resources for authors

Book Offers Roadmap to Becoming Published Author

A roadmap for taking a book from an idea in your head to a ready-to-sell product is explained in a new book by author coach Brooke Warner.

“What’s Your Book? A Step-by-Step Guide to Get You from Inspiration to Published Author” provides some of the secrets Warner learned during her 13 years of experience in the book-publishing field.

In the book’s five chapters, Warner offers advice on how to think like author, build a platform for promoting your work, and develop a publishing plan that’s right for you.

Chapter 1: The Art of Becoming an Author

Once you understand how the publishing industry thinks about books, you can position yourself as a potential publishing partner and attract an agent and/or publishing house.

Chapter 2: Anyone Can Do It

Why do some people cross the published-book finish line while others fail to complete their books? Warner has identified six hurdles that all authors must overcome to avoid being sidetracked. She believes getting over these hurdles is simply a matter of patience, self-awareness, and perseverance.

Chapter 3: Challenging Your Mindset

Stop questioning the inherent value of your book and/or striving for perfection. Changing your mindset can help you stride confidently ahead on the path to getting published.

Chapter 4: The Almighty Author Platform

As an author, you will need a “platform” from which you can develop visibility for yourself, earn credibility as an expert, and build an audience of potential buyers of your book. Instead of feeling overwhelmed by everything involved in building a platform for yourself, Warner suggests that you learn how to have fun with the process.

Chapter 5: Your Publishing Plan

Today, authors have three clear paths to getting published: Agents Way; Publishers Row; and Self-Publishing Boulevard. In the book, Warner describes the pros and cons of each route.

“What’s Your Book?” is the first book released from She Writes Press, an independent publishing company established to serve members of the She Writes online community of women writers. She Writes Press seeks to serve women who want to maintain greater ownership control of their projects while still getting high-quality editorial help.

Brooke Warner is publisher of She Writes Press and founder of Warner Coaching Inc., a company that specializes in helping writers get published. Warner is experienced in both traditional and new publishing and has shepherded more than 500 books through the publication process.

LINKS

What’s Your Book? A Step-by-Step Guide to Get You from Inspiration to Published Author

Warner Coaching

She Writes Press

StoryMill Novel-Writing Software Adds E-book Publishing

WRITERS. If you have always dreamed of being a published novelist, you now have a wide choice of tools to make it possible on your own. Mariner Software recently announced one more option.

With the new publishing feature added to Mariner’s StoryMill novel-writing software for Mac OSX, you will be able to bring your story from conception to completion.

StoryMill software ($49) provides tools for building your novel, including features for developing and tracking characters, storylines, and locations, revising your drafts, and setting and meeting daily word-count goals.

If you plan to submit your manuscript to literary agents, the software does include tools for tracking your submissions. But the newest feature added to StoryMill makes it easy to publish your novel yourself.

When you select Publish, you will be connected to the full publishing services offered by trekden.com. At no additional cost, you will receive general editing cover design services, ISBN assignment, and the publication of your novel as e-book that can be purchased through the Apple iBook Store and Amazon Kindle Store.

T.K. Dennis, president of _trekden, said his company’s partnership with Mariner provides a turnkey solution for authors who want to write and publish novels: “Our goal is to eliminate as many barriers as we can from the publishing process.”

Michael Wray, the president of Mariner Software, notes that when you buy StoryMill, “You’re not just buying an app that makes the writing process fun and easy, you’re also investing in a means of publishing that will make the dream of becoming a published author a reality.”

As with any self-publishing option, make sure that the service you choose matches your publishing objectives. Some independent publishing services seem geared primarily for writers who are seeking creative fulfillment more than income generation. In this case, be aware that although the publishing services offered don’t require additional out-of-pocket expenses upfront, most of the income from book sales will go to _trekden. Most authors will earn just 25% of the revenues from every book sold.

