Tag Archives: useful tips
IS SELF-PUBLISHING RIGHT FOR EVERYBODY?
The book publishing world has gone through a revolution in recent years that is similar to the one that happened in music ten years ago when it became easy for bands to publish their own music and have their fans download it, instead of dealing with the middlemen – the record companies. With the rise of e-books it’s easy for authors to self-publish, rather than go through the laborious process of trying to get a book contract with a mainstream publisher.
But is it worth it? There are many pros and cons to self-publishing, and if you’re thinking of doing it, these are the questions you should ask.
How long am I willing to wait to get published?
If you have a story or idea that is just gnawing at you and you feel compelled to publish it, you’ll definitely get it into your readers’ hands a lot quicker if you self-publish. The traditional publishing route can take years, from the time when you send out your first manuscript to when the book actually gets on the market. If you self-publish an e-book it will be a matter of months from the time you write it to when you can publish it.
Am I willing to promote and market my book, or do I want somebody else to do that?
Traditional publishers do a lot of the marketing for their books, which takes pressure off the authors. If you self-publish, the marketing begins and ends with you.
Do I want to do all the editing, cover design, formatting, etc. myself, or do I want somebody else to do that?
Again, traditional publishers have the manpower to do the jobs involved in the book’s presentation. If you self-publish, you’re responsible for all that.
How much of a royalty do I want?
Self-publishers get to keep up to 70 percent of their book’s income. The royalty offered by publishers is usually in the single digits. Self-publishing is a viable option for some authors, but for others, it’s not as attractive as going the traditional publishing route. It’s a question you need to research and think about, to determine if it’s right for you.
R. Lynn Archie
www.rlynnarchie.com
The Effect Duplicate Titles Can Have on an Authors KDP Select Bookshelf
Do you know the protocol of having duplicate books on your Amazon KDP Select bookshelf? I didn’t before, but I do now. First off, as much as I would like to keep my bookshelf tidy by deleting unwanted things, unfortunately, there is no option to take that action. Maybe there is a way internally through KDP, I’m not sure, but what I am certain of is an author is not able to make it happen.
The alternative solution is to change your active book to an unpublished draft. And, if you want to start off fresh still using the same book title, but not wanting the baggage that goes along with it (e.g. reviews, editorials, etc.) you would then use the option “Add a New Book” to create a new book with the same title but under a different ASIN. To be frank, my thinking was the old, unpublished draft would be closed and obsolete, however, that wasn’t the case.
What I came to learn was if you have the same title book their detail pages automatically link within 48 hours after an additional edition or version is published as long as the content, title, and contributors are exactly the same. The only way to avoid this automatic action in the future is to change a small detail in the title by adding a subtitle or a change to the form in which the author’s name is written as desired. You might perform this with the unpublished draft so the system doesn’t feed and match details for similarities.
Though in my case, since it had already happened, it took a few times going back and forth in correspondence with KDP representatives to get things corrected. Things ended well, but it was a headache getting to that point. Hopefully my experience prevents you from making the same error.
R. Lynn
Website: http://www.rlynnarchie.com
15 Grammar Goofs
In visiting Copyblogger.com, I came across the article about 15 Grammar Goofs That Make You Look Silly. It’s a list of words that seem relatively easy, but can cause confusion if used the wrong way. Unfortunately, even I am guilty of making a few of these blunders at one time or another. However, since I am all about sharing information, I’m passing it along to you, complements of Copyblogger.com.
I hope that it will be a helpful reference guide.
R. Lynn
Like this infographic? Get more content marketing tips from Copyblogger.
Helpful Tips for New Indie Authors
I noted in my prior post that it’s been a year since self-publishing my first romance novel, and I have to admit that my journey on becoming an indie author has been an enjoyable one. Throughout the year I’ve received so much useful writing advice and information; all which has helped me grow as a writer.
In this post I’m giving back in hopes of helping others; my advice for new indie authors starting out would be, have patience and stay committed. Everyone has hopes and dreams of becoming rich and famous, but realistically there’s a chance that might never happen. Nonetheless, that doesn’t mean you can’t succeed in what you love doing, and what I mean by that is whatever you’re passionate about just stay focused on executing your goal from start to finish. When you can accomplish that then you will always succeed by coming out on top.
