Month: June 2021

In the second part of the series on creating your website you will learn more about usability, bookstores and social media features, search engine optimization and online marketing.

4. USABILITY

The goal is to convince the visitor within seconds that your website has what she is looking for. Therefore, tell at once what the visitor can find on your site (eg by mentioning your genre) and show where the information is located. You do this through simple and clear page navigation. All information on your website should be accessible by just a few clicks.

If possible, add so-called Call to action elements such as newsletter sign-up forms or links that lead to the contact form or review request.

5. SELLING YOUR BOOKS ON YOUR WEBSITE

Use images that are unique, relevant attract the interest. The shopping basket should be visible on the page at all times, e.g. in the upper part.

Show Reviews! Positive feedback from other readers arouses interest and boosts confidence. You can share your reviews in several places.

Keep the order form as short as possible and ask the customer to fill in just what is needed. Consider which information in the form is mandatory. In principle, a name and an e-mail address are sufficient, the rest you can ask for by e-mail. It may be time-consuming but possibly increases sales, as the customer can order quickly without filling out complicated forms! Give the buyer as many payment options as you can. 

6. BUILD A READER CIRCLE WITH THE WEBSITE AND SOCIAL MEDIA

Many writers think that their e-mail list is the most essential marketing tool. All your faithful and relevant fans are listed there and they will be much more likely to buy your new book than the ones you reach through social media. It is thus essential to build an e-mail list as early as possible. Use your website for that. Implement an application form that is visible all the time, e.g. at the bottom of the page.

Convince website visitors that it worth to be part of your e-mail list. List all the benefits they will get from it. Members in your e-mail list can include receiving exclusive information, promotional prices, participate in competitions, free copies, participate in the cover design, etc.

You can also embed your social media profiles on your website. However, this is only recommended if you are active those platforms and regularly update. When the visitor clicks on a link he will be redirected from your website and if you cannot engage him with your social profile, it is likely that he will not return to your website but continue browsing the platform.

In any case, you should add social share buttons to your website so that visitors can share your content on social media – even if you weren’t active there.

7. HOW TO FIND READERS: SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION (SEO)

Search engine optimization (SEO) is a complex area to learn, so we list just a few essential tips.

Find your most important keywords (each keyword can consist of several words). Test the keyword for relevance. You can, for example, use Google Keyword Planing tool. In the tool, you can see in what format your keyword has the most relevance and customize the keyword as well (eg rephrase, add or replace words, etc.). The rule of thumb: a high number of searches with as little competition as possible. Find additional keywords for subpages and place them as described above. Your keyword should be used on your website in the following places:

• Header
• Content Description
• Heading (H1)
• In the first text section
• As alternative text in an image

We can help you with developing your SEO strategy, just contact us.

8. INTERNET MARKETING

With internet marketing, you can reach a large number of possible readers with a small budget. That’s what many successful authors, bestseller use today. You cannot afford to miss this opportunity.

Again digital marketing is a complex specialty and we can help building your Google and social media marketing strategy, just contact us.

Kind regards-Sandy Kohen

Your website is an essential tool for book marketing. We’ve gathered some tips you can take advantage of.

1. BASIC INFORMATION

The clearer the design and structure of your website, the more likely the visitor will stay on your site and be interested in its content. Guide the visitors to sections where the important information located, good navigation is key.

For example, if you want to build an audience list, you can place the registration form for your mailing list in a visible place on the home page. Do you want to sell your books through your online bookstore? Then it should be clear that this is possible on your website, eg. through a shopping cart.

The rule of thumb: Make everything available with as few clicks as possible. Remember to formulate brief and informative sentences and texts. There are various Content Management systems, which makes your life much easier and offers many much-needed functions.

Some are easy to use; others require a longer learning period. In order for you as an author to concentrate on the most important thing we can help you to create a professional author website, just contact us.

Before you start building your author’s website, you should consider your goals. Think about what you want to present and what you want to focus on, eg. the sale of your book, build a community, get reviews, etc. The layout of the website depends on your goal, but the tips we give you below apply to all kinds of websites.

2. THE CONTENT

HOME

Present yourself and your books briefly on the homepage. Preferably with a good and compelling picture of yourself. Tell the readers in what genre you are writing to let them know at once what the page is about. It is good to add information about the entire content, e.g. with excerpts that link to further sub-pages.

ABOUT ME

Write about who you are – be creative, surprise, tell a story. And be sure to use high quality photo of yourself. If you do not have a good photo, you can leave it. More about it under point “3. Design” in the Pictures section.