This may be perfectly fine if your goal is simply to be able to claim you that you have published a novel. But if you’re choosing to self-publish your work because you believe you might be able to earn more than going the traditional publishing route, you might want to explore all your options first.

LINKS

About Story Mill Software

About _trekden Publishing

Meet the President of _trekden

 

Website Can Help You Become an Award-Winning Author

WRITERS. If you would like to mention in your publicity that you are an “award-winning” author, you can enter a growing number of contests. Whether winning any of these contests has any real value is up to you to decide.

For example, one of the stated goals of the website Readers Favorite is to help authors gain more exposure through a Book Award Contest. In their 2011 Literary Award contest, awards were given in 70+ categories including Children, Christian, Fiction, Non Fiction, Adventure, Fantasy and Romance.

Debra Gaynor, owner of Readers Favorite claims that, “Award winners can enjoy increased exposure and the attention of bookstores, publishers, libraries, journalists and readers.”

Contestants are invited to submit full manuscripts, published and unpublished books, eBooks, audio books, comic books and poetry books. There are four award levels in each category: Gold, Silver, Bronze, and Honorable Mention.

Each winner will receive a personalized Award Certificate, a digital high-resolution version of their Award Seal for publication, and a roll of 500 reflective Award Seal stickers to affix to current editions of their book. Finalists will receive a digital high resolution Finalist Award Seal for future publications of their book, website or other marketing materials.

You can enter a book in one category for $89, or enter in up to three additional genre categories for $65 each. The deadline for entering the 2012 contest is May 1, 2012.

Readers Favorite also helps authors get their books reviewed, and will post the reviews on their site, Barnes & Noble, and Facebook. The site’s reviewers will also post your review on their websites, blogs, and popular review and social-media sites.

According to the Readers Favorite website, “We do not post negative reviews. If an author receives a poor review, we provide constructive criticism to the author instead. We are in the business of helping authors, not hurting them.” You can read bios of the volunteer reviewers on the Readers Favorite website.

LINKS

 Readers Favorite

 Winners of the 2011 Literary Award Contest

 

BookBaby Helps Indie Authors Convert and Distribute E-books

WRITERS. CD Baby, the largest online distributor of independent music, has launched a BookBaby division that offers e-book format conversion and distribution services to independent authors. Authors receive 100% of the net sales revenues generated through BookBaby’s network of retailers, which include Amazon, Apple, Barnes & Noble, and Sony.

By opening worldwide distribution channels to unsigned artists, CD Baby helped level the playing field between do-it-yourself musicians and major record labels. Over the past decade CD Baby has paid out over $120 million to indie musicians worldwide. Through their new BookBaby division, they want to provide similar opportunities for independent authors.

BookBaby’s services are priced to be affordable to both new and established authors, as well as small-to-mid-sized imprints that want an easy solution for e-book distribution to all major retail outlets.

Since BookBaby doesn’t collect a royalty or commission on sales revenue from authors, it’s as if you went directly to the retailer to sell your e-books. However, BookBaby offers you the added convenience of getting a single consolidated sales report from all of the retailers as well as weekly payments.

With BookBaby’s format conversion services, you can be confident that your e-book can be read on range of e-reading devices, including the Apple iPad, Amazon Kindle, Barnes & Noble Nook, and Sony Reader. BookBaby specializes in converting complex documents, including those that include graphs, tables, multiple images, and embedded video and audio clips.

Their HostBaby services makes it easy for authors to set up a website that can sync multiple blogs, Facebook and Twitter and produce and send e-mails to an unlimited number of mailing-list members.

Ebook cover-design services are also available, from a team of graphic designers who have years of experience creating art for authors, musicians, and filmmakers.

BookBaby recently published a “Blogging 101” guide for independent authors. You can also download a step-by-step guide to e-publishing entitled “Making Your eBook.” The book provides practical advice and a roadmap of steps involved in publishing, distributing, and marketing your e-book.

LINKS

BookBaby

Blogging 101 for the Independent Author