Self Published Authors

"Self Published Authors" Bi-Monthly Newsletter
Helping self-published authors promote and market their books and share information and resources.

February 1, 2008 Volume 4: Issue 10
Dan Shaurette
editor@selfpublishedauthors.com
http://www.selfpublishedauthors.com

By Subscription Only! You are receiving this newsletter because you requested a subscription. Unsubscribe instructions are at the end of this newsletter.

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IN THIS ISSUE
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1. Editor's Notebook
2. Newsletter Submission Guidelines
3. Feature Article by Judy Cullins
4. Resource Links
5. Book Promotion by Sophfronia Scott
6. Upcoming Events
7. Commentary by Mike Scantlebury
8. Reciprocal Links
9. Subscribe/Unsubscribe Information

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1: EDITOR'S NOTEBOOK
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Happy New Year and welcome to the February 2008 newsletter for SelfPublishedAuthors.com. For those of you who are new to the website and newsletter, welcome and I hope you enjoy the issue. Thank you for visiting the website and subscribing to the list. To the regulars out there, welcome back for another issue.

If you have questions, comments, suggestions, or if you'd like to contribute, be interviewed, add an event or have a request, please reply to this email, or drop a line to me at: editor@selfpublishedauthors.com. It is a new year and the requests are coming in already. So please, if you are interested, don't hesitate to send a query my way.

Thanks for reading and enjoy the issue!

Dan Shaurette
editor@selfpublishedauthors.com
http://www.DanShaurette.com

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2: NEWSLETTER SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
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The newsletter for SelfPublishedAuthors.com is here to provide a resource for all authors. Obviously, I want to help you succeed in your writing, self-publishing efforts, and self-promotion. I have received a few requests from fellow authors asking what they can do to promote their books in the newsletter.

I am always happy to help promote an author and their works in the newsletter. That's what we're here for. That being said, the best I can do is one of the following.

If you are interested in writing an article about your experiences as a self-published author, I would be more than happy to consider it for publication. If I publish the article, I will give you space for a signature box that you could use to promote yourself and your book.

If you would like to send me an ARC copy of your book, eBook format preferred, I would be happy to review it and interview you. The interview would most likely be what gets published in the newsletter, but reviews of recommended books may also be published. Please note, I have already been presented with some works to read, so please query me first before sending your books.

If you have a book signing coming up, we do try to list those when they are timely. Remember our newsletter is published in February, April, June, August, October, and December. If you host a class or workshop, or have a website that promotes a writer's resource, please let us know about it. All links about such events are provided free of charge. Your name, location, dates, and contact info. will be presented.

If instead you are just interested in placing an advertisement in the newsletter for your book or website, I'll ask for some patience. I am re-evaluating various plans for advertising in both the newsletter and the website.

Currently there are places for you to list your books, websites, and even join our banner ad exchange. You can also feel free to post in our forums and tell us about yourself and your books. As soon as I figure out a new model for classified ads in the newsletter, I will let you all know. Thank you for your patience.

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3: FEATURE ARTICLE by Judy Cullins
Short Cut Your Book's Success with Self-Publishing
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Do you wonder about how and where to publish your book? Maybe you think that it would be great to be taken under a publisher's wings--for them to promote your book. It wouldn't be so much work and wouldn't take any money up front.

Sad to say, this assumption is not true. Reality: Agent, publishers, and big talk shows like Oprah will choose only 1-2% of proposals submitted. And the author's work that goes into queries and proposals is immense and time consuming.

You can Short Cut Your Book's Success with Self-Publishing.

First, get a model for writing a great chapter--one that your reader cannot put down. Then, learn from the long-time book pros more about self-publishing.

Know that the costs are far less than you think. Self publishing over 13 books on these topics cost me no more than $500 for print models and nothing for the eBooks that are printable and downloadable. Your audience is used to buying Online and will visit your web site to buy and gladly print your book around 120 pages or less. You putting your ebook in a PDF (portable document format) is one way to publish it. You are the publisher and your web site is your store. You will get all the profits.Self-publishing will put you in charge to make suitable and favorable writing, publishing and promotion decisions.

