Optional Ways to Market Your Book

Self publishing has become normal now but that wasn’t always so. There was a time self publishers, POD were considered not professional and were looked down upon and I find that this misconception still holds strength with some people. Which like many other misconceptions needs correction. The more you learn about the process and the marketing and the possibilities available to you the more this misconception can be discounted and a new way of thinking can be developed.

Take a look at amazon.com books if you want to feel more comfortable about writing and publishing a book. POD is a viable solution. AND you are not alone in proceeding down this path to fulfilling your dream.

https://www.ibpa-online.org/Login.aspx is an organization for self publishing authors and indie publishers and anyone interested in fulfilling a dream of making a book.

https://wwwsmashwords.com is a site to visit for information about ebooks production, sales and marketing.

And there are a boat-load of websites that offer different types of information for you to review. https://kindlepreneur.com/courses/ and the website over all offers information that might help you with the journey.

Thats it for now, I’ll be adding to this post as time goes on.

Remember, do something every day towards your book and self promotion.

Wishing you the best on your journey.

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AB 5: The Bona Fide Business-to-Business Rule

I believe that acquiring information is important and learning about what is current and relevant to what I do, so I subscribe to a variety of subjects, one is law. I recently ran across this article about the new AB 5: The Bona Fide Business-to-Business Rule. I’ve read Mr. Hoffmans articles for a few years and he shares his knowledge freely. There is another a link to his overview of the actual rule in this article and this one offers comments.

Check it out and always check resources.

http://ivanhoffman.com/AB5Business.html

Seth Godin and getting impact by broadening access

Sometimes we get lost in our focus and forget the “what’s out there also…” part of what we do, believe, write about. As non-fiction writers we are open to that ‘what’ so lets put our mind in gear and reach that other interest.

I speak with authors all the time about who is their audience and the whys. Once we get our purpose and promise inline with our speaking process allows us to move into another perspective.

I’ve subscribed to Seth Godin for years and find his daily emails to be very helpful. I hope you do too, he sends out a daily post which really can stimulate your thinking.

Widest common denominator

If you’re creating something where widespread inputs, usage and adoption lead to significant benefits, it’s worth considering who you’re excluding.

The curb cut turned out not simply to be a boon for wheelchair users. At low cost, it opened the sidewalk to a significantly larger audience of strollers, delivery people and skateboarders, too.

Often, we make the mistake of focusing on too broad an audience. Obsessing about the minimum viable audience forces us to make something that’s truly better. But once we identify those we seek to serve, broadening access is a powerful way to add impact.

This isn’t a matter of high or low, more or less. It’s the power of thinking hard about who it’s for and what it’s for.

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Please Join my New Mailing List!

This maybe be duplicated. I want to be sure you get the message.

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Thank you for being interested in my design services all these years,
I know I have not posted for awhile, life happens and now I’m back at it so…

I have been reorganizing my business and have changed my email
provider. Please sign up to my NEW mailing list service at one of the links below.

https://feedburner.google.com/fb/a/mailverify?uri=BookCoverDesignerTIPSByKarrieRoss&loc=en_US

OR on my website page

http://tinyurl.com/bookmailinglist

Be sure to do something everyday towards the production, promotion of your book.

Karrie Ross
https://www.bookcoverdesigner.com

How to add a website Bookmark icon to your iphone

How to make a desktop icon bookmark for your website url for use on your iphone so when someone asks about your book you can take them directly to your author website page of choice.

1. login to your phone

2. find the Safari icon and open the program

3. type in your website url

4. at the bottom of the screen you’ll see a rectangular icon page with arrow pointing out of the top…

5. tap the icon and when it opens successfully there will be a few options choose the one that works for your needs

4. you will be asked to choose a name for the icon… do so

5. go to your iphone desktop and find it… most likely on the last page of icons… remember you can move it by holding down the thumb button to get the icons giggling with an X… be sure not to hit the X but MOVE the icon to a forward page and once there hit the thumb button again.

Have fun with this easy way to visit your site.

Karrie Ross

Book Business and the Players…

Got turned on to an interesting article about the 4 largest players in the book business. Amazon on line; ReaderLink supplier to mass markets; Barnes&Noble brick-n-morter; Penguin Random House commercial trade.

Take a quick look if you don’t know much about the functions or back story… or just use it as an fyi. Click for the article.

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How do I treat the cover for a second edition?

