Since Kaye Publicity doesn’t represent self-published authors, I wanted to dedicate a post to those who go that route. While all the publicity and marketing advice I post can apply to self-published titles, there are a few additional elements that are of special importance to the indie folks:

Cover is everything. The reading public is starting to pick up on the difference between self-published and traditionally published, and many covers are a dead giveaway. Don’t just hire a designer to do something cool. Study the market, both online and in bookstores, and identify the trends. Know the elements of your genre – from the imagery to the fonts used – and figure out a way to blend in and stand out at the same time. It takes a lot of skill to come up with a good cover, but if you know the market and you have a talented designer, you can make it work.

A couple examples of excellent covers in self-published works (in my humble opinion):

HOUSE OF CLOSED DOORS by Jane Steen

BECOMING QUINN by Brett Battles

Online Presence.  I’m shocked at how many independent authors don’t have a social media presence or websites that don’t show up in searches. If you self-publish, the majority (if not all) of your sales will be online. When people search your name, your book title, or even something general like “suspense novel,” you want your book and your website to pop up.

Proper tagging and genre shelving. Again, this is the sort of thing most publishers do, but when you self-publish, it’s up to you to identify what genre you fall into and how to tag it so it comes up in searches. This comes from reading similar books and doing extensive market research. You don’t want to put your book in the sci-fi section when it’s really paranormal, or tag it as a mystery when it’s really a thriller. Properly tagging and categorizing your novel will help your search engine optimization and will increase the frequency of popping up on Amazon and B&N searches.

For all the self-published authors out there, feel free to share your own words of wisdom in the comments section!

Infographic courtesy of Mashable.com

It appears I’m not the only one who’s saddened and upset by all that is going on in the world of publishing and book reviewing. Rather than beat a dead horse, I’ll point you to a few corners of the internet where the discussion is taking place:

FORBES – Fake Reviews: Amazon’s Rotten Core

PUBLISHER’S WEEKLY – Paid Book Reviewer Goes Down Honest Path

SALON.COM – Can Self-Publishing Buy Respect?

JaneFriedman.com – Buying Book Reviews – Still Admire John Locke?

Anyone who knows me knows how paranoid I am about conflict of interest. When I began doing publicity, I discarded my book critic hat. I don’t handle publicity for media outlets as I believe could pose a conflict when it came to covering my author clients. Most people will call me overly paranoid, but anything that I avoid anything I feel may cause a conflict.

So, when I read this article in the New York Times, I was saddened and appalled:

The Best Book Reviews Money Can Buy

Was I surprised? No. We live in a world where we can buy Facebook likes and twitter followers. Buying a book review isn’t a far leap. But it still leaves a sour taste in my mouth for a variety of reasons.

First off, it diminishes the value of online reviews. Most media outlets have “sponsored reviews” which are clearly marked as such. Readers like me dismiss those reviews because, clearly, they are inaccurate. But it seems the reviews this company posts are not clearly marked as sponsored, and therefore, appear to be unbiased. If readers don’t know which reviews are real and which aren’t, it diminishes the value of all online praise.

Second, I’m saddened that authors would pay for this service. With a little internet research, they’d find that these reviews are dismissed by the general public and are a waste of money. If you are an author, self-published or otherwise, do not pay for reviews. It doesn’t help sell books and it makes you look like an amateur.

On top of it all, it signals that there’s more of this to come. As the self-publishing bubble swells and more online review outlets pop up, there will be more of a market for this pay-to-play service. Call me paranoid, but I still believe in journalistic integrity. This goes for all journalists, whether you’re a reporter for the New York Times or a librarian with a book blog. I believe reviews should be unbiased and truthful, not pay to play.

One of the benefits of e-books becoming more and more in demand is that publishers are responding to the demand with e-book original imprints. Simon & Schuster recently launched Pocket Star, Harlequin has Carina Press, Penguin has InterMix, and Harper has Avon Impulse. Each of these publishers is acquiring new titles and putting them out as e-book originals with a much faster turnaround time than their traditional print counterparts.

I’m excited that many of these titles are doing quite well – examples include GEEKOMANCY by Mike Underwood and CRAVING PERFECT by Liz Fichera – but it leads to a new question:

How do you effectively market an e-book original?

