Category:

Subscription Services for Self-Published Authors

1/10/2022

Subscription services are often overlooked by self-published authors. The reason for the oversight is simple: authors tend to focus on sales rather than borrows. There aren't many book subscription services, so the field is fairly narrow. But those that exist have a huge number of subscribers (and an equally huge number of books).

Self-published authors should consider offering their books on subscription services because, as far as publishing goes, the more venues the better. You should get your book onto as many sites, and in as many formats, as you can.
_____________________

Scribd

Scribd is a subscription service with 80 million unique visitors a month. For a monthly fee of $8.99 subscribers can read unlimited books. The Scribd library boasts more than half a million ebooks and over 30,000 audiobooks, including New York Times bestsellers, Pulitzer Prize winners, as well as self-published works. 60+ million documents have been uploaded by users, Essentially, anyone can upload a file onto Scribd, which has led to several copyright infringements, Although Scribd has a huge readership, the best way to ensure that they notice your book, and that you get some monetary compensation, is to go through your publisher. As a self-publisher, you can use Smashwords or BookBaby, each of which offers a Scribd royalty payment.

Find more information about Scribd for writers HERE and HERE.
____________________

Substack
Serializing novels is nothing new. The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas was originally published in serial form in 1844. A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens, Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment, and Jules Verne's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea were also serialized. But while Substack is willing to offer famous authors a substantial advance, an unknown author would probably have no greater chances of a sale than trying to get the attention of a traditional publisher. Substack's only appeal to unknown authors it that, like self-publishing, it allows an author to simply put a book out there, come what may.

Aside from serialization, Substack offers of couple of features that make it appealing to writers, one of which is that you can import your existing blog, or create a new one. You can also send newsletters via Substack. And if you already have a newsletter, you can import your subscriber list.

The monthly fee for newsletters can vary anywhere from free to $2 a month to a yearly fee of $200. The writer sets the fee. While writers don't have to pay to sign up, Substack charges 10% of the subscriber fee. An additional 2.9% of your billing rate, plus 30 cents per transaction will be taken out by Stripe, the service Substack uses for billing. Like many self-publishing platforms, Substack offers editing, proofreading, art and design, and legal services as part of their packages.

In addition to subscriptions, Substack also runs a monthly short story competition. Their mission is to "revive the art of the short story, support artists, and produce something wonderful." The prize is $100 for the chosen story plus 50% of subscription revenue to be sent by Paypal, Zelle, or check. Submit stories by the end of the month. (Only one story receives the full payout.) Their preferred length is 6000 - 10,000 words. Reprints are ok so long as you still have the rights to distribute. Read more about the competition HERE.

____________________

Kindle Unlimited offers a Netflix-style, all-you-can-read approach to more than 600,000 e-books, including blockbuster series like “The Hunger Games” and “Diary of a Wimpy Kid,” nonfiction titles like “Flash Boys” by Michael Lewis, as well as literary fiction and classics for $9.99 a month. Books published through Amazon's KDP Select program are automatically enrolled in Kindle Unlimited. The catch is that for 90-days (renewable) you cannot offer your book on any other platform. Royalties: Once a customer reads more than 10% of your book, or a Kindle Owners' Lending Library customer downloads your book, you'll receive a share of the KDP Select Global Fund.

How to Edit Your Own Manuscript

3/12/2018

Writer's Block/Drew Coffman/CC license

You've written the last line of your book, and you have that expansive euphoria that comes with a job well done. An almost uncontrollable urge to share your accomplishment with the world washes over you. You want to show your new book to your friends, agents, publishers - or, God forbid, immediately self-publish.

Don't do it.

The first draft of anything you write needs to be your little secret. Hug it to your breast, murmur sweet nothings to its pages, but don't let anybody read it.

Why? Because it is filled with mistakes. There are errors in grammar, punctuation, spelling, word choice, internal logic, voice, awkward constructions, typos. There are whole scenes you have left out, dramatic high points you have missed. There is a relationship between your characters that you have not fully developed. You may even have used impact as a verb! (AGH!)

If you think none of those things appear in your book, you are wrong. If you think nobody will pay attention to any of those minor blips, you are wrong. If you think your glorious prose will shine through, like the sun breaking through clouds of dangling participles, you are dead wrong. Those errors will mar your work.

