Self-Published Author Wins Triple Crown in Readers Favorite Book Awards
Veteran Outskirts Press author Andrew J. Rafkin recently swept an entire category in the 2009 Readers Favorite Book Awards by winning all three awards — the Gold, the Silver and the Bronze – for three of his action/adventure novels.
The prolific Californian author and avid boating and fishing enthusiast took the three top honors in action and adventure fiction for his novels Mexican Madness (the Gold), Mediterranean Madness (the Silver) and Creating Madness (the Bronze), each featuring O.R.C.A. retired Navy Seal, Commander Reef Johansen. Remarkably, a fourth book of his, Red Sky Morning, also published by Outskirts Press, was a Readers Favorite finalist in the non-fiction, autobiography category.
Readers Favorite was founded by Debra Gaynor to help authors with honest reviews of their work and to assist them in obtaining more recognition and exposure through a respected book contest.
“We appreciate the loyalty our serial authors like Andrew J. Rafkin have shown to Outskirts Press and attribute their continuing faith in us to the high quality service we provide them, both in printing their books and in marketing them to the level of success that award-winning authors like Andrew J. Rafkin deserve,” said Outskirts Press Director of Author Support, Kelly Schuknecht.
Besides author Rafkin’s four medals, twenty other books by Outskirts Press authors won awards in the 2009 Readers Favorite contest, too.
“We are incredibly proud of our authors,” Kelly Schuknecht went on to say, “and are so pleased when their accomplishments are acknowledged by awards like these from Readers Favorite. It’s no wonder that more and more award-winning authors are choosing Outskirts Press for their publishing and marketing needs.”
Ready to publish your own award-winning book or series? Click here for free publishing guides to help you get started.
In the continuing effort to further support self-published authors, here are four recommended book marketing strategies:
1. Add an Amazon Kindle Edition
No matter where you publish, or in what genre you write, you must have a Kindle edition of your book. This is especially true if you write and publish fiction. Finally, the Kindle has resolved the age-old concern that non-fiction is easier to sell.
Want proof? Right now, the top 2 best-selling books published by Outskirts Press are fiction books:
New:Now with a Kindle edition, your book can be available on the iPhone! Is the iPhone the “killer-app” the e-book market needs? Perhaps, and in the 4th quarter of 2009, Amazon took a big step in that direction by providing the free Kindle App through the iTunes store. With your Kindle Edition, your book is immediately available for sale on the #1 best-selling product on Amazon (the Kindle) and on the #1 best-selling mobile phone (the iPhone). How valuable is that?
Bonus for published Outskirts Press authors: You keep 100% of your profitsfrom Amazon for your Kindle edition, even if you have us create and submit your Kindle edition for you. You can add the Kindle edition (with iPhone availability) conveniently by clicking here (and save 10% with the Promotion Code: RELAUNCH10).
2. Create a Book Video Trailer
Enter the 21st Century with Book Video Trailers, which are like Hollywood-movie trailers for your book. Depending upon where you publish, a book video can cost anywhere from a few hundred to many thousands of dollars, so do your research when you are picking your publisher.
Equally important is the level of online social networking and video distribution that comes with your video package. Yes, having a book video trailer is important, and uploading it to your author webpage is nice. But to really leverage the power of the Internet, your book video needs to be linked and viewable from all the major social and video networking sites, like:
YouTube
MySpace
Facebook
Twitter
…to name just a few…
It doesn’t matter how you go about getting a book video trailer made, and how you go about distributing it, just as long as you make it a part of your overall book marketing strategy. The Outskirts Press Book Video Trailer & Distribution option for our authors includes the creation of a Hollywood-style book video along with distribution to all those video venues listed above, plus others. Here’s an example of a book video trailer for a full-color, fully-illustrated book from Outskirts Press:
Bonus for published Outskirts Press authors:You can save 10%on the Book Video Trailer option by clicking here and entering the Promotion Code: RELAUNCH10 in your shopping cart.
3. Add an Audio Excerpt to iTunes
Speaking of the iPhone and iTunes, it is equally important that you have an audio file distributed through iTunes that either discusses your book or features an audio sample of someone reading from your book. By submitting the audio file through RSS distribution and iTunes with keywords, you increase the chances of potential customers learning about your book (or even stumbling accidentally upon it) in a wide variety of venues and platforms.