Lastly, one final point I’m going to share is do not burn yourself out. I did that writing my first and second novel by not allowing any downtime in between — that was such a bad idea and a big no-no. Nowadays, it’s mandatory that I take breaks in between writing projects. Trust me, even something as small as doing nothing for a weekend but being idle will do you a world of good.
Just remember when it comes to your writing routine make sure you choose a non-stressful schedule that works best for you. All things considered, being an indie author is great, and the best part for me is there’s no one to answer to because I’m the boss!
Talk to you soon,
R. Lynn
Website: www.rlynnarchie.com
Email: info@rlynnarchie.com
KDP: Updates Regarding Series Books
Recently, I contacted Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) inquiring about series books, and there was a discussion about some new things happening soon that I thought I would share.
KDP is making updates to the way series books get listed on Amazon.com. Series books are books with multiple volumes whether they’re each complete books, or individual sections of a longer book. In making these books easier for customers to find, in mid-May they are updating how they organize them in the Kindle Store.
The detail pages will now display the title for series books as Title: Subtitle (Series Title Book Volume). KDP states these changes will help make sure that customers can find all of your books easily.
Here’s how KDP instructed series information should be used:
Series Title: Your Series Title in KDP should be the name of the series. By ensuring that all books in a series have the same value for Series Title, you will improve the discoverability of your books.
Volume: Enter only a numerical value (e.g. 1, 2, 3; not “Book 5” or “Book V”)
For example, if the name of your books is The World and is the second book within your Science Facts book series, your information would be as follows:
Book title: The World
Series title: Science Facts
Volume: 2
The title for this book will show up as The World (Science Facts Book 2). I hope this is information is helpful.
R. Lynn Archie
Mind Mapping Can Be a Useful Tool
Plain and simple, a mind map is a graphical way to represent ideas and concepts. It is a visual thinking tool that helps with structuring your information and makes it easier for you to analyze, understand, remember, recall and create new ideas.
Mind Mapping can be created by hand or software. Some software is free and there are others that need to be purchased. In addition, and because it’s not noted in the linked article, if you know how to use Microsoft Office Excel, it’s another good substitution for creating mind maps.
Whichever way you decide, it all starts out with a starting point to which you write down the main idea that you want to develop. From there, you are going to expand by building supporting subtopics, and as you do so, you connect each of them with a line back to the main idea.
The subtopic step will be repeated so that you can make as many lower layers as needed to support your main idea. Just remember that for each new lower level, it needs to be connected to the top corresponding subtopic. See diagrams below.
I think mind mapping is a great diagram to follow because you can always go back and reference it when you’re stuck or forget something. Give it a try; it might be a helpful tool for you.
Thanks for visiting,
R. Lynn Archie
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Mistakes New Authors Make
I was surfing the web and stumbled upon a useful article by author Judy Cullins called 5 Non-Fiction Book Writing Mistakes and Solution.
The first thing that caught my attention was the sentence “the biggest mistake emerging authors make is that they ‘tell’ rather than ‘engage’ their readers. Yes, I have to admit that I am guilty of that when it comes to writing the first draft of my novels. As much as I would love to say that everything I write starts out correctly, I cannot. (Going off subject for a moment, even a word as simple as cannot is confusing for some folks. Sorry, but I had to throw that in real quick). Now back to what I was discussing.
Another strong point that a new author should know is passive sentences should be avoided like the plague because it slows the story down to the pace of a turtle. The last thing you want is to bore the reader to tears. Keep in mind that a happy reader will return, so you want your stories to hold their attention. Also, the use of pompous language and phrases are unnecessary. My opinion has always been “simple is best”, and that’s just the guidance given in the article by Judy.
And, saving the best for last is “authors should aim at 10th grade level writing because it makes for easier reading to their buyers. This one I had not heard of before; although, I have to admit that I’ve read a few things that have stated the wording should be aimed at a higher, impressive level. Nevertheless, I have always followed the 10th grade writing level. So to sum things up, the article provides many helpful tips and practical examples for new authors to reference.
Enjoy your weekend,
R. Lynn
Website: www.rlynnarchie.com
R. Lynn Archie, Romance Author 