At this point, I may have sufficiently scared you into investigating editors. Don't do it yet. First, give your book a once over. Maybe a twice over. Or a three times over. But take a good crack at it before you send it off to be edited. (You will save yourself some money if the editor doesn't have to fix quite as many mistakes.) Follow these steps:

1) Put your manuscript away for a few months. It will grate on you to simply park your project for awhile, but I can guarantee you need a break from it in order to see it with fresh eyes. You can use the break to write something else. Or you can read. (As you read, ideas about how to make your manuscript better may pop into your head. Either take notes, or make a few changes.)

2) When you pick up your manuscript again, read it aloud. Reading aloud slows processing speed, allowing you to spot errors more easily. If you stumble while you are reading, revise that sentence or phrase. You've composed an awkward or ambiguous construction that readers will find difficult to parse.

3) Open your book to a random page to edit. Writers get "manuscript blindness" when they read through their work from first to last page. It's a natural consequence of looking at something too many times combined with the inner knowledge of what comes next. To find errors you need to surprise yourself.

4) Read your first page. Pretend that your book will be judged on that page, and that page alone. (Often, readers don't even make it past the first paragraph. I know I don't.) Polish that page until you can see your face in it.

5) Repeat step 4 for every page in your book.

Now you can show your manuscript to trusted friends or beta readers. After you have gotten enough feedback to hone your book even further, you can begin searching for an editor. At this point, you will have a much better idea of what kind of editor you want (line editor, proofreader, or, if you are still stuck on structural components, a developmental editor). This article will help you find the editor who is right for you: Costs for Editing a Self-Published Book

When, at long last, you send your book to an editor, she, or he, will find errors, because there are always errors. But you will have had the chance to take care of plot holes, character motivation, missing scenes, and all those things that only you, the author, can do.

Costs for Editing a Self-Published Book

3/1/2018

If you are thinking of self-publishing your book, you will need to get your manuscript edited before you put it on the market.

Every writer needs a second pair of eyes (and frequently a third), because there are always mistakes. These can range from simple grammar and spelling errors, to internal logic (your character is drinking coffee, and two lines later is sipping tea), to structural problems.

Editing can catch all these errors. But unless you know an editor who is willing to work for free, you will have to pay for this essential service.

(If the thought of shelling out money for an editor makes you squirm, consider the fact that Amazon is now allowing readers to report errors in self-published books, and is penalizing authors accordingly.)

_________________

What kind of editor do you need?

There are basically three kinds of editors:

Developmental editors look at your manuscript as a whole. They are concerned with plot, pacing, character development, voice, motivation and other large components of your book. If you feel as if your manuscript is still rough around the edges, then you will need a developmental editor.

Copy editors make sure a manuscript is free of errors in the text. They check for grammar, spelling, and internal logic errors, word choice, repetitions, consistency, clarification, ambiguity in sentence structure, dialogue, and other aspects of your manuscript that require a narrow focus. (Note: Some editors make a distinction between copy editing for simple errors and line editing for sense, logic, and style.) If your book is finished, has been soundly critiqued, and you are fully confident that your concept, plot, and character development are tight, then you will need a copy or line edit.

Proof readers do a final check for errors in spelling, punctuation, formatting, typos and other small errors. This is the last step before printing or epublishing. Do not skip this step! There are always typos.

Here is a helpful article that explains the different types of editing in greater depth: 4 Levels of Editing Explained: Which Service Does Your Book Need?

A word to the wise

Before you consider hiring an editor, read his or her site carefully. If sample edits are available, read those as well. I have noticed errors in grammar, punctuation, and spelling (!) on some editing sites. If you spot an error, or even a typo, run away, run away!

Make sure your editor is experienced. What other books has he edited? (Read the testimonials, then look up the authors and their books on Amazon. Use "Look Inside" to read the first few pages. Do you notice any errors?) What credentials does she have? Does the editor have experience in your genre? (This is very important!) Does the editor offer a clear contract? And finally, do you like her (or him)? You are going to be doing some painstaking, often difficult, work together, so it's best if you get along.

How much does editing cost?

The cost of editing depends on the length of your book, the editor, and the type of edit. This cost can vary quite a bit from editor to editor. To get an initial idea of how much a professional edit should cost, as well as how to find an editor, the Editorial Freelance Association is the best place to start.

The Association's member directory includes bios of the members. You can look up a member by name, or you can search by skills (such as proofreading, line editing, etc.), nonfiction specialty or fiction genre, and by language. Click on the names in search results to read details about the editor, including years of experience and background.

You can post a job for free on this site. Interested freelancers will then contact you with their credentials and pay rate. There is a handy table of editing rates on the site that should give you a good idea of what editors normally charge. (One of the questions on the job listing form concerns how much you can pay, so consult this table before you post your job.)