Second Edition book changes or entirely new content? Some things to consider:

is it really a second edition or are you just correcting errors? Adding new info and what percentage?
second editions usually apply to timely content… like text books, directories etc. content with info that needs to be updated for specific uses yearly
will you need a new ISBN or can you use the same one
will the book need some kind of identifier on cover that states it is new info, use year, or second edition, or edition 2 etc.
the cover can be kept pretty much the same if you want, but I suggest putting an identifier of a different color somehow to make it perfectly clear its a new edition.
can you and will it benefit you to get new reviews to post along with old ones … will it be good to state that the review is from the first edition.
there might be other items that will need to be done depending on your type of book.

Contact me to help with your book design, marketing and promotion. Start with a consulting session and we’ll build from there.

Remember, do something every day toward the production and promotion of your book, service or company and contact me to help move you faster and effectively. There are several consulting options to choose from. Lets talk!

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Karrie Ross is an award winning author of a parenting book and childrens picture book.

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News: Great Southeast Book Festival 2016 — Call for Entries

I get a lot of notices for Book awards… here is one with a deadline of Feb. 14. Contact them at their url below.——Deadline submissions in each category must be received by the close of business on February 14, 2016 .——————–THE 2016 GREAT SOUTHEAST BOOK FESTIVAL – CALL FOR ENTRIES

NEW ORLEANS_The 2016 Great Southeast Book Festival has issued a call for entries to its annual competition honoring the best books of the late winter/spring.

The Great Southeast Book Festival will consider published and unpublished works in fiction, non-fiction, biography/autobiography, how-to, compilations/anthologies, photography/art, children’s, cookbooks, poetry, spiritual, young adult, business/technology, unpublished manuscripts, wild card (anything goes!), nature/animals and regional lit. There is no date of publication restriction, but all entries must be in English.

Our grand prize for the 2016 Great Southeast Book Festival winner is $500 cash and a flight to our awards ceremony in March, 2016, exact date and location TBD.

Submitted works will be judged by a panel using the following criteria:

1) General excellence and the author’s passion for telling a good story.
2) The potential of the work to reach a wider audience.

For more information, visit www.greatsoutheastbookfestival.com.

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CONTACT: bruce@greatsoutheastbookfestival.com 323-665-8080

NEWS: Los Angeles Book Festival 2016 Call for Entry

I get a lot of notices for Book awards… here is one with a deadline of Feb. 15. Contact them at their url below.DEADLINE for entry is February 15, 2016— LOS ANGELES BOOK FESTIVAL 2016 – CALL FOR ENTRIES —

LOS ANGELES (January 20, 2016) _ The 2016 Los Angeles Book Festival has issued a call for entries to its annual celebration of books deserving more attention from the world publishing community.

The Los Angeles Book Festival will consider entries in general non-fiction, fiction, biography/autobiography, children’s books, young adult, how-to, cookbooks, science fiction, business, wild card (anything goes!), compilations/anthologies, sequels (for books that are part of a series), photography/art, poetry, romance, and regional literature published on or after January 1, 2012.

Entries can be in English, French, Spanish, German or Portuguese and can be from major publishers, self-published or issued by an independent publishing house.

Our grand prize for the Los Angeles Book Festival is $1000 and a flight to Los Angeles for our gala awards ceremony in March, 2016 in Hollywood, CA.

Submitted works will be judged by a panel of publishing industry experts using the following criteria:

1) General excellence and the author’s passion for telling a good story.

2) The potential of the work to gain a wider audience in the worldwide market.

TO ENTER: Entry forms are available online at LosAngelesBookFestival.com or may be faxed/e-mailed to you. Deadline for regular registration is February 15, 2016.

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Note: information in this post was copied from an email I received 012016 from email address:
Los Angeles Book Festival <LosAngelesBookFest@sbcglobal.net>

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Writing for Books: Back Cover and Advertisements

Learning to write engaging copy in a way that examples your quality and caring is as important as a good-hair-day. What you write about is to example how to perceive you and your content.

Being sure you hit all their needs, write your copy to address answers to the most expected questions, and instill interest in your readers towards your teaching using the basics of the follow questions:

1. What’s in it for me?
First – readers want to know what they are learning when they read your book, what are the things that are new or offer new information. Be sure to research facts that will catch their attention, start with the headline. Write it in a very convincing tone, let them “hear” one thing they will learn when they read your book.

2. How will my life be better?
Connect here with emotional appeals that attract their deepest needs, wants. Ask yourself how to write so they see… “how to become richer, smarter, better looking, thinner or more popular?” Do they want to save time, money or effort… or all three?

Study your readers market until you know the emotional buttons to ‘talk to’ and you’ll see an increase in interest. Get them nodding in response to your questions, statements… use their desires to attract them and get them to continue reading right until the end.

