Archive for May, 2009

Free Shipping, 2 days left

Don’t forget. The Free Shipping Promotion expires on May 31, 2009. Order now.

Just order 50 or more books through your author’s center between May 4 – May 31, and Outskirts Press will pay for the domestic UPS ground shipping. Orders must be single-format and the 50 or more books must be placed all at once in a single order. Yes, you can place multiple orders for multiple formats, and if each order exceeds 50, the domestic UPS ground shipping will be free. This offer does not apply for 2nd day air or next day shipping options. Nor does it apply for international shipping orders.

The more you order, the more you save on shipping. During these tumulus times, we can all use some savings. May is the time to order copies of your book for marketing and gift purposes. Starting Monday, May 4th, when you sign-in to your author’s center and order 50 or more copies of a single-format of your book, you will notice that the UPS Ground shipping option for domestic orders is completely free. Just a little thank you, from Outskirts Press. Enjoy.

Not yet published? Now is the time to start:

Start Publishing

Add comment May 30, 2009

Top 7 Self Publishing “Must Haves”

1.
Keep 100% of your rights

 The intellectual property and copyright of your book is very valuable. You should always retain all your rights. Be sure to double-check the contract of the publishers you are considering. For example, the very first sentence of our contract states: “Author retains 100% of the rights and copyright licenses to the manuscript and all other materials submitted to Outskirts Press, Inc.”

2.
Keep 100% of your royalties

Make more money by setting your own pricing! It’s your book, so be in charge of the elements that make the most difference (like $100,000+ earning author Gang Chen was). For example, only with Outskirts Press can you set your own retail price, author discount, and Price Plan. You receive 100% of author royalties, which is the difference between the wholesale price and production price). The higher you set your retail price, the higher your profit. And guess what? You set your wholesale price, too. You are in complete control!

3.
Unlimited wholesale and retail availability

Choose a self-publisher who distributes your books via both Ingram and Baker & Taylor, plus through all the major online outlets. For example, Outskirts Press books are available for order through online retail sales channels like Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Borders, and more. Plus, with our amazing distribution-on-demand your book can be available for order from just about anywhere that sells books. This means you receive unlimited wholesale distribution through Ingram, Baker & Taylor, and more. Regardless of how many books you sell via wholesale channels, we’ll produce the inventory to fill those orders, without any out-of-pocket printing costs for you.

4.
Additional marketing support and services

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if marketing a book was as easy as publishing one? It depends upon the extent of post-publication support and services provided by your publisher. For example, Outskirts Press is the home of the exclusive Marketing COACH, delivering Creative Online Assistance, Coaching, and Help via email to our Diamond and Pearl authors for 2 years after publication. No other publisher offers anything like it!

5.
Publishing imprint and ISBN flexibility

There’s a lot of online debate about what constitutes “self-publishing.”  Some opinions contend that “he who owns the ISBN is the publisher.”  To some extent, this is a belief held-over from the older days of publishing when the ISBN holder was also the clear-cut copyright holder. Nevertheless, how about the best of both worlds? Wouldn’t it be best to have the flexibility of owning your own ISBN or having one assigned for you? Our Diamond, Pearl, Ruby, and Sapphire packages all include unique ISBNs assigned to the book, which are required for wholesale and retail sales. However, if you prefer to submit your own ISBN and publish under your own publishing imprint, our Diamond and Pearl packages offer options to accommodate those needs, too. In either case, you keep 100% of the rights to your work.

6.
High-quality book design

Imagine a full-service self-publisher where quality book design is included. Your dreams are a reality at Outskirts Press. Depending upon the type of book you are publishing, our designers will format the interior according to industry best practices for a high-quality presentation that keeps your book from screaming “self-published!”

And the covers? Wow! They say a picture is worth a thousand words. If so, our amazing custom covers are a book unto themselves. Take a look at yesterday’s post for a sample of our Christian book covers or watch another cover video below:

 

7.
Complete print-run flexibility (1 to 1000s)

With unlimited wholesale availability, printing, and fulfillment, we will handle all wholesale orders directly that come from sales channels like Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Ingram, etc. When we receive a wholesale or retail order directly, we will print the book, send it to the customer, and then record your royalty. You never have to order any books unless you want to. Of course, if you want to order books, you always receive your below-wholesale price in quantities of just 5 or more. And if you buy more, you save more.