More resources for finding an editor

Here are more resources for finding editors. (These are not personal recommendations, as I have not used any of these services):

Professional Editors To Help With Your Book - Joanna Penn's list is extensive. She includes prices, interviews (when available), types of services offered, and editors she has personally worked with.

The Northwest Independent Editors Guild connects clients with professional editors of the written word in the Pacific Northwest. You search for an editor on this site, or post a job. Their "For Clients" section has good information on how to choose an editor, different types of editing, how to work with an editor, sample contract, and more. Even if you do not live in the Northwest, this site is worth checking out.

New York Book Editors actually match you to an editor. First you tell them about your book, and then they find an editor for you. You get a chance to evaluate your working relationship through a trial edit. (This is important!) The editors in this outfit are former editors who have worked for major publishing houses, so they know what they're doing. (My editor at St. Martin's is one of them.)

Lewis Editorial - Cecilia Lewis is the sole editor at Lewis Editorial. She explains in detail what she offers, including different service plans, and how much it will cost. Even if you go with a larger service, explore this site, because it is everything an editor's site should be - clear, succinct, and detailed.

Examples from the website:

Line edit

"This service provides an intensive, prose-focused line-by-line edit that evaluates issues including sentence structure, word choice, word repetition, clarification, dialogue, consistency issues, voice breaks, verb tense, point of view issues, grammar, syntax, cadence, diction, missing words, etc. This edit does not include plot or characterization analysis. This step is crucial in ensuring that your manuscript features quality prose.

Rate: $12.50 per 1,000 words"

Full edit

"The most comprehensive package, this service is a 3-round process that includes developmental editing, line editing, and proofreading. You’ll receive focused, in-depth attention on all aspects of your manuscript, and I will be available for discussion or questions throughout the project. This is a great option for writers who are self-publishing or who want additional in-depth editing of their manuscript.

Rate: $1200-$2000, depending on the length of your MS and the level of editing it requires. Payment plans are available."
You might also like:

One of my books saved someone from suicide

12/12/2017

Five years ago, I self-published the second edition of a book I’d originally written with my friend and associate Lauren Gellman in 1998. The first edition, which was published by St. Martin’s Press, was out of print, and I didn’t want to go through the long, grueling process of finding an agent and publisher again. So I went ahead and published an electronic second edition on Amazon.

After a few months of promotion, during which I gave away more than 15,000 copies, I turned my attention to other projects. I stopped reading the reviews on Amazon — until yesterday, when for some undefinable reason I decided to see if anything new had popped up.

The book is Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: A Treatment Guide, 2nd Edition. At the time of its first release in 1998, there were no other books on the market focusing on treatments for the disease, which is not only difficult to treat, but permanently disables about a quarter of the people who contract it. (In the late 90s, the press was still calling it “yuppie flu.” It is properly called myalgic encephalomyelitis.) The book was groundbreaking. But only 5,000 copies were sold. The book’s release was, as a British friend of mine put it, “Silent as a pee in bath.”

The second edition was about twice as long as the first. (One reason I published the second edition as an ebook was that nobody would have been able to afford, let alone lift, a 750-page book.) I put a year of work into it, which I chalked up as a “labor of love” — something that was a noble effort, if ultimately unacknowledged.

All of that changed yesterday. Below is the review I found of my book. I don’t know this person. I will never meet this person. But my heart was torn when I read this review on Amazon.

They say that if you reach even one person, it makes writing worthwhile. In this instance nothing could be more true. Someone Astonishing, I did it all for you.

___________________

I Wanted To Die.

By Someone Astonishing on January 4, 2017

I’m wiped out. That’s how I feel right now. And pretty much most of the time . . . for the past 26 years. I had toyed with the notion that my malady might be Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, but I already had so many weird, random, all-in-my-head symptoms, that I hated to bring it up and sound like even more of a hypochondriac to my doctor. Admittedly, I used to be more assertive and push for doctors to hear me: there was more wrong with me than a constant string of random, unprovable, seemingly-unrelated symptoms. But, I always came away with a psych referral — not a diagnosis. So, I grew leery of bringing up more than the manifesting symptoms. But, I’ve been with my doctor for ten years; if I was really sick with CFS, wouldn’t she have realized it? She already diagnosed me with fibromyalgia years ago (often a dual diagnosis). Wouldn’t she have caught on? After all, I constantly complain of fatigue and malaise, as well as all the other hallmarks. Well, the answer is a resounding NO. The medical community cannot be counted on to recognize or even believe CFS exists.

