Getting the book discovered:
Write a good book
Invest in a good
editor
Effective packaging
Cover art is a
selling tool
Branding
… of the book. J
Sorry, folks, to tease you like that, but I've been asked
to talk about what it takes to bring a self-published book to an author’s
readership.
Let me preface this by saying that I’m both traditionally
and self-published, and I own a business where I help authors get their books
to market, www.formatting4U.com. It
evolved because I was listening to authors on my loops talk about paying
astronomical prices to have someone else do what I’d figured out how to do on
my own. I couldn't see paying for it; I also couldn't see paying what those
authors were talking about to have it done. So, I popped in to the
conversation, said that I’d do it for $XX and dontchaknow? A few people
contacted me.
The business has grown from a part time,
help-out-my-fellow-author-and-earn-some-cash-doing-so hobby, to a business that
I’m hoping to make full time. It’s grown from formatting books for Kindle, Nook
and Smashwords, to more platforms, to doing print-on-demand layouts, to covers
(both electronically and print), to editing, to PDF-to-text conversion,
children’s books, and text books, services all requested by my growing client
base. (Testimonials are at: www.formatting4U.com/testimonials).
The hardest part, of course, is writing the book...
The hardest part, of course, is writing the book...
So what all is involved? First, you have to start with a
clean MSWord document. There are numerous theories and practices out there
where people say you shouldn’t use a Word doc as your source, that you should
convert to Kindle from Mobi Pocketcreator or Calibre and Sigil, to using
Smashwords’ nuclear method, to a whole host of other options. And you know
what? Each one is right for that individual. Depending on your level of
technological know-how, you can find different ways to get your book online.
There’s no one way.
This is actually the easy part of self-publishing. The
hardest part, of course, is writing the book. The second hardest part is having
your book get discovered online. If only I knew the secret to that…
The landscaping is changing daily on what works and what doesn't Prior to June 2012, free promos worked well on Amazon. But they've changed their algorithms supposedly and I know from first-hand experience (with
a book I put up under a completely different name and a different genre), as
well as from fellow authors, that the KDP Select free promo days don’t have the
same impact.
One of the biggest draws is going to be your cover...
One of the biggest draws is going to be your cover...
So we have to look at all the other packaging for the book.
One of the biggest draws is going to be your cover. You want to invest in a
good cover artist. This is not the area to skimp. Actually, none of the areas
are areas to skimp. You've spent how many hours writing the book and while I’m
sure you love that you have a finished product, most of us do want people to buy it so we can recoup our investment and make
some money. Spend money on an editor: you may only get one chance to capture
the reader if you can get them to download your book. If you have shoddy
editing, you’ll ensure they won’t pick up your next book.
Find a cover artist if you’re not familiar with graphics programs, or if you don’t have a good handle on marketing. Because covers are your selling tool. They need to look good in thumbnail sizes, they need to show the genre, and show your target audience that this book is one they will want to read.
Find a cover artist if you’re not familiar with graphics programs, or if you don’t have a good handle on marketing. Because covers are your selling tool. They need to look good in thumbnail sizes, they need to show the genre, and show your target audience that this book is one they will want to read.
There’s the front and back matter. Do you want to include
cover quotes? Review quotes? A dedication? A glossary? Author bio/photo?
Acknowledgments, dedication, links for other books in the series or your
website? All considerations that help the reader experience and the author
experience (if you can get the current reader to click over and buy your
backlist/sequels, it’s definitely a good experience for your wallet!)
I could go on (and Sia is probably wishing I wouldn't), but
I do have these discussions with my clients. www.formatting4U.com isn't just a
static,
put-the-manuscript-in-the-engine-and-it-spits-out-a-digital-book-on-the-other-end
type enterprise.
It’s an interactive, interdependent relationship between the author and me, with full consideration given to the reader as the ultimate beneficiary from a job well done.
You may only get one chance to capture the reader, make it count.
It’s an interactive, interdependent relationship between the author and me, with full consideration given to the reader as the ultimate beneficiary from a job well done.
You may only get one chance to capture the reader, make it count.
- Invest in a good editor.
- Don't skimp on creating a cover.