BOOKS

Present the books that you have published so far and link to the subpages that contain more information. If you sell the books through your website, you can add the opportunity to buy the book here. Present your book with a big picture on the cover, a title and an interesting description. For many readers, it is interesting to know if the book is hardcover or a softcover, how many pages the book contains and what it costs. If you sell the book through the website, it is wise to add some reviews, if they already exist.

PRESS

Here you can add images and information about you and the book such as journalists can download for reviews.

CONTACT

You should give your readers the opportunity to contact you. 

GENERAL INFORMATION

On some page layouts, there is a menu in the right or left column, in others there is a footer at the bottom of the page. Here you can place social media links, registration link for your mailing list, a button for contact etc.

Create a custom color concept for your theme. A good tool is e.g. Adobe Color. You should not mix competing colors (for example, two very bright tones). Red on blue flickers – so it’s not a good combination. Use complementary colors, preferably two different ones, one of which is “dirty” and the other “fresh”. Everything else can be created in black and white. If you are not sure which colors match, you can choose a basic color and work with contrasts.

3. DESIGN

A stylish design is nice to look at; it also ensures that visitors stay on your site without quickly bouncing. It arouses interest and confidence in you and your books.

TEXT AND TYPOGRAPHY

Readability is the most important thing. Remember to use clear and simple fonts – concentrate on fonts without serifs and do not use display fonts. Never use more than two fonts! If you use two different ones, preferably use one with and one without serifs. The serifless font, for eg. headings, the one with serifs for the text.

Choose a font that is slightly too large, since there are also users who read your page on your mobile. A suitable line spacing is also important, preferably 140% or 150%.

Also, consider the contrast between the elements. A big headline should really be big and bold text bold – strong contrasts make the page interesting and at the same time they offer a good overview of the content.

For structuring the website use headings H1 to H3 – on subpages; however, you should use heading H1 only once.

IMAGES

Images should, above all, awaken emotions. Therefore, they should be of high quality. There is probably nothing worse on a website than poor quality images, which does not inspire the reader. Remember that your website should reflect your brand. Use a photographer for your author portrait and product images; it pays off.

Best, S. Kohen

The book description is of great importance for the book’s success, as it significantly impacts the reader’s purchase decision. Follow our 8 tips for a better chance to convince the reader to buy your book.

Whether the book description is printed on the back of the book or is part of the bookstore’s metadata or online bookstore, the book description is incredibly important, as it informs the reader about the content and the book or e-book genre. It is a vital factor in the reader’s purchase decision. It is not just about getting an idea of ​​the content; it is also a promotional text with a clear purpose. It should attract a potential reader’s interest in a matter of seconds.

The book description is also used to grab interest of publishers and reviewers. It is visible in book directories, registers and is searchable on the Internet. Given how many use the same book description text can have, it is worth working with the text to make sure it works optimally.

1-Introduction: The introduction is crucial. The first sentence has to invoke reader’s interest and curiosity without revealing too much about the content.

2-Arouse Curiosity: The reader will immediately receive an initial impression of the main characters, personalities, likes, and relationships with each other. You can eve use incomplete sentences that ends with three points to trigger curiosity.

3-Narrative perspective: Regardless of the actual narrator’s perspective in the book, the book description is usually written in third person and present. This perspective gives the book description objectivity and increases credibility.

4-Read-friendly book description: Just as important as the content of the book description is readability. Depending on the font, book format and layout, it is usually recommended to use a font size between 8 and 12 pt. Also, remember to have sufficient line spacing and possibly add a new line or middle heading to make the text clearer and easier to read.

5-Mention several titles and reviews as a sales argument: Just add other titles you have published on the back cover for marketing purposes. Another effective selling point is adding reviews from readers and the media. Try to collect book reviews before the book is released to add them to the book description. Reviews increase the reader’s confidence and interest.

6-Stick to the Truth: The purpose of the book description is to convince the reader to buy, but under no circumstances should it create false hopes. You must stick to the truth because you win in the long run by having satisfied readers. We recommend that you test your book description on readers who are unfamiliar with the book or document. This way, you can find out what expectations the reader gets from the book.

7-The shorter the better: Typically, the book description should be around 400-750 characters (about 150 words). An overly long book description on the back can irritate the reader at the beginning stage – a short book description without hard-to-read sentences entices the reader to want to read more. It isn’t suggested to repeat the book’s title in this area.

8-Is everything proofread in advance? A professional language review and proofreading is an important element for successful book description. We recommend that you ask an outsider to read your text before publishing. Of course, this also applies to your entire manuscript.