As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, I still am unsure that traditional publicity has an effect on e-book originals. While it’s great to have coverage in the local paper or a radio interview, without bookstore distribution, I’m not sure that it has an effect. Publicity will help with name recognition, but it doesn’t necessarily translate into e-book sales.

So, what makes the e-books fly off the virtual shelves? Here are a few ways I’ve found to effectively market e-book originals:

• Social Media. This isn’t to say you should go on twitter and Facebook every day telling your followers to buy your e-book. The key is building a fan base and a community online before the book is out. This will help generate pre-orders and build an audience before the book is out.
• Online reviews and features. While the leap from print to download is a bit bigger, it’s much easier for readers to click a buy link from an online review or feature. Target book blogs and other websites that reach your target audience.
• Online advertisements. If your budget allows, I recommend investing in a handful of Facebook ads. They’re relatively inexpensive and have proven effective in building a following. If you have a more extensive budget, try a handful of advertisements on higher traffic websites. These will vary, depending on your book, but sites like NY Times and USA Today have proven very effective.
• Online co-op. Just like bookstores, e-book websites offer paid for front-of-store placement. Talk to your publisher about their plans for e-bookstore marketing and see if they’re willing to pay for Amazon, B&N, or iTunes promotions.

Are you an e-book author with a marketing/publicity success story? Feel free to share your tips in the comments section!

I need to use all forms of social media. Rather than being a jack of all trades and a master of none, consider choosing 1-2 forms of social media and perfecting them. Which forms you use will depend on your audience.

All I have to do is write. My publisher will handle all your marketing and publicity. If you’re lucky, your publisher will provide you with a strong publicity and marketing team. But even then, there are things you’re expected to do yourself (maintaining an online presence, cultivating relationships with booksellers, etc.) As an author, you’re expected to promote and market yourself, not just write books.

My advance is what I earned for writing the book. My publisher should cover all promotional expenses like ad buys and book tours. As an author, you are a small business owner. Your first advance, is seed money to start your business. Invest it wisely. If you’re lucky, your publisher will pay for a portion of your book tour or offer an advertising budget. But for most authors, the promotional budget comes out of their advance.

If I can’t get an agent or a publisher, I can always go with a small press. Most reputable small presses have the same, if not more, stringent criteria for selecting books. Because the books they publish are limited, the strong small presses are often more selective and risk averse. If you’re book receives lots of rejections, assess why the book is being rejected, ask yourself if it’s valid, and perhaps consider writing another book.

If I self-publish, I will sell more and make more money than I would with a publisher. For some authors, this is true. But there are reasons that these authors make more money. They write 8-10 books a year. They have existing fan bases. As a debut author, don’t expect to make millions, even thousands, just because you’re self-publishing.

Have a publishing myth to debunk? Feel free to share in the comments section!

Courtesy of Online Education Database

There is an interesting article on the Forbes website this morning:

Book Promotion for Self-Publishers: A Waste of Time?

I’ve discuss the limited effects of publicity for self-published titles, but it’s interesting to hear it from a self-published author. She urges self-pubbers to worry less about promotion and focus on writing more books, that publicity has little effect on e-book sales.

I agree to a certain extent. Publicity works when you pull out all the stops. If you were complementing your widespread publicity campaign (which would be executed by a PR company) with big ad buys and online co-op, then it would be effective. But most of the media outlets willing to feature self-published novels aren’t big enough to move the needle.

I don’t agree with her statement that publicity doesn’t work for books, period. If that was true, I wouldn’t have a job. I believe publicity is the best way to establish name/brand recognition.  Think about the books you buy. Did you buy them the first time your friend recommended it? Probably not. You probably didn’t head to your local bookstore or hit the download button on your e-reader until you read a review or heard the author on the radio.

For most book buyers, it takes multiple recommendations to make the leap toward purchasing. And despite what some authors and publicists will tell you, those multiple recommendations can’t all happen on social media. If you want to sell hundreds of books, you may not need traditional publicity. But you don’t sell thousands or tens of thousands without it.

No matter how much information and data is out there and how many voices are being heard, I’m still asked constantly about self-publishing. Though I’ve covered the topic here and here, I thought it would be helpful to hear a couple authors weigh in. Check out these interviews and blog posts written by traditionally self-published authors moving in to self-publishing:

Kicking and Screaming by Robert Gregory Browne

Q&A with Brett Battles

There are a lot of voices in the self-publishing world, but I find these two to be realistic and diplomatic viewpoints.