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What Is Your Next Step? Navigating the Publishing Waters

October 26, 2011 by AtlasBooks

Best Foot Forward

What is your next step?

I think this question is vital in writing, publishing, and well, life in general. It is easy to look around and see what other people are doing and where they are at and think, “I want to be there.” But you didn’t see all the steps it took to get there.

One of the most debilitating and paralyzing situations is to have no idea what that next step is. You know you want to take a step, but you are afraid that one step off the path in the wrong direction means the next step is going to be just a bit more off and before long, you are far from where you wanted to go.

Or maybe you just feel overwhelmed.  You’ve written a book and you know there is so much to do from here. Where do you even begin?!

First the bad news. Your next step is likely not to be to sit back and let your book do all the work for you. No, these days in this publishing climate mean you need to dive in. You will get out of it what you put into it. Now I’m starting to sound like a motivational book.

The good news is that you don’t have to go it alone. Here are just a few ways you can reach out to others to see what your next step should be and what is the best way to take it. To use yet another cliché, you don’t have to try to reinvent the wheel.

1. Social Media

Oh the beauty of social networking. You can see pictures of your cousin’s new baby or the dinner they cooked last night. You get to find out when your friends are having a good day or a bad day. But you can also network with other people that have the same publishing dreams and goals that you do.

We have a number of friends on our Bookmasters Facebook page that use it to comment about cover images, ideas for books, to make announcements of what they are doing on their book projects…it has become a community for writers. If you haven’t liked us, please do.

You can find other groups like this. One Twitter group I like to watch every now and then are those united by the hashtag #mywana. It stands for We Are Not Alone and is a group that was established by Kristen Lamb. The purpose of the group is writers supporting other writers.

2. Writing and publishing groups

One of my favorite publishing groups is SPANnet. This online community is a project of the Small Publishers Association of North America (SPAN). Its mission is to provide benefits that make their members (basic membership is free) more successful authors and publishers. SPAN members self-publish books, and are also authors, writers, independent publishing companies, and nonprofit publishers. I see a lot of interesting discussion threads come across this site.

Speaking of discussion threads, there a number of good discussion groups on LinkedIn (I know, this probably belongs under point one: social media. But it fits under groups, too). A lot of people are trying to figure out this ever-evolving business of publishing, and groups range from very basic information to heated debates about the future of digital publishing.

3. Bookmasters

Call us! Helping authors and publishers is what we do and have been doing for more than 40 years! When you contact us, you are set up with an account manager who can analyze where you are in the process and give you advice on how our company and the services we offer can move you along in your process. Of course it is likely that we will offer to sell you something. But it is because we believe in our products and we love being able to help someone realize their publishing dreams.

I hope you have found this information useful and helpful and that it empowers you to take your next step. If you have a minute, leave a note on our Facebook page to let us know how you are working on that next step. And remember, I’m cheering for you!

Photo: xJason.Rogersx, Creative Commons

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10 Proofreading Tips to Ensure Your Writing is Flawless – A Guest Post from Randall Davidson

October 17, 2011 by AtlasBooks

Lina, proofreading my essay. hot.Even the most gifted writers in the world have to rely on proofreading to produce flawless work. Your work isn’t finished the second that you type that final period. If anything, the real work is about to begin. Simplify this important process by keeping the ten following proofreading tips in mind:

