Kindle, Smashwords and e-Book Publishing:

So your manuscript is complete, polished and ready for publishing, then it's time for you to consider making your work available for e-Readers via Amazon Kindle and Smashwords.  

Amazon Kindle: An e-reading platform available through Amazon.com, which allows readers to digitally download your manuscript to their Kindle device, PC, or cell phone.

Smash words: This is a website, which allows Independent Authors and Publishers to publish their books in a variety of digital formats including, but not limited to: P.D.F. , Kindle (in mobi format), E Pub, Sony Reader, HTML.  Premium Publishing on Smash words requires better e-book formatting, but will gain you access into the Nook and Sony stores.

How to Sell on Kindle?

Step 1: Publishing your e-Book on Kindle is free to set-up - a big plus for small publishers and Independent Authors.  To get the Kindle publishing process started go to

http://www.dtp.amazon.com

You can sign in via your Amazon screen name, which you use for purchasing items off the Amazon site.  After signing in you will be sent to the DTP or Digital Text Platform Dashboard. Your DTP Dashboard is your entry point into Kindle publishing.  From here you can set up your book (known as a 'Title'), edit and republish you work(s) when corrections are made, check your royalty reports, and set up direct deposit for payments, etc...

Looking at your dashboard you'll see several things.  At the top of the browser:

My Shelf - This is where you set up titles, and monitor existing titles.

My Reports - Where you click to check royalties.

My Account: Your Account info.

Step #2: Setting up Titles:

If you want to to set your book title, click the "My Shelf" Button on your dashboard.  In the upper left hand corner you'll see a button that says: "Add a New Item."  Click the icon and you'll be able to set up a new Title.  The process to set up the Title comes in four, fairly easy steps which I'll go through in detail below via steps 3-6.

Step # 3 Enter Product Details: This is the first step in the title set-up.  You will be asked to list and detail the following information: 

Title: What's the title of your work.  Example: my book is "Burden of Proof."

Description: Write a one to two paragraph description detailing your book's plot synopsis.  I have heard from consumers that a more detailed synopsis is better.  Don't give away plot twists or give the entire plot away, but try to give the consumer a good feel for what the book is about, key themes, characters and why they should read it.  For examples on how to write a product description try going through the top Kindle sellers and emulate a similar method in your description.  (*Note Product Description has 4000 characters Max)

 
Authors: List Author(s) and any other contributors to the project (I.E. Editor) here.

Publisher: List name of Publisher.  If you are self-publishing and are not with Create Space (Amazon's self-publishing platform for paperback books) then list the name of your publishing company (For example, I own Lone Mountain Press - I came up with this name because I love mountains.  Pick a Publishing House name that works for your image as an author/publisher)

 
ISBN: If you have an ISBN number type it here.  This ISBN number costs $150 through Bowker and can be used for digital books and traditional paperback and hardcover books.

 
Language * Pub Date: What language is the book in?  What is the date it was published.  

Keywords/ 
Categories: List the genre your book is in or keywords to identify it.  I.E. with "Burden of Proof" I put keywords such as 'espionage' 'suspense' 'thriller'

Product Image: Upload a J P.E.G. or TIFF of your book cover.  

- Digital Rights Management - can be enabled.  This is a way to stop Internet Piracy on your e-Book.  As someone with an Intellectual Property background I recommend enabling DRM.  For more info on Digital Rights Management and whether or not to use it: DRM

Step #4: Confirm Content Rights - Here you will need to confirm that you have sole right to publish you work (I.E. you own copyright and distribution rights).  Select which region you are legally allowed to distribute.  If you own sole distribution rights then opt for Worldwide Rights.

Step # 5:  Upload and Preview Book:  Before you reach this step, be sure to make sure your Kindle book is formatting correctly.  If you can a Word Document you might just want to delete blank pages at the top of the document before uploading.  For more on formatting check out the Amazon Guide. 

Here you can upload your digital file.  DO NOT USE PDF FILE!  For some reason Amazon Kindle is not set up for PDF and a Acrobat file will not lead to a poor quality Kindle book.  I recommend exporting a Word or PDF document to HTML or simply uploading an MS Word Document.  

Once you've uploaded the file, you can click the preview button to make sure that it reads properly in the Kindle format.  

Step # 6: Set Suggested Price - You have to set the price at a minimum of .99 cents per Kindle book.  I suggest a starting price of $1.99.  I know that seems a little low, but I've had a lot more luck with sales at that price.  If you want to set your book as a free e-book, you have to work this out with Amazon directly.

Step # 7: Click Publish - Make sure the Content Rights have been approved and then click published.  Your book will typically be 'Live' in the Kindle Store within 48 hours.

Other Issues regarding Kindle:

Royalties: You're in this primarily because you want people to enjoy your book, but any author/publisher who is working to be in print wants their efforts to pay off in a royalty check.  At this juncture you don't have any say in what royalties you receive or what discount is given to the distributor.  This is a bit annoying as Amazon requires 65% percent of the profit be reverted to them and 35% go to the author and publisher.  This option will open up this summer when Amazon will give authors/publishers a 70% royalty option, in which Amazon will receive 30% of profit and A/P - 70%.  If the 70% royalty option is chosen, Amazon will charge a fee per KB downloaded per sale and then configure the 70% rate after the KB deduction is made.  

So if you have a book priced at $1.99 you'll make .70 cents.  It's not much, and you may be tempted to price higher, but speaking from experience stay under $4 (and preferably $2) - you'll make more money by selling in bulk, as more readers are willing to purchase you book right away if it's cheaper in price.

Returns: Kindle users have seven days to return a book.  This will just be deducted from your royalty report and unlike paperback returns - you owe no money, you just lose the royalty you already received and sense you are paid 60 days after the end of the monthly report - you'll take no direct loss.