TIP: How do other writers convince their readers with their book description and how do they differ? How do they make their book look unique and what can you learn from them? Read other cover book description on books in the same genre to give you an idea of ​​the wordings and styles that work best for readers. You will find the good examples among the best sellers with many reviews.

Melissa Mayer

PART 2: YOUR AUTHOR’S NAME AS A TRADEMARK

How can I increase my chances of success with my book and e-book?

In the first part of this series, we presented the importance of strategy and product quality. This second part is more about building your author name as a brand and promoting your book projects.

In today’s book industry, it is easier to see if you have many titles. Some authors, who switch between different genres, use different author names for various books, especially if it is a very common name that does not stand out.

One should then try to create a clear brand for each author’s name. This way, one can reach different target groups and markets using different channels. These author names can be anonymous. One reason for creating a pen name may be that what you write does not fit with your usual professional role.

Maybe a lawyer doesn’t want to put his name on erotic short stories or children’s books. If, on the other hand, a criminal lawyer writes a piece in which a lawyer is the main character, it is a selling point that the author has the same profession as his main character and thus possesses knowledge of the subject.

Try to establish yourself and your book or books as a brand to retain your readers and also to win new ones. Also, try to imagine how your readers perceive you and your titles. It can also help you ask friends in your social circle to gather feedback.

Then compare the answers and set goals you want to achieve. Authors use a variety of methods to promote themselves and often with different purposes, such as being entertaining, different or interesting. Here, how you dress, accessories and general presence can play a key role in creating a professional “image”. It is important to be consistent, feel comfortable and always shine through with their own personality in all communication. A significant but gratifying challenge is finding the core of your own brand.

ASPECTS OF CREATING A BRAND

Self-esteem: the personality you want to reflect: do you want it to be genuine or invented? Think about who you are and who you would like to be to find, develop or shape your author’s name as a brand.

Author photo: Your photo or pictures that you use should match the brand you intended and the image you want to give to your readers. For example, if you focus on creating your “image” as a happy and funny children’s book author, then images or photos that make a dark, depressing and gloomy impression will not fit. Use a professional photographer who can understand what “image” you want to give. A professional photographer can reflect this with the help of selected locations, lights, details and possibly through processing in Photoshop.

Own website: It is important for your readers that they can find you online. Having your website that you regularly update should give you added value as you develop your brand as a writer. Here you present yourself and your books and all other important information that you want to convey to your readers.

If you need help with creating a professional author web site, just contact us, we can help.

Active on social media: Find your appropriate platforms to get in touch with your target audience. Although you may feel that you are “exposing yourself” by using social media, you do not have to write about personal things or talk openly about your opinions if you do not want to. Instead, take advantage of the broad readership that you can reach through social media and perhaps write about why you started writing and what thoughts made you write one or the other book. You can write about new book projects that you have started and why. Make your readers curious!

Press and media: Editors are particularly interested in different stories that they can tell. Contact various newspapers and media that may be interested in your books and with you as a writer. With the help of a pre-written press release and photos, you can get magazines to pick up on your particular story. Feel free to start regionally as it becomes a more emotional connection to write about a writer and her work that comes from the place.

Be active at events: Being involved in various relevant events is an excellent opportunity to get in touch with your existing target audience and find new ones. You can also network and gather inspiration from other writers and industry people, which is essential for your book’s success. There are many events you can take advantage.

SELF-MANAGEMENT

To profile yourself as a writer today has a much greater significance than before because the competition is tough. To achieve success, you must keep an overview of all the different actions and marketing activities that you carry out and follow up.

Keep control of yourself, rely on yourself and hold on to the threads! Almost no one gets rich from dropping a book and it’s hard to live by writing. But if you want to try, you should see yourself as a brand and build-up activities around it. Of course, also be inspired by others and bring in new ideas that you can use when promoting your brand.

The most useful tool is to believe in yourself and dare to do something new. Behind each new door there are additional doors, which in turn lead to something new and exciting.

All the best, Melissa Mayer.

PART 1: THE STRATEGY

How can I increase my chances of success with my book and e-book?

First and foremost, you should define the concrete meaning of the term “success” to set appropriate goals. Ask yourself what it is you want to achieve for yourself and your title. Only after you have decide what is important then you can you develop a working strategy.

SET YOUR GOALS (REALISTICALLY)

One of your goals might be to create a name as a writer. Many dreams of becoming a well-known or at least a well-known author. How do I get there? Ask yourself questions and look for answers: Am I present everywhere where my target audience is?