  1. Print it out. Holding a hard copy of your finished work makes it easier to spot errors. Once you’ve read your work on the screen, print it out and read it one more time on paper.
  2. Put it down. After putting in so much work, it’s easy to convince yourself that it is flawless. If possible, set aside the work and proofread it later. You are more likely to catch awkward phrases and other subtle mistakes when you revisit it later.
  3. Read it aloud. Sometimes your brain only sees what it wants to see. Reading your work aloud is a great way to catch errors like run-on sentences.
  4. Use the dictionary. When in doubt, always consult a dictionary to ensure that you are using a word properly. Nothing is less professional that misusing a word. Don’t blindly follow the suggestions of a thesaurus either, because it can be a recipe for disaster.
  5. Run a spellchecker. In the world of proofreading tips, running a spellchecker is one piece of advice that is fairly controversial. As long as you don’t rely solely on a spellchecker, it can be a very useful tool.
  6. Let someone else read it. Allowing a completely separate set of eyes examine your work can bring previously unseen errors to light. Hand your work over to someone else and make sure that you can handle constructive criticism.
  7. Read it backwards. As strange as it may seem, reading your text backwards makes it easier to spot misspellings and improper word usage. It forces you to consider the work on a word-by-word basis.
  8. Know your weak spots. Every writer has at least one weak spot. Whether you are prone to run-on sentences or have trouble with commas, be especially vigilant about your problem areas.
  9. Consider one issue at a time. This point goes hand-in-hand with the previous one. Scan your work for spelling issues first; move on to grammatical problems next. In other words, focus on one factor at a time.
  10. Double-check your facts. Exceptional writing isn’t just flawless in terms of grammar and spelling; it needs to be accurate too. Double and triple-check your facts before releasing your work.

By making the preceding proofreading tips a part of your regular writing routine, you will be more likely to consistently produce exceptional work.

About the Author Randall Davidson is a cofounder of ProofreadingServices.Us, a proofreading services company that offers grammar proofreading. Randall enjoys sharing proofreading tips and best practices with other writing enthusiasts.

Photo: Brent Hellickson, Creative Commons

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eBook Marketing Strategy Promotion

October 14, 2011 by AtlasBooks

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The Roof Top Hop Wins Two 2011 Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards

October 13, 2011 by AtlasBooks

The Roof Top Hop by Michael Sheahan, illustrated by Doug Wright (Finest Books) has won a Gold award in the Holiday category and a Silver award in the Book with Music/Theatrical category of the 2011 Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards.

The Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards are designed to honor the best children’s books, authors, and illustrators, and to support childhood literacy and life-long reading.

The Roof Top Hop comes with an original song that celebrates the imagination within, and will deliver to children, friends, and loved ones the joy of reading. The illustrations by Douglas Wright capture the warmth and spirit only a Christmas story like The Roof Top Hop can.

Congratulations Michael, Doug, and Finest Books!

To see a list of all the winners, check out this Independent Publisher Feature.

Posted in Author Spotlight, Our Publishers | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment »

Your Reach Has No Bounds

October 7, 2011 by AtlasBooks

Steve Jobs: 1955-2011

As an author, you want to influence people. Whether you want to give them information, help them solve a problem, or just escape in a good story, you want to have an impact on someone. How many people can do this well for millions of people?

I don’t want this to come across like I am jumping on the bandwagon of writing about Steve Jobs today, but hearing about his death has had me thinking all day. Of course I’d never met the man, but he has effected my life. Here are some of the things I admire about him:

  • He worked with computers, yet made people feel like they were a part of something bigger.
  • He was an innovator.
  • He wasn’t afraid to take on the big corporations, but he did it gracefully. He was about what he was doing, not who he was trying to out-do.
  • He always added that little something extra that made people really excited for press releases. People expected magic.
  • He was very clear. I’ve looked to Apple’s website design on multiple occasions for inspiration.
  • This clarity translated into style. I don’t know about him personally, but like I said, I’ve looked at his stuff for inspiration, and I think it has influenced everything from product design to decorating to clothes.
  • I’ve heard it said of his products, and experienced it myself, that they are intuitive. What you wish something could do, it just does it for you in a way that makes sense.

This guy did what he was passionate and brought other people along with him. He thought about what they needed and how to bring it to them. He was able to make things that are complex very clear and clean in a profound way. He was one guy, but he has touched millions of lives.

And he was “promoting” computers.

I think we can obviously learn a lot from this guy. How can you translate these principles into your own work; into your own writing? The world has lost a great leader, but I hope we can all learn a little from him and carry those good parts into the things we do.