So, I struggled with the brain fog and read this book to try to help myself. All of my “imaginary” symptoms? Every one of them is described in this book. Here were my decades of misery and depression laid bare. I was now able to put together a clear picture of my illness and present it to my doctor. She heard me out and actually agreed with my diagnosis. And, although there’s nothing more we can do than treat the symptoms as we have been, I feel better. No, wait, I don’t feel better. But, I do feel free.

I no longer doubt myself. I don’t question if my symptoms are real. I don’t blame myself or fitness level when I’m out of breath and can’t do things. I’m not constantly pushing myself, trying to do everything like “normal” people can (and like I thought I should). I no longer work myself to the point that it takes 4 days to recover from 1 afternoon. I’ve accepted my limits and am making sure that those closest to me accept them, too. For decades, I was ruthlessly mean to myself for being lazy or overweight or out of shape. Everything was a failure on my part.

I’ve been miserable; I was beyond depressed. This book literally — and I do mean literally — saved my life. I couldn’t have forced myself to go on much longer. Yes, I am saying that I would definitely have been a suicide statistic. But, I gained power from reading: power to name my tormentor, power to stop blaming myself and power to find some inner peace.

Now, I follow the stellar advice, found here, of planning what I intend to accomplish each day and then do 75% of it. This remarkably simple tip has helped me reshape my life. I make it through my day unfrazzled, and still have something left for tomorrow. My experience with this book has been wonderful. I wholeheartedly recommend this work to anyone wondering if they might have CFS or to those just wanting to gain a better understanding of the syndrome. It’s an extremely thorough and well-written treatment of the subject.

Now, I thank you for reading my story, but I really am worn out and my shoulders are killing, but my attitude is soaring like it hasn’t in . . . forever. Time for a rest, friends.

_____________________

Epilogue: I thought my work was over when I published my book, but since then it has only expanded. Someone Astonishing, like so many others, has nowhere to turn for help. One book was not enough, so I founded a national non-profit, the American Myalgic Encephalomyelitis and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Society (AMMES.org). Its aim is to help patients find knowledgeable physicians, effective treatments, support, and practical assistance. There is hope.

How to Game the Amazon Rating System

10/3/2017

The person who posted this ad was sued by Amazon. Fake reviews are no joke.

Amazon recently filed five arbitration demands against authors, publishers, and marketers, who it says have abused the Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) system to inflate their profits and sales rankings. It's not the first time Amazon has sued authors and services for manipulating Amazon's ratings system. In 2015, Amazon sued several websites that offered bogus reviews for a fee. By 2016, the number of fake reviewers sued by Amazon had risen to over a thousand.

The truth is that gaming Amazon's system is the norm. I've even experienced the work of Amazon gamers. One "reviewer" left a negative review on one of my books, only to recommend another book they said was better. (I became suspicious because the recommended book was on an entirely different subject.) After some research I discovered that these reviews had appeared verbatim on other books in the same category as mine. It was obvious that the "reviewer" was paid. (I reported the incident to Amazon. Nothing happened.) There are also fake reviews generated for political purposes, such as the thousands of "reviews" of Hillary Clinton's new book which Amazon was recently forced to delete.

At the moment, Amazon is suing over the ways their current payment system for KDP is being gamed. The new system is based on pages read, rather than downloads, because services were downloading books for a fee in order to boost a book's ranking. But the new system hasn't made a dent in the abuse. Thu-Huong Ha, writing for Quartz, has described in vivid detail some of the tricks being employed.

1) Inflating pages read. How can Amazon determine the number of pages a person has read of an ebook? Simple. Reading devices do not record the pages you read sequentially. Therefore, if someone is on the first page, and then jumps to the last page, the device will record the whole book as read. Who would want to read only two pages? Well, nobody. But if on the first page there is a "free offer" of something on the last page - voila! These books can even be composed of complete nonsense, and there will still be a payout.

2) Authors can create fake accounts, or hire a service that owns numerous accounts, to download massive numbers of books on free days. The author earns nothing, but the book will appear on Amazon's bestseller list for free books, which will enhance its attractiveness to future buyers.

3) Fake reviews. This has been a problem from the start. An author or company can buy fake reviews on Fiverr for a few bucks. Authors and companies can also purchase negative reviews of similar products (that's what happened to me) in order to drive down the ratings of the competition. Amazon has become so paranoid about fake reviews that it will remove a review from anyone even vaguely connected to the author - a Facebook friend, for example, whom the author may never have met.

