self publishing

First Annual Self-Publishing Conference to Be Held at Writer’s Digest Conference East

WritersDigestConferenceOne way to learn what’s new in writing and publishing is to attend the Writer’s Digest Conference East 2013 at the Sheraton New York Hotel, from Friday, April 5 to Sunday, April 7.  Before the main conference opens at 4 pm on Friday, April 5, you can attend the first annual Self-Publishing Conference or a three-hour boot camp on writing 21st century fiction, writing a novel, or public speaking for writers.

Writer’s Digest Conference

Whether you want to learn more about the craft of writing or are seeking an agent or broader readership for your work, sessions at The Writer’s Conference can help you.

Expert speakers and panelists will explain how to:

  • Pitch your work to an agent
  • Write for big-name publications
  • Build an audience for your work
  • Create great characters
  • Write non-fiction book proposals
  • Create a career out of e-books
  • Use social media to sell books
  • Decide whether to self-publish or find a traditional publisher (or both)

In a session entitled, “The Future of the Writer,” you will get insights into some of the challenges and opportunities facing writers in the years to come. You’ll learn not only what to expect, but also how to prepare and succeed.

Self-Publishing Conference: April 5

During this event from 8:30 am to 3:30 pm, publishers, agents, editors, authors and marketing gurus will share their expertise through sessions entitled:

  • Freemiums, Crowdfunding, and Hybrids: The New Era of Self-Publishing
  • The Complete Package – Why Good Writing Is Only Half the Battle
  • The Agent/Self-Published Author Relationship
  • How Self Published Authors Found Success
  • Legal Issues for Self-Published Authors
  • You Wrote It – How Do You Sell It?
  • The Future of Self-Publishing

Public Speaking for Writers Boot Camp: April 5

This session (12:30 to 3:30 pm) is for authors (or soon-to-be-published authors) who want to generate more book sales from their readings. Former CNN anchor and Equity actor Porter Anderson will explain why strong, live readings can do more to convert fence-sitters into book-buyers than any other marketing tactic.

Whether you will be presenting your work in a bookstore, conference ballroom, campus lecture hall, book fair, or corporate auditorium, you’ll learn how to deliver your work with impact. From what to wear to the Q&A, you will learn how to take control of every appearance and come out with sales.

You will learn:

  • What an audience wants from an author at a reading – and how to give it to them.
  • How to choose what to read.
  • How to rehearse ahead of your reading.
  • How to prep your reading for your listeners.
  • How to present yourself to the audience.
  • How to actually deliver your work and follow it up.

Attendees should bring two pages of their own work to read (either from a work in progress or from published material). You will experience reading on your feet and get feedback from your peers and session leader Porter Anderson.

For more details on this boot camp, and the other two boot camps on April 5, see the Conference schedule.

Discounts are available to attendees who register by Friday, February 15.

LINKS
Writer’s Digest Conference 2013

Self-Publishing Conference

Schedule: Writer’s Digest Conference

 

Self-Published Authors Say ‘Don’t Overcharge for E-Books’

Keeping your e-book prices low can help you attract more readers. That was the key theme of the January 24 episode of the Self Publishing Podcast hosted by three entrepreneurial authors: Sean Platt, Johnny B. Truant and David Wright.

SPPodcastLogoTruant believes $2.99 is the perfect price for a novella length e-book: “You may charge $9.00 for a book and get some customers. But you may be able to sell four times as many books at three dollars. And that’s win-win. You get more readers and more money.”

Truant made the comments in response to a question from a regular listener to the SPP who wanted to charge over $20 for his e-book.

“You’d be crazy to charge that much, because Amazon slashes your royalty rate if you charge over $9.99,” Sean Platt said. “Overpricing your e-books means you lose, and your readers lose.”

Platt believes authors are best to follow Amazon’s incentives on pricing: “For e-books between $2.99 and $9.99, Amazon pays a 70 percent royalty to authors. At all other price points, the royalty drops to 35 percent. That’s why we believe $2.99 is the optimum price for short to mid-length e-books.”

“In any case, most readers are reluctant to spend more than ten bucks on an e-book,” said Truant. “David Wright and I charge $9.99 only when we can offer massive value to our readers, such as with the combined bundle of Yesterday’s Gone Season’s One and Two. Once you get above $9.99 you’re screwing your commission structure on Amazon. That’s lose-lose.”

David Wright urges authors to pay attention to readers’ opinions on pricing: “The value is what your audience thinks it’s worth. We’ve found a pricing structure that’s right for us and our readers.”

Platt and Wright soared to fame on Amazon with their serialized thriller, Yesterday’s Gone, which has received over 500 five-star reviews on Amazon.com and Amazon UK. They have since gone on to write five more serials, including Z 2134, Monstrous, WhiteSpace, Available Darkness and ForNevermore.