Tips:

- Make sure that you have a typo free and well-formatted Kindle book as Amazon Kindle users will vehemently write in a negative review if they find a typo or formatting issue.  The good news is you can upload a new manuscript as many times as you need to for no fee - there is just a 36 hour lay-over before the new version is live.  With my paperback book re-uploads with LSI it's a $40 fee...

Smashwords: is another great site for Authors/Independent Publishers to promote and sell their work.  With Smashwords you can reach a lot of different e-Book formats and you receive a higher royalty than Amazon (80% A/P Royalty).  I recommend being on both Kindle and Smashwords

To get your book listed on Smashwords is easy.  Once you set-up an account you can upload titles simply by importing your MS Word or HTML file to the site.  For more info check out this link: http://www.smashwords.com/about

More on E-Book Promotion Soon!

If you're interested in checking out "Burden of Proof": Kindle 

*Note - New Version now Availble on Kindle for only $1.99

E-Reading Devices

In the past several years more and more devices to promote e-reading for the public at large have come into play.  These devices include Amazon Kindle, Barnes and Noble Nook and the Sony Reader.  Apple is now coming into the mix with the highly advanced Apple I Pad coming out late this Spring.  More and more consumers are turning to digital books y via the e-reading devices or P.D.F. files  The new digital e-reading revolution affords an excellent opportunity for Independent (and Traditional) authors and publishers to promote their books and further sales.

In this post I'll briefly go over the major digital reading devices.  In a subsequent post I'll go into how to sell your e-book via Smashwords and Amazon Kindle

Devices:

Kindle: Amazon's best-selling e-reading device, which debuted in November of 2007 and is the forerunner of it's predecessors.  It is sold exclusively through Amazon and sells roughly for $259.  It is currently available in North America and Australia, but not in the European Market.  Three hardware devices, known as "Kindle," "Kindle 2," and "Kindle D.X." support this platform. Kindle software applications exist for Windows, i Phone OS, and Black Berry, with a Mac OS X version in development.   Amazon has released Kindle for PC free of charge, allowing users to read Kindle books on a Windows PC.  Kindle owners can download e-books for their Kindle.  The advantage of the Kindle is that you in theory can save money on books, as e-books are typically priced less.  The main advantage of Kindle or other e-reader devices is the portability.  You can carry up to 1500 books in one device - instead of lugging paperback and hardbacks around.  This is perfect for flights and trips.  Books for Amazon Kindle mostly must be purchased through the Amazon Kindle store, however other websites such as Smashwords offer alternatives to this.

Barnes and Noble Nook:  In an effort to cut into Amazon's e-book sales and buffer the Brick and Mortar chain's sales (Amazon is big competition for B&N and cuts into about 40% of their potential revenue margin), B&N opted to develop it's only device called 'Nook,' which is very similar to Kindle in design.  The main difference of course is the fact that the only place you can purchase e-books for your Nook is via Barnes and Noble's on-line store.  I've heard both positive and negative reviews of the Nook.  Some prefer Kindle and others Nook.  

Sony Reader: Borders sells this device in store, however Sony Reader isn't limited by one store format.  It supports P.D.F.'S, e-pub, and Sony e-book store downloads.  It looks similar to both the Amazon Kindle and Nook...I have heard a lot of people say they like the Sony Reader because you can easily read P.D.F.'S and they Sony Store offers a good selection of books.  Over all it depends on your personal preference in model make-up and downloading options.

I Pad:  The Apple I Pad will come out this spring.  I am a Mac user and love Mac products so I'm sure the quality will be excellent.  However I want to point out some key differences between the I Pad and other e-reading devices.  From what I've read the I Pad offers a platform for e-reading, but the device acts more like a mini computer with Internet Browsing, Documents, Applications, and other non e-reading capabilities not offered via Kindle, Nook or Sony.  Therefore Mac will appeal to both those looking for a computer smaller than a laptop, and e-readers have the Apple Book option.  

The price is steep at $499 compared to other e-readers, but given the fact that it is more of a mini-computer that makes sense.  I'm not sure Apple will cut into Nook and Amazon sales as much as economists project.  I think Amazon, much like Apple with the I Pod set the standard with the Kindle and many people who don't want the excess features on the I Pad will opt for the cheaper Kindle.  The main question will be the pricing wars, which are beginning to ensue.  I'll broach th pricing wars in a later post. 

PC or Online HTML viewing: Several e-book stores allow you to download the file to your computer to read in P.D.F. or Online HTML form, which allows even more opportunities for readers to download e-books and read them on the computer.  Cell-phone carriers also are allowing e-reading on phones.

If you are interested in learning about how to sell you book in e-Book form, follow me to the next entry...

The Question of Returns?

To return or not to allow returns - that is the question in distribution for your book.  It's a hard question, which every new author and Independent publisher faces.  

Facts:

- Most bookstores won't accept  book that is not returnable.  This goes back to the Great Depression, when publishers worked to figure out ways for bookstores to afford to stock their books.  Publishers could never convince stores to change the policy back and now Bookstores feel entitled to returns, even when they probably shouldn't return the book because it was their fault they overstocked it.  The bookstores will expect a return even if the book is tattered, torn and not resellable.  They expect you to pay for return shipping along with the full wholesale rate.  

- If you choose not to allow returns you only potential bookstore market is Independent Stores who will sell on consignment.  This means you have to pay to have the books printed and shipped to the bookstore.  If they sell you'll typically get a 60% royalty consignment rate from the bookstore.  This is definitely an option, especially in your hometown, but it's not something most Independent authors or publishers can afford to do on a large scale.

- Book signings, except for a few Indies, you won't be able to schedule book signings unless you allow returns, even if you offer to bring your own books!  It doesn't make total sense, but is the way things go...