The bottom line on Amazon rankings is that the system will always be gamed. It doesn't matter how many people Amazon sues, or how many new contortions it introduces into KDP, there will always be some way to work around it.

It makes you long for the old days, when all you had to do to get bestseller status was either sleep with a reviewer for the New York Times, or give birth to one. Ah, things were so much simpler then.

Translating Your Self-Published Book

8/22/2017

One of the advantages of self-publishing is that you don't have to wait for your publisher to translate your book. You can do it yourself!

Translation can help open your book up to more markets, but keep in mind that your translated book will need to be promoted - just like the original. It helps to do some research into magazines, news services, and/or organizations that might be interested in reviewing or advertising your book abroad.

Authors have several translation options: 1) Translation services that charge nothing, but take a percentage of your sales, 2) Translation services that will translate your book into several languages simultaneously, 3) Freelance translators, which you can find on boards and freelance hubs. Most freelancers and services will give you a free quote, which will depend on the length of your work, and the degree of specialization required.

______________

TRANSLATION SERVICES WITH NO UP-FRONT COSTS

Babelcube

Babelcube bills itself as the easiest way for authors to team up with translators to sell their books in multiple languages globally. The way it works is quite simple: You upload ten pages of your book, along with a description. Translators then offer to translate your book and translate your ten pages. You can either accept or decline the translation, based on your assessment of the translation.

There is no charge to the author. The incentive for the translator is that for the first $2,000 of sales, the translator receives 55% of revenue generated from sales. The author receives 30%, and Babelcube receives 15% of net receipts. Babelcube distributes translated ebooks to multiple outlets, including Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple, Overdrive, Tolino, and many more. Over ten languages are offered. Their system is easy to use, and once the translation, translated cover, blurb, and author bio are uploaded, publication is immediate.

So far, I have used Babelcube to translate my book into Portuguese and French. Both of my translators were excellent, and I was quite pleased with the results. But the problem with a no-risk arrangement is that your translators can simply not follow through. They can miss their deadlines, and fail to respond to your messages. In that case, Babelcube will cancel that translation, and your book then becomes available for another translator in that language. (This has happened to me on more than one occasion.) The administrators at Babelcube are very responsive, and are always willing to answer questions. Nevertheless, waiting for a completed manuscript that never arrives can be frustrating, especially if the topic is timely.

Fiberead

Fiberead offers translations into simplified and traditional Chinese. Translators will translate your book into Chinese at a rate of nine months for 80,000 words with one additional month per 10,000 words. Authors get their own project team that includes editors, translators, illustrators and proofreaders. For digital e-book versions: 30% goes to authors, 30% to professional translators, 5-10% to editors and the rest is re-invested into the Fiberead platform. Authors also have the option of allowing Fiberead to be their agent for printed versions as well, which pays 90% royalties.

I have not tried this service, so I can't offer feedback.

___________________

FREELANCE TRANSLATOR BOARDS AND HUBS

TranslatorsCafé.com

TranslatorsCafé.com is a hub where translators can post their specialties. The site includes a directory of translation agencies and translators, a forum, and a Q&A section. Writers can post a job, or simply browse translators. The site also has a good article on how to choose a translator, as well as the pros and cons of choosing a freelancer as opposed to an agency.

Proz

The Proz site features over 300,000 professional translators and translation companies. Freelance translators working in Spanish, German, Italian, Chinese, Arabic, Japanese and other languages, and specializing in legal, medical, technical and other fields, can be contacted directly through the site. You can also post a job. Proz does not charge a fee, but you do have to pay the translator.

Traduguide
Germany
Email: [email protected]
Website: http://www.traduguide.com

This is an international online job board. You post your job to receive quotes from freelance translators. You can also simply search by source language, target language, and specialty.
_________________________

TRANSLATION SERVICES

Book Translation Service
Website: http://www.booktranslationservice.com

This site is an online job board to find translators for books or documents. They offer free price quotes. You simply post your project, and they match you with translators.

Com Translations
Phone: 818-436-6515
Email: [email protected]
Website: http://www.comtranslations.com/en/

An international agency of more than 5,000 certified translators. They offer instant quotes, first page translation and full-book plans.

Verbumsoft, LLC
Burbank, CA
Phone: 818-748-6235
Website: http://www.translatorsbase.com

This is an online marketplace of freelance translators. You post your book/project to obtain free quotes. You can also select a translator. The site includes a helpful table of translation rates.