If you don't want to do it all, get a little help from professionals! Entrepreneurial experts such as book coaches, book designers, and eBook specialists can guide you through to publishing success. These people may give teleseminars, small group coaching experiences, or offer their book as an inexpensive way for you to learn the ropes. These pros will shorten your learning curve too, so you get the right help right away to write the right book right away. In turn, you can sell your book faster, and increase your cash flow to participate more in the promotion.

When you think you still have to promote your books, even with a publisher, why not keep most of the profits and do some of the work yourself? Learn from your coach's experiences, "Do What You Do Best-and Hire the Rest!" (That doesn't mean you can't barter for services). Check out the methods below and see which one suits you best, is more rewarding, and far more profitable.

On Print Books--Print on Demand Two Ways

1. Hire the Publisher/Printer yourself to just print your book from your word file. Companies like Deharts.com will put your files into Portable Document Format (PDF) to sell on your web site or another site you choose to sell your books. A complete explanation of these opportunities are included in the "How to Write your eBook or Other Short Book--Fast!"

For Deharts and a few other publishers (we call it Print on Demand--POD) you keep all of your book's rights and once your pay from $4-$7 per book, depending on the length, you get the books delivered to you and you get to keep all of the profits. They will print small runs of your book such as 100-500 copies.

Note from you bookcoach. Don't print more books than you can sell in three months. This helps your cash flow and will keep your promotion going.Without marketing and promotion you book will die on the vine.

The advantages? The author is in charge of the book, takes delivery, and will provide a web site where he or she will sell the book. Then, you keep 100% of the profits. The process takes about 6-8 weeks, although it can be faster. Another benefit is that you can start selling your book in 6 weeks rather than 12-18 months with traditional publishing. You get immediate sales to increase your cash flow.

If you sell your book on your web site, you will make at least 93% of the profits after you pay your credit card merchant such as Pay Pal or Click Bank.

2. Hire Full-Service Print on Demand Publisher/Printers who each charge you an up front fee to set up. They too take your word files and put into Portable Document Format. They may even format your book and provide a cover for you.

For a fee from $500-$800, these companies will give you an ISBN number if you plan to sell your book on someone else's web site or in a brick and mortar bookstore. They will list you in BooksinPrint.com. These companies offer you their Web site to sell your book. But again, the author must learn about Internet marketing (article marketing) from a good coach or book to get targeted potential buyers to the book web site.

The downside? Check to see if you need these services. You don't need an ISBN # if you sell from your own web site. You probably won't sell your book in a brick and mortar book store. It's a lot of work and you can't compete with big publishers.

Think about your book and where your best market is. Opinions from Dan Poynter, John Kremer, and myself say, "Bookstores are a lousy place to sell books." Walk ins are not looking for an unknown author's book. Your other choice is the world wide web, because books are the #1 seller there. Small business people want to buy all kinds of books and they will do it on the Web.

The biggest down of this full-service Print on Demand to me is no control over my book. Here, you must buy back each book from the printer/publisher at a wholesale price--almost half of what you will sell it for. So, your profits are limited.

Buyer Beware: Before you buy any marketing packages from POD businesses, know that they won't promote your book at all. Consult a book and book marketing coach and learn how you can put together a simple plan and action steps that are mostly free.

With article marketing you can become known world-wide. You write the articles and submit to article directories. Your audience goes to them to get free information and if they like your short pieces, thousands will visit your book selling site each day, and with the right sales message, many will buy.

Self Publishing with eBooks

If you write an eBook, here are some of the benefits:

You...Make all the money, can make ongoing, passive profits for life, spend much less time writing and promoting, retain total control, share your unique, important message with 1000's daily, build your email client base and credibility, reach your target audience easily and distribute yourself, spend less money and have more cash flow, finish your book within 30 days, make ongoing, passive profits for life, can update your book when it needs it, gain trust, credibility, friends, and adventure, and become the savvy expert in your field.

