Yesterday I talked a little bit about a book marketing option that is revolutionizing the ease with which readers can get their hands on one of your books.
Admittedly, I left out some details on purpose!
It would be too easy to give out everything at once!
So following up from my last post, I will tell you how you, as a self-publisher, can take advantage of the Espresso Book Machine (EBM).
Espresso Book Machine allows instant ordering and printing of your self-published book at numerous locations (currently including universities and libraries across the world). A simple process allows patrons to quickly order your book from a collection of over 7 million books, available in digital format.
The process has been simplified to keep overhead costs low, and improve user experience. This innovation has been awarded the Time Magazine’s reputed “Invention of the Year” award, bringing a personalized ordering and reading experience to your nearest library, and coffee-shops.
As a self-publisher, EBM will provide numerous benefits to improve your book exposure and in effect, the revenue it generates. Some of the benefits of this new marketing option include:
Run book marketing on auto-pilot. Once you sign up with the Outskirts Press Espresso Book Machine Edition, you can sit back and let us do the work.
Cater to thousands of readers through EBM available at multiple locations around the world. Moreover, you can reach international readers through this platform.
Highly affordable and standard service, requiring little or no further marketing investment.
Now your books will never run out-of stock!
So does this sound like something that could add some sales and improve exposure to your book, and in turn, you?
How long does it take to get a cup of coffee from your local Starbucks?
This is not a trick question.
From standing in the queue to getting your steaming espresso – 2 minutes, tops?
How long does it take to order and print a book?
2 days? An hour?
Think again!
If the newest Time Magazine’s ”Invention of the Year” is anything to go by, then you can have your book ordered and printed in less than 1 minute!
If your reaction right now is one of total amazement, you are not alone! I felt the same way when I saw that Outskirts Press were offering access to the Espesso Book Machine (EBM), an option that will make your book available from multiple sales channels within record time.
What is Espresso Book Machine (EBM)?
Put simply, the EBM is an automated book-making machine. The operator selects a title to print, and within a few minutes a book emerges, with a full-color cover, trimmed to an exact size, and indistinguishable from the publisher version.
At present, the EBM is the only unique digital-to-print retail solution on the market. The content of these books is fed to the machine via EspressNet, On Demand Books’ growing digital network, consisting of over seven million titles. The benefits of EBM (if you haven’t already figured them out), include:
Made to order books, printed and compiled within minutes.
Increased points of sale, available at numerous EBM locations.
Increased exposure within the publishing industry.
So thing about it, how would you feel if you walked into a coffee shop, and saw a reader sipping Latte with one hand, and flipping pages of your recently published and printed “hot-of-the-press” book.
Do you remember going to the library to borrow a book? I do.
Most libraries would allow me to borrow a book for 2 weeks, and I would read the book in my own time and return it when I was done. Based on library fee for the year, my total cost to borrow one book was less than 10 cents. But that was in 1990s.
Now, since late 2011, Amazon has kick-started a new venture for digital readers – kdp select.
What is kdp select?
Kindle Direct Publishing project allows self-publishers (and publishers) to distribute books through the Kindle Owner’s Lending Library and reach the growing number of US Amazon Prime members. KDP Select has provided over $6 million throughout $12 million, allowing participating authors to earn royalty through the lending library. The program offers other benefits including:
Promote your book for free to readers worldwide - The newly launched Promotions Manager tool will allow you to directly control the promotion of free books.
Instant feedback - Check real-time performance of your books in the Kindle Owners’ Lending Library.
Enrolling in kdp select is very simple. If you have already published a book to Kindle, you can enroll existing book by visiting the bookshelf. New books can be enrolled during the publishing process. You can simply select the “Enroll this book in KDP Select” option and proceed to publish the book as you normally would.
The catch? Your book has to be available exclusively on Kindle for a period of 90 days. During the period of exclusivity, you cannot distribute your book digitally anywhere else, including on your website, blogs, etc. However, you can continue to distribute your book in physical format, or in any format other than digital.
