The Book Video Teaser is a fast, flashy way to announce the publication of an author’s book on all the most popular Internet video and networking sites. Outskirts Press produces a professional quality, thirty second long video that features the book title, the author byline, the cover, a photo of the author, the retail price — all dramatically displayed to the accompaniment of background music.

The author is provided with an .mp4 Book Video Teaser file that the author can easily use to launch the book’s viral video promotion. Some of the most popular video sharing sites that authors use today to announce their book’s publication are YouTube, Myspace, Metacafe, Daily Motion, Live Video and Viddler.

The Library of Congress Control Number helps facilitate the distribution of a new title through the entire United States’ library system. Outskirts Press will take care of all the administrative paperwork and acquire the number for the author, print it on the book’s copyright page in the standard format and submit the required number of copies of the book to the Library of Congress offices after publication. The Library of Congress is a broad distribution channel available for new books which is frequently overlooked by first time authors.

The third “treat” in Outskirts Press’ May promotion is an Espresso Book Machine® edition. Billed by Time Magazine as the “invention of the year,” the Espresso Book Machine® is a revolutionary automated book-making machine that provides an immediate and direct-to-consumer distribution channel. A consumer walks up to the machine, selects a title to print and presses a button. Within a few minutes a full color cover, perfect bound edition of the book, indistinguishable from the publisher’s version, is delivered right into the reader’s hands.

These literary ATM machines have been set up in select universities and libraries in this country and abroad and provide convenient and immediate world wide distribution for an author’s work. Espresso Book Machines® are in the New York Public Library, the University of Michigan library, the World Bank InfoShop in Washington, DC, the London Newsstand, UK, and the Melbourne, Australia, Angus and Robertson Bookstore, just to name a few of the current locations.

Authors can take advantage of this May promotion by using the promotion code “3FREE2012” when ordering the Diamond or Pearl publishing packages at http://outskirtspress.com/p/diamond or http://outskirtspress.com/p/pearl, respectively.

Ready for your “Triple Treat?” Let’s talk…

In fact, according to the Huffington Post (“Why You Can’t Find Indies in Bookstores,” April 12, 2012),
lovers of literature are scooping up self-published books in unprecedented numbers. So-called “indie” authors recently claimed more than half of the top 20 spots on Amazon’s “Movers & Shakers” list. The list, which is updated hourly, ranks books that rose most quickly in sales over the last 24 hours.

It wasn’t so long ago that self-published authors just didn’t seem to get any love. So why the change of heart? In short, readers recognize a good value when they see one. Self-published ebooks tend to be less expensive than big publishing house offerings, and thanks to author services such as those provided by Outskirts Press, their quality is comparable.

Another factor pushing self-published authors up the sales ladder is the availability of promotional tools and services that weren’t as accessible or as easy or cheap to utilize in the days before the dawn of the Internet. Readers fear what they don’t know. The more self-publish authors like you get the word out about their work, the more those works will be appreciated — and the more they’ll sell!

Learn more about increasing book sales by reading more Outskirts Press’ self-publishing and author inspiration blogs and by visiting the Outskirts Press website to get familiar with what services are available to self-published authors.

Outskirts Press, an Inc. 5000 company and the fastest-growing self-publishing and book marketing firm, has long supported self-published authors with the tools they need to write, publish, publicize and distribute their works. The company now offers self-published authors low-cost advertising in Bookmarks Magazine, a subscription magazine targeted to lovers of literature.

Bookmarks provides its subscribers with synopses of a selection of the latest and greatest tomes in each full-color issue. Each ad page in Bookmarks spotlights several authors, who pay a fraction of the price of a full-page ad. The co-op approach provides authors a cost-effective way to showcase their work before a targeted audience.

Unlike newspaper, radio and traditional magazine marketing – which is expensive and reaches readers with a broad range of interests – Bookmarks ads exclusively reach individuals who are interested in literature and predisposed to purchasing.

