All posts in Self publishing

in category Self publishing, Uncategorized, writing tags Writing and 1 comment.

Ten top writing tips for authors

Do you ever get writer’s block? Not sure how to complete the sentence, round off the scene or develop your character?

There’s a lot more to writing a book than just an idea for a story.

But, there are no hard and fast rules. Every writer has a unique style and approaches their writing in an individual way.

Your editor can help with grammar, spelling and punctuation, but no-one can create the heart and soul of your story but you.

So, here are ten top tips to hone your writing and allow it to flow: Read More…

in category book cover layout, publishing, Self publishing tags Book dimensions and 0 comments.

What size should my book be?

This is a question we get asked a lot by authors.

I don’t know about you, but I had never really thought about books being published in different sizes. When you stand in a bookshop, it’s obvious of course, but it’s not your first consideration when you’re thinking about self publishing.

These are the traditional sizing conventions publishers tend to use:

in category Marketing Your Book, Self publishing tags Email marketing and 0 comments.

Email marketing – how to attract more readers and sell more books

One of the best ways to sell more books is to build a relationship with your audience. Once they engage with you, your stories, and your characters, readers are much more likely to continue to buy your work, and will become lifelong fans, just waiting for your next publication.

A great way to communicate with your readers is by email.

You can set up a form on your website to capture visitors’ email addresses. Then you will be able to keep in touch, and build your relationship with them. Here’s how to do it:

in category Marketing Your Book, Self publishing tags Book sales and 0 comments.

3 reasons why your book isn’t selling

Has your book been on sale for a while, but suddenly your sales have taken a dip? Or maybe your sales never really got off the ground in the first place.

Identifying a drop in sales is the first step to getting your book selling again.

There are a few reasons sales can drop, and the good news is, there’s lots you can do:

in category book cover layout, Self publishing tags ISBNs and 0 comments.

ISBNs part 2: Lucky number 13

Many literary geniuses would confess numbers are not their strong point.

But when publishing your book, there’s one number you’ll need to get your head around – the ISBN.

Don’t worry, it’s not complicated. There are just a couple of key things you need to know.

Recently we published an article about ISBNs which you can read here.

But one question we didn’t answer was the difference between a 10 digit and 13 digit ISBN number. It’s a question our clients often ask us, so we thought we would explain it in more detail.

in category Marketing Your Book, Self publishing tags Reviews and 0 comments.

How to generate book reviews with the least amount of stress

A couple of months ago we bought a new TV for our front room. We went to the shop and looked at all the TVs, the different sizes and prices. And then what? We came home and looked at all the reviews on Amazon.

What better way to find out the quirks and quibbles of a range of items than by looking on Amazon at the reviews?

The views of ordinary people like you and I, with no vested interest in convincing you to buy a product, just their honest opinion on what they thought.

When readers are browsing online, they will do exactly the same for your book. They’ll look at its reviews for the social proof – should they buy it, or not. Bad or negative reviews are bound to put potential readers off.

So, can you do more to encourage positive reviews on your book? Of course you can. Here’s how.

in category book cover layout, Self publishing tags book formatting, book interior, book layout and 0 comments.

How to get the interior of your book right

How the interior pages of your book look are just as important as the cover design and editing. You need text that is comfortable and easy for your readers to read.

The little details that make up an easy-on-the-eye interior are so subtle you may not even notice them.

So here are some tips on how to get the details right.

in category publishing, Self publishing tags Copyright and 0 comments.

Copyright, it’s more simple than it sounds

You’re probably asking yourself: Do I really need to know about this?

Well, if you’re about to publish your creative work, then there are few things you should know. But don’t worry, it’s not complicated, and not even that boring.

You may be aware that creative works have a copyright attached to them, which protects the original work from being copied or redistributed.

But does this apply to books? And if so, how can you protect YOUR creative work, and do you actually need to?

in category book cover layout, publishing, Self publishing tags Book cover blurb and 0 comments.

How writing an effective blurb will boost your book sales

Imagine if someone asked to you to summarise your whole life so far in one page of text.

How would you go about it?

Which events would you describe, and which would you leave out? Which loved ones, family and friends would you include, and how would you talk about them?

It seems like a difficult task, doesn’t it?

Many authors feel like this when trying to write the blurb for their back covers. How on earth can I sum up my whole book in just a few paragraphs? Then there’s the added pressure of knowing readers will make a judgement on the whole book, based on just this brief bit of text.

It’s a tall order, but if you follow these tips you’ll be able to write a blurb that shows off all the features of your story, and will have your readers dying to get to the rest of the book.

in category publishing, Self publishing tags ISBNs, Self publishing and 0 comments.

All about ISBNs

One of the stumbling blocks for the self-published author is the question of ISBN numbers.

Lots of authors come to us struggling to get their heads around what’s required:

- What’s an ISBN?

- Do I need one?

- How do I get one?
- Where from?

So we’ve put together a list of the most frequently asked questions about ISBNs, and some answers to help you.