_____________________

TRANSLATORS' ASSOCIATIONS
American Literary Translators Association
Richardson, TX
Phone: 972-883-2092
Email: [email protected]
Website: http://www.utdallas.edu/alta (Currently moving their website)

Association for translators specializing in literary works. Site includes a directory of member profiles listing their language proficiencies.

American Translators Association
Alexandria, VA
Phone: 703-683-6100 M-F 9AM-5PM EST
Email: [email protected]
Website: http://www.atanet.org

Association of professional translators and interpreters, including search tools and directories to help you find the right person for your needs.

Getting Your Self-published Book Into Libraries

7/18/2017

According to the American Library Association there are nearly 120,000 libraries in the United States. If you are considering self-publishing, that number should make you salivate.

Libraries are not only a huge market, they are frequently an untapped one for self-publishers. Unfortunately, libraries usually order books from their own distributors, which means approaching them directly to purchase your self-published book may be an uphill battle.

Don't despair. Self-published authors have several options for getting their books into libraries.

1) Smashwords - If you publish through Smashwords, your book will be available to libraries through OverDrive (world's largest library ebook platform serving 20,000+ libraries), Baker & Taylor Axis 360, Tolino, Gardners (Askews & Holts and Browns Books for Students), and Odilo (2,100 public libraries in North America, South America and Europe).

2) Self-e - This is a joint venture from Library Journal and BiblioBoard. It is designed to expose self-published ebooks to more readers via public libraries. Distribution through SELF-e is royalty free, which means authors do not earn royalties though this platform. SELF-e is best viewed as a marketing tool to build a readership. If your ebooks are already generating satisfactory royalties from library sales via other channels, then SELF-e might not be a good fit for you.

3) eBooksAreForever - The eBooksAreForever mission is to create a "large, curated collection of ebooks to every library in North America, at a fair and sustainable price, where the library owns the ebook forever and authors and publishers make great, ongoing royalties." The current pricing for novels is $7.99 and $3.99-$4.99 for all shorter works, including essays, short stories, novellas, etc. Many libraries buy the entire collection.

4) Book Reviews - Librarians order books largely based on reviews. Getting a review into one of these magazines will provide you with maximum exposure.

Booklist - Circulation: 80,000 print; 160,000 online
Library Journal - Circulation: 100,000
Library Journal Self-e program
Publishers Weekly - Self-published books can be submitted for review through Book Life.
School Library Journal - Youth titles only.
Voya - YA titles only. Accepts print and audio submissions.

5) Direct marketing - This works for print books. Walk into your local library and ask them to order your book. While you're at it, offer to do a reading.

Helpful resources (Read these articles!):

The Library Market: What Indie Authors Need to Know

Getting Indie Authors Into Libraries - An Interview with Mitchell Davis of BiblioBoard

SELF-e: Frequently Asked Questions

Top 25 Librarian Bloggers (By the Numbers)

Publishing U: Getting Your Self-Published Book into Libraries

How Indie Authors Can Get Their Books Into Libraries

9 Steps to Getting Your Self-Published Books into Libraries

5 Tips for Promoting Your Author Event on Social Media

7/13/2017

If you are self-publishing, or even if you are being published traditionally, public events such as talks, book signings, and readings are a must. Nothing creates more fans than your physical presence. People want to sit in an audience and hear you speak. They want to crowd around you afterwards, asking you to sign copies of your book. They want to shake your hand, ask you questions, give you their first born child. (Okay, maybe that's taking it a bit too far. But you get the picture.)

Simply scheduling a talk or a signing is not enough. Like everything else you do to promote your book, your author event will have to be advertised. You will, of course, send out a press release to the local papers.

But what about all the people who only know you virtually? That group is important as well.

1) Twitter. Before you do anything else, create a hashtag and use it on every tweet that concerns your book - including author events. Keep your hashtag short and memorable. Make sure you look up your hashtag to make sure it hasn’t already been used.

2) Facebook event page. Event pages are easy to set up on Facebook. (Read how to do it HERE.) Your event page should include information about the event (when and where). You can post photos, invite guests, and (best of all) keep track of who is interested. Make sure people can leave comments and post on your page. Remember to put links to your home page on Facebook, as well as sales links, in the details section.

Here is a helpful article: 13 Ways to Use Facebook Events for Your Brand

3) Live coverage. Live coverage of events is exciting! If your friends are attending the event, ask them tweet during the event using your event hashtag. Enlist a friend to photograph the event and post images. Let Facebook friends and twitter followers know in advance when live coverage is taking place.

4) Join groups. There are all kinds of groups for writers: Facebook groups, Google Plus communities, even LinkedIn. Promotions are allowed in many of these groups, not just for book releases but for events. The advantage to promoting your events on groups is reach (especially Facebook).