Pros of Book Returns are that you can have a presence in bookstores, which causes buzz and you'll pick up spur of the moment sales you might not get online.  How many times do you go into a bookstore and buy a book you'd never heard of until then because you saw it and subsequently purchased it on the spot?  

Why not to allow returns?

It all comes down to money.  Returns are a loss for you, you not only lose your royalty, you're having to pay out off your own money to compensate for the rest of the wholesale rate, which originally went to shipping.    So if you got a $3 royalty and suddenly owe $12 for the wholesale price and shipping - you're out $9.  This isn't a big deal if you get one or two returns, but if you sell 1000 copies and 100 are returned you're out lots of money and got put yourself at financial risk.  Bookstores typically only allow a book on the shelf for 90 days, and if it hasn't sold it's returned.  

It's a tough call about what to do.  I primarily opted to allow for returns, with the books coming back to me, as I hope to have lots of book signings and it's easier for the store to just order the book and have it there for the signing.  I have teetered with approaching stores to stock without a book signing, but I'm wary of the profit loss.  

I have decided to only approach bookstores within the market in my promotional plan.  I choose 10-15 stores and send them lots of promotional material to ensure those books are sold and not returned.  I feel I can handle this micro-stocking with returns versus having 2000 stores stocking "Burden of Proof" and lots of potential returns.  Mega chains are in financial peril and return even decent selling books - so in this economy it might be a financial risk you don't want to take.

If you opt not to allow returns I suggest really honing in on your Internet campaign as over 40% of books are sold online.   Also work on a request in store campaign.  If enough people request a book in store, the store will stock it, even if it's not returnable.  That doesn't mean it'll get a lot of shelf space, but a local store may opt to order it. 

In Book Sales - The Price Needs to be Right

Pricing:

Figuring out the correct price for your work of fiction or non-fiction is key if you want the maximum amount of your target market to be able to purchase your book.  In this economy more than ever figuring out the right price is imperative to your publishing success.  So how do you figure out which price is the right price?

Before you can even think about configuring a final price, you need to first figure out the unit price to print your book, shipping reductions (if applicable).  This will vary slightly depending on the printer.  For Lightning Source it amounts to .013 per page plus a small printing fee.  So for retail buyers, my novel "Burden of Proof" at 378 pages has a printing cost of just under $6.00.   

Next in setting the price you need to look at other comparable books in your genre and their pricing for a new release.  Most new releases run $15 to $30.  I would like the lower end of the price range as I want readers to be able to afford the book, but two additional factors play into final price: 1)wholesale and retail price- two important terms in the world of publishing and distribution. 2) royalty and profit consideration.

Retail Price: the price you see on the book cover and how much publisher's suggest the bookstore sell your book for.  

Wholesale Price: The wholesale price is how much the retailers actually pay for your book. If you want to be sold in stores you need to allot 50-55% off the cover price, this wholesale rate is the actual purchase price for retailers and how your royalties will be configured.  While thinking about the right price for your new release, you must keep the discount/wholesale price in mind constantly along with the second factor:

Royalty/Profit Consideration- How much of a royalty must you earn in order to make a profit, albeit modest, to keep you as an author out of the red and recoup your publishing investment. Don't get greedy about royalty percentage...it won't make you more money if fact a higher royalty typically equates to less sales and net profit.  Don't sell yourself short or make it so you have no royalty, but realize that the Rate on Return for book sales isn't a lot and to sell in quantity means more revenue and to sell in quantity you need to have a reasonable wholesale rate for retailers and retail price for consumers.

For "Burden of Proof" I studied the prices of books at local bookstores and mega chains.  I knew I needed to make $3 per copy sold in order to feed that money back into my publicity and publishing campaign.  With Lightning Source the Royalty Rate is the wholesale price minus the printing and handling fee.  I originally thought of setting the price at $16.00, but then I wouldn't be able to give the required discounted wholesale rate bookstores require.  I opted to then set my novel at $18.95 with a 50% wholesale discount, therefore costing $9.48 to the retailer.   Since many retailers reduce the cover price in store and online I thought this was a fair price for a new release.

Of course pricing is heavily dependent on your genre.  For instance children's books, unless hardcover should have a retail price around $12-$15 at the max, and a price around $7-9 is better.  This is hard to do with the printing cost and 55% discount, so you will need to figure out additional printing options (for instance paying upfront to print say 1000 copies for a offset printing rate or working with bookstores to have less of a wholesale discount).

For non-fiction books you can get away with having a slightly higher price to a threshold of $25, especially if you have a legitimate expertise in this area. 

One quick note: In pricing it's always better to go with .95 versus going up .05 cents to .00.   Crazy as it is, consumers look at the first too numbers so if my book is $18.95 they might round up to $19, but most consumers see the $18 and erase the .95 cents, making them think the book is cheaper than if it were priced slightly higher at $19. 

Kindle Pricing:

Kindle and e-Book pricing is an entirely different game in many ways to printed books.  For one you don't have to subtract the printing and distribution cost from your overall price.  To date Amazon takes 65% of the profit from Kindle sales leaving the author/publisher with a 35% royalty rate.  This is going to change as authors have the option this summer to opt for 70% royalty, but for longer books the 35% off retail price might be better.  Why?  In the 70% royalty rate - the royalty isn't taken from the book price, but the book price minus a KB fee.  So Amazon takes a certain amount per KB transfered and subtracts that from the retail price and then you get 70%.  For short books with few KB this is great, not necessary more money for longer novels over 300 pages.

In Kindle pricing I had to experiment a little.  I started off with $11 because I wanted to match the royalty ratio I get out of paperback sales and figure $11 is less than the physical copy.  I quickly realized I was overpricing the Kindle book.  The e-book royalty rate is pretty shabby, but I'm also not have to take out expenses of printing and e-downloads are quick and easy sells.  I then moved down to $4, and sold a few copies, but I finally became humble and priced my new release at $1.99.  Since changing the price I've sold 60 copies, after only 4 sold at $4.  