Want to experience how easy self publishing can be? It’s even easy to start…

 Start Publishing

Add comment May 29, 2009

Top Self Publishing Christian Cover Designs

While Outskirts Press publishes a wide variety of fiction, non-fiction, and children’s books, there is no doubt that Christian writers and religiously themed manuscripts represent a substantial portion of our publications each month. And why not? With free distribution through Spring Arbor Distributors included with the Diamond package, and optional custom cover designs that ensure your message has the intended impact, full-service self-publishing through Outskirts Press provides an easy, fast, reliable, and affordable way to publish an award-winning book.

Check out our most recent video, highlighting a small sample of our gorgeous Christian book covers…

 

Ready to get published?

 Start Publishing

Add comment May 28, 2009

Indie Book Award Winners in Self-Publishing

The 2009 Indie Book Award Winners and Finalists have been announced.  Congratulations to the following Outskirts Press titles and authors:
My Momma Raised Ugly Children...Not Stupid Ones, by Bud Wright

My Momma Raised Ugly Children...Not Stupid Ones, by Bud Wright, Winner in the Humor/Comedy Category

A Pawn of Fate, by Rita Keeley Brown, Finalist in the Biography Category

A Pawn of Fate, by Rita Keeley Brown, Finalist in the Biography Category

Stella Ducktropolis, by Charlotte Barnes, Finalist in the Childrens Picture Book Category

Stella Ducktropolis, by Charlotte Barnes, Finalist in the Children's Picture Book Category

The Political Campaign Desk Reference, by Michael P. McNamara, Finalist in the Current Events/Political Category

The Political Campaign Desk Reference, by Michael P. McNamara, Finalist in the Current Events/Political Category

KnorraSky, Volume 1, by R.A. Knowlton, Finalist in the Fantasy Category

KnorraSky, Volume 1, by R.A. Knowlton, Finalist in the Fantasy Category

The Wizards Legacy, by Ashley Simmons, Finalist in the Fantasy Category

The Wizard's Legacy, by Ashley Simmons, Finalist in the Fantasy Category

A Crucible of Innocence, by Roger W. Forsythe, Finalist in the First Novel Category

A Crucible of Innocence, by Roger W. Forsythe, Finalist in the First Novel Category

The Business Black Belt Training Manual for Leaders and Managers, by Stephen Iacullo, Finalist in the How To Category

The Business Black Belt Training Manual for Leaders and Managers, by Stephen Iacullo, Finalist in the How To Category

The Political Campaign Desk Reference, by Michael P. McNamara, Finalist in the How To Category

The Political Campaign Desk Reference, by Michael P. McNamara, Finalist in the How To Category

The PTA, by Carol Olson and Cherie Rodgers, Finalist in the Humor/Comedy Category

The PTA, by Carol Olson and Cherie Rodgers, Finalist in the Humor/Comedy Category

er Street, by Daniel Paul Johnson, Finalist in the Myster/Suspense/Thriller Category

Baker Street, by Daniel Paul Johnson, Finalist in the Myster/Suspense/Thriller Category

Far From the Trees, by Michael Wellman, Finalist in the Regional Non-Fiction Category

Far From the Trees, by Michael Wellman, Finalist in the Regional Non-Fiction Category

Well See the World from My Harley, by Dennis Miner, Finalist in the Relationships Category

We'll See the World from My Harley, by Dennis Miner, Finalist in the Relationships Category

Gift Out of Africa, by Karen Kossie-Chernyshev, Ph.D., Finalist in the Religion/Religious Non-Fiction Category

Gift Out of Africa, by Karen Kossie-Chernyshev, Ph.D., Finalist in the Religion/Religious Non-Fiction Category

What DID Jesus do?, by A. Maclochlainn, Finalist in the Religion/Religious Non-Fiction Category