Helpful article: 47 Facebook Groups for Authors

5) Make a video. If you have a smartphone you can make a short clip (a teaser) to promote your event. For example, you can do some "man on the street" interviews with people who are going (friends, family). Have them answer the question, "Why are you going to ___?" Make it fun, or better yet, funny. (You can even use a free animation maker like PowToon to make a cartoon!) Post these videos on Twitter, Facebook, and anywhere else you have an account.

Here is the Video for Phillip Pullman's book event

Remember:

Bring a sign-up sheet to your event. Everyone who shows up is a potential fan!

Bring extra books. Even if the event is hosted by a bookstore, they may run out. If the event is hosted by a restaurant (I've had restaurant venues), a sporting goods store, a library, or anyplace else not likely to have a stack of your books on hand - bring lots!

Have a good time. I love talking to people who've read my books. The best part is that they love talking to me, too!

For more info on book tours see: Arranging Your Own Book Tour

10 Scifi and Fantasy Review Sites for Indie Authors

7/11/2017

If you write either science fiction or fantasy, there are many ways you can promote your books. There are hundreds of individual bloggers who are more than happy to review self-published books. (See "Additional Resources" below.) There are also many platforms that specialize in advertising and promoting those genres.

This list includes only those sites that publish reviews of self-published books. (There are more sites for traditionally published books.) They all offer reviews for free, the only exception being RT Book Reviews. Some accept books for review, while others accept freelance reviews, in which case someone - not the author - would have to submit a review.

The advantage of a book review site, as opposed to a blog, is traffic. Most blogs can't compete with well trafficked review sites for the simple reason that most review sites rely on more than one reviewer. (Even blogs with two or three reviewers can't compete.) This allows review sites to cover more books, which, in turn, attracts more traffic.

Additional Resources:

Fantasy and Sci-fi Reviewers Accepting Self-Published Authors
A list of 269 online book reviewers who accept self-published work in speculative fiction (scifi, fantasy, horror, paranormal).

Top 5 Sites for Science Fiction Writers
If you write scifi, these are your go-to sites.

Top 20 Sites for Finding Reviewers
These are the best sites for finding reviewers in any genre.

____________________

Strange Horizons

Strange Horizons publishes in-depth reviews of speculative art and entertainment, especially books, films, and television, three times a week. Reviews normally cover new works, they will not reject a review because its subject has been available for a while. "We're especially interested in reviews of worthy material that might not otherwise get the exposure it deserves; similarly, we are interested in reviews of works that push traditional genre boundaries." They pay $40 for a review.

SF Reader

SFReader offers reviews on any book, anthology or magazine that has a speculative element (all flavors of science fiction, fantasy, and horror). They prefer traditionally published print books, but will accept Kindle format.

Fantasy Book Review

This popular site reviews fantasy books only. They get a large amount of submissions per month, so a review is not guaranteed. (They review 1 in 50 submissions.) All books are read, reviewed, categorized and awarded a rating between 0 and 10. These ratings then determine who and what appears in the list of the Top 100 Fantasy Books. At time of writing the number of books that have been read and reviewed stands at well over 1,000.

Fantasy Book Critic

Fantasy Book Critic is a group of individuals devoted to covering Fantasy, Science Fiction, Horror, YA/Children’s Books and other Speculative Fiction. They accept review queries from publishers large, small and independent as well as self-published authors. Both print and electronic formats are accepted.

Lightspeed Magazine

Lightspeed is a well known science fiction and fantasy magazine. If you have a book you’d like them to consider for review, or you’d like to send a press release, use this address: [email protected] All of their reviews are in-house.

Science Fiction and Fantasy World

Authors and publishers can fill out a request for a review on their contact form. Authors can also promote their books on the Promotion Zone. This site gets quite a bit of traffic. Their list of interviews, reviews, articles, and guest posts is extensive. They also publish anthologies.

Revolution Science Fiction

Revolution SF accepts book reviews from guest reviewers. "All reviews should be fair and well-reasoned. Feel free to rant if the subject deserves it, but make sure the justification for the rant is self-evident. If something sucks, say it sucks, but tell us why. If something is wonderful, say it's wonderful, but tell us why. Give a frame of reference."

SFcrowsnest

Everything on this site is contributed by readers. The areas they cover are scifi, fantasy, horror, steampunk, computers, anime, manga, games, RPGs, toys, models, science, futurism, films, TV. Electronic format press releases and articles/reviews can be sent to the editor, Geoff, via gfwillmetts-2 (at) hotmail.co.uk.

