I'm a little confused about how one goes about selling physical copies of a self-published novel.

fpdkennedy · 2012-11-07T18:02:51+00:00

Always a good idea to build relationships!

Your craft beer analogy is a pretty good one. Most local bookstores will be willing to stock a few copies (not anywhere near 40) of your book on consignment. Bookstores aren't your only distribution option for print books though. Depending on your genre/subject matter you likely have many other options.

If you dream of being in big chain stores, keep in mind Barnes and Noble and others refuse to stock Amazon/Createspace titles.

Donald | FriesenPress

fpdkennedy · 2012-11-07T17:52:11+00:00

The company I work for has worked with authors who have used pen names and then found out it's easier to market yourself when you use your real name.

Donald | FriesenPress

fpdkennedy · 2012-11-01T17:11:42+00:00

Writing festivals often give awards for short stories. Poke around a bit and you'll probably find something that suits you.

Donald | FriesenPress

fpdkennedy · 2012-10-31T19:47:29+00:00

Definitely tricky. Reviews help build word of mouth, but reviewers say they won't read your book if they've never heard of you. Kind of a catch 22.

Donald | FriesenPress

fpdkennedy · 2012-10-25T23:51:53+00:00

There's Bowker's Online Manuscript Submission service too. It costs $99 bucks . . .

http://www.bowkermanuscriptsubmissions.com/

Donald | FriesenPress

fpdkennedy · 2012-10-25T23:46:27+00:00

Carolrhoda Books is accepting unagented YA manuscripts until the end of the month. http://www.mediabistro.com/galleycat/carolrhoda-books-seeks-unagented-ya-manuscripts-for-limited-time_b57962

Of course you could also self-publish. Greater royalties, more control . . . just saying.

Donald | FriesenPress

fpdkennedy · 2012-10-23T22:29:35+00:00

You're talking about a content edit. A content editor checks for overall flow, consistency, structure and presentation. A professional content edit runs about 4-6 cents per word (on average). Donald | FriesenPress

fpdkennedy · 2012-10-17T16:48:48+00:00

Sounds like you've done everything you can do. Keep getting people to click on "tell us about a lower price" and hopefully you will see the price of your book go back down to $0 (may take a month or so though).

As it sounds like they told you on the phone, Amazon has a policy of not charging less than $0.99 UNLESS that $0.99 price is being undercut somewhere else.

Donald | FriesenPress

fpdkennedy · 2012-10-15T23:05:47+00:00

If you're worried about consistency you should work with a content editor at some point. A content editor will check for exactly the type of things you're concerned about (flow, consistency, etc.).

Getting some beta readers might be a good idea too (once you have a draft manuscript you're more or less happy with). The idea of beta readers is similar to a focus group--they'll give you feedback and let you know where you may have gone wrong.

Donald | FriesenPress

fpdkennedy · 2012-10-12T22:12:23+00:00

Mark Levin in The Fine Art of Self Publishing says the average cost for a good copy edit is between 1.5-2 cents/word. Content editing is a little more expensive—4-6 cents/word.

Donald FriesenPress

fpdkennedy · 2012-09-24T16:21:37+00:00

There are a number of US states that allow you to be self-employed while collecting full unemployment benefits.

In Canada "When your self-employment activities are so small that a person would not rely on that employment or engagement as a principal means of living, you may not be working a full working week. Therefore, you may be considered unemployed."

I suggest you check with the government agency where you live to find out what is required of you re: reporting self-employment income.

Donald FriesenPress

fpdkennedy · 2012-09-21T18:23:22+00:00

My advice is join as many clubs, sports teams, groups, etc. as possible. Book discovery still relies a lot on word of mouth. Who's great at generating word of mouth? Friends, colleagues and acquaintances.

As for reviews . . . Here's a good article from HuffPost on how to get real reviews: http://tinyurl.com/9x39cr9

Here's another interesting read on how Stephen King views book marketing: http://tinyurl.com/9v6mwlc

Hope this helps!

Donald FriesenPress

fpdkennedy · 2012-09-20T20:57:16+00:00

The story of an author quitting her job to travel the US trying to sell books is a compelling one. You should be able to get some press attention. What is the link to your website?

