writing
Posted in Writing, publishing, promoting books | No Comments »
Friday, August 15th, 2008
“Who do you generally consider the best self-publishing company across the board?”
“How do you find a publishing company you can trust?”
“How do I choose the right publishing company to professionally edit, print and market my novel? There are many scams out there and I don’t know who to choose. Who is legit?”
These are a few of the questions submitted for the recent Virtual Book Tour I did with Mark Levine on self-publishing and how to choose a good self-publishing company. (Ask your question or listen to the replay.)
Happily, I have an answer!
(more…)
Tags: best POD company, best self-publishing company, Fine Print of Self-Publishing, publishing company, self-publish, self-publishing companies, self-publishing services
Posted in Writing, publishing, promoting books | No Comments »
Thursday, August 14th, 2008
The replay is ready from the Virtual Book Tour with Mark Levine.
We had a lot of great questions and Mark shared a lot of important information.
Here are just a few of the questions he answered:
- “What exactly do we mean by self-publishing and self-publishing companies?”
- “How is a self-publishing company such as you analyze in your book different from a ‘vanity publisher’-or
(more…)
Tags: Mark Levine, publishing contracts, self-publish, self-publishing companies, self-publishing services, The Fine Print of Self-Publishing, vanity publishers, Virtual Book Tour
Posted in Writing, publishing, promoting books | 1 Comment »
Monday, August 11th, 2008
A friendly reminder that if you have ever considered self-publishing, you will want to be on tomorrow night’s call as I grill Mark Levine on The Fine Print of Self-Publishing.
You can ask your question and sign up here.
One of the most-asked questions was, “What are the biggest mistakes authors make when self-publishing?”
I answered that in my recent article. (There are five to avoid.)
Some of the other questions we will answer tomorrow night include:
- What exactly is self-publishing, and what can I expect from a self-publishing company?
- How much does it cost to self-publish (and how can I be sure I won’t get ripped off)?
- What kind of distribution does a self-published book get? (I.e., will the book show up on a Barnes & Noble bookshelf?)
- How do you distinguish the best self publishing companies
If these are your questions, sign up for the call!
If you have another question you would like to see Mark Levine answer, now is the time to ask it.
You’ll get all the details, plus “The Author’s Bill of Rights” and Mark’s PowerPoint on “Why Self-Publish?” when you sign up.
If you can’t make the live call, you will get the replay link–if you sign up!
Tags: Diane Eble, Fine Print of Self-Publishing, Mark Levine, self-publish, self-publishing, Virtual Book Tour
Posted in Writing, publishing, promoting books | No Comments »
Friday, August 8th, 2008
Self-publishing is an increasingly viable option for many authors. But it’s not without its perils.
In my recent interview with Mark Levine, author of The Fine Print of Self-Publishing: The Contracts & Services of 45 Self-Publishing Companies–Analyzed, Ranked and Exposed, we discussed 5 mistakes authors often make that can cost them lots of money, not to mention time and frustration.
I thought I’d write it up in a new article on mistakes to avoid when self-publishing.
Actually, only Mistake #4 is unique to self-publishing. The other 4 mistakes are made by most authors, no matter what publishing path they seek.
Read the article, and feel free to come back and comment here. I’m very interested in hearing your publishing experience … positive or negative … with a self-publisher or “traditional” publisher. Thanks in advance!
Tags: best self-publishing companies, how to self-publish, Mark Levine, self-publish, self-publishing companies, self-publishing services
Posted in | No Comments »
Thursday, July 10th, 2008
“Write a book in 28 days!”
“Get published in 6 weeks!”
“Become an Amazon best seller and rake in the publishing deals!”
“We’ll publish your book and get you in all the book store chains.â€
“We think your book sounds promising. Forward your manuscript with a $25 (or $50 or $100 or …) reading fee.”
Perhaps you’ve seen these and other promises made to people whose dream has always been to write and publish a book, and even, perhaps, get on the bestseller list.
Promises like these make me angry. I hate it when people prey on other people’s dreams, just to make a buck.
If you are unsure of whether a company or resource you’re considering is credible, I invite you (more…)
Tags: amazon best seller, Diane Eble, Fine Print of Self-Publishing, get published, Mark Levine, publishing scams, self-publish, write a book
Posted in Resources, Writing, publishing, promoting books | No Comments »
, on "the story behind the story" of Don Piper's amazing trip to heaven--and back.
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