More benefits: you don't have printing or inventory costs, can use Word in 8 1/2 by 11 format and PDF, don't have to travel, don't have to tell or sell, and you don't have to package and mail books. Instead, you can distribute and sell online from email or a Web site.

Educate yourself on self-publishing. Read books on the subject, take a seminar or teleseminar, and consult with an book coach, who will save you thousands of dollars in mistakes. Armed with good information, your book will grow into a great seller.
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Copyright © 2008 Judy Cullins. Reprinted with permission.
Book and Internet Marketing Coach Judy Cullins helps businesses get all the clients and sell all the books they want. Author of 13 books including How to Write your Book Fast, The Fast and Cheap Way to Explode Targeted Web Traffic, Advanced Article Marketing - Nine Mistakes and How to Solve Them, and Advanced Article Three Book Program. Judy offers 256 articles and free eBook "Book Writing and Marketing Tips" with monthly ezine subscription at http://www.bookcoaching.com and http://www.advancedarticlemarketing.com
Email her at judycullins@cox.net or Phone: 619/466-0622

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4: RESOURCE LINKS
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BOOKHITCH.COM - Free to fee author submission to search engine
BookHitch is a book-specific search engine where you can list your book and direct readers to where you would like them to buy it. In most cases users direct potential buyers to their own website, or the store that takes the least amount of sales.
http://www.bookhitch.com

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5: BOOK PROMOTION by Sophfronia Scott
How To Get A Reporter's Attention For Your Book
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Reporters are busy people. On any given day they are fielding dozens of phone calls, making calls of their own, reading stacks of newspapers and magazines and rushing to meet deadlines. So how do you break through all the noise to get a reporter or an editor on the phone to listen to your pitch?

In my 15 years as a magazine journalist I've fielded hundreds, if not thousands, of such calls. The following tips are what I've told many authors and publicists. The ones I eventually wrote about are the ones who listened and learned from the conversation.

1. Ask If the Reporter Has Time to Speak to You

Make "Is now a good time?" the first question you ask when you get a journalist on the phone. Don't assume that if he or she is busy, they won't answer the phone because sometimes a reporter on deadline has to pick up. They might be waiting for confirmation from a source or to connect with a colleague in the field, and Caller ID doesn't always give enough information for proper screening. There were many times when I was on deadline and answered my phone only to find, to my chagrin, a non-stop pitch on the other end. But the callers who impressed me would ask immediately if I was on deadline. All I had to say was "Yes" and they'd say they would call me in another day or so and hang up. Totally cool. I made sure I made time when they did call back. Sometimes I even checked my mail to see if I could find the caller's press release so I would be ready for our talk.

2. Understand This: The Fact That You Wrote a Book is Not a Story!

You may have written the best book in the world, but unless you're Stephen King turning to pulp fiction (as he did recently) or Terry McMillan publishing your first novel in several years and getting divorced at the same time (as she did recently), you and your book are not a story. I'm sorry but that's the plain truth. Of course if you land on the bestseller lists then we'd have something to discuss. There is one instance, however, when you would be a story and that's when you...

3. Connect to a Story Already in the News

When promoting your book you should be reading the newspaper and watching the news (local and national) daily. You're looking for stories related to the subject matter in your book. Ideally you would have something to say and you would offer that up to a reporter. For instance, if you've written a book on cronyism in official government posts you could have put out a press release and called up a reporter during the Hurricane Katrina disaster with information such as, "This kind of cronyism has caused mishaps in government response before. I can tell you how it happens and where it has happened before." The press release would list the details in easy-to-read bullet points. It would be easy to see you'd make a great interview subject.

