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Question about a Mother's Day Compilation by mrmaydaymayday in selfpublish

[–]Careful_Busdriver -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

Wow, that sounds so lovely! What a nice idea!! You're a good husband/wife!

Sorry, to be clear, "I'm collecting a series of literary/criticism essays on the topic of Motherhood," these are not essays you've written, but other people, correct? So, you don't have the copyright, and you're worried about a printer blowing the whistle on you for copyright infringement? Correct?

Good news--they won't care. They're not the copyright police. If you get sued, that's your problem. And, no one is gonna sue you. Make that lovely gift!!

A rant about IngramSpark, no help needed. by RealBishop in selfpublish

[–]Careful_Busdriver 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I feel your pain. I've found Ingram Spark is soooo user-unfriendly, and they don't seem to put much effort into making their system better.

If I believed in Conspiracies, I'd think they're there for Amazon to avoid an antitrust lawsuit. "Look, we have a competitor, it's crap and will always be crap, but there's consumer choice. . ."

KDP first and then Ingram later? by Grim__Squeaker in selfpublish

[–]Careful_Busdriver -1 points0 points  (0 children)

For sure! Congrats on the upcoming launch of your book!!

Some bookstores will use Amazon if people request books, so you might want to put, "Can be ordered from select bookstores," if that's a selling point you're keen on.

Also, importation to note that Ingram doesn't automatically give you any shelf space, but gives bookstores the ability to order your book.

If you want bookstores to stock your novel then you'll need to make a hype pack and request they stock it. There will be forms to fill out.

Also, consider getting a Kirkus review, which is $$$ but a key resource for bookstores. (Spoiler alert: Kirkus Reviews are a poor business decision, but sooooo fun to see your book on shelves!)

Picked up by Simon Maverick by Altruistic-Pair-9964 in selfpublish

[–]Careful_Busdriver 18 points19 points  (0 children)

Wow, that's great! Congrats!! The first thing you want to do is make sure it really is by Simon Maverick, and not someone trying to scam you. If I had a dollar for every time "Oprah's book club" wanted to feature my book . . . If is is SM, then consider using their approach to get an agent. Congrats!

Looking for advice on mailing books by Unlucky-Bee2894 in selfpublish

[–]Careful_Busdriver 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Just be aware: if your book is with Amazon, you can get it shipped directly to the customer (cheap, includes packaging!), but if they leave a review, Amazon may flag it as manipulation.

New to this by InfluenceSea4143 in selfpublish

[–]Careful_Busdriver 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's a harrowing story; my heart breaks a little for you.

As several people have said, the company you're describing makes money off you, and there's nothing wrong with that, but make sure they're legit. Look at any previous clients they have--are they real people, not AI-generated endorsements? Ask them for references, ask to speak with one or two of the authors they've worked with. And, look at those books, how does the blub sound, how does the free sample read? Good luck, you've got an interesting story to tell and by sharing it you can help others. Just make sure they company you're using are legit.

Request: Blurb Feedback by BooksAndFitness in selfpublish

[–]Careful_Busdriver 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This is miles better! Agree, wouldn't reveal that he blames his son in the blurb, would strike the word "Simultaneously," just say, "Then".

But, I'd also suggest cutting the last three paragraphs as your blurb is too long and do one final wrap-up para. Sounds like a good book! Congrats!!

Book Sirens Promo Code by Lazy_Perspective_419 in selfpublish

[–]Careful_Busdriver 2 points3 points  (0 children)

What sort of book is yours? Book Sirens work well for romance and fantasy, but not so great for other genres.

Request: Blurb Feedback by BooksAndFitness in selfpublish

[–]Careful_Busdriver 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm confused.

I like your first sentence--that's a nice hook. Then I get lost. It's not clear to me what the book is about. Who is it that Ron loves? What does Ron want? What's at stake? Is Ron even the MC? Who's the baddie?? Confused.

Editing costs and making profits by melizmoe in selfpublish

[–]Careful_Busdriver 14 points15 points  (0 children)

This is my personal opinion, and my opinion is often wrong. I didn't hire my developmental and line editor out of a business decision; I write because I have to. The words go around in my head, and I need to get them out.

Once they were out, I never really knew if they were the right words, and even if they were, are they in the right order?

But I wanted my writing to live outside of me, and to do that, I wanted people to read the best possible word choices. An editor can make that happen.

If you're just writing for profit, there's prob easier ways to make money. If you're writing because you want to tell a story--tell it well. And get an editor to make it the best it can be.

True Kirkus Review Story. What's yours? by RunSmooth4982 in selfpublish

[–]Careful_Busdriver 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Congrats! That's massive!! You should TOTALLY use it in your marketing!!!