Recently, I wrote a post about Neal Bogosian, on how his book The Adventures of Chip Doolin reached #8 in Amazon’s paid Kindle store in the baseball category. He tried a unique and innovative approach to add to his fame, and bottom line.
Its time that you should too.
What are you waiting for? Order your Kindle Edition Today and become a bestseller!
One of my fellow bloggers wants to publish a book but she has three hurdles to overcome:
1) She doesn’t want to worry about interior design, cover design, and all that stuff required by those DIY places.
2) She already has a full-time job. She just wants her book published.
3) She doesn’t have the spare cash to pay for full-service book publishing and marketing expenses.
Maybe you are facing the same situation?
Chances are that many of you could use the option of publishing your book now and paying for it later.
Outskirts Press has now included Paypal’s Bill Me Later service on their checkout page as a payment option. Bill Me Later services allow you to make a purchase now and pay later, and can be used at various outlets, including eBay.
In this recessionary economy, many retail companies are providing a simple solution to a typical problem faced by consumers – lack of liquid cash. Most customers that are interested in purchasing necessary long-term products and services do not have the required cash for it. For authors falling into this category, Outskirts Press provides the solution.
What does this mean for you as a writer?
You can now purchase high-quality, full-service book publishing and book marketing options without paying anything upfront. Outskirts Press has incorporated this facility into their secure online shopping cart, along with the already available options of paying securely by credit card or by check or money order. With Paypal’s “Bill Me Later” funding option, you can order now and pay later, via installments orchestrated via PayPal.
So you can get full-service, high-quality self-publishing and book marketing services today without any upfront costs. Does that sound like a good deal?
(As with any other purchase now and pay later services, you might have to pass the first credit check, as suggested on Bill Me Later page and as conducted securely by PayPal, so please consult their FAQ before using this option)
So, are you ready to self-publish the easy, full-service, high-quality way?
We all want our opinions, our advice and most importantly, our life’s work to sit on someone’s book shelf. Most of the writers are inspired by this to take action, to publish a book. So why not self-publish? After all, self-publishing is a simple (and effective) way of promoting your work, at an affordable cost.
Many authors struggle with valuing their work, which they often perceive to be unworthy of publishing. This negativity is often prompted when traditional publishing houses turn down books. For these publishing houses, books are business, and if a book does not make business sense, it won’t be published. Many authors who value their work, take up self-publishing.
But if you feel that your work isn’t up to scratch, let me give you these facts:
If there is something you know, and are expert in, chances are someone else is looking for that knowledge or information.
If you have a story to tell, chances are that there is someone looking forward to reading that story.
If you have the enthusiasm to write a book, chances are that there are many self-publishing companies that can help you publish it and realize your dreams.
Outskirts Press is one of those companies. If you think you can write a book, and if you are looking for the right guidance – be it editing, book marketing or even advise – then Outskirts Press can not only point you in the right direction, but also give you the impetus that your dreams need.
The truth is, we all think our book should be out there. So really, if you know something that I don’t, chances are that I will read what you write.
So do you want to self-publish at an affordable price?
Seeing your name in the list of Amazon bestsellers is every author’s dream! Self-publishers face stiff competition from heavily funded and marketed traditional publishers, so it is always nice to see a self-publisher conquering the Amazon bestsellers list. Neal Bogosian is one such self-publisher who used Outskirts Press book marketing packages (and a very cool, and clever marketing ploy) to enter the Amazon Best Seller list.
Neal’s self-published book – The Adventures of Chip Doolinhas captured the hearts of many readers that have left positive feedback for Neal’s work. You can check out Neal’s book at Amazon’s Kindle store.
You are probably wondering as to how Neal did it, and perhaps if you could use the same technique to launch your self-published book.
Before I tell you that, here is another quick fact about the book’s ranking, as of when I’m writing this post: The Adventures of Chip Doolin is ranked #8 in Amazon’s paid Kindle store in the Baseball category. Pretty cool, right?