What DID Jesus do?, by A. Maclochlainn, Finalist in the Religion/Religious Non-Fiction Category

Saints in the City, by Andie Andrews, Finalist in the Religious Fiction Category

Saints in the City, by Andie Andrews, Finalist in the Religious Fiction Category

Saints in the City, by Andie Andrews, Finalist in the Romance Category

Saints in the City, by Andie Andrews, Finalist in the Romance Category

For Corys Sake, by Carolyn Wada, Finalist in the Science Fiction Category

For Cory's Sake, by Carolyn Wada, Finalist in the Science Fiction Category

Haints, by Nash Black, Finalist in the Short Story-Fiction Category

Haints, by Nash Black, Finalist in the Short Story-Fiction Category

Little Stories, by Jeff Roberts, Finalist in the Short Story-Fiction Category

Little Stories, by Jeff Roberts, Finalist in the Short Story-Fiction Category

Business Revolution through Ancestral Wisdom, by Tu Moonwalker and JoAnne OBrien-Levin, Ph.D., Finalist in the Social Change Category

Business Revolution through Ancestral Wisdom, by Tu Moonwalker and JoAnne O'Brien-Levin, Ph.D., Finalist in the Social Change Category

Saints in the City, by Andie Andrews, Finalist in the Social Change Category

Saints in the City, by Andie Andrews, Finalist in the Social Change Category

Business Revolution through Ancestral Wisdom, by Tu Moonwalker and JoAnne OBrien-Levin, Ph.D., Finalist in the Spirituality Category

Business Revolution through Ancestral Wisdom, by Tu Moonwalker and JoAnne O'Brien-Levin, Ph.D., Finalist in the Spirituality Category

Writing as a Small Business, by Nash Black, Finalist in the Writing and Publishing Category

Writing as a Small Business, by Nash Black, Finalist in the Writing and Publishing Category

Several books won in multiple categories, which is why the cover appears multiple times. Congratulations to all our winners. We already know Outskirts Press helps our authors publish award-winning books, and now it is easier than ever to promote your award with our Award Recognition Cover Enhancement option. For details and to order, visit the Marketing Options screen of your author’s center.

Ready to publish your own award-winning books? Click here to visit the Outskirts Press website.

Add comment May 26, 2009

TOP 10 TIPS FOR A TOP-NOTCH PRESS RELEASE FOR SELF PUBLISHING WRITERS

1) Start it strong. Your headline and first paragraph should tell the entire story in a nutshell. You have only a matter of moments to grab the media’s attention.

2) Write for your audience. Speaking of media, they’re who you’re composing your press release for. Try to develop a story as you would like to have it told and anticipate their needs. They’re trying to entertain, educate, and inform their audience. The more your release does all of those things, the more likely it is to be used.

3) Ask yourself, “Is my press release newsworthy?” Do not use your press release to make a sale. The purpose of a release is to inform. Answer the who, what, where, when and why questions of journalism.

4) Realize that not everything is newsworthy. Just because something is exciting and newsworthy to you does not automatically make it newsworthy. Will someone else find your press release interesting? Focus on the elements of your event that makes it important to someone else.

5) Just the facts. It may be tempting to embellish the truth. Don’t. Stick to the facts and avoid exaggerations. The media is naturally skeptical, anyway. If your press release sounds too incredible, it will be ignored.

6) Pick an angle. This goes hand-in-hand with making your press release newsworthy. Make it timely or focus on current events or social/political issues. Every press release needs a hook.

7) Use active voice. Active verbs instill life into your release. Since every word counts, make them all strong. Writing in active voice helps ensure your press release will at least be read.

8) Make every word count. So important we’ll say it twice. Keep your release concise and to the point. Avoid unnecessary adjectives and redundant expressions.

9) Avoid jargon. Jargon is language specific to certain professions. It’s best to avoid jargon if your goal is to optimize your news release for online search engines, since the general public will not search for jargon words or phrases. That includes acronyms limited to your expertise.

10) Avoid hype. Never do this!!!!!!!!!!!!! DON’T DO THIS!! ***DO NOT DO THIS EITHER***

Add comment May 25, 2009

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