I don't think you should devalue your book by pricing it too low on Kindle, but you need to realize that many users won't pay above a few dollars for a new or unknown author.  I suggest with a lower price and then after a few months maybe move it back up, by then you'll have enough good (and unfortunately you'll get some negative reviews) to cement your e-book sales.

I'll do an entire feature on Kindle and Smashwords in the coming weeks. 

Step 7: Book Promotion Part Two

In this section of the 7 steps to Publishing Process I'll focus in on how to promote your book in store.  This is no easy feat and you'll get very frustrated at least once before it's all done.  Don't Fret - Just keep focusing on your end goals and you'll get there eventually.

The Press Packet. As previously stated a Press Packet is vital for pitching your book to Book Stores.  Whereas with an Electronic Press Kit (Also known as EPK) you can have a standard PR angle, with book store mailers you should tailer each Press Kit to the individual chain or Independent Bookstore.  

Some things you need to know about bookstores and how they stock:

- There are two major categories of Book Stores and 3 if you count Used Book Stores: Major Chains (i.e. B&N, Books a Million, Borders, Wal-Mart, Target, etc...) and Indies.   Independents DISDAIN mega-chains as it cuts into locally owned bookstore profit as the Indies don't have the dollars to negotiate some of the distribution larger chains can utilize. There are roughly 1200 Independent bookstores, which are bound together in a coalition entitled IndieBound.  It's very important to target Independents much differently than Mega Chains.

- Mega Chains won't stock in-store unless you allow returns.  As previously discussed you might not be able to grab a foothold in chains without allowing for returns.  I will discuss the issue of returns and tips for promoting with returns in a later entry.  Independents might sell on consignment, but you will then have to pay for the books upfront and in turn supply them to the Indie Bookstore.  The advantage is if they do sell you typically can receive a 60% royalty versus the typically 45% royalty, which buffers the costs.

Attracting Mega Chains:

As discussed in our distribution section, before you can be included in a mega chain you will have to have your book stocked with Baker and Taylor and Ingram.  Once you have been added to their store website you are also available for in-store distribution.  The only way that stores like B&N and BAM automatically stock a book in all stores is if you 1) are from a major publisher or 2) you are from a small-publisher who has sent a decent enough press packet an manuscript to the corporate office to entice B&N to add your book to their 777 stores.  In the latter option they forbid stocking of self-published manuscripts and will not accept novels from Authorhouse or even their own imprint IUniverse.  If you do opt to attempt to be stocked in all B&N stores then I suggest that you try to play the angle of a small publisher versus self-promoted author.  

Since B&N is struggling in this economy they don't typically add new books from small publishers so your next option to get stocked in the likes of B&N is to attract the attention of individual store book buyers.  It bottoms down to the fact that each chain store has a book buyer who has the freedom to stock a variety of books not automatically ordered by headquarters.  The main issue in this is the fact book buyers won't stock a book unless it's returnable (corporate policy) - however they most likely will order in a copy or two if mail them a decent Press Kit outlining why your book will sell.

So what to include in a Press Kit tailored for a Mega-Chain?  First you'll need a standard Press Release along with a cover letter.  I recommend wording the letter to sound more like it's from the publisher versus you as an author.  I've tried both angles and although I had a polished and professional kit with my angle as a writer - many stores automatically write you off as "self-published."  I then tailored my campaign as a "New Release Packet from Lone Mountain Press" and saw much better results.  Frankly I own L.M.P.  so it wasn't dishonest to take that angle.

In the cover letter specifically explain pricing, distribution, plot synopsis, your marketing campaign breakdown (short but informative) and why stocking your book will help them make money.  In my letter I explained that "Burden of Proof" is a topical thriller that has a 50% discount off the $18.95 Retail Rate and allows for returns.  I also explained my marketing efforts and mentioned my charity drive from book sales. I explained that I was willing to offer promotional supplies for the book including postcards, bookmarks and contest information if they chose to stock "Burden of Proof."

In the Kit I also sent a few sample marketing flyers and postcards to help promote the book.

Indies:

Independent Bookstores need to be treated on an individual basis as they pride themselves on locally owned service.  You don't invite yourself to the Indies table, rather they invite you.  Approach them with a confident humbleness and focus on the same individuality they pride themselves on as bookstore owners.  This doesn't mean you have to write 1200 different cover-letters, but if you can find the book-buyer or manager's name then it's best to address the packet to them.  Don't phone Independent Bookstores to speak with the book buyer about stocking your book -  from my experience they'd rather be on the floor selling books than trying to play "Let's Make a Deal with You."  The time to phone is when you are interested in setting up a book-signing.  Don't focus so much on the stocking of your book in store as scheduling the event and why it would bring business into their store.  Be polite and courteous anytime you choose to make a phone call whether it to Mega-Chain or Indies.

In the Indies Press Packet I sent the same Press Release (although you could tailor a more specific one to Indies and Indiebound).  However my cover letter is slightly different.  I put a strong focus on supporting local buying habits and promoting my book in THEIR store.  I offer to send specific promotional items directing customers to "Shop Local" or "Buy IndieBound."  I also have a bi-monthly contest, in which anyone who purchases "Burden of Proof" in an IndieBound Store can entered to win a $50 Indiebound Gift Card.  I supply the book store with entry info and a SASE envelope to mail the slips back.

With Indies I also include a book signing form listed with dates I would be available to do a signing to promote the book and generate in-store sales in their area.  

Information which needs to remain the same is where to order the book (Ingram, B&T, etc...) and whether or not you offer returns or consignment sales.  Also describe the pricing and why this book would fit well in their particular store.