So here is how Neal did it:
He gave it away for free.
Seriously.
One fine Sunday morning, Neal gave away his book for free – just for one day. By giving away something for free, that otherwise costs nearly $7, Neal managed to draw in huge crowd of readers, thus catapulting his book into Amazon’s best seller list.
So did he actually lose out on any sales? I don’t have any numbers to prove or disprove this, but offering something for free and then selling it further actually entices more people to purchase. The simple reason that everyone is reading the book (hence the book is on Amazon’s best seller list) as well as purchasing it justifies many readers opening up their wallets to make a purchase.
Several authors have attained great success from selling Kindle-ready books.
Are you interested in becoming a bestseller? We can help make that happen.
Amazon Kindle Edition The Amazon Kindle is a revolutionary wireless reading device that allows its owners to instantly download books and newspapers. This is the new way that people are buying books. However, only books that have been submitted to the Amazon Kindle via the required process and in the required format are available for Kindle readers to purchase and enjoy.
What are you waiting for? Order your Kindle Edition Today and become a bestseller!
I can tell you that from idea to implementation, publishing a book can be an expensive venture, especially if you are not careful. You are not just parting away with your precious time, but also with your hard-earned money. So it becomes important to side with self-publishing options that make this whole process affordable for you.
Self-publishing is entrepreneurship, and should not cost a lot of money to start-up. As a matter of fact, writing a book will weigh down on your time. But marketing, designing and selling your book requires some capital, which if you are not careful, could leave a big hole in your pocket.
So what can you do to control this cost and make the process affordable, yet highly professional?
Hire services from a self-publishing company.
It really is as simple as that. For example, if you invest in any of the affordable self-publishing packages offered by Outskirts Press, you could save a ton of money on creating a professional book.
Wouldn’t that be nice? I, for one, would like to finish a book without a huge debt on my shoulders. This way, all the money I earn from selling my work will go straight into my pocket, rather than in the pockets of different publishing houses.
Moreover, there’s an icing on the cake!
When it comes to self-publishing, using more than one self-publishing services can reduce the quality of the final product, while increasing your liability towards different publishing houses. So stick with one package that can cater for all your self-publishing needs.
So do you want to self-publish at an affordable price?
I have a story to tell, and if I put my mind to it, I can write a book about my story.
The fact is, so can you!
But does that make me or you capable of publishing?
Maybe so.
But simply writing a book is not enough. Most of us with a traditional typewriter or computer and persistence could do that. Drafting and editing aside, there are other aspects of publishing that are important to consider.
Interestingly, self-publishing makes these ‘other’ aspects much easier than the traditional route.
The biggest stumbling block for many self-publishers is the pricing, marketing and publicity of their finished work. How do you price a book?
Many authors do it differently – they price their book based on the number of potential sales, the time they put into the product and often the demand on their work. Whatever price you go with, you have to keep the target market in mind, can they afford the book? Self-publishing help such as that offered by Outskirts Press can really help you drill down on a price.
What about the marketing and publicity?
As writers, most of us cannot handle the marketing and promotion of our finished book by ourselves. After all, writers are not really marketers. So what can you do?
Get expert help. Outskirts Press offers professional (and often promotional) marketing packages that can give your book a useful marketing facelift. By adding these modules to your self-publishing package, you will have an awesome final product.
We hope you find this list of 31 book marketing tips valuable… and with the new a la carte marketing options available through Outskirts Press, no matter where you may have published, you can start your book marketing efforts the right way.
Mar 1 – If you do not have enough author’s copies on hand, contact your publisher and order more so they arrive in enough time to pursue these other tips throughout the month. For Outskirts Press authors, here’s a direct link to your book ordering pagewhere you can receive free domestic shipping via UPS Ground within the continental United States if you order 50 or more copies before Saturday, March 5th, 2011. No promotion code needed!