You may notice that you are not as active on social media yet, or at least not in the platforms where your readers are. If this is your insight, then it is evident that using an appropriate channel on social media is the goal to reach more potential readers. Maybe you should start your blog, website or record videos on YouTube to reach your target audience. Sky is the limit in today’s social media consumption.

PRODUCT QUALITY

If the quality of your book and e-book does not meet your readers’ expectations, you will not achieve success, no matter how much time and money you invest in your marketing activities. Therefore, you must take the time to make your book as professional as possible.

It is proven that the following criteria are particularly important: The content of the book and its theme, niche you choose, the book description, the book cover, the price and the most importantly book’s reviews.

Since the content, the book description, reviews and the book cover are the 4 most essential factors in choosing a book, as an author, you should consider hiring an editor and graphic artist to achieve success with the book publishing.

THE TEXTS

Don’t hesitate when it comes to investing in proofreading and language review, and it’s always worth the money. Reviews of your script on a professional level can go a long way. Proofreading ensures that misspellings and misspellings are corrected so that the confidence of your readers does not diminish. Studies show that texts with spelling or language errors irritate the reader and lower the readability.

BOOK COVER

The impact of the cover on potential readers is enormous. If the book’s cover convinces the reader both aesthetically and thematically, it arouses interest in wanting to read on the back of the book, either in the bookstore or with the help of a click in the online bookstore.

The cover should represent the book’s content, showcase the book’s genre and quickly capture the buyer’s attention. A book cover may very well be self-made, as long as it looks professional. If you want to be on the safe side, hire a graphic designer to design your individual and personal cover.

If you need a professional book cover design, we may help.

BOOK DESCRIPTION

If you have succeeded in capturing the buyer’s interest with the cover, it is usually the book description that decides whether or not they will buy it. Do not reveal too much here and keep in mind that the text should rather arouse curiosity than tell everything.

Keep the description short and without complicated words. Feel free to use words and descriptions that arouse the reader’s imagination. If you want more tips on the book description, please check our blog.

PRICE

Surely, the price also plays a role in purchasing decisions. Try to understand what your target group may be willing to pay for your book. Every book has a price, but which is the right one? You can orient yourself by comparing prices of similar books within your genre in the bookstore.

This tool may help you and save time to determine the best price for your book. Remember wrong pricing is one of the major reasons for e-books to fail.

KEYWORDS

Choice of high volume, relevant keywords is very important, do it right readers find and buy your book or it will see no sunlight at all.

Use keywords in you title (if possible), in your sub-title, book description, author description. Ask yourself how you best reach your target audience with your keywords and themes or concepts relevant in your book genre. A big advantage of focusing on more specific keywords is capturing your potential readers later in the buying process.

PRODUCT CATEGORY

The more clearly defined the book’s category, the easier it is for readers and booksellers to find your book. That choice is used by online book stores algorithms while listing reader search results.

AUTHOR’S INFO

As in the book description case, it is also important to create interest and inspire confidence in author description part. What is important for a successful author description is background information about the author, the message, the excitement and the way of presenting yourself as a writer, it is part of your marketing that will also play a central role in part 2 of this series.

All the best, Melissa Mayer

Collaborating with book bloggers can accelerate book sales. They help you spread the word among its readers and followers. Be sure to include searching relevant blogs in your niche/genre in your marketing plan.

For all writers, it is a dream to experience good sales figures, advertising and getting a lot of attention about their work, but this does not happen overnight.

As a self-publisher, it is important to set up a marketing plan to reach the largest possible readership. Collaborating with relevant bloggers can help you a lot along the way. Many book bloggers collaborate with reading circles.

They also use various social media such as Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Pinterest and their websites. Book bloggers are now getting more influence. As these sites grow, they get more and more attention in the media and in the book industry.

Investigate carefully which book bloggers may suit you, depending on your genre, niche and audience. See how many followers they have and what other social media they use. Once you have selected the ones that may support you and your book, it is time to make a plan about whom to contact and send a copy of your book to.

We recommend that you do not outreach all book bloggers at the same time. It is better if the reviews are published periodically, possibly once a week. Book bloggers can be perfect partner for your marketing plan.

WHAT A BOOK BLOGGER CAN DO FOR YOU AS AN AUTHOR:

Write a review

Spread your book information in various media, forums, events and with other book bloggers in addition to their own blog.

Sometimes it is difficult for readers to decide which book will be the next purchase. They often search on reading forums or among book blogs for tips, ideas and reviews. On some sites, you will also find comments from readers and discussion forums that provide many tips and ideas.

More and more publishers are beginning to understand the importance of book blogging and are inviting them to mingle with the publisher’s authors and take advantage of newly published books. 