Other ways for publishers to promote via IndieBound:  IB formerly known as Book Sense offers a wide range of opportunities for small/independent publishers (sorry this doesn't apply if you go the Vanity Press Route).  Advance Access is a terrific way to break into Indies.  It allows you to offer a certian number of Galley or first run print copies to IndieBound bookstores.  Obviously there is the cost of the Galley, but it's a good way to show how good your book is and get it stocked in store.  You can also sign up for mass mailings, in which IndieBound will mail your flyer or other promotional tools to all Indies.  This is a little price, but might be an option once you've sold a couple hundred books and are looking to generate sales to the next level.

Regional Divisions

Because postage is not cheap and your mailers won't guarantee sales I suggest following a similar model, which I've utilized with "Burden of Proof" - divide bookstores and print media into target regions and only focus on one or more regions at a time for both Indies and Mega Chains.  Aside from the monetary benefits of divisions this will also help you stay more organized an make promotion for in-store sales easier.

Every two months I designate one or two regions to focus on.  It is during this time I send out Press Packets to all Mega Chains and Indies (two separate packets as discussed above).  I then follow up with a postcard (I printed up "Burden of Proof" post cards) and/or a short phone call later.  Phone calls should be respectful and placed during off-hours.  I primarily only phone a bookstore if I'm interested in hosting a book signing. 

During this time my print media efforts focus mostly on that region.  For instance I will email a Press Release and short note (every Tuesday - that's the best day to get your PR read) with a brief note asking that they include a blurb on my novel.  Most publications like to tie an event or a newsworthy story in order to publish it.  If you don't have an event in the area try to find some type of news connection to tie your book to the paper.  For instance I have sent Press Releases detailing how Kindle has helped small publishers or the fact that I am donating most of my profits to Haiti Relief (which makes it more important to make money off my book as the more sales I garner the more the reader and I can work together to give The American Red Cross.)

Often times papers won't reply.  If you don't see your book on their online website within two weeks, send a short and polite follow-up email.  If they don't respond - let it go until you can approach them with a new angle - such as an in town event.

I suggest focusing on 50 publications in an area such as papers, news stations (ask that they mention you their online site versus on-air - I've had more success that way), radio, etc...some local stations might be interested in having you on one of their talk shows.  

Newspaper Ads:

I would advise 99% of you not to spend money advertising in Print Media.  Although it sounds tempting to spend $2000 for a Print Ad in the NY Times or Denver Post most authors, both traditionally published and self-published I've spoken with says the Rate on Return isn't very good for such ads.  Of course you can say you were "in the NY Times" - but if it doesn't garner you sales - does it matter - maybe if you had a review - but an ad doesn't have that prestige level.  The only times it may be beneficial to invest in an in-print ad is in your local paper right as the book is released or if you are having a signing event in a large city and couldn't get the date added to the local calendar.

Reviews:

Reviews are both a blessing and a curse.  I've learned the hard way what to and what not to do when it comes to a review.  Reviews in print are nice, but the main place you'll want excellent reviews is on Amazon, where many buyers religiously follow even inaccurate poor reviews.  I recommend only asking someone to post a review if they already told you they enjoyed the book and aren't just saying they enjoyed it because they are your friend.  Perhaps someone who read the book prior to publishing or since distribution.  Don't try to get the top reviewers on Amazon to review your book no matter what other promotional tip sites say.  It could end well but often times it ends badly.  Many reviewers on Amazon are decent, but others are overly opinionated and get joy out of bashing your book.  An accurate review, albeit negative might actually help you become a better writer, but a negative review that is more about the reviewers animosity or misguided viewpoints isn't worth having and could harm your sales.  

I have been lucky to have found several reviewers who enjoyed my work.  These are people who up to that point didn't know me from Adam, and still liked the book.  However I have one not so hot review, which in hindsight I might not have asked the reviewer to review my book due to their taste in fiction and her overt dislike for any political thrillers that have conspiracy plots.  I'm not angry and learned a lesson in handling negative reviews and bettering my craft as a writer, but be warned - just because someone agrees to review your book doesn't mean they'll like it.  Sometimes they have legitimate reasons that you should consider fixing and sometimes it's merely their opinion.  My point: tread carefully with reviews.  

Another important note - A galley copy accidentally got sent to a reviewer - DON'T let this happen to you!  Many reviewers are very sensitive to errors and if they had already been changed in your novel, why get stars deducted for what looks like unpolished work, which you already finished polishing.

On that note let's get back to regional divisions.  I recommend a two file folders for each division - one for Indies and the other for mega-chains...that way you can track your progress and know who has been sent packets and when.

 How I Set Up my Regions: 

Region One: 

Jan-March: Pacific NW: This includes Montana, Idaho, Oregon, Northern Wyoming and Washington State.  I live in this area and I'm a days drive from these locations making it easy to garner regional interest out of my promotion.  

Jan-March: Overlapping campaign with NC and Nashville TN as I was born and raised in Raleigh and my entire family is in North Carolina - I have familiarity to promote their fairly easily.  I graduated from school in Nashville TN and therefore can promote to the media outlets there with the angle of a former resident.

Region Two: The Southeast: As I stated previously, I'm originally from the South. I know the area very well and I plan to do a signing tour there in the late summer early fall.

Region Three: California and Nevada

Region Four: The Mountain West: CO, AZ, UT, NM, SD

Region Five: Texas

Region Six: The Midwest i.e. KS, OK, Indiana, Missouri, and the Great Lakes States

Region Seven: New York and Pennslyvania

Region Eight: New England

That's a wrap for this edition of The Inkspot!

Upcoming entries will revolve around:

To Return or Not to Return

Press Packets and Press Releases

How to Host a Successful Book Signing

Step 7: Book Promotion Part 1

So your book is printed and looks great.  You've set up your distribution channels so your novel is available from Ingram and Baker and Taylor.  However just because your book has been released and is available for purchase doesn't mean it will sell well - that part comes from Step 7 in the Publishing process: Promotion.  