Mar 2 – Contact other independent published authors in your area (through local associations you may belong to) and combine your resources to fully exploit the opportunities during this month. There’s a lot to do, and four hands are better than two. With the advent of social networking sites, this is easier than ever. In fact your publisher may already have a group on such sites as MySpace or FaceBook or a following on Twitter to help you connect with other writers. Here is the Outskirts Press Facebook community.
Mar 3 – Contact your local bookstores and suggest they offer discounts on Small Press books this month (since March is Small Press Month). Bring in yours and offer it to them at a discount to get them started. Show them the rest of this calendar as a way of indicating your commitment to making their event successful. Offer to leave a free copy with them along with a sales sheet. Here’s a link to the ABA Bookseller directory.
Mar 4 – Make a 60 second book video trailer and distribute it to video and social networking sites like YouTube and Facebook. Don’t know the first thing about how you would do that? Outskirts Press can do it for you, affordably and professionally – just click here.
Mar 6 – Follow-up on your press release from yesterday with the local media via telephone. Reiterate Small Press Month, your planned events in the community, and your Small Press book. Send them a review of your book that they can use as a foundation. (Less work for them). Outskirts Press can perform a PR Publicist Campaign for your custom press release which includes additional distribution, phone-call follow-up, and more.
Mar 7 – If you haven’t yet published your book, today is the day to start. Outskirts Press, the fastest-growing full service self-publishing and book marketing service is offering an instant 10% discount on their 3 best publishing services. Click here for the necessary promotion code and promotion dates. Then listen to an audio recording from a recent author, Joanne Bodin, author of Walking Fish.
Mar 8 – Contact your local libraries and suggest they feature Small Press titles, including yours. Offer to leave a free copy with them, along with a sales sheet. If you’re an Outskirts Press author, you can generate a sales sheet automatically in your Publishing Center here. You can even change it and update it first through your Author Toolkit by modifying and updating your author webpage.
Mar 9 – If you haven’t yet sent out review copies for book, now is the time. For published Outskirts Press authors, your Book Review Starter Kit has many book reviewers listed, and you also have the option of the Book Review Submission service.
Mar 10 – Contact local schools in your area and tell them about Small Press Month. Mention that you are a local published author and offer to speak to their assembly about the topic of your book; or, even, on how to accomplish their dreams of being published. This is particularly effective if you have a children’s book you can then sell after the assembly. Plus, you can earn affiliate commissions by recommending our full-color Pearl publishing package. In addition to cookbooks or art books, the Pearl package is perfect for children’s books (since over 30 different artistic illustration packages are available – click here to view them).
Watch the Pearl Package video…
Mar 11 – Contact local universities and colleges. Same concept as yesterday — promote yourself and your book by sharing your knowledge of how to write a book and get it published. Sell copies of your book in the back of the room, and earn 10% referral commissions by referring other authors to our Publishing Services.
Mar 12 – Schedule a seminar or tele-seminar on “How to Write and Publish a Book” and offer a “Small Press Month” discount on the registration fee. Send out a local news release about your class. GoToMeeting.com offers a free 30 day trial to create your own webinar. Give it a try!
Mar 13 – March 13th will be lucky for you when you hire a professional marketing assistant to help you complete these 31 ideas (along with other marketing tactics you may not even know about). 5 hours of personal marketing assistance is available by clicking here.
Mar 14 – Some authors put themselves into their books. Now you can do it literally, by ordering a custom t-shirt featuring your book cover on the front and back. It’s available no matter where you published. Click here to order.
Mar 15 – Advertising independently can be expensive. A single full-page ad in the New York Times costs over $40,000! But, thankfully, Outskirts Press offers its family of published authors co-op advertising opportunities in ForeWord Reviews, Spirituality & Health, New York Review of Books, and soon (you heard it here first), Publisher’s Weekly.