3. Why should I trust you?
Your reader might be skeptical if an action requires a purchase. Write copy to clear their doubts by providing positive testimonials from previous readers and emphasize the benefits of your product.

If you don’t have testimonials for your product, search for forums related to your readers and offer to give a complimentary copy in exchange for a testimonial –usually you will get a response in no time.

4. What will happen if I say no?
Be sure to not to write in that tone… use convincing terms to get a yes from them… get the nodding going again. Remind them about the problems that they are having, their frustrations, about money, or their emotional condition, and impart to them how they can change by using new information.

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Research your questions well and provide answers and list positives that cover all your readers needs/wants. Help them to feel safe with you… that the solution is here with just a little work.

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Printed books are alive and doing well — Good Reader

Sounds a little scary. HOWEVER, printed books have gained!! The article presents some interesting stats…

As a book designer that news makes me happy. The article states “… paperback sales have increased by 8.9% giving further credence that people are switching back to print in greater numbers than originally thought….” And that the brick and mortar might still be there for all to enjoy… might take awhile…. and they are doing better than online sales, and this on the heels of the 20th anniversary of amazon.

“I think e-books are the modern equivalent of a Polaroid camera or LP record. There is a niche market that will always support it, and make it financially viable for publishers to produce digital editions. The mass market though, experimented with e-books for awhile and decided that print is far more affordable and carries a true sense of ownership.” ~Michael Kozlowski for Good Reader.

I for one am happy to hear and have my feelings confirmed… PRINT IS NOT DEAD!

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Association of American Publishers

The first sub-head is “Adult Books Experience Growth” …. And then it goes into Trade info and stats for Educational Materials; Professional and Scholarly Publications. Might just seem like a bunch of numbers, but in the end, they are statistics and have meaning.

About AAP

The Association of American Publishers (AAP) is the voice of the U.S. book and journal publishing industry. AAP represents the industry’s priorities on policy, legislative and regulatory issues regionally, nationally and worldwide. These include the protection of intellectual property rights and worldwide copyright enforcement, digital and new technology issues, funding for education and libraries, tax and trade, censorship and literacy. Our four hundred member companies represent major commercial, educational and professional companies as well as independents, non-profits, university presses and scholarly societies.

Find us online at www.publishers.org or on twitter at @AmericanPublish.

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Amazon had an Anniversary July 15th its been 20 years!!

I know… 20 years! Strange to think that in just that short amount of time all the changes that have happened. Good and Not so good on many levels. I know it changed the way I purchase, and do business.

They hit many markets: bookselling, one-click-purchasing, amazon prime, kindle/ebook creation and sales, publishing with create space, drones and robots still in the works, trunk delivery, dash, and prime day this month.

The article gives a short description of each as a reminder in case we forgot. Continue reading →

The Power of Telling, not showing for book promotion

Tell the story.
Each book has a special audience, talk to them.

Tell the details.
Remember, you wrote the book… go back and read it as thought for the first time and see what you find.

Example in words the connection.
Everyone has an emotion that gets touched that makes them pay attention.

Don’t loose sight of what your passion is.
Share.

Tell the tension in a way that the reader wants to know more.

Promotion… create a series of ways to be heard.

create a website
tell stories
postcards, book marks, and posters
get that video on youtube

Contact me to help with your promotion. Start with a consulting session and we’ll build from there. I set up and train you to update your own website. So you can express yourself when the feeling is there. WordPress is pretty easy to comprehend.

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Karrie Ross is an award winning author of a parenting book and childrens picture book.

Publishing a book challenges your brian… Huffington Post

Elaine Ambrose —Author, syndicated blogger, featured humor speaker, publisher, and retreat organizer knows that laughter – with wine – is the best medicine.

This was a delight to read this morning… so many articles are not written with a lightness and combines publishing a book, losing weight, and finding love all in one place…!

Seems like this author has it down…

And here is my shameless self promotion…. I really appreciated when she stated “hire a professional graphic artist to design a cover” as she really understands that we pros make a difference. And then she continues with “Then the work begins as you market and promote your work. ” exampling further understanding that setting up the importance of a plan to promote your book…

Remember to look into my consulting, AND do something every day toward the production and promotion of your book, service or company and contact me to help move you faster and effectively. There are several consulting options to choose from. Lets talk!

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Book Designer Karrie Ross | Book Design, Self-Publishing Consulting, Website Design

Quality book design for hardcover and paperback books, and Consulting for Self-Publishing Authors