It is really difficult to list book bloggers as there are thousands. And to get results you may need to target those ones relevant to your book niche, genre. You can find more book bloggers on Google with a simple search of your genre and niche.

In addition to book bloggers, as a self-publisher, you can also try to contact reading circles which you may find many on Facebook.

Melissa Mayer.

Do you dream of writing and publishing books? Why? It sounds awkward to ask such questions. On the other hand, being a writer requires a lot of hard work (it usually involves completely unpaid long process), so it’s good idea to have right mindset.

0% ROMANCE, 100% HARD WORK AND A SPLASH OF MAGIC

Perhaps writing your book is your biggest dream. You share that dream with many others. People feel good about both writing their own and reading other people’s stories. We live in a time when self-publishing, as never before, is available to everyone. This is excellent news for us with the writer’s dreams.

Publishing is available in all forms – from traditional publishing as well as hybrid publishing to pure printing services, where you are your publisher. Being accepted by a publisher is not impossible but difficult. Instead, many choose to publish their book themselves, giving you control over the entire process, and you decide for yourself how much money the publishing will cost.

Once you have decided to try self-publishing, you are faced with a myriad of decisions to make. It is an exciting journey, which I highly recommend. First of all, however, I would like to emphasize this: You will not wake up one day, and suddenly find that your work is on the shelves.

Self-publishing involves many steps, which you must take in order for your dream to come true. Most of the steps include hard and time-consuming work, but who really does great things without effort? Achieving your goals requires perseverance, patience and hard work in addition to talent.

Few experiences are comparable to holding your own book in your hand if you love writing. The journey with everything you create as well as everything you learn along the way up to publishing is difficult to describe in words. If this is truly your dream, and if you are willing to work for it, it is worth all the effort.

YOUR STRATEGY

Why are you writing? Is it to inform others, or maybe you are very angry about something? It is not uncommon for the desire to write from an intense personal experience such as an injustice, a loss or an injury. Do you want to express hope, faith, fear or maybe a laugh to your audience? No matter what, it’s you story and it hasn’t been told before. 

What is your goal? Is it enough to physically hold your own story in hand, or should sales revenue should pay your bills, leave a legacy, options are endless. Regardless of goals, please work with intermediate, smaller goals and set a (realistic) schedule. Many steps are more time-consuming than you would expect.

How much does it really cost? The costs depend on the extent of your own involvement in activities other than writing. What can you do for yourself, and what do you need help with? I recommend that you take help with editing, proofreading and visual design aspects of your book. Sure, you can do all by yourself but time you spent on tasks not related to writing does not worth it.

Find out what you don’t know! If this is your first time publishing a book, you can’t possibly keep track of everything. Others have made the trip before you and can tell you about it. Be curious, and learn.

Feel free to take a courses and ask questions on social media! There are groups and forums for authors and self-publishers, which can be of great use. Network with other writers. Writing can often feel lonely, which is why networking with others can be very beneficial. Also, it is more fun to share experiences with others.

Be purposeful, and don’t give up! Self-doubt is human, it happens to all of us. Creation most of the time happens outside the comfort zone. Feel free to go back to your goals as often as you need to maintain motivation.

We describe this process in three blocks: editing, production and distribution.

EDIT

Writing a script usually involves in different phases; producing a raw script, which is then edited, in one or more sessions. In this phase test readers, editors and proofreaders help.

PRODUCTION

The production is about transforming your submission and your cover, both physically and electronically, into a concrete product. It is now that you convert all text into a print-ready PDF file and create the cover, which must also be converted into a print-ready PDF file. You decide what format and what kind of binding and paper the book should have. In this part of the publication, you also print the book in case you want your own small edition.

DISTRIBUTION

You can sell your book in several ways, the most common of which are an online bookstore, traditional bookstore, directly by you, through your website, or at fairs and events. Don’t forget the libraries! As a self-publisher, you have a lot of work to do to reach your readers. It has to be creative, purposeful and persistent. It helps you if you create well-planned marketing and are active in social media.

Best Regards, Melissa.

Have you written texts and stories, they stay alone in your computer? Do you sometimes dream about what it would be like if others could read your writings? Today, everyone has the opportunity to publish their own books as a self-publisher and thus share their stories and knowledge.

Writing is a hobby for many. Using the written word, one can convey thoughts, tell experiences or let the imagination flow, put it on paper and tell in a way that is not necessarily possible through the oral word.

At some point sharing your own thoughts and ideas in public can at first seem a little daunting since you don’t know how readers will react and whether they will appreciate what you have written. That is exactly what it is about being a writer: to awaken thoughts, inspire others, and create new worlds for the readers and to offer knowledge.

