After Editing Your Book, Focus on the Interior Design
By Jerry D. Simmons | February 8th, 2010 | No Comments » (Click to add yours!)
The interior look of your book is almost as important as the cover. When a consumer picks up a book, glares at the front cover, then turns it over to read the back cover, the next step is for them to open the book. If they do this, you are on your way to a sale. However, if the interior of your book looks less than professional, guess what? Chances are the consumer will not make a purchase. Interior layouts for every book must look like a professional book formatter created the design. Yes, the interior is a design. There are certain qualities you want, they differ by publisher, but the look has similarities. The next time you visit your favorite bookstore, open up some titles in your category and check them out. You might be surprised the things you never noticed.
Tags: Book Publishing, Hybrid Publishing Model, Self-Published Author, Self-Publishing
My Manuscript is Professionally Edited, Now What?
By Jerry D. Simmons | February 5th, 2010 | No Comments » (Click to add yours!)
Once you’ve invested in the services of a professional editor, your next decision is—how to publish? Are you seeking an agent for possible acquisition by a New York publisher? Are you submitting to small traditional publishers who accept unsolicited manuscripts? Are your intentions to publish on your own, independently? Whatever your decision make certain you examine every option. There is a publishing guide available at www.IndiPublishingGroup.com , simply provide name and email address and it will be sent free. The most important point is to publish to your personal goals. Do not let friends, family or colleagues convince you to publish contrary to what you want as a writer.
Regardless of how you decide to publish, it’s very important that you focus on the package. A great package will say “success.” New York publishers spend lots of time on making sure the package is right. For all they do wrong, they know how to package books. The cover must fit in with your category in every way. Including colors, font size and type, placement of the title and author name, images, and everything else associated with a good book cover. You find the best packages in the national bookstore chains. Visit and browse, what you see is what you emulate. This is important. If your book looks like a title that does not fit the market, regardless of where you sell copies, the consumer will be skeptical. So your book is extremely niche oriented? That’s fine, it still has to look like it fits into the marketplace like a professionally published book. You’re selling the image as much as the content. Books are judged by their cover.
Tags: Book Publishing, Hybrid Publishing Model, Self-Published Author, Self-Publishing
Publishing Without Editorial is a Bad Idea
By Jerry D. Simmons | February 4th, 2010 | No Comments » (Click to add yours!)
Writers should publish their manuscript according to their own individual goals. Some want to set the bar as high as Oprah, a major motion picture, or the New York Times bestseller list. All fine as long as that goal is grounded in reality. Meaning, authors must understand the market for their books. They need to recognize that books are published according to a set pattern, a formula, that encompasses many parts. The biggest problem with most Independently published books is that they leave out many of these parts and the result is a book that does not fit the market. The biggest omission is failure to work with a professional freelance editor, before publication. It doesn’t matter how much money you spend on marketing or top quality production, if your book is not edited, your marketing will not be effective.
Tags: Book Publishing, Hybrid Publishing Model, Self-Published Author, Self-Publishing, writing
The Market for Independently Published Books
By Jerry D. Simmons | February 3rd, 2010 | No Comments » (Click to add yours!)
The six largest New York based traditional trade publishers have a built in distribution channel for their titles. The small independent press and self-published do not. The big guys promote their books through that channel because it’s established and provides easy access. For the Independent authors, it’s neither established nor easy. How do we overcome this obstacle? One way is by establishing a gathering place, a community, that is free to all writers and authors, where books can be shopped by consumers, agents and editors.
There are many online locations to sell books, the idea is not to try and reinvent the wheel, the point is to showcase the Independent Market for books, authors, and writers. Our marketplace is fractured into a million little pieces and predators roam the web selling a variety of products and services aimed at giving the Independent author better access to the traditional world of bookselling. That is not the approach at the web site Nothing Binding. We understand the market for books, have years of big New York publisher experience and we are designed to serve the Independent author and publisher. It’s free so check it out.
Tags: Book Marketing, Book Sales, Booksellers, Self-Published Author, Self-Publishing
The Idea Behind the Nothing Binding Web Site
By Jerry D. Simmons | February 2nd, 2010 | No Comments » (Click to add yours!)
My background and experience was in the traditional world of New York publishing where I worked for two of the biggest houses for 25 years. These publishers have many advantages over the self-published and small companies when it comes to marketing and selling books. The concept behind Nothing Binding was to create a stage where every writer or author could promote themselves and their books to the world. Not just to each other, but to readers, agents, editors, and publishers that visit the site looking for new talent.
The traditional world of bookselling is very much a closed shop, difficult to enter and once you do the price of staying and selling books is high. What every Independent writer or author must do to sell more books is create a gathering place, a community of fellow writers and authors, in essence establishing a marketplace where Independently published books can be discovered. To create a place where readers looking for books outside the traditional world can find gems, and where agents and editors looking for the next John Grisham or Sandra Brown can seek out new talent in a single location. That is the idea behind Nothing Binding.
Tags: Book Marketing, Book Publishing, Hybrid Publishing Model, Self-Published Author, Self-Publishing
Never Underestimate Your Ability as a Writer
By Jerry D. Simmons | February 1st, 2010 | No Comments » (Click to add yours!)