This can work for novels as well. Alice Sebold's The Lovely Bones is an exquisite book in its own right, but it got a huge publicity boost because it happened to get published at a time when several stories of missing girls were in the news.

4. Ask What the Reporter is Working On

If the reporter isn't interested in your story, don't just cut and run. Engage the person in a friendly conversation and find out what types of stories he or she is working on for future issues. This way you get to cultivate a relationship--important because good media contacts are difficult to come by. You're also learning what is newsworthy so you can either tailor your message for other outlets or come back to the reporter when you do have information he or she can use. I used to love it when the latter happened--it made my job easier!

One last note: Always follow up on the press releases you send out. You might be thinking, "Well, if they're interested they'll call" but nine times out of ten it doesn't work that way. Your press release could be in the mailroom, in someone's office under a pile of papers or in the garbage unopened. It definitely hasn't been read! Don't be afraid to make the call. Whatever the outcome, at the very least you'll be able to use what you learn for your next publicity effort.

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Copyright © 2005 Sophfronia Scott. Reprinted with permission.
Author and Writing Coach Sophfronia Scott is "The Book Sistah" TM. Get her FREE REPORT, "The 5 Big Mistakes Most Writers Make When Trying to Get Published" and her FREE online writing and publishing tips at http://www.TheBookSistah.com The Book Sistah, 230 South Main St. Ste. 319, Newtown, CT 06470 203-426-2036, Info@TheBookSistah.com

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6: EVENTS
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2008 BEACH BOOK FESTIVAL CALL FOR ENTRIES

The 2008 Beach Book Festival has issued a call for entries for its annual program spotlighting the hottest reads of the upcoming summer season.

The Beach Book Festival will consider self-published or independent publisher non-fiction, fiction, biography/autobiography, children's books, teenage, how-to, science fiction, romance, comics, poetry, spiritual, compilations/ anthologies, history, business and health- oriented books published on or after Jan. 1, 2000.

Our grand prize for the 2008 Beach Book Festival is $1500 cash, a flight to Atlantic City for our casino-based awards program and a publicity campaign from Tracey Miller & Associates, a leading international PR firm, following the competition.

Submitted works will be judged for general excellence, i.e., the potential of the work to be an engaging beach read this summer season.

Deadline submissions in each category must be postmarked by the close of business on April 25, 2008. Winners in each category will be notified by e-mail. Please note that judges read and consider submissions on an ongoing basis, comparing early entries with later submissions at our meetings.

TO ENTER: Entry forms are available online at http://www.beachbookfestival.com or may be faxed/e-mailed to you by calling 323-665-8080 between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. Pacific time.

The 2008 Beach Book Festival is part of the JM Northern Media family of festivals, which includes the New York Book Festival, Hollywood Book Festival, London Book Festival and DIY Convention. The 2008 Beach Book Festival is sponsored by The Hollywood Creative Directory; Westside Websites com; Shopanista; eDivvy and The DIY Reporter.com.

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THE 2008 NEW YORK BOOK FESTIVAL - CALL FOR ENTRIES

The 2008 New York Book Festival has issued a call for entries to its annual program celebrating books that deserve greater recognition from the world’s publishing capital.

Last year, over 20,000 attendees enjoyed the beauty and serenity of Manhattan’s Central Park as they browsed books, listened to music and author readings and enjoyed our food vendors. This year, the June 28, 2008 edition of the day festival will offer expanded stages and new opportunities for authors, publishers, musicians and vendors.

The 2008 New York Book Festival will consider published, self-published and independent publisher non-fiction, fiction, children’s books, teenage, how-to, audio/spoken word, comics/’zines, e-books, poetry, wild card (anything goes!), unpublished stories, science fiction, horror, photography/art, romance and biography/autobiography works. Books published on or after January 1, 2000 are eligible for consideration.

Entries can be in English, Spanish, French or Italian and must be published on or after January 1, 2000. Our grand prize for the 2008 New York Book Festival Author of the Year is $1500 and a flight to New York for the June 27 awards and our June 28 day festival in Central Park.

