Reblogged from Bookmasters Blog:

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Summary

Are you as comfortable in the kitchen as you are in your blue jeans? Would you like to be? In Blue Jean Chef: Comfortable in the Kitchen, Meredith Laurence, the Blue Jean Chef, helps you settle into your comfort zone in the kitchen with tips, tricks, explanations of cooking techniques, and over two hundred recipes. Meredith shares knowledge acquired from years working in cooking schools, test kitchens, and restaurants in France, Canada, and the USA.

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When you self-published, did you realize that you are now a small business with a lot to think about? Self-publishing isn’t just writing a book and hoping people like it enough to buy it. Self-publishing is a business and there is a lot to think about, such as: Content, editing, design, marketing, sales, eBook conversion, printing volume vs. POD, and much…much more. Luckily for indie authors, Bookmasters is there to ease some of that pressure, but what I want to talk about today is specifically PRICE. Not just the price of your book, but the price of your eBook and the new “Pay What You Want” model proposed by StoryBundle.

StoryBundle’s whole idea behind this new concept is to bundle about five books of undiscovered indie authors together and set a minimum price of $1 for the entire bundle, but they allow the consumer to set a price of anything over $1 to divide up between book price, payment to StoryBundle and even a charity from a list provided at checkout. Why the reason for the $1 minimum price point? Because, StoryBundle thinks indie authors deserve “at least something” for their effort. Also, each book offered through StoryBundle is DRM free. That’s right; all of the preaching you have heard about protecting your files with DRM goes out
After the initially looking into this new model of pricing, it seems to be only good for the consumer. First, indie authors invest everything into their work, so putting the work out there at the mercy of the consumer with no guarantee of making money off of the sale is worrisome at the least.  Second, having no DRM means that the file isn’t protected at all, this could lead to your book being passed around without sale or you even knowing. But there is always another side to every story.the door with this new approach.

So, let’s take a look at this other side. If your main goal is to get your name out there as an author then this is a great platform for viral marketing. Let’s say you’re a new indie author with a book series in the works, release the first book this way, get readers hooked and then the rest of the books in the series sell the “traditional” way. This approach allows your content to be purchased for a smaller amount and just ask any professional in the industry which sells more, a $.99 eBook or a $5.99 eBook. Volume is key to eBooks and also exposure for your author name. Also, the support for indie authors is growing profusely in the age of self-publishing, so saying every person will only pay the $1 minimum is unrealistic. Of course there will be the drones of people willing to pay $5 or even $10 for five books.

This new “Pay What You Want” model has stirred the pot of things indie authors have to take into consideration. The question of whether this new model is a good choice or not should not be answered for the masses, but should be answered on a case-by-case basis. So, indie authors and even publishers, take a look at your situation and see if this new model is something you could/should consider.

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Whether you read on a Kindle or by candlelight, you might think the brick-and-mortar bookstore is going the way of the dinosaur. But these temples of the book are beloved by many and, in the nation’s big cities at least, will always be with us, even as big-box chains like Borders bite the dust. There’s just something about browsing real, solid bookshelves that the Amazon experience just can’t replace.

But for self-published authors, who have flourished in the era of writing on computers, print-on-demand, e-books, and app stores, getting shelf space in a real live bookstore may seem like an impossible dream. The good news is, it’s not. The bad news is, it is certainly difficult. To make this pursuit an effective use of your time, you should know some things before hand.

Small-business retail is a special world unto itself, and booksellers are busy, undercompensated, and occasionally even cranky. I can attest to this because I’m very good friends with one of them. Here’s her advice on how she separates the wheat from the chaff:

1. We all judge a book by its cover. Invest in tasteful, non-cheap-looking graphic design. This means one font (two at most), and nothing tacky. It means if you want to cross over into the mainstream market, don’t have magenta curlicues and a photoshopped portrait of someone with purple eyes and fangs reaching into someone else’s pants. It means not leaning on blurbs from people or blogs whose opinions are meaningless to the literate public — at least not in a prominent place on your front cover.

2. Make sure your book fits their niche. Many independent bookstores are specialized by necessity. If they specialize in poetry and art books, and you have written a medical textbook that you’re trying to pitch to them, you’re barking up the wrong tree. Likewise, they may not carry romance…or they may only carry romance. Do your homework and save yourself wasted effort.

3. Even if you’re starting as an amateur, be professional in your business dealings. Don’t give them the hard sell. When requesting that your book be added to a store’s inventory, don’t be pushy or do anything else that will give them a reason to write you off as “another local crackpot.” Most managers and buyers are putting out fires all day, so they prefer emails to phone calls.

As much hype as you read about the wonders of the self-publishing explosion, the unfortunate corollary is that with this increased access and competition, it’s harder than ever to stand out from the crowd. You have to work hard and make wise decisions to succeed in today’s literary marketplace. It is my sincere hope that these few pointers I have offered can help your book rise above the rest!

Stephanie Brooks is a freelance writer and blogger who mostly enjoys covering all things education, including attop10onlineuniversities.org, but also regarding traditional brick-and-mortar institutions. When she’s not writing, she can be found at the gym working out to Zumba and cooking healthy recipes at home. She welcomes your feedback.

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How will you be celebrating Independence Day this year? Are you going anywhere to see a fireworks display? Any family picnics? Are you going to sleep in? Do I see pancakes with red, white, and blue sprinkles in your future? Maybe you celebrate veterans or active military personnel with a parade or in some other way.

I love how holidays give us a moment to stop, think, and celebrate. It is marked as different from other days. You do things you don’t normally do. You might even take a moment to stop and smile.

I hope you do some of those same things to celebrate your writing every now and then. Not everyone can do what you do. Our country values freedom of expression and you are exercising that in a very real and meaningful way. So in addition to celebrating all that Independence Day means, I also take a moment to celebrate you, our writers, for all you do. Thank you.

Photo: bayasaa, Creative Commons

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