The following link is a story about a man who wrote a book, decided to self-publish, followed a plan, promoted as best he could, and now he has the world at his door.
http://www.usatoday.com/life/books/news/2008-04-30-shack_N.htm?POE=click…
The moral of this story is that anyone can do what he has done! It’s about making it happen, developing a plan, marketing effectively, perseverance, but most of all, you’ve got to believe you can do it! Never, ever underestimate your ability as a writer to create on paper what others want or need.
Tags: Book Marketing, Book Publishing, Book Sales, Hybrid Publishing Model, Self-Published Author, Self-Publishing
Writers Must Believe
By Jerry D. Simmons | January 29th, 2010 | No Comments » (Click to add yours!)
The one characteristic that every writer needs to possess is a strong belief that their writing is good. You also have to believe in your ability to become a successful author. It’s important that you believe in yourself as a writer and the story or message you are writing. Publishing is an extremely competitive business and at times can be discouraging. Passionate writers who are excited about their writing are contagious. However, don’t be unrealistic. Set modest goals, be willing to take baby steps, believe in your success but understand that achieving your goals will not be an easy task.
The opportunities for a new writer to receive a huge advance and national book tour are unlikely. That doesn’t discount the fact that a strong belief in your writing and story are necessary for success. Anything in publishing is possible IF you (1) believe strongly in your writing, (2) believe strongly that you will become a successful author, (3) do all you can to distribute your work to as many readers in as many formats as possible, and (4) Learn to become a clever marketer. Don’t follow the pack, learn to blaze a new trail and you never know who might be watching and reading.
Tags: Book Marketing, writing
Authors Beware of Faulty Promises of Success
By Jerry D. Simmons | January 27th, 2010 | 1 Comment » (Click to add yours!)
I dislike the need to write these warning blogs but the Independent publishing market demands it. It is my intent to inform everyone about new products or services aimed at the Independent writer or author that just don’t work. I’ve recently discovered three such services.
The first has to do with international distribution. One of the so-called “experts” wants you to believe that you can sell thousands of books by using their distributors who just happen to be overseas. Don’t fall for it! The international market for books is very small, compared to the US market. Plus you have multiple issues to deal with one of the most important being copyright. Never, ever send your manuscript or book to an overseas distributor and never agree to anything via email solicitation!
The second deals with specialty sales, often described as non-bookstore sales. You should never pay an upfront fee for this kind of service. Instead you demand to pay only on success. If the so-called sales force is successful and your book is actually ordered in quantities of tens of thousands, then I’m sure you would be willing to pay a reasonable fee. This entire premise is a way to generate revenue up front with no promise or guarantee. In fact, the author may never know who was actually contacted and presented their book. This is a bad deal for the Independent author and you should avoid at all costs.
The third deals with the growth of the eBook and how to profit. Suddenly there are seminars, webinars and a variety of secret formulas for success. Most claim to have sold thousands of eBooks within a 24-hour period and will share their proven secret with everyone for only a few hundred dollars. PLEASE do not fall for this or any of these scams designed to separate you from your money. There is no secret, no special formula, it’s a marketing ploy. If there was such a thing as a secret to book publishing success don’t you think someone would have come up with it by now?
Tags: Book Distribution, Book Marketing, Book Sales, Booksellers
My Interview with CNN.com
By Jerry D. Simmons | January 26th, 2010 | 1 Comment » (Click to add yours!)
Several months ago, a wonderful writer by the name of Todd Leopold from CNN.com called to ask questions about the past surge in memoirs, published both Independently and by the big houses. The article recently popped up somewhere on the web and I decided to mention it again, here is the link to the story.
http://www.cnn.com/2008/SHOWBIZ/books/04/15/memoirs/index.html
The most important thing to remember about memoirs is that the writing must be a “recollection” of facts. You cannot fabricate people, places or things and call it a memoir. Memoirs are different from biographies or autobiographies since the facts are not “vetted” for the truth. Biographies and autobiographies are supposed to be scrutinized by their publisher to insure the writing is accurate and truthful.
If you are writing a memoir, keep in mind, it needs to be as factual as possible. Don’t make the mistake of creating people, places or things that never existed.
Tags: Book Publishing, Self-Published Author, writing
The Fallacy of Some Book Publishing Experts
By Jerry D. Simmons | January 25th, 2010 | No Comments » (Click to add yours!)
It’s important that writers and authors understand that all indications are that Amazon has a long term plan with regard to the printing company–BookSurge and it is not in the best interest of the Independent publishing community. There are “so-called” publishing experts who have written that it’s okay for Amazon to force all self-published, and print-on-demand authors to print with their own company if they want to sell books on their site. I’m sorry but this illustrates the problem with these “experts,” they misinterpret the facts and lack an understanding of the market.
Forcing anyone, let alone authors to succumb to the wishes of a big corporation is not only wrong, it should be a violation of anti-trust law. How anyone especially those who are supposedly an expert in book publishing can write that this is okay clearly explains those “experts” are completely out of touch with the reality of the marketplace and have no idea how the industry operates. This move signals that the Independent publishing community is not welcome at the largest online bookseller in the world.
Tags: Book Publishing, Booksellers, Self-Published Author, Self-Publishing