Book Promotion is something that all authors, whether traditionally or self-published have to work on.  Many major publishing houses don't have Author Tour or Promotion Support and what they give outside of placement inside chain bookstores is very little.  For self-published authors it boils down to hard work, focus and belief in your novel.  

Money is the first thing you'll need to reconcile in your campaign.  You have to decide how much you are willing to spend and whether or not you will get a solid enough Return on Investment to put up the promotional and marketing dollars.  The point of promotion is the hope that your efforts will translate into sales.  If you are spending advertising dollars and it's not translating into sales then it's probably wise NOT to spend the money.  

So the first step in your marketing campaign is deciding how much you want to spend on promotion and marketing.  Unless you have countless amounts of dollars in your bank account, I'd suggest starting off with a very small to moderate budget, I.E. $50 to $500.  Most of the promotional strategies I'm about to share are affordable and many free.  

Okay so you've figured out your start-up budget for promotion.  The next step is structuring your promotional campaign.  It's important to have a well-formed plan in place before launching your campaign as it will help you measure your success and have a better chance of reaching your sales goals.  I suggest having two parallel campaigns: one for online sales and promotion and the other plan for how your will focus on gaining in-store sales.  

Both of these plans such start with a Press Kit.  I will be posted a more detailed entry about constructing a Press Kit.  For now we'll keep it simple.

- Press Release: a one page summary release about what your book is about, who you are as an author, who is publishing it, and where and when it will be available for sale.

- Author Bio: A short half to one page biography about you as an author along with a few fun facts (i.e. what's your favorite song, favorite food, etc...)  Don't get over detailed.

- Book Cover Photo, and a Book Trailer (if you have one)

- Book Facts: I.E. plot synopsis

- Any previous Press Clippings about your book you may have already garnered.

Online Promotion :

The World Wide Web has become a treasure trove of free and affordable options in book promotion.  Many self-published have been able to be successful on online sales with Amazon or B&N.  

Get a Website: The first step in your online promotional campaign is to set up a website. You don't have to spend a lot of money for a quality website.  Many new website hosts have prefabricated templates and easy to use website design for any skill level, including those with little to no computer savvy.  I suggest Hostbaby (primarily for singer-songwriters but works well for authors too) or GoDaddy.  For "Burden of Proof" I use GoDaddy's Website Tonight Program.  It costs $8.99 per month and includes hosting and an easy to use Website Design software.  My domain name only costs $1.99 per year.

Social Networking:  SN sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, Goodreads, etc...offer a free and effective way to target readers and interact with those who enjoyed reading your book (s).  

     Facebook: Start a Fan Page for your book and invite all of your friends to join.  For "Burden of Proof"  I set up a Fan Page and then spent a $50 ad credit I received from Go Daddy to advertise the page.  If you are going to invest in pay per click ads it worked very well as I received 30 new group members off of that ad campaign.

     To entice more group members to join and in turn purchase my novel I have bi-monthly contests just for my Facebook page.  These contests don't have to cost a lot of money or be complicated, but having giveaways is a reward for those who purchased your book.  I opted to give away Season 7 of 24 on DVD as my novel is of a similar conspiracy plot.  Other prizes I've seen authors give away include coffee mugs, book magnets, writing pads, etc...anything to get the reader more interested in joining in the Fan Page discussion.  

Myspace:  Myspace in my opinion can be a decent way to promote your book, but I think it's geared more towards musicians.  I too am a songwriter and have had a lot of success with Myspace in promoting my songwriting, however it's not as user friendly as Facebook or GoodReads for accessing your target audience.  Set-up a Myspace page, and keep it updated, but I wouldn't make this the flagship site of your online social networking campaign.

GoodReads:  Goodreads is a great site for authors and readers.  It allows for authors to create a page, maintain a blog, connect with Readers and offer book giveaways.  This is a must for online promotion!  

Amazon Author Page:  If you have a book on Amazon you should sign up for an Amazon Author Page.  It's free and connects to your book page(s).  You can personalize with a bio, video and blog.  

Book Tour:  This is a website where authors can post tour dates for their book and look for possible signing venues.  Book Tour will connect to your Amazon Author Page.

SPAN Net: Small Publishers of North America now offers a Social Networking site where authors and small publishers can post information about their books and create Apps.  To join the site is free, however to become a full-fledged SPAN member it only costs $89.  The fee is well worth it as you'll get a free membership to Prnewswire.com (usually $197 to join) and discounted rates for cataloging with Baker and Taylor.

Message Boards:  Joining in Message Boards for books can really help boost your online presence and create buzz about your book.  There are countless amounts of forums geared towards books of all genres with readers eager to find new books to read. There are certain dos and don'ts on these boards.

Offer interesting discussion about books (not just your own book) - the more quality posts you write about other fiction - the more of a presence you will have on the site, which will encourage fellow forum members to invest in your book.  Post a plug about your book on the Author Forum or appropriate forum page.  Be confidently humble.  What does this mean?  Well it means let readers know that your book is an enjoyable read and affordable, but don't be overly confident of use phrases such as "My book is the best book ever written, if you don't buy it you will cursed for life..." 

For Kindle Books - you can post on Amazon's message boards, but I will warn you that many of the posters can get mean and if you post a shameless plug you might get deleted by Amazon.  Just be cautious.  Good alternatives are sites like Mobile Read or KindleBoards.  