Johnny B. Truant is the author of the Fat Vampire series of novellas. He is also co-author of the Unicorn Western series, together with Sean Platt.

The Self Publishing Podcast is broadcast for download every Thursday on iTunes and at selfpublishingpodcast.com.

LINK

About Self-Publishing Podcast

Yesterday’s Gone: Season One

Fat Vampire

 

Sullivan Street Press Can Help Re-Launch Out-of-Print Books

SullivanStPressLogoSullivan Street Press is offering authors with out-of-print books the opportunity to re-launch their books in e-book format. This new publishing program treats these books as new books, with a conversion to e-book format that re-imagines the books now as digital experiences. These “new” books will benefit from the new design as well as the full marketing and promotion that a new title deserves.

Traditional publishing was once the only way for an author to see their work in print. Publishers had a great deal of power over what was published, when it was published, and for how long.

Today, the balance of power in publishing is shifting, enabling talented authors to reclaim their place in the world of book lovers.  Publishing an e-book gives writers who once were only available in bound-book format the opportunity to flourish again by finding new audiences in the digital world of book publishing.

“There are so many amazing books that have been forced out-of-print, basically destroyed by the traditional publishing model,” says Deborah Emin, founder of Sullivan Street Press.  “It is our intention to bring new life to quality work through re-releasing out-of-print books in e-book format so that the book and author can have the readership they deserve.”

Founded three years ago, Sullivan Street Press is dedicated to changing the publishing paradigm. Sullivan Street Press is actively pursuing writers whose wonderful work got left behind and who want once again to work with a publisher interested in helping them to reach out to their new readers.  When an older title is re-launched, the authors will not only be able to increase their sales and profits, but also gain valuable insights into who is reading their books.

LINK

Sullivan Street Press

Gift Idea: A Gift Certificate for Self-Publishing Services

OutskirtsPressGiftCertificateOutskirts Press now offers Instant Self-Publishing Gift Certificates. The gift certificates enable thoughtful gift-givers to help the aspiring authors in their lives purchase publishing, writing, marketing and other services offered by Outskirts Press. Offered in $99 units, the instant gift certificate can be purchased securely at the Outskirts Press online store and instantly credited to the writer’s Publishing Center account.

Once the buyer adds the Instant Self-Publishing Gift Certificate to his cart, Outskirts Press will contact the buyer to find out who the special author is and gather any special messaging the buyer wishes to include on the gift notification. If the writer is already registered and/or published with Outskirts Press, the $99 will be instantly credited to the existing Publishing Center account.

If the writer isn’t yet registered, Outskirts Press will create a free Publishing Center account for him or her and credit the $99 gift to the new account. Once the credit has been applied to the writer’s account, Outskirts Press will notify him or her via email of the special gift using the messaging provided.

An Outskirts Press Instant Self-Publishing Gift Certificate can be given for any special occasion, including birthdays, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, or appreciation events. Certificates can also be presented to congratulate an author for completing a new manuscript.

Outskirts Press provides self-publishing and book marketing services for writers who want a cost-effective, fast, and flexible way to publish and distribute their books worldwide. Authors who publish through Outskirts Press retain 100 percent of their rights, 100 percent of their profits, and 100 percent of the creative control.

LINKS

Instant Self-Publishing Gift Certificate

Outskirts Press

 

Digital Book World Conference Looks at Business Challenges to Traditional Publishing

WRITERS. As aspiring authors, we don’t always view the world through the publisher’s eyes. We tend to think the “traditional publishing” route will always be an option. In reality, five years from now, there might not be anything “traditional” about the publishing business. While digital publishing has enabled authors to create, publish, promote, and distribute their own work, the digital transformation of publishing is forcing publishing companies to re-examine every aspect of how they operate.

That why some of the world’s most influential publishing executives will gather for the Digital Book World Conference + Expo January 15 – 17, 2013, at the Hilton New York Hotel in New York City. Now in its fourth year, Digital Book World discusses some of the business challenges that trade publishers are facing during the transition from print to digital media.

“Unlike some of our competitors, this is not a conference about technology. It is about business,” says Digital Book World Conference Council Chair Mike Shatzkin of The Idea Logical. “Specifically, it is about the business that has operated for a century, in which book retailers curate, present, and deliver the publishers’ output to readers.”

Attendees will learn how to:

  • Operate a publishing business in a digital environment.
  • Market and distribute content to a reader who has migrated online to shop.
  • Acquire and develop new staff and new skills.
  • Implement and use new technologies specificially for digital publishers.
  • Help authors become more proficient in online brand-building.