Regular registration deadline submissions in each category must be postmarked by the close of business on May 25, 2008. Winners in each category will be notified by e-mail. Please note that judges read and consider submissions on an ongoing basis, comparing early entries with later submissions.

TO ENTER: Entry forms are available online at http://www.newyorkbookfestival.com/. Forms may also be faxed/e-mailed to you by calling our office at 323-665-8080 or e-mailing us at NewYorkBookFest@aol.com.

VENDORS AND MUSICIANS: If you would like to be a part of our day festival in Central Park, please e-mail us at NewYorkBookFest@aol.com for an application.

The New York Book Festival is produced by JM Northern Media LLC, producers of the Hollywood Book Festival, DIY Convention, London Book Festival and DIY Book Festival, and is sponsored by The Hollywood Creative Directory, Westside Websites and Shopanista.

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7: COMMENTARY by Mike Scantlebury
Internet Authors Don't Need Cut-Offs
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When our children were younger, and still at High School, we moved house. The new place was further away from the school, and they told us that there might be financial help available for us towards the cost of our kids' new bus fares, which would, of course, be more expensive. We were sent a letter. It said that money was paid to people who lived '8 miles away and further'. We measured the journey in the car and it certainly seemed about that distance. Weeks later we got another letter. Our application was denied. We 'didn't live 8 miles away'. No, no, no, no, no, no, no. No, according to their calculations, we lived 7.9 miles away. That's seven point nine. Not enough, they said. After all, there has to be a cut-off point.

Would-be authors keep coming up against the same problem. They send their work to Traditional Publishers, and immediately encounter problems. Say they've written a novel in the Horror genre. Oh, the publisher says, we do operate in a range of popular genres and we publish Science Fiction and Fantasy, for instance. But no, not Horror. After all, they say, you have to have a cut-off somewhere. Or let's suppose you've written a Spy novel. We don't publish spy novels, they tell you. But, you say, consulting the publisher's current catalogue, you are publishing two spy novels this month and you actually published three last month. Ah, agrees the publisher, but we decided we've published enough spy novels for this year now and that's why we're stopping this month. After all, there has to be a cut-off somewhere.

A worse problem concerns money. You read in the newspaper that a certain publisher has just paid a fortune to a famous author for his new thriller. Oh oh, you think. This publisher likes thrillers and is willing to pay out large advances. Nothing so simple! When you send in your manuscript, you're given short shrift. After all, the publisher says, we've spent our budget for this year, (you know on who). We've had to cut-off all advances until next April and the start of the new financial year. Sorry.

Internet Authors don't have this problem. They know that they can go to a website like Lulu and get their books published there no matter how many, what genre you've chosen, and what time of year it is, (or day or night, come to that). They know the service is superb and you can order copies in small or large numbers, as you wish. In fact, there are no limitations at all. No cut-offs.

Because, you know, we're not robots. We don't have to live in a world where good things are cut off at some arbitrarily chosen point. A few weeks ago I went into a self-service restaurant one evening, hoping for a quick meal. I patiently queued at the counter, but when I got to the head of the queue, the man behind the counter pointed to a sign and said, 'We stop serving at 9 o'clock'. It was one minute past the allotted time. He insisted he was right, but then another chap came out from the kitchen, tray in hand. 'Serve up', he said. 'I haven't started putting things away yet. All the food is still out'. It's true, it was. It was no trouble for me to be served, no extra effort. It just meant breaking that rule that said there was an absolute and unequivocal cut-off. The second bloke wasn't so fixed in his views, and was willing to be flexible. I got fed. That was important to me.