Image courtesy of Apple

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What Does the Frankfurt Book Fair Look Like?

October 4, 2011 by AtlasBooks

The Frankfurt Book Fair starts in a week. This thing is massive. It is a five-day show with more than 7,000 exhibitors from more than 100 countries and 299,000 visitors. Did I mention it was massive?

I will never forget my overwhelming first experience at the fair. I had been to BEA (Book Expo America) several times, and of course I have been in crowded places. Yet with as many halls and towers that comprise the exhibit buildings, I did not expect to see so much human traffic. I found that I had to walk with what I call my “elbows out” stride, trying to give myself enough room to cut through traffic without getting squished.

I also saw lots of fashion. One of the hair styles that stood out to me was the business mullet. I have tended to live in places where mullets abound, particularly at county fair time, but they are usually accompanied by a rusty truck. Here the mullets were gelled and accompanied by a briefcase and a stack of books. And speaking of style, a big surprise for me was that the show is opened up to the public on the last two days of the show. This isn’t the surprise. The surprise was that many students come dressed in costume. They all gather outside throughout they day near a shopping area, and it is always a lot of fun to see how extreme these outfits can be.

But I imagine you are probably more interested in what the mechanics of the show look like. This show revolves around meetings. Of course there are walk-ins or walk-ups, but I would say the meat of the business is done through scheduled meetings, often planned weeks ahead of the event. For the most part, these meetings run on a rigid schedule, so if your time with someone is up, it is time to move on (and if your meeting is in another hall, it is likely time to get moving, as it takes much longer to walk through the buildings when so many people fill the hallways).

For Bookmasters, we meet with a lot of international publishers looking to break into the US trade market. They know it is a huge market, and they don’t want to miss out. This kind of partnership works out very well. The show also gives us a chance to catch up with some of our international publishing partners to see if they have any questions or to go over their upcoming releases.

If you will be at the show, I recommend that you try to arrange a time to meet before leaving, though you can always drop by our booth at Hall 8.0, stand R905. We will look like this:

See the post from our Bookmasters blog to learn more about what Bookmasters will be doing at the show and how we can help you and your business.

Posted in Trade Shows | Leave a Comment »

What Do You Want? Ways NOT to Market Your Book

September 30, 2011 by AtlasBooks


What do you, the author, want?

Perhaps you dream of fame. Maybe fortune. Maybe you just want to break even. You want people to hear your message. You want to change lives. You want people to act. You want them to relax. Whatever it is, you have an agenda, or you likely wouldn’t have written the book.

Now how do you take all that passion and excitement and release it into your marketing? You don’t! Stop it! Stop trying to project your wishes into your marketing.

You have to think about your readers. What do they want?

This summer, my husband and I played in a softball league.

Sometimes we had just enough adults to cover the field, so I had to figure out a way to keep my 1-year-old out of trouble. What I wanted him to do was sit quietly out of harm’s way. Of course, this is nearly impossible to communicate to a 1-year-old. My methods of asking him to stay on the blanket and explaining why he should do so certainly weren’t working.

But here’s the thing; my son loves to play in dirt and mulch. I discovered he would play contentedly (most of the time) in the playground area in the mulch. He was happy to be getting what he wanted, and I was happy that he was far enough away that he wouldn’t get hit, yet close enough I could keep an eye on him, and he was under the supervision of friends’ older kids.

I had to figure out what his “felt need” was. He wanted to play. So I figured out how to satisfy that need in a way that accomplished my own goals.

Isn’t marketing the same way?

A lot of people think that you have to use a hard-sell when marketing your book, like a used car salesman. Can’t we be more creative than that? Work on your angle from your target readers’ point of view. Figure out what they want and then answer with how your book fills that void.