Even before the publishing industry was buzzing over the surprise Penguin/Random House merger, Digital Book World had planned sessions about consolidation. For example, technology analyst Benedict Evans will discuss how strategies being used by Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Google, and Microsoft relate to publishing. Evans’ talk may help explain the Penguin/Random House merger because a frequently cited motivation for the merger was to gain greater strength to negotiate with Amazon and the other tech behemoths. On Wednesday, the chairman and CEO of F+W Media David Nussbaum will moderate a panel of CEOs who will share their view of the future.

Here are a few of the other sessions that will be presented:

  • Understanding and Managing Copyrights in the 21st Century
  • The Author’s View of the Industry
  • Straddling the Models: Authors Choosing to Both Self-Publish and Traditionally Publish
  • Best Practices of Author Training Today
  • New Business Model Experimentation
  • Libraries: More Important Than Ever for Book Discovery
  • The Changing Role of Editors
  • Developing an Agile Publishing Model
  • The Gamification of Children’s Books
  • New Tools and Technologies for Small- to Mid-Sized Publishers
  • E-Book Pricing
  • Publishing Meets Hollywood

The session on the changing role of editors will highlight some of the skills that editors will need beyond finding great books and signing and nurturing authors. Book editors now must know how to evaluate the author’s platform and figure out whether or not the author will be a good marketer. Editors also need to understand metadata and new ways that tags and links lead to discovery and marketing and what they and their authors can do to influence them. In the age of enhanced e-books, some editors may function more like movie or TV producers than editors.

In the session on author training, publishers will discuss how they train their authors to be more effective marketers.

During a case-study session, DBW Conference Chair Mike Shatzkin will interview self-published author Hugh Howey, whose best-selling “Wool” series started as a novella on the Kindle platform, grew incrementally to five novellas, and then was collected into a single file as a novel.

The conference is organized by F+W Media, Inc., which defines itself as “a community-focused, content creator and marketer of products and services for enthusiasts” who want to achieve success, profit from their passion, or find inspiration. In addition to publishing books and magazines (such as Writer’s Market and Writer’s Digest), F+W Media offers e-books, educational services, and instructional videos, organizes events, and conducts competitions.

Early discounted registration for Digital Book World Conference ends November 16. Group rates are available for companies that bring three or more people.

LINKS

Digital Book World Conferenc & Expo

About Digital Book World

Program: Digital Book World Conference

About F+W Media

 

BookBaby Clients Get Discounts on Professional Editing

WRITERS.  As an avid reader (and self-publishing supporter), I still notice a distinct difference in quality between a book from a traditional publisher and a self-published book by a first-time author. From the opening sentence to the closing paragraphs books from traditional publishers seem more polished, coherent, and emotionally engaging.

As an experienced editor myself, I attribute this obvious difference in readability to the unseen hand of an editing pro. Many self-published authors don’t understand that editing involves much more than correcting grammar, spelling, and typos. Even if your English-teacher friend agrees to look over your manuscript before you publish it, you probably won’t get the type of book-editing expertise you need to increase the odds that your book will succeed, both in terms of sales and positive reviews.

To make professional editing services more affordable and accessible, BookBaby has teamed up with FirstEditing, a global firm with more than 30 professional editors. Since 1994, FirstEditing has collaborated with authors around the world on over 250,000 manuscripts—offering technical editing, developmental editing, reduction editing, and proofreading.  BookBaby clients can now receive a 17% discount on any of the editing services offered by FirstEditing.

“Editing can make all the difference,” says BookBaby president Brian Felsen. “Will your book connect emotionally with readers and keep them turning the pages? Or will it fall flat?” He notes that while independent authors like being able to design, publish, distribute, and promote their own books, “It’s been difficult for authors to get a reputable editor to look at their manuscripts if they don’t have connections or a big budget.”

BookBaby Logo“The copy editor with whom I worked was insightful, professional, meticulous, and just plain good,” says BookBaby author Shelly Reuben, whose books have been nominated for Edgar, Prometheus, and Falcon awards. “He was in tune with the style and theme of my book, and while not trying to impose his own sensibility, was able to point out places where I had undermined the writing by being repetitious or stylistically inconsistent.“

If you have doubts about the value of the editing process, FirstEditing will edit a sample from your manuscript for free—and within 24 hours!

“I’m thrilled about this partnership,” says Felsen. “FirstEditing’s prices are already among the lowest quotes in the business for such top-rate service. Now, BookBaby authors will get an additional 17% off, allowing them to get their book edited in less than two weeks, without having to blow through their production or marketing budgets before the book even comes out!”

LINKS

Book Editing Services from BookBaby and FirstEditing

About BookBaby

About First Editing

 

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