What's important to hide-bound and inflexible bureaucrats (like the employees at most Traditional Publishers houses) is that The Rules are stuck by, adhered to and never questioned, (even when made up and changed at random). Why? In the first example, because 8 miles was the limit and that was that. Why? Why not 9 or 10? Had someone checked how many people lived outside this boundary and drawn the map accordingly? Nothing so sophisticated! Had anyone thought to check whether the bus fare for a 7.5 mile journey was any less expensive than an 8.5 mile journey? Not at all. The problem is that when people design these 'rules' they like to make them appear so scientific without actually doing any science and usually simply base their demarcation lines on sheer prejudice and blind faith.

The usual reason such 'rules' are important, is that, we are told, if they are broken well then, oh dear, walls will crumble, culture will vanish and civilization will collapse, (or something worse). Would it? Had anyone checked how many applications had come from people who lived at 7.5 miles or 7.3 miles? After all, if they bent the rules and let us through at 7.9 well, they could say that they might get flooded with all those other people within a decimal point or two short, mightn't they? Well no, only if such people existed, and nobody could tell me that. They had no record of how many people had been declined or how close they were to that magic figure 8.

The saddest fact from the school story is that the budget for assisted bus fares was under-spent at the end of the financial year, and the school had to send a leaflet round to all parents, inviting them to apply again. That's what you get for 'sticking to the rules' you don't get the outcome you want! You don't get to helping the people you want to help and you don't get to spend the money you've got available. The alternative? To grow up and realize that the 'cut-off point' is drawn up in an office by a balding man with glasses and a pencil. He's not divine; he's not a superhuman genius; and his decisions can be challenged or circumvented without destroying the carefully crafted system. That's not anarchy, it's simply common sense.

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Copyright © 2007 Mike Scantlebury. Reprinted with permission.
Mike Scantlebury is a parent. He is also an Internet Author, with novels, stories and self-help material to his credit. Writing from the heart of Manchester, England, where football is king and music has been made, he sends his work out to a range of web sites. Try http://www.mikescantlebury.com/.

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8: RECIPROCAL LINKS
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LISTINGS:

ADD YOUR BOOK LISTING & AUTHOR BIO:
This is a marketing feature you don't want to miss:
http://www.selfpublishedauthors.com/books.php

JUDY CULLINS: Book and Internet Marketing Coach
Judy Cullins helps businesses get all the clients and sell all the books they want. Author of 13 books including How to Write your Book Fast, The Fast and Cheap Way to Explode Targeted Web Traffic, Advanced Article Marketing - Nine Mistakes and How to Solve Them, and Advanced Article Three Book Program. Judy offers 256 articles and free eBook "Book Writing and Marketing Tips" with monthly ezine subscription at http://www.bookcoaching.com and http://www.advancedarticlemarketing.com
Email her at judycullins@cox.net or Phone: 619/466-0622

SHIRLEY CHENG: Award-Winning Author
Miracle survivor, inspiring author and contributing author of seventeen books by age 24, poet, motivational speaker, self-empowerment expert, advocate, and a co-author in the bestselling WAKE UP...LIVE THE LIFE YOU LOVE book series. Board member of World Positive Thinkers Club
Having a bad day? Then meet Shirley Cheng, A.K.A. the modern day Helen Keller, to inspire, empower, and motivate you to go for the gold medal in life! "Although I'm blind, I can see far and wide; even though I'm disabled, I can climb high mountains. Let the ropes of hope haul you high!" Sign up to Inspiration from a Blind newsletter by sending an e-mail to: shirleynewsletter@shirleycheng.com
http://www.shirleycheng.com

SHAURETTENET: The Home Page of Dan Shaurette
- His Novel, LILITH'S LOVE - http://www.Liliths-Love.com
- Is This Thing On? Blog and Podcast - http://www.DanShaurette.com
- The Lurkers' Domain (creative writing forum) - http://lurk.us
All of this and more at: http://www.Shaurette.net

YOUR ADVERTISEMENT COULD BE HERE!
Contact Dan Shaurette for more information at editor@selfpublishedauthors.com

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9: Subscriber Management / Contact Information
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© 2002-2008 Self Published Authors All Rights Reserved
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