Mar 16 – Contact all the local radio producers in your area and pitch them on Small Press Month. The Radio Locator website makes it easy to find a radio station’s contact information.
Mar 17 – Think St. Patrick’s Day thoughts and then “go green” by making sure you have published your book with a book publisher like Outskirts Press, who offers 30% post-consumer recycled materials in the most popular paper choices.
Mar 18 – Make sure you have an Amazon Kindle edition of your book. One of our most popular services for OP authors, as well as authors published elsewhere, is our Amazon Kindle option, available by clicking here.
Mar 19 – According to Amazon, books that participate in their Search Inside the Book feature sell many more copies than those that don’t, so be sure YOUR book is a part of “Search Inside.” Outskirts Press offers Search Inside Submissions for authors published with Outskirts Press and elsewhere. Order by clicking here.
Mar 20 – This may be the month to switch publishers if you have published elsewhere. Look at the publisher you chose and ask yourself: Is your retail price too high? Is your profit too low? Is your author’s copy price too high? Are your marketing options too costly? (Read this 2009 blog posting about one of our options that costs $99 for our authors and costs over one THOUSAND dollars through one of our competitors). Compare and save potentially thousands of dollars.
Mar 21 – Small Press Month is just one month out of 12. Prepare for other months by showcasing your book at international book fairs like the London Book Fair, Book Expo of America, Beijing, and Frankfurt. Or make it easy on yourself with the Global Book Tour marketing package: 4 events in 4 countries in 4 months.
Mar 22 – Get your book reviewed by Amazon reviewers. You can find a list of the most popular and prolific Amazon reviewers by clicking here.
Mar 23 – Contact the Learning Annex (or similarly themed Adult Education Program) in your area and offer to teach a class on the subject of your book. As a published author, you are qualified to teach on your subject since you are an expert. Your book may even be required reading for each student! Cha-ching! If you’re published through Outskirts Press, send them to our bookstore so they receive a 10% discount off other online retailers (and you still earn your full 100% profit royalty). Cha-ching, again!
Mar 24 – Create a social networking account on Twitter, FaceBook, MySpace, and LinkedIn. Follow us on Twitter for book marketing suggestions and news in 140 characters or less.
Mar 25 – Contact the public libraries in each state and mention your involvement with Small Press Month. Send them information about your book. Here’s a link that will get you started: http://www.publiclibraries.com/
Mar 26 – Start preparing for April (National Poetry Month), especially if you have a book of poetry. We publish high-quality, award-winning volumes of poetry all the time. In fact, Outskirts Press authors swept the Poetry Category in the 2009 Reader’s Views Literary Awards. See how we do this year when all the finalists are announced on this blog tomorrow.
Mar 27 – Help other writers you know get published and earn a 10% commission for the referral after their book is published. Register for the exciting Outskirts Press affiliate program by clicking here.
Mar 28 – Start a blog and keep it active and up-to-date. Register it with blog directories so others start reading it and participating. There are many blog programs to help you get started. Conduct a search on Google for the one that works for you. We use WordPress.
Mar 29 – Submit your published book to the Google Base listings. It’s free. http://base.google.com
Mar 30 – Publish a “Large Print” edition of your book. With the world’s demographics growing older, “large print” editions are becoming more and more popular. Featuring 14 or 16 point fonts, these editions appeal to the aging community because they are easier to read. You’ve already written the book, now re-publish a new “Large Print” edition to increase your revenue and double the effectiveness of your marketing initiatives. It’s easy to get published here.
Mar 31 – Relax! It’s been a busy, productive month. Fortunately, Outskirts Press makes publishing and marketing a book easy. Check out our most popular Diamond publishing service by kicking-back and watching the video below:
Diamond Book Publishing
Ready to save $100 on the Diamond package today? Click here and use Promotion Code: 10March2011
Kindle Direct Publishing project allows self-publishers (and publishers) to distribute books through the Kindle Owner’s Lending Library and reach the growing number of US Amazon Prime members. 