Pay Per Click Ads: 

Many websites now offer affordable "Pay Per Click" Ad options, which means you are only charged for the ad when it is clicked, not simply based on the number of views of impressions.  This can be an effective way to invest advertising dollars.  The key to translating the ad clicks to sales is ensuring your ad is well-written and eye-catching and you product page looks professional.  You also need to ensure that you pick the right sites to invest in.  I think the best value for your money is Facebook Ads ( a little expensive, but effective), Google AdWords (Not as effective for my campaign, but if worded well can lead to a lot of sales), and GoodReads - this is a site tailored completely to readers, and the ads will target readers within your book's genre.  You can set up the add to add the book "to-read" on GoodReads or purchase directly from Amazon. 

Over all I would suggest investing small amounts in PPC ads at first to see what sites work and how effective the ads seem to be for your campaign.  I limited my budget to $50 a month in Ads and sometimes don't invest nearly that much because the cost of $1.00 for a book Ad when I get a $3 royalty isn't great.  It's an option you'll have to weigh and budget into your campaign.

PR Blast/News Media:  Within your marketing campaign I suggest sending out a weekly email blast to news media such as Newspapers, Television Stations, Magazines, E-Zines, etc.  I'll go into more detail about this in an upcoming post geared specifically to Press Releases and Press Kits.

That's all for now!  Next time we'll examine Part II of the promotion campaign - targeting bookstores and print media.  

Step 5 & 6: Pre-Press and Distribution

I'll start off by saying that Steps 5 & 6 overlap in the Writing and Publishing process.  However I separated them in an effort to make each step easier to accomplish successfully.  

Step 5: Pre-Press:  This is the stage where you prepare your manuscript for how you want it to look in published form.  It should start off with a final proof and read-through of your manuscript to ensure that you have quality sentence structure, and no typos present when your book goes to the printer.  Don't rush through the read-through, because once you've submitted your files to the printer it will cost a lot of money and time to get one tiny error correct, especially if you use an offset and not Print on Demand printer.

Once you've completed the final read through then it's time to work on typesetting your document and formatting it to meet the specs of the size book you wish to print.  This can easily be done in the Word formatting tool box.  Just check with your printer or use Google to search for the exact margins and dimensions you'll need for this process.  Remember that you'll need to incorporate bleed-through areas in the manuscript margins.  This is to ensure the print stays on the page and you have enough of a margin when binding of the printed pages takes place.

Here is a helpful link on how to set up a 6 x 9 format in Word 

Depending on how your printer or publisher manipulates the digital manuscript file determines the next step in formatting.  I chose to go with Lightning Source, who required an embedded Adobe PDF file.  Now for those who are new to publishing, it seems like all you'd have to do is export your Word file to PDF format.  It's not that easy.  You'll need to use Adobe Distiller.  

For "Burden of Proof" first I exported the Word document to PDF, then I exported the PDF to PostScript and then I converted that PS file back to PDF through Distiller.  The entire process of exporting and converting takes no more than five minutes, but you have to make sure all the fonts are Embedded, otherwise L.S.I. will reject the manuscript for the printer.  The resubmission fee is $40 - so better to get it right the first time.  To check to see if the font is embedded go to File in Acrobat then hit "Properties" and then "Font."  Scan through all the fonts on the list to ensure they say "Embedded Subset."

For the above if you don't own Acrobat Pro/Distiller you will have to purchase it or use the thirty day download.  If your really serious about publishing though it's worth the $60 for Pro or the more expensive Creative Suite.

Now if you chose to go with a Vanity Press like Authorhouse you can usually just sent in the MS Word document and they'll be able to manipulate it for you.  

ISBN: Before you design your book cover it's helpful to already own your own ISBN so you can imprint the ISBN and bar code into the back cover of your book - A must if you hope to sell in store and even on certain online sites.  An ISBN can be purchased through Bowker who will assign a single ISBN # for $150 or 10 different ISBN's for $300.  By doing so you will be listed as the publisher on the book, and therefore own complete rights to the novel's distribution.  This is where some opt to go with a Vanity Press because they don't want to mess with these Pre-Press costs, however if you do so - you will NOT own the ISBN and distribution rights for the book as long as it's under that ISBN #. 

Book Cover:  You shouldn't judge a book by its cover, but everyone does in fact judge a book by its cover.  Therefore it's imperative that you create an eye-catching cover.  If you have the technical skills to navigate Photo Shop, Quark, etc...then this may be a piece of cake, but for the technically challenged it might turn out to be the hardest point of the Pre-Press process.  Don't fret, there are plenty of options for creating an excellent book cover.  

I chose to download Quark, a print media program, to design my own cover.  This was after I downloaded BookCover Pro, another good program for beginners designing their covers.  I liked the cover, but found it easier to deal with the Quark Lightning Source Template than the Adobe Template BCP uses.  The first cover was plain, but looked professional enough and frankly I didn't want too many graphics distracting from the title.  I have recently changed it slightly for the next print by using a picture of the U.S. Capitol.  

For affordable royalty free photos to use on your book cover I recommend http://www.istockphoto.com  If you use an image make sure it's Royalty Free and that you have a license to use it.  Photos are Intellectual Property and you DON'T want to use an image you don't have permission to reprint.

Over all I enjoy designing covers, but I can understand how it might be a little daunting for some.  I suggest soliciting the help of a graphic designer/book cover illustrator to help you engineer the perfect cover.  This doesn't have to cost a lot of money.  Many student designers are willing to work for a reduced rate and many professional book cover designers only charge a few hundred dollars to design the cover and ensure it's print ready for your publisher.  I know that sounds like a lot of money, but two places you shouldn't skim on book publishing are cover design and editing.  

If you have opted to go with a Vanity Press a cover design is included in your fee.  Create Space allows you to upload your own cover or choose from their prefabricated designs. 