For example, select Outskirts Press authors have the option of adding the Enhanced Audio Excerpt with iTunes Distribution. This optional marketing service offers a two to three minute audio recording of a section from the author’s book, recorded by book marketing guru and Blog Talk Radio host Sally Shields. Not only is this option ideal for authors who may not like the sound of their own voice, but the Enhanced Audio Excerpt is distributed and syndicated just like a Podcast, which includes availability on multiple content sites, including iTunes.
Published Outskirts Press authors can save 10% on the Enhanced Audio Excerpt option right now andreceive a free 30-minute telephone marketing consultation with Sally Shields. Order from your Author’s Center by clicking here and enter the the Promotion Code: RELAUNCH10 in your shopping cart.
4. Complete a media kit, marketing plan, and promotional schedule – Put it all on a CD that you can mail to the press
Recognizing the value and necessity of live, 1-on-1 marketing consultation, Outskirts Press has also added the free 30-minute marketing call to its CD Media/Press Kit option. The Outskirts Press Personal Marketing Assistant can now help published Outskirts Press authors complete their personalized marketing plans and promotional calendars to be included in the customized CD Media/Press Kits.
Included on the CD are a professionally written press release, an author biography and book summary, a marketing plan and promotional calendar, a high-resolution author image (if provided by the author), and a secure e-book edition of the book.
Even if you have published elsewhere, a media/press kit is an important component to an overall book marketing strategy. If you cannot produce a professional, customized CD like the one available for Outskirts Press authors, at least put the necessary elements on your author webpage.
Published Outskirts Press authors can save 10%on their custom CD Media/Press Kit and receive a free 30-minute telephone consultation with a Personal Marketing Assistant when they enter Promotion Code:RELAUNCH10 at the time of ordering the CD Media/Press Kit.
The 10% discount code for these options will expire in February, so now is the time to order from your secure Author’s Center by clicking here.
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Fritz Peterson, author of Mickey Mantle Is Going To Heaven (Outskirts Press), well known in baseball history for “swapping wives,” was recently interviewed by Ron Kaplan.
In his interview, Peterson talks about playing baseball for the New York Yankees, writing his memoirs, surviving cancer and his sequel with the working title, “Joe DiMaggio is Going to Hell.”
Read more and listen to the interview on Ron Kaplan’s Baseball Bookshelf here:
In its continuing effort to further support self-published authors, leading self-publishing and book marketing company Outskirts Press has increased the value of 4 different book marketing services for its authors – without increasing the costs — by adding professional marketing consultations, new social networking channels, and more.
January 26, 2010 – Denver, CO – Outskirts Press, an Inc. 500 company and the fastest growing self-publishing and book marketing company, today announced it has greatly improved four of its popular book marketing services for its growing family of self-published authors. The CD Media Kit, Enhanced Audio Excerpt, Book Video, and Amazon Kindle Edition options by have each been expanded to bring more benefits without additional cost.
Recognizing the value and necessity of live, 1-on-1 marketing consultation, Outskirts Press has also added the 30-minute marketing call to the Enhanced Audio Excerpt option at no additional cost. The Enhanced Audio Excerpt offers a two to three minute audio recording of a section of an author’s book, recorded by book marketing guru and Blog Talk Radio host Sally Shields. Not only is this option ideal for authors who may not like the sound of their own voice, but the Enhanced Audio Excerpt is distributed and syndicated just like a Podcast, which includes availability on multiple content sites, including iTunes.
The CD Media Kit already offered by Outskirts Press includes a customized CD-ROM that authors can use to promote their book. Included on the CD are a professionally written press release, an author biography and book summary, a marketing plan and promotional calendar, an author image, and a secure e-book edition of the book. Now each CD Media Kit option includes a valuable thirty minute phone consultation with an Outskirts Press Personal Marketing Assistant, to help the author develop their marketing plan and promotional calendar to be included in the CD-ROM.
“After their marketing consultation, now our authors can hit the ground running with a full understanding of how to use their CD Media Kit and/or Enhanced Audio Excerpt to support the successful marketing of their book,” stated Outskirts Press Director of Author Support, Kelly Schuknecht.
The Book Video Trailer option offered by Outskirts Press has also been improved with no additional charge to the author to feature a newer, cutting-edge style, and now includes social networked links through Facebook and Twitter. Outskirts Press Book Video Trailers are approximately one minute in length, professionally produced like a Hollywood movie trailer, and are embedded on the author’s own Outskirts Press webpage as well as distributed to YouTube, Metacafe, MySpace and a host of other online video outlets.