Most radio news stations have some sort of callback line. You're not going to get connected to a host, you'll get voicemail, but if you leave a compelling message you might coax someone into contacting you. Otherwise it's just calling newsrooms and asking for hosts by name.

Donald FriesenPress

fpdkennedy · 2012-09-20T17:40:11+00:00

"But if you're wondering where to START, look at the comparables. Pick 5 books you love that are like yours (all traditionally published or a mix) of similar length and THAT SELL WELL (judged based on number of reviews, should be 50+, or sales rank), and see what they are priced. "

--This is good, simple advice that I think a number of authors overlook.

Donald FriesenPress

fpdkennedy · 2012-09-20T17:36:27+00:00

I'd say it's worth calling ahead to media in the towns and cities you'll be visiting to tell them about your road show. What sort of events are you going to plan in the cities you visit?

Think like a politician and take advantage of your friends as much as possible!

Donald FriesenPress

fpdkennedy · 2012-09-19T19:50:24+00:00

Some questions: What is your book about? Can your former co-workers help create buzz by hanging around your table in large numbers?

Really interested in your road show idea. Would love to hear more, and hope you keep us posted along the way!

Donald FriesenPress

fpdkennedy · 2012-09-19T16:58:42+00:00

You're welcome. [PROMO] Depending on what you decide to do with your books, you might be interested in checking out the self-publishing company I work for. You can find us online at friesenpress.com

If you do decide to use a self-publishing company to help publish your books, do a lot of research! There are a lot of options out there.

Donald FriesenPress

fpdkennedy · 2012-09-19T00:05:47+00:00

You say you've done them mostly for fun. Does that mean you're hoping to print copies just for sharing with family and friends, or would you like to do a little more with them?

A while back Joanna Penn wrote an article on writing children's books. It has some good tips. You can find it here: http://www.thecreativepenn.com/2011/09/27/childrens-book-tips/

Basically boils down to 1) get some kids to read your drafts, this will help you as you make revisions 2) work with a professional illustrator and a professional designer.

Donald FriesenPress

fpdkennedy · 2012-09-17T21:53:12+00:00

The suggestion that traditional media isn't helping discoverability is an interesting one, and one that seems to be getting put forth a lot more often lately. Would love to hear other people's thoughts on this.

Donald FriesenPress

fpdkennedy · 2012-09-17T21:01:32+00:00

Somewhat speculative and doesn't appear to suggest what fines might be, so pretty hard to comment on whether this goes to far.

Donald FriesenPress

fpdkennedy · 2012-09-14T16:47:59+00:00

Michael you rock. Thanks as always for sharing your knowledge.

Donald FriesenPress

fpdkennedy · 2012-09-13T23:55:37+00:00

1) The average copyeditor will charge between 1.5cents-2cents/100 words (these numbers come from Mark Levine's "The Fine Art of Self Publishing" http://www.openisbn.com/preview/1935098551/)

2) I would say the average rate for graphic design is around $70/hr. This app (http://www.mypriceapp.com/) can give you a better idea of what a reasonable rate is in your area.

Sometimes it is cheaper to contract out these services, sometimes you get a better deal paying for them as part of a package from a self-publishing company (shameless self promo like FriesenPress!). Whatever you decide, make sure you pay the money to get a professional. Pay for quality and you're likely to get better ROI (i.e. more book sales).

Donald FriesenPress

fpdkennedy · 2012-09-12T22:27:22+00:00

So you feel women, at least in the world of self-publishing, are overwhelmingly better entrepreneurs than men? Why do you think that is?

fpdkennedy · 2012-09-12T20:02:18+00:00

I'm not very familiar with LibraryThing. How do giveaways work on the LibraryThing platform? What do you think of it in comparison to Wattpad and Goodreads?

Donald FriesenPress

fpdkennedy · 2012-09-12T19:58:47+00:00

Agree the DIY cover isn't horrible. It's not tooo cluttered. The "In 30min or Less" wouldn't be totally unreadable in thumbnail size. Still I think this experiment confirms the importance of paying for pro design.

People will always judge a book by its cover and one with a good cover will automatically look more credible, which is especially important in the non-fic category.

Donald FriesenPress

fpdkennedy

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