My costs to date for my Pre-Press were $89 for Book Cover Pro (an unnecessary expense since I used Quark - but still a decent program), I used the 60 Day download for Quark (I hope to buy it eventually - a terrific program, which is easy to use and sophisticated at the same time), $37.50 for the Interior Manuscript upload onto LSI and $37.50 for the Cover upload to LSI.  $12 for adding a title to LSI's System. 

Copyright:

As a Music Business and Intellectual Properties major I cannot stress how important a copyright is.  It only costs $35 to file (Don't buy into paying someone $170 to copyright your book - it costs $35 and an envelope and a couple of stamps.).  It's not terribly hard to fill out the forms.  I have posted the link below.  Scroll down to the middle of the page and click on the Literary form.  Print it out, fill it out and mail it in with a print copy of your work and $35.  You'll hear back from the U.S. Copyright Office in 3 to 6 weeks, but they date the copyright on the day your manuscript was postmarked, typically.

U.S. Copyright Office

Pricing:  A major issue is how you will price your book.  Most chains and online retailers prefer and almost require  50-55% discount off the retail price.  Ingram requires at least a 20% off discount.  What I did was figure out the royalty rate I needed to make in order to not lose money per book sold, which was roughly $3-$4 in paperback.  I then configure the printing price per book and then examined the prices of other new releases.  It's better to receive a smaller royalty than set the Retail Price too high as they will in turn decrease over all sales.

I opted for a new release price of $18.95 Retail with a 50% discount, thus making my wholesale book price stand at $9.48 with a $3.64 royalty per book sold.  Most chains have discounted the Retail Price to $13.64 so readers still get a fair price on the book.

Step #6: Distribution/Book Release:  I put this at number 6, although figuring out distribution is vetted in the Pre-Press process.  

Distribution: If you want to have your work available stores you need to stock your work with Ingram and possibly Baker and Taylor.  It's important to note that making the book available to bookstores doesn't mean you'll find it in every bookstore in America.  It just means the bookstore has the title in their system and can order it if they choose.  

Lightning Source is owned by Ingram, which has been an advantage as I was instantly put into their title's catalog, added to Amazon, Barnes and Noble Online, and a variety of other websites.  My book is printed and stocked constantly with Ingram with LSI taking care of all the details.  Baker and Taylor usually opts to add all Ingram titles to their catalog as well, however occasionally they do not or the process takes six months.  B&T  is the primary servicer of libraries and schools so if they don't think a title will be a big seller for their market they might opt not to add it on their own accord (without you paying a fee).  The one store however, which forces every publisher to sign on with B&T is Borders.  They only use Baker and Taylor, whereas other major chains and Independent bookstores use Ingram and B&T.  Considering Borders is a mega chain and the only store in some towns it's important to find distribution with B&T.

To date I have not been added to Baker and Taylor, possibly because I'm not a library type book or perhaps because its only been a month since publication and they haven't added me yet.  However I do plan to sign on with them in the coming months by paying the $125 publishers fee, which will place your book(s) into their system.  It's worth the money, especially if you want to target Borders.

I will note that once you are with Ingram and/or Baker and Taylor you will be automatically placed on Amazon, B&N online and Books A Million online, which means you don't have to become and Amazon Associate member unless you choose to do so.

Other Chains: Wal-Mart, Target, and Grocery Stores are great venues for book distribution.  I personally am working on getting "Burden of Proof" into regional markets via Safeway and Wal-Mart in the coming months.  To do so it's best to go on their corporate websites and look for supplier info.  Most companies have a spot for how to sell "a book or magazine" in store.

Wal-Mart only uses Anderson merchandisers for book and music distribution. Contact info for AM can be found on their corporate website.

Target is very vague in how to attempt selling your books in their stores.  I am probably not going to pursue this route, but I would suggest phoning their corporate number and inquiring that way.  I have also been advised that a mention in the Minneapolis Star might help get a  Target buyers attention, although the paper is not likely to mention your book unless you do a book signing in the area or are local.

Grocery Stores: Phone the corporate and or regional offices and discuss why you think your book would fit in their stores.  Some book stores offer book signings, especially @ Grand Openings so suggest that you promote the book in store that way as well.

The Indies:

Independent Stores are still out there and vital to their communities - they typically only take books on consignment, but can be very supportive to local authors.  You'll have to contact them directly or work to gain Indie attention via IndieBound

Returns:

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but no book store will stock your book or even have a book signing in many cases unless you offer returns through Ingram or B&T.  I've learned this the hard way when attempting to schedule a book signing in my current city of Bozeman MT at the B&N.  The clerk curtly said "Sorry no returns then no book signing even on consignment."  Kind of silly considering I had purchased the books and any unsold would therefore be on my shoulders and not the stores, but a fact of how many stores work just the same.

Some Independents will stock the book, but it must be on consignment, which means you will supply the book out of your own money and then they'll reimburse you once it's sold.  Frankly returns aren't much different it's just the opposite way around.  The store purchases the book, and if they return any you have to pay them back.  The problem with returns in Print on Demand is that you are both paying for the cost of printing, the royalty rate and shipping - yes they won't even ship it back to you for free.  So a book that you earned $4 for you have to pay $11 for in the return.  This could bankrupt many Independent authors, however if you don't allow returns you'll have to rely mostly on online sales.

I struggled with this, but in the end opted to try out returns for a few months, primarily for the purpose of scheduling book signings.  In the second printing I may become more aggressive in convincing stores to continuously stock my book.  I'll go into more detail about this in the next entry.

Digital Publishing (I.E. Kindle, Nook, Smashwords):  I'll really hone in on this subject later, but another must for distribution is via Kindle.  It costs you nothing and can be an effective way to get sales.  The primary concern is the low pricing you'll need to get an Indie Book sold and issues with DRM.  Look for a more detailed discussion on this topic in a later post.

Sorry if this entry was a little long, but it gives you an idea of what's involved in the Pre-Press and Distribution phases of the 7 Steps.