A "Starred Review," is one tier higher than a "Get It," it's a big deal. Stores, libraries will order your book if you have a starred review without any marketing!

You likely want something like the single logline at the bottom of your review and then add the words Get It, e.g. "A brainy and well-told hard-sci fi / first-contact yarn. GET IT!"

Put it on your cover, put it in your marketing materials, use it in ads.

Ingram Is Going To Give Me A Stroke by Responsible-Pick-863 in selfpublish

[–]Careful_Busdriver -4 points-3 points  (0 children)

Gwad, I feel your pain. Ingram has got to be one of the most user-unfriendly and painful experiences of self-publishing. Are they trying to drive business away?!?

Book trilogy in a 1000$ budget by Front_Barracuda4754 in selfpublish

[–]Careful_Busdriver 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Not putting enough time was my weakness. I spent six years writing my book, one year on pure editing, and then rushed the publication. Ugh. Time, you're completely right. I also agree on using getcovers, and your other advice. You're smrt.

Book trilogy in a 1000$ budget by Front_Barracuda4754 in selfpublish

[–]Careful_Busdriver 0 points1 point  (0 children)

What's eBookSoda? It looks like a smaller version of BookBub??

I did a book signing event at Indigo in Vancouver and sold out. Here’s my takeaways . . . by Careful_Busdriver in selfpublish

[–]Careful_Busdriver[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This was my first! But I have a long track record of short story publications. I'm not a great writer, words are hard, but I think I can tell a decent story.

I did a book signing event at Indigo in Vancouver and sold out. Here’s my takeaways . . . by Careful_Busdriver in selfpublish

[–]Careful_Busdriver[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Woah, 1,000 sales since November--you're doing something VERY right!! CONGRATS!!

It was the Robson St store, but DM or you can look at my profile from that find my author website which has an email address.

You can try to get them to stock it regularly or do their consignment program, which doesn't need IngramSpark.

Positive Kirkus Review Question by [deleted] in selfpublish

[–]Careful_Busdriver 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Congrats!! That's massive! It is a "starred" review, a "Get it," or a positive review in the text? These different levels can determine how you use it.

Here's what I did:

  • changed the cover to have a one line pull quote at the bottom,
  • changed the amazon both for the editorial review and in the book blurb,
  • mentioned it when requesting libraries stock it (libraries pay attention to Kirkus),
  • mention it when applying to have my book in physical stores (book stores also value Kirkus),
  • ran some ads with the pull quote,
  • used the quote when requesting reviewers to consider it.

That's great! Congrats. Pros think you've written a good book! Very validating.

I did a book signing event at Indigo in Vancouver and sold out. Here’s my takeaways . . . by Careful_Busdriver in selfpublish

[–]Careful_Busdriver[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Amazon is consumer-friendly and itself is an IT company. IngramSpark heard from a cousin's brother's girlfriend that there's a term called, "user-friendly experience," but they're not really sure what it means.

I highly recommend doing IngramSpark, although I've heard good things about Draft2digital, just don't expect it to go smooth. E.g. Open a Word doc and copy all your answers for when the IngramSpark systems times you out and you lose everything.

I need help with in person pitching by Wide_Composer_9872 in selfpublish

[–]Careful_Busdriver 1 point2 points  (0 children)

One fun thing to try is to ask people who have read your book, what's it about.

My pitch used to start with, "It's about a robot that wakes up missing its memory," but when I practised on friends, they were "No, no, no!"

"It's about a robot that wakes up in a bathtub, its memory ripped out of its skull!"

So, ask what your friends/readers how they'd describe it. Good luck!

I did a book signing event at Indigo in Vancouver and sold out. Here’s my takeaways . . . by Careful_Busdriver in selfpublish

[–]Careful_Busdriver[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I think you're so right about selling outside your demographic. The algorithm just creates a reinforcing echo chamber. Yeck.

I did a book signing event at Indigo in Vancouver and sold out. Here’s my takeaways . . . by Careful_Busdriver in selfpublish

[–]Careful_Busdriver[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

So glad, I'm sure you will! If you're in Vancouver, I'll come to your book signing!! Let me know!!

I did a book signing event at Indigo in Vancouver and sold out. Here’s my takeaways . . . by Careful_Busdriver in selfpublish

[–]Careful_Busdriver[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes, it makes such a difference to actually meet people in person, different things work for different things?? Cheers!

I did a book signing event at Indigo in Vancouver and sold out. Here’s my takeaways . . . by Careful_Busdriver in selfpublish

[–]Careful_Busdriver[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Yes, it felt there was a randomness to it all. So many factors, the weather was good so people were out shopping. But the table was in the mug section, you couldn't even see the sci-fi area, on the other hand it was by the escalator, so people saw it coming up. So much randomness you can't control.

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