It’s Never too Early to Start Promoting

Posted on January 3, 2013 by admin

Authors who are just starting out with their first book tend to think that they have to wait until their book is finished before they can start promoting it. That is actually not the best plan, you want to start promoting and marketing your book before you have it finished because it takes awhile for the thought to catch on. Rather than have the lag time from when you finish the book until word gets out and takes hold, you want to already have some excitement built up.

One way to do this is to reach out to review bloggers before your book is finished. Many book reviewers will schedule their reviews months in advance so the pre-planning will come in very handy and you won’t have to wait for your book to be reviewed before it gets noticed.

You can also mention your soon to be published book on blogs that are within it’s niche or genre to drum up future support for it. Create a website for your book ahead of it’s planned release date and start working the blog while finishing up on the book so you have a foundation in place when your book is finally published.

It’s hard enough to build a following for your new book but its especially hard waiting for it to take hold after your book is published, so anything you can do to get a jump on things is well worth your the planning.

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A Great Ebook Cover

Posted on January 2, 2013 by admin

There is a big (or little depending on how you look at it) difference between a print book cover and an ebook cover. Aside from the fact that one is only going to be viewed on a digital device, when you are designing the cover for your new ebook, or preferably when a professional is designing it for you, there are some very important differences you need to keep in mind.

Since most people will see your cover as a thumbnail, you need to make sure it’s eye catching in this version and that the title is also easy to read. Make sure your cover also looks good in black and white as well as color since this may be the way it is occasionally viewed.

Make sure your cover looks as good as any other professional cover. Can you see it fitting in on a bookstore shelf beside other published works? You should also make sure that if your book is part of a series, the covers match without being identical, so they are easily distinguishable but still with the same theme. Even if your book isn’t part of a series make sure you use a defining theme or look on your covers which will help build your author brand.

Even though there are some specific differences between a print book and ebook cover there is one thing that holds true for both, you want to create a nice eye catching cover that will draw potential readers to your book.

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To Edit or Not to Edit Your Own Book, That is the Question

Posted on December 11, 2012 by admin

Ever hear the saying, “Everyone makes mistakes” or “A fresh set of eyes……. yahta, yahta, yahta”. Well truer words were never spoken. It isn’t suggested that you do the editing for your book yourself. You should get an outside source to do the final editing for you. Preferably someone who isn’t a friend or family member. Someone who isn’t afraid of hurting your feelings if need be. You know that friends and family members are going to tell you what you want to hear and what you want to hear is that your book is perfect and a work of art.

Look at it this way, you’ve spent all of your time putting your own words down on paper and created this great book. The key term here is they are your own words, so of course they are going to sound right to you. Also unless you are a professional editor or maybe a teacher, the odds are you’ll wind up missing a spelling or even more likely a correct punctuation and then where are you. You are publishing a book that makes you look like a rookie.

If your book is important enough to take the long hours pouring over the plot and storyline then it is important enough to produce it in a professional manner.

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Why Self Publishing Your Book is Good for Business

Posted on December 10, 2012 by admin

With the wave of self published authors on the market in the past couple of years, the self published book is taking on a new avenue as well. Several entrepreneurs and small businesses are also jumping on the bandwagon and publishing their own books to promote their companies.

Now, I know what you are thinking. How interesting would it be to read a whole book about what a wonderful mousetrap my company can build for you. Who would read it? If you are going to publish a book to promote your company or idea you don’t want a book saying how the world needs to beat a path to your door.

See Also: To Edit or Not to Edit Your Own Book, That is the Question

A more successful approach  would be to write a book that will show how knowledgeable you are about your chosen field or you can cover the service industry your company is involved in. As soon as people realize, this guy Mickey really does know how to catch a lot of mice, they will then realize that they need to turn to you whenever this issue arises.

Another thought is instead of handing out a business card to potential clients, why not hand out a book that tells them why they need to do business with you. You know as well as I do the business card is going to get lost, go through the wash because they forgot to take it out of their pocket or they will wind up just throwing it away as soon as you are out of site. A book will tell them more about your company and they will feel bad about throwing away a book someone went to the trouble of writing.

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