With digitization, it has become possible to share their own thoughts and texts in blogs, social and other media, which has led to completely new dimensions of interaction and communication. But the internet does not always offer the author what is needed – sometimes, you have ideas that could be enough for an entire book.

Self-publishing is a perfect opportunity: you can easily and quickly get your book out in the bookstore, on your own. Self-publishing is a risk-free way to publish books and an increasingly popular alternative for authors: it means low publishing costs and the author decides on how to and where to publish himself.

I WANT TO BE AUTHOR

When the desire to write becomes so high that you just have to write, even in the middle of the night, or when the characters in your story start to feel alive, it is time to plan your book publishing. Necessary first steps are to have concrete ideas about the content, to write them down, the willingness to publish, your narrative voice and a lot of motivation. With these, you have a solid foundation for the writing process, which is the next step in the publishing process.

SELF-PUBLISHING IS EASIER THAN YOU THINK

For many people, writing is an integral part of life and you might not even think about sharing your texts with others. Book publishing is much easier than you might imagine. Self-publishing opens up many new opportunities for authors in the book market around the world.

FIND YOUR GENRE AND NICHE

If you write fictitious love stories, children’s stories or poets, fiction is your branch. The non-fiction is fact-based and consists of e.g. textbooks, lexicons, biographies and scientific texts. As a journalist, you can, for example, write in connection with your work, or you may be a specialist in a field.

Regardless of whether you are writing facts or fiction, it is important to think about why you want to publish your own book and what opportunities there are. In order for your book to reach as many readers as possible, it is important that the content of your book is outstanding and interesting. Think about what makes your book unique and write it so readers find something new and engaging – something that makes them recommend the book to others.

There are tools out there that help you find high demand and profitable niches? Check out this free to try the tool.

WRITING PROCESS

Most often, the author has an idea of ​​the content before the writing process begins and the story is edited and developed as the writing process progresses. The important thing is always the writing itself: write down everything that makes your story move forward.

Everything does not have to proceed according to the original plan or you may come up with new things during the writing process that will affect the content and form of the final text. Remember that you can always change, move and delete text afterward, but a text that does not even exist cannot be edited.

INSPIRATION

Although writing is your favorite job, it can sometimes feel like an almost impossible when you lack inspiration: nobody wants to read it, it’s better to give up – you might think. Every writer goes through difficult phases too, but it is not worth giving up. Both good and bad thoughts can be good to share with others. Support from others and good discussions are important; otherwise, the authorship may feel alone. Besides, you often find inspiration through sharing with others.

PROFESSIONAL KNOWLEDGE INFLUENCES THE READER

The fine-tuning of the text is an important step in the publishing process and it may be necessary to obtain support in the fine-tuning phase. It is well known fact that one can become blind to one’s own text and make mistakes even if you go through the text many times.

As a writer you are a professional in your field and as a professional, you want to be taken seriously. The book must be published with good text. Ask as many readers as possible to go through your text and tell them what they think about it. Both friends and family can be good test readers – but they may be biased and we recommend that you obtain an objective response.

When you are in the final stage, you better employ an editor who reviews your text for grammar, spelling, punctuation, and who also gives feedback on the language overall, the logic of the text and the credibility of the text. With this response, you can develop and process your text until it is completely finished.

PUBLISHING ON YOUR OWN

Developing the book idea into a broader concept and transforming the idea into text is a long and sometimes quite complicated process that you have invested massively with time and work in. Now it is time to complete the project and get the book out in the bookstore!

Self-publishing is an easy, fast and effective way to get your book in the book stores. In practice, this means that every author can publish his or her book without criticizing or changing the contents of the book: as a self-publisher, you have full right to your book’s content, appearance, publication date and sale price.

As a publishing form, self-publishing has grown a lot in recent years and many self-published books have ended up on bestseller lists worldwide. Many authors who publish their books in traditional publishers choose to publish on their own because of the artistic freedom that self-publishing entails. With the help of self-publishing, aspiring writers are given the opportunity to publish their books, which they might not have otherwise.

THE BOOK’S PATH TO THE READER

Once your book has gone through all the required steps and finally been published, you can be proud of yourself! You have done a great job and it is great that your book is now published. Congratulations, you are a writer!

Sandy Kohen

The readers who only read digitally on their mobiles, tablets or reading devices can be reached by publishing it as an e-book. 