The Future Fire

The Future Fire accepts both freelance reviewers and suggestions for titles to review. "We will consider all subgenres of speculative fiction (and related nonfiction), regardless of author or medium, including self-published work, but we are especially interested in seeing more books by and about women, people of color, LGBTQIA, disabled people, people with nonwestern languages and religions, and other under-represented groups."

RT Book Reviews

This popular site reviews sci-fi and fantasy, as well as a number of other genres. You can submit a new release or a reduced price for your ebook. However, book reviews cost upwards of $425. (It's still a good place to send information about your book release.)

Bonus site

Tor.com

In addition to accepting novellas, Tor accepts non-fiction submissions, including reviews.

Mega-List of Free Promotional Sites for Self-Published Books

7/7/2017

The hardest task faced by self-published authors is promotion. Self-published authors don't have the resources of large, or even small, publishers. Nor do they have the marketing networks that every publisher relies on to create "buzz" for upcoming books. If you are self-publishing, you are going to have to do all that work yourself.

Fortunately, there are plenty of places for you to promote your book for free. Hundreds of online reviewers are happy to receive a book in exchange for an honest review, and many post their reviews on multiple platforms. There are also numerous sites that publish interviews with authors, as well as places to post your cover reveal and excerpts.

The resources below will help you on your way to effective marketing and promotion. I suggest that before you begin promoting your book, you look at these lists and sites and make a list of your own of the various types of promotion you'd like to do, and then find the sites that provide what you are looking for. Keep careful track of where you have promoted your book, and don't forget to evaluate the results!

Note: For all of my articles on self-publishing, including resources for promoting your book, marketing, getting reviews, setting up your author website and more see: Self-Publishing

___________________

List of lists

Indies Unlimited has the longest, most comprehensive list of places to promote your book that I have ever seen.

Digital Pubbing's list of 110 tools to find readers and reviewers is conveniently broken down into categories (reviews, advertising, interviews, etc.) to help writers hone in to the type of promotion they are looking for.

Kindlepreneur lists 127 places to promote your book, free and paid.

Great Sites That Offer Indie Book Reviews discusses top places for book promotion - free and paid.

Self Publishing has a huge list of 100 places to promote your book (both free and paid).

Build Book Buzz's handout is a substantial collection of resources that will help you find media outlets, reader review sites, and online review sites for your book.

Angie's Diary lists the top ten free promotion sites for self-published books.

Savvy Writers has a list of 46 free promotional sites for self-published books.

Individual promotional sites

Authors Den allows self-publishers to download sample chapters which readers can review. You must have a book cover before you can upload a chapter. Detailed instructions are on the site.

YA Books Central offers book reviews, cover reveals, author profiles and interviews, sponsors giveaways and contests, and accepts advertising for YA books.

Book Buzzr offers paid promotion, but you can try it for free for 14 days

Books on the Knob offers free reviews, will post your giveaway, discounted books,

Indie Books Blog is a blog that promotes self-published books. Fill out the form to have your book posted, and tweeted.

Book Life, run by Publishers Weekly, lets you submit your book for review, register your book, and post an author profile, Don't forget to connect your social media accounts to your profile!

Story Cartel offers readers free e-books in exchange for honest book reviews. Readers are given thirty days to read the book. If, by the end of that time, they’re able to send a link to their posted review back to Story Cartel, they will be entered in a drawing for either five print copies of the book, three $10 Amazon gift cards, or a Kindle (as supplied by the book’s author).

Indie Book Reviewer lists book review sites and blogs by genre: Science Fiction & Fantasy, Comedy, Historical, Horror, Inspirational, Mystery & Thriller, Romance, and Nonfiction. Some of these may be temporarily closed to submissions.

Indies Unlimited offers an array of free features includes Thrifty Thursdays, Print Book Paradise, Kindle Unlimited Hump Days, and a weekly flash fiction challenge. The submissions guidelines are explained in detail on the features’ respective pages.

Forums

Book Talk hosts free forums where authors and publishers can post their books. Book Talk also offers paid promotion.

Online Book Club is a forum for readers and authors. Reviews are also offered - both free and paid.

Amazon’s Meet Our Authors Forum

Kindle Boards

Mobile Read

Nook Boards

Additional resources

For more free publicity sites see: Free Publicity for Your KDP Select Free Days

And for reviewers who accept self-published books see my List of 427 Online Reviewers Who Accept Self-Published Books

<<Previous