Outskirts Press books can now be available on the iPhone, thanks to the free Kindle application for the iPhone, currently one of the hottest apps on iTunes. With the Outskirts Press Amazon Kindle Edition option, Outskirt Press is able to take advantage of Amazon’s own increased promotional services so that Outskirt Press books with Amazon Kindle editions are now available on the iPhone and iPod Touch as well as through Amazon’s regular on-line store. This announcement also comes with an improvement in the formatting and conversion processes conducted on Outskirts Press books to ensure their Kindle editions are among the best in the business.
About Outskirts Press, Inc,: Outskirts Press, Inc. offers full-service, custom self-publishing and book marketing services for authors seeking a cost-effective, fast, and flexible way to publish and distribute their books worldwide while retaining all their rights and full creative control. Available for authors globally at www.outskirtspress.com and located on the outskirts of Denver, Colorado, Outskirts Press represents the future of book publishing, today.
ForeWord Magazine is a bi-monthly journal that is delivered to librarians, booksellers, agents, and other industry professionals. Additionally, ForeWord is sent directly to small press buyers at the chains (B&N, Borders, Chapters, Books-A-Million, etc). ABA’s Booksense also requests 500 copies of each issue for delivery direct to their members. ForeWord Magazine also is placed in the hands of agents and editors at larger houses, who may be looking for leads to bring into their fold from the small press sector. All told, the ForeWord circulation is approximately 85% librarians, 12% bookstores, and 3% publishing professionals.
Now you can reach this influential readership with a Co-Op advertisement.
Outskirts Press handles all the details for its authors.
Co-Op Advertising allows you to secure premium, full-color exposure for your book in a high-quality trade publication for a minimal amount of money. Your book will occupy a 2″ x 2.5″ space along with 11 other Outskirts Press titles within a full-color, full-page ad. Your ad space will include a full color cover image, an abbreviated synopsis, the ISBN, and retail price. All books will include retail and wholesale ordering information.
Here’s a sample of the Outskirts Press full page,
full color author co-op ad in ForeWord Magazine:
HOW TO ORDER:
To get more information and reserve your space in a ForeWord Co-Op Ad, sign-in to your author’s center. Outskirts Press published authors can order this option conveniently at any time. Reservations for Outskirts Press published authors are taken on a first-come first-served basis based upon receipt of payment.
Not published yet? It’s time to get published and start receiving
marketing support and services like this.
Allies Forever—The Life and Times of an American POW is the story of Red Killmeyer, father of the author. As a 20-year-old B-24 bomber pilot based in England, Red valiantly battled the Germans—until one fateful day when his plane was disabled, and Red was taken prisoner and held captive for six months in a POW camp. Allies Forever describes his struggles upon his return to the States, with his responsibilities as a husband, father, and son, and the lifelong difficulties he faced adjusting to a normal life.
Red was a gentle man of great humor. His future wife, Gladys, had been abandoned to foster homes during the Great Depression, and had grown into a strong woman with an independent spirit. Then she met Red, and they fell in love. Red was 17 when America entered World War II. Eager to do his part, he enlisted in the U.S. Air Force, and he married Gladys just as soon as he completed his training. When Red was shipped overseas to Great Britain, Gladys began her married life alone and pregnant.
On Christmas Day, 1944, Red and the rest of his flight crew were ordered on a bombing mission. Caught in a battle with the Luftwaffe, Red’s plane was severely damaged, and he was forced to bail out over German territory. Captured and wounded, he endured a 90-mile march before reaching the prisoner-of-war camp. His daily life was a misery of intense cold and starvation. Stateside, Gladys gave birth to a healthy baby boy. For two years she was self-sufficient—taking care of her child, working, and saving money for the future. But when Red returned, he was resentful, angry, restless, and showed little interest in his son. The war may have been over, but for Gladys and Red, their greatest challenges lay before them.
“Allies Forever is an awe-inspiring testimony to the resilience of the human spirit during wartimes and a heartwarming story of what it means to be a family…even in difficult times. You won’t forget this story anytime soon!”