There are several distinct advantages of co-op advertising through Bookmarks Magazine:

1. Large-scale visibility. With a readership of 40,000 like-minded and affluent subscribers – a number that grows every day – Bookmarks Magazine reaches out to a huge audience of people already inclined to be interested in an author’s offerings..
2. Targeted exposure. Bookmarks Magazine caters specifically to book buyers looking for the next great read. And, because readers actively subscribe to the magazine, ads reach a willing and receptive audience.
3. Affordability. The Co-op Advertising Program provides authors with inexpensive access to high-profile ad space. Authors share a full-page ad that features 12 books, providing each author with highly visible advertising at a price that fits any marketing budget.
4. Attractive, high-quality ad space. Book ads include a full-color book-cover image, synopsis, ISBN, retail price and ordering information – everything buyers need to make a decision and a speedy purchase.

Learn more about affordable, targeted advertising in Bookmarks Magazine and view full-color sample ads by visiting Outskirts Press at http://outskirtspress.com/p/bookmarkcoop.

“New technology is quickly changing the publishing industry,” said Outskirts Press Manager of Author Support Elise L. Connors.  “Today more and more readers are curling up with their iPads, not their paperbacks, and this presents a vast audience for authors to tap into simply, quickly and profitably with our iPad/iPhone Premium Edition.  Our April twenty percent discount on the package is really just the icing on the cake for this option for authors publishing with our Diamond or Pearl packages.”

The iPad/iPhone edition is ideal for all kinds of books because it offers a full color format, not just the black and white text of Kindle editions.  Hard copy versions of full color books become more expensive the larger they are, but the length of a full color e-Book does not have to play a part in the pricing of it.  A $9.99 cover price makes a far more attractive package for the reading public.

Black and white or full color, authors have full control over their retail price with this Outskirts Press option.  Apple will take thirty percent and the author the remaining seventy percent, no matter the price the author sets.  The profit from each book sale is then deposited into an author’s checking account by Apple with no involvement by or royalty to Outskirts Press.  Not only are authors their own private label publishers, all their Apple e-Book sales are their e-Book sales.

Authors simply provide Outskirts Press with the retail price they’ve chosen and the necessary royalty payment information and Outskirts Press takes care of all the rest.  They register a private label imprint ISBN number with R. R. Bowker, they create an e-pub format for the book and submit it to Apple through an iTunes Connect account and then provide the author with the final e-pub converted file.

The best news of all is how easy it is. “In the beginning I looked at working directly with Apple on this project.  After reviewing everything that was involved, time and money, it was clear that I was way ahead, once again, letting the experts handle it all for m,” said Outskirts Press author David Koop, author of Cancer It’s a Good Thing I Got It.

To take advantage of this discounted April promotion with the Diamond and Pearl packages, go to http://outskirtspress.com/p/ipad and use the promotion code iPad2012pp to receive your twenty percent discount.

“Our new, all-inclusive One-Click package is a smooth, stress free way for children’s book authors to avoid unnecessary problems and to simply publish the book of their dreams,” said Outskirts Press Vice President, Kelly Schuknecht.  “It’s never been faster, more convenient, or more affordable to publish a full-color, fully illustrated children’s book.”

The One-Click Children’s book package from Outskirts Press includes fifteen full-color, custom illustrations as well as a full-color custom cover for both a perfect bound paperback and laminated case bound format.  Professional cover scribing and copyediting for up to 15,000 words are also part of the One-Click package.

During and after production, Outskirts Press handles the myriad essential details that need to be taken care of to assure widespread, competent distribution.  For instance, Outskirts Press handles the official copyright registration, the assignment of a Library of Congress number, the book’s barcode and the tagging of a Private Label ISBN that can either be Outskirts Press’ or the author’s own imprint.

The publisher secures unlimited worldwide distribution-on-demand through Ingram to Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Powells, Books-a-Million and literally thousands of other book outlets.  When applicable, Spring Arbor Christian distribution of the book is also available as part of the package.

The final components of this extensive publishing package are the marketing and promotional services that place the book brightly in the public eye.

In addition to the standard publication press releases which are sent out, the publisher commissions a custom press release for each One-Click book and this custom release is distributed to hundreds more media outlets with professional PR phone-