E-books has significant advantages. Especially self-publishers benefit from this opportunity, as they can reach their readers in the same bookstores and online bookstores as the publishers can. You do not have to publish your book through a large publisher to reach your target audience. Many writers today can realize their dream of writing and publishing using e-book self-publishing

ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES

There are many benefits of e-books. One is that the readers can always bring with them several books at the same time without dragging on heavy books.

Another advantage is that the reader chooses when, where and how to read your e-book. You can read it on a tablet, a reading device or a mobile. This is the perfect solution for the reader who is traveling or commuting a lot. You can also easily borrow an e-book from the library, as long as the reader has an internet connection.

Most e-books have several formats like Mobi, PDF, ePub, which allows you to change the text and screen size depending on the device you read. The reader can adapt the book to make it easier to read. In an e-book you also have access to search functions and interactive links. For example, you can link your readers to your web page, your YouTube channel or your Facebook page.

The long life of the e-book is a great advantage because it does not depend on a certain printed edition in the same way as the printed book is. It is also flexible because it is easy to renew it if new formats are released and you can easily change the content if needed.

E-books are usually cheaper to buy than the printed version. For those readers who want to save money or are not prepared to pay the printed version’s price, the e-book can be a cheaper alternative. 

E-books are also more environmentally friendly as you do not need to consume any paper, ink, color cartridges or use large printing machines.

One disadvantage of e-books is that you don’t have this old fashion way of reading a book. Some still prefer to hold the book in hand, even smell the paper. Other than that we see no disadvantage, may be you run out of batter of device you use to read the book.

DISTRIBUTION

You can publish your e-book with Elib, Amazon, iBooks, Google Play, Skoobe, Readfy, Apple, Overdrive and Kobo, among others. You can also offer your e-book at a promotional price for a certain period, release your e-book for lending and receive pre-orders before you release the book. Promotional price and marketing timeframe set by the author himself. 

With e-book lending, you take the opportunity to expand your readership, as lending e-books makes it easier for the reader to find new books and new authors. The reader does not have to buy the book directly but can first borrow it and then maybe decide to buy it.

You can make it possible to pre-order your e-book. Your e-book will then be visible even before it is published. The big advantage: As soon as you have caught the attention of your future readers, they can pre-order your e-book and they do not have to remember the exact publication date – a sound basis for an advertising campaign!

E-books especially appeal to those readers who like to shop online and use mobiles and tablets. This target group is also often active in social media. They write and read online, create book blogs, review websites, Instagram, Twitter and other channels. They are happy to share their positive experiences of the book with their followers, which will increase your sales figures. They often prefer that the book and the lower price can be downloaded quickly.

ARE ALL E-BOOKS COPYRIGHTED (DRM)?

You can use soft copy protection (watermark), which means that each file contains visible and invisible information about origin. The reader has no restrictions, but if illegal copies appear, they can be traced back.

In addition, you will find hard-copy e-books (Adobe DRM) that are encrypted to your Adobe ID and can only be read with software such as Adobe Digital Editions. Some titles have no copy protection. The authors and publishers decide for themselves what kind of copy protection the title should have. The rights that you acquire when you purchase the eBook are always bound by your personal use. 

YOUR BOOK CAN REACH A LARGER AUDIENCE!

As a writer, you should not miss out on this large crowd of readers who prefer to read books on mobile, iPad, Kindle or any other reading device. So you do not have to choose whether to publish your book as an e-book or a printed book. Publish both versions at once! A title achieves higher sales figures when available as both a printed book and an e-book, as it gives a more professional impression to your readers. 

All the best, Melissa Mayer.

With just a few steps, you can boost number of readers! Well-thought-out metadata makes your book easier to find and can thus give you better sales figures. What does metadata mean, and how can it be improved?

Metadata means data about data. It is essential to specify the correct properties, which are then passed on to the reader by distributors, retailers, and librarians. Metadata in the book industry is data that informs about, among other things like book title, subtitle, author, book description, cover, format, price, ISBN, keywords and directory information.

This is the basic information needed about the book to list or catalog it with, for example, Amazon and other online bookstores. You need to provide a complete picture of the book’s content. The more elaborate and complete it is, the better the sales success you will have.

We will explain in detail what metadata means and give you some tips on how to improve it so that more readers buy your book!

METADATA

It is essential to understand how the reader thinks. What criteria the reader look for, how can you choose your metadata and how to appeal to the reader?

To avoid problems with the various online bookstores and physical bookstores, the metadata must follow specific rules and guidelines:

1. Books have ONE title

Think carefully about your book title. Try to make it appealing and unique! We recommend that you search for the title in various online bookstores, to ensure that it is not already taken. Your title should reflect the book’s content and genre. If a book is titled “The Fairy of the Wonderful Rabbit” you quickly understand that it is a children’s book. The title along with other metadata and the cover form the book’s business card. Therefore, it is important that the title addresses your target reader audience.