—Mike McCarthy, author of Phantom Reflections
About the Author:
Karen A. Patterson has been a professional writer for more than 30 years. As a syndicated columnist for the Gannett and Thompson newspapers, she has written more than 200 articles and is the author/contributor to seven books, including Herbs for All Seasons. She has always been a student of history, traveling worldwide to gather research and visit sights that have shaped our world. Patterson has been the host of a regular talk show on WCVO radio, a Christian station based in Columbus, Ohio. When she is not writing, she is working on her doctorate, speaking on health-related issues, and teaching at Ohio University and Southern State Community College.
This author purchased the Book Blast package, saving 25% on 5 powerful marketing services to blast the book into the stratosphere! The Book Blast package includes the following options: Custom Press Release, PR Publicist Campaign, Book Review Submission Service, Book Video (shown above) and Personal Marketing Assistant. Outskirts Press authors can easily and conveniently add this package at any time from the Marketing Options screen of the author’s center.
Is it time to get published and receive marketing support and services like this?
Craig Juntunen appeared to have it all. He sold his company at the age of 40, and set out to live the good life of retirement. But he soon began to feel something was lacking. When a friend told him the story of adopting two girls from Haiti, Craig’s emptiness gave way to a sense of adventure. On a trip to the desperate Third World nation, a country wracked by poverty, corruption and kidnappings, his self-serving lifestyle began a very profound transformation. At an orphanage outside of Port-Au-Prince Craig encountered Espie, Amelec and Quinn. Even after decades of table-pounding declarations he would never have children, at 51 Craig became a dad. This inspirational story of an unexpected journey and personal transformation will say many things to different people. But for all it delivers a powerful reminder of our responsibility to reach out and be there for kids.
“Craig’s story is very compelling and very real. It demonstrates the beauty of the adoption story….everybody wins. You start out by providing a home for a child but you end up providing more for yourself than you ever imagined.” ~Kirk Triplett, PGA Golf Professional and adoptive parent.
After a successful business career, Craig Juntunen started Chances for Children, a foundation that works on behalf of orphaned and abandoned children in Haiti. Over the years Juntunen has also been involved in other philanthropic causes: A college scholarship fund, a fundraising golf tournament for Special Olympics, and many other local and regional charitable activities. He enjoyed a successful athletic career, culminating as a quarterback in the Canadian Football League. He is a member of the University of Idaho Hall of Fame and the State of Idaho Athletic Hall of Fame.
Watch Craig Juntunen on Arizona Family News: Click Here
How can you help?
Visit Chances4Children.org to find out more about Juntunen’s foundation. All the royalties for Both Ends Burning to go the organization.
Send a text message with the word “HAITI” to 90999 to donate $10 to Red Cross relief efforts.
Outskirts Press, the fastest-growing full-service self-publishing and book marketing company, today announced its top ten best selling titles for December 2009 according to combined data from Ingram Book Wholesalers and Outskirts Press Wholesale Direct via http://outskirtspress.com/buybooks
In alphabetical order, the top ten best selling books in self publishing during the month of December were:
Congratulations to our best selling authors from December 2009!
All these books, and other Outskirts Press titles, are available from all major online retailers like Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Powells, Books A Million, and others, plus conveniently from the Outskirts Press bookstore at http://outskirtspress.com/bookstore (or in quantities of 10 or more for full wholesale trade discounts at Outskirts Press Direct (where the retailer saves money and the author still get their full royalty): http://outskirtspress.com/buybooks
The Readers Favorite 2009 Award Contest Winners have been announced. Congratulations to the following Outskirts Press titles and authors:
The Soldiers of the Cross, by J. Laurence Stillwell, Gold Winner in the Christian - Fiction Category
Mediterranean Madness, by Andrew J Rafkin, Silver Winner in the Fiction – Action/Adventure Category
Creating Madness, by Andrew J Rafkin, Bronze Winner in the Fiction – Action/Adventure Category
Unlocking the Poet's Realm, by Matt Wiebusch, Gold Winner in the Fiction – Fantasy/Sci-Fi Category
Embellish, by R.L. Sloan, Honorable Mention in the Fiction – Fantasy/Sci-Fi Category
Why We Don’t Kill Spiders, by Bo Macreery, Honorable Mention in the Fiction – Historical/Cultural Category