Photo: Amanda D., with permission

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Autographs and Ebooks

September 28, 2011 by AtlasBooks

Autographing a bookI’ve seen some talk about book signings and ebooks and that sort of thing lately. Some of the things that have stuck out to me:

  • A digital autograph doesn’t add value the way a real signature does in a used/rare book market because that market doesn’t exist. In other words, there is no aftermarket, so it is really just for the buyer’s personal benefit.
  • A personal attribution used to devalue a signed book (who want’s a book dedicated Bob, unless Bob was famous?). But without a resale market (see above), this doesn’t exist, and so the personal attribution could be interesting to fans
  • The capacity to have an electronic signature paired with a picture of the user with the author makes a digital signature more compelling

At about the same time I was thinking about these things, I heard about Kindlegraph, which takes care of the technical aspects of doing a digital signature, at least for one of the platforms (though I wonder how long it will take for this technology to catch up with the new devices Amazon announced earlier today).

If you are an author trying to stand above the competition, your ability to do a digital signature might just give you another talking point. You can sign up to do Kindlegraph as an author here.

A lot of insights for this blog post come from a the discussion thread “Marketing, Marketing, Marketing” from the “Ebooks, Ebook Readers, Digital Books and Digital Content Publishing” group on LinkedIn.
 
Photo: pedrosemoes7, Creative Commons

Posted in Information for Publishers | Leave a Comment »

Why Now Is the Time to Self-Publish

September 22, 2011 by AtlasBooks

goldIs this the golden age of self-publishing? Joel Friedlander of The Book Designer says that it is in a video he posted recently.

Here’s a quick rundown of the reasons he gives for this being the most exciting time for self-publishing, plus a few of my own insights.

1. The playing field is being leveled In the digital world, every book has a spot on the digital storefront.  Now you don’t have to be in with a major publisher to win the favor of the gatekeepers. You can reach your audience directly.

2. Self-publishers have easy access to tools and professionals The last few years have been hard for publishing professionals. A lot of people lost their jobs in downsizing in the publishing business. But this can be your advantage as a lot of knowledgeable people are now available to you. And software that even top publishing companies use is becoming available to the average user.

3. Social media marketing Using social media enables you to reach a target audience in ways that were never possible before.

4. Elimination of risk With the advent of ebooks, you can easily publish without having to tie up thousands of dollars in print before a book can even reach a market. I have to disagree a bit here. I don’t think I would call it an elimination of risk, but maybe reducing of risk. To do a book well, especially on your own, you will still need to spend some dough to have it properly edited and designed. You will also need to put up some cash for promotion. If the book flops, you still have made an investment.

5. Prejudices are eroding Self-publishing is much more widely accepted. Many people don’t really look to see who publishes a book and don’t even know they are buying a self-published book.

6. The changing definition of books A book is longer confined to being pages between a cover.  Manuscripts that would have been rejected based purely on length are now finding an outlet.

7. The global nature of the internet Because the internet is global, it opens up global book sales where they may not have been feasible before

8. The rise of mobile technology People can carry whole libraries of books in their pockets. It’s amazing!

I don’t know that we’ve hit the top yet. I think things are only going to get better for self-publishers, at least for a while.

But I think it is important to remember that though things are better for self-publishers, it doesn’t mean self-publishing is easy. Yes, it is easier, and you really could easily publish a book, but I don’t think it will be your best effort and the best choice for your book. Getting a book successfully to market takes more than posting it to a digital storefront.

What is your next step with your book? How can Bookmasters help you take that next step professionally?

Photo: D’arcy Norman, Creative Commons

Posted in Information for Publishers | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments »

Facebook Marketing Strategies – A guest infographic from Maria Peagler

September 21, 2011 by AtlasBooks

Thanks to AtlasBooks author and client Maria Peagler for this infographic. You can see what she’s up to at her website.

Also, check out Maria’s previous guest posts:
6 Elements of Social Media Strategy: Part 1
6 Elements of Social Media Strategy: Part 2 
6 Elements of Social Media Strategy: Part 3 
6 Elements of Social Media Strategy: Part 4 
6 Elements of Social Media Strategy: Part 5 
6 Elements of Social Media Strategy: Part 6 

Posted in Guest Blogs | 3 Comments »

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