Archive for January, 2010

Yesteryear's Posse

It may seem odd to use a word like posse in connection with self-publishing a book especially since in today’s parlance it has come to mean a group of sycophants following the latest glistening celebrity. He who has the most toadies wins. No, I’m thinking more in terms of the Old West when the Sheriff sent out a call for citizen help and good, qualified people gathered to track down and capture the bad guy. They formed a team–a team on a mission–a mission to save the town and protect the womenfolk.

There will be some that disagree with me, and they will have a point, but trying to be the Lone Ranger when self-publishing is a hard road, even still, with the  exception of ePublishing, at the very least a self-publisher will need a printer. How many authors, besides Benjamin Franklin, are able to write and print books? Your desktop printer doesn’t count.

The typical self-publishers book posse consists of these:

• Content Editor (checks for plot flow, and sense–also accuracy of detail)
• Grammatical Editor (looks for typos, grammatical errors, etc.)
• Permissions Editor (checks the author’s right to use quoted or other material)
• Technical Editor (generally for non-fiction works to make sure the technical details are correct)
• Proofreader (proofreading is a skill that requires extraordinary attention to detail. The more eyes on it, the better.)
• Layout artist (takes raw copy and shapes it by selecting fonts, watching for functionality and ease of reading, margins, headers, pagination, etc.)
• Graphic Designer (Primarily for cover design. The objective a great book with a great cover.)
• Production Coordinator/Manager (This person brings it all together. They are the deputy in your posse. They assist in gathering the posse, getting pricing, arranging for shipping, etc.)
• Printing Broker (Serves as the posse’s guide seeking printers who provide the best value. Brokers, unlike company employees, have no self-interest in the transaction, and should there be problems can intercede in your behalf.)
• Printer (A good printer is GOLD, but you need to be careful, especially in this economic climate. Printers are hungry and as a result are going after any work they can get. Just because a printer can do, a job doesn’t mean that they are the best choice.)

After the book has been produced, you’ll need these for your posse:

• Distributor (makes sure book orders are shipped on time and at minimal cost)
• Warehouse/Storage (Where will the books be housed?)
• Marketing (Book sales don’t happen by themselves. What plans do you have to market the book? Who will help? What will you do?)
• Public Relations (includes press releases, interviews, book reviews, etc.)
• Travel Assistant (someone to help you coordinate speaking trips)
• Information Technology ( the Internet is critical–good IT people are a necessity)

Many of these people can serve in multiple ways. You, as the author, will take on many of the roles, and some will be filled family members or close friends, but be careful in your choices. Just because you have a nephew who can draw pretty well, doesn’t mean he has the skill to layout your book or create a K.O. cover. Here is where it gets tricky–be honest with yourself, are you knowledgeable enough to judge? Some of the worst books out there, the kind traditional publishers despise, come from potentially good authors who didn’t have the sense to hire experts. To them the book is incredible, but to a trained eye, it may be a wreck. Pay for professional advice and follow it, even if it takes you out of your comfort zone.

In coming posts I intend to describe the jobs of each of the posse members in greater detail and provide tips on finding and selecting the best ones.

A book that doesn’t sell is  landfill. We don’t need more landfill–what we need are books that get into the hands of readers. Social networking has proven to be an excellent way to reach possible readers and buyers, and The Author Platform (TAP) has developed a step-by-step program for authors to learn the ropes. Just click here to go to TAP and check it out for yourself.

Holistic Book Reviews

The Red Hen Association of Self-Publishing Authors is offering members an opportunity for free publicity. We are starting a section of featured book reviews. These reviews will have a twist. A typical book review includes a cover photo with a content critique. The Red Hen book reviews will go a step further. Since we in the association are convinced that book marketing takes more than good writing, we will include a discussion of the book design also. That is why we are calling it Holistic Book Reviews–your book will be reviewed as a whole, not in parts. Customers choose books to buy based on more than the text.

We also intend to include your ordering information.  Or maybe we can work out some way of funneling orders through the Association for a minimal fee, of course. To become viable the Association will need income streams, but we haven’t quite figured that out yet. If anyone has a suggestion about it please feel free to share it with us. We are open minded.

Avoid The Sure Way of Making a Quick Trip to the Discount Bin

Good cover design, page layout, size, and materials can make a great deal of difference to the marketability of your books. Self-publishers have an advantage over traditional publishers in that they control their own presentation.

Traditionally published authors give up ownership of their children. It must be heartbreaking to send your baby out and when it’s released be shocked and embarrassed by what the publisher did to it. I’ve heard tales of ugly covers, misleading hype, and fractured type. You count on the publisher to polish your work and give it the best possible chance for success, but the truth is that publishing is a business. No business large or small, has unlimited funds, or time.  Traditional publishers concentrate more, as they should, on the known money makers. If you are new or untried, you probably will not get top-drawer attention.

As a self-publisher you can take all the time you need to make sure your book truly represents your message. You control the layout, and cover design. You also incur the costs. Don’t go cheap–first rate graphic designers and editors are worth the added expense. If your book doesn’t sell because you decided to use your neighbor’s fifteen-year-old son who is pretty good on the computer, it will cost you more in the end than if you invest in quality. For example, if the cover doesn’t lure the reader, your book will be ignored. It isn’t just the artwork, the title, cover copy, and choice of materials all must work in harmony.

It is All About You

So, if you want to tell the world about your book, we’ll do what we can to help by publishing a book review. Please send a copy of your book to P.O. Box 521418, Salt Lake City, UT 84152-1418 along with a photograph preferably shot professionally and we will write a review including comments about the book’s presentation. If chosen to appear on our website you will be able to use the review in your other marketing efforts. Your book will not be returned to you and because of time and space not every submitted book will be featured. We intend to choose books that represent the best of the self-published crop. If this description fits your book, by all means send it in and don’t forget to include a cover photo.