The Peruke Maker, by Ruby Dominguez, Gold Winner in the Fiction – Horror Category
Romancing the Claddagh, by Ruby Dominguez, Bronze Winner in the Fiction – Horror Category
Immaculate Deception, by Courtney J. Webb , Silver Winner in the Fiction - Humor Category
It's Over Michael, But…, by Ruby Dominguez, Bronze Winner in the Fiction - Humor Category
In-Sight, by Gerard D. Webster, Silver Winner in the Fiction - Suspense Category
Through The Triangle, by C.P. Stewart, Bronze Winner in the Fiction - Thriller Category
Out of the Village, by Banya Ku'Caya, Finalist in the Non Fiction – Autobiography Category
Red Sky Morning, by Andrew J. Rafkin, Finalist in the Non Fiction – Autobiography Category
Just Tell Me How To Get Hired!, by Jill De Sena-Shook, Gold Winner in the Non Fiction – Business/Finance Category
Lori's Song, by Lori Foroozandeh, Bronze Winner in the Non Fiction - Drama Category
Looking For Closure, by Maria Stewart, Honorable Mention in the Non Fiction – Drama Category
Sue's Nightmare, by Dean Roberts, Gold Winner in the Non Fiction – General Category
Calling All Boomers, by Randall D. Howard, Silver Winner in the Non Fiction – General Category
My Momma Raised Ugly Children…Not Stupid Ones, by Bud Wright, Silver Winner in the Non Fiction – Humor Category
Riders on the Road, by Patricia Rider Bermon and The Rider Family Drivers, Bronze Winner in the Non Fiction – Humor Category
A Complete Guide to Public Speaking, by Joseph A. Grippo, Silver Winner in the Non Fiction – Self Help Category
An Unknown Journey, by Dao Huynh, Bronze Winner in the Young Adult Category
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 for free publishing guides to help you get started.
An imaginative and suspenseful tale of the dangerous effects of a mystically seductive dress on men and on its owne, Kill Dress explores the contemporary social implications of the struggle between displaying or suppressing one’s sexual desires and fantasies.
Kim, a modern, attractive woman who loves to dance and to party with her friends at the clubs, falls into a depression when she suddenly loses her boyfriend. She needs to clear her mind and to revive her spirit and so decides to vacation in New Orleans with her friend Joi.
In that mysterious Arcadian culture the two women discover an old woman whose distant ancestors made garments for Queen Nefertari, Queen Sheba and Queen Cleopatra.
These were not just any garments. The alluring queens used these dresses, along with their own native wiles, to seduce the likes of Marc Antony, Julius Caesar and King Solomon and charm them into obeying their every whim. Kim contracts for a dress of her own from this aged seamstress and finds that she is a member of a secret society of raiment makers who have used mysterious herbs, special fabrics and arcane religious rites to weave their seductive wares down through the ages. Their mystical knowledge has only passed down from mother to daughter and each woman has sworn on pain of death not to reveal the secrets to anyone, not even her husband.
The overwhelming and magnetic sexual effect on men from this enchanted dress is more than Kim has bargained for. Not only does the dress sensually charm every man who sees Kim in it, it also awakes the dormant impulses of a reformed serial killer, the “Heart Murderer,” and rekindles his instinct to kill.
Worse yet, Kim refuses to give up the garment, even when the media recognizes that if she were to destroy the hypnotic dress, the serial killer would probably stop his horrible rampage. Instead, Kim decides to “make a statement” and defend the right of women everywhere for this freedom of expression.
A suspenseful tale in itself, Kill Dress also provides a clever and unusual look at the native sexuality of both men and women and shows how thin the dividing line can be between mere playful sensuality and the jealousy, envy, lust, and even murder that an initially innocent impulse, when exaggerated, can become.
About the Author:
John Young is a college graduate with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration. He has been working for a number of years as a software engineer in the Information Technology industry, and is also an investor in the stock market and in foreign currency.
John has been an avid reader for years and has always had a burning desire to write novels that would also end up on the big screen. Kill Dress is his first step on that path.
This author purchased the Book Blast package, saving 25% on 5 powerful marketing services to blast the book into the stratosphere! The Book Blast package includes the following options: Custom Press Release, PR Publicist Campaign, Book Review Submission Service, Book Video (shown above) and Personal Marketing Assistant. Outskirts Press authors can easily and conveniently add this package at any time from the Marketing Options screen of the author’s center.
Is it time to get published and receive marketing support and services like this?