2. Books can also have ONE subtitle

It can make a difference if you also have a good subtitle. It can clarify contents, supplement the title, or explain the book’s genre. The title may be “An Unexpected Meeting” and the subtitle “A True Love Novel”. In this case, the title of the book does not explain much about the genre of the book, but the subtitle does. This way, the reader can easily find the type of genre or book they are looking for. Also, try searching the subtitle of your book and see which books are visible at the online booksellers. What place in the list of books does the subtitle have? You could also inspire a little on the books that are best-sellers or high up on your search lists.

3. Books always have at least one, author or publisher

You can have one or more authors or publishers, or both. This information should never be omitted. It is important to put a first and last name. If you do not, your book may not be found anywhere, as it has an impact on online bookstore algorithms.

Online bookstore algorithms consist of instructions on what to do, with what and in what order by using metadata information. Many readers only search for the author or publisher’s name. You can, of course, also publish your book under a pen name instead of your name. 

4. Is your book included in a series?

If your book is part of a series, you should include the series name. Remember that the books should be numbered and that each book should have its own title. The series name can be part of the book’s title. The book’s cover design should have a similar theme so that the books are recognized in the same series. When specifying the book’s category, all the books in the same series should have same category.

5. The book’s description

As an author, you want the reader to get stuck reading your book. If the cover has convinced the buyer, then it is the book’s description or book description that should lead to the purchase. Therefore, it is incredibly important to have a good and attractive description that makes the book interesting without revealing too much.

Each book needs a description that informs the reader about the story. The text must be flawless, match your title, and awaken the desire to read the book. The book’s description may also contain some of the keywords that you have chosen for your metadata.

6. Author presentation

The first thing many of us do when we hold a book in our hands is to turn it over and read the back cover. We read about what the book is about, and we are also curious about who the author is.

If we are looking for a book in an online bookstore, we want to read about the author there as well. Therefore, even a professional author presentation is an important part of your metadata.

7. Item group & theme

A product group consists of one subject category (e.g. “art: general” which belongs to the subject area “specialist book”) and up to three additional categories that provide additional information (e.g. “Art deco” as style). In some cases, specific combinations of subject categories and supplementary categories need to be selected (e.g., an age group for children’s and youth books).

Use the option to select multiple product groups if your book fits into more than one product group. In such cases, however, the following applies: The product group must be as clearly defined as possible but at the same time as general as is necessary. In many cases, it may be worthwhile to select only one product group to optimize visibility. The clearer the book’s product group is defined, the easier it is for readers to find your book.

8. Keywords

A change of perspective can do wonders. Get into the shoes of a reader who wants to buy a new book. In which online book stores and in which category would you search for the book? What keywords would you enter, and how many books do you see? Do you think many other readers are searching for the same keyword?

We recommend you do your keyword research. Choose some online bookstores such as Amazon, etc. (Remember to use your browser’s incognito mode when doing a keyword search and logging out of your accounts! Otherwise, your previous keywords will often automatically appear and results shall be personalized, you don’t want that).

Now enter keywords in the search field as if you were looking for a book like yours. What keywords does the e-commerce store suggest? Is your first thought correct? In that case, many others are probably looking for a book similar to yours using this keyword. Then this keyword generates high visibility for your title.

Next, pay attention to how many books you see in this search. Is it several thousand? Then the book will probably fall far down the list. Are there just a few dozen? Perfect! Then this keyword is often used, but your book will still be visible. Exactly this keyword should also be included in your metadata! The purpose of the keywords is to help readers find your book while searching.

Do you know you can find relevant, high volume keywords that readers use to find books like yours very easily?

9. Book cover

The impact of the cover on potential readers is enormous. If the book’s cover convinces the reader both aesthetically and thematically, it arouses interest in wanting to read on the back of the book, either in the bookstore or with the help of a click in the online bookstore.

The cover should represent the book’s content, showcase the book’s genre, and quickly capture the buyer’s attention. A book cover may very well be made by yourself, as long as it looks professional it is ok. If you want to be on the safe side, hire a graphic designer to design your own and personal cover. 

10. Price

Of course, the price also plays a role. And there is no set rule. Try to understand what your target group may be willing to pay for your book. Every book has a price, but which is the right one? You can compare the prices of similar books within your genre. You can get very good insights on what is the proper price readers are ready to pay using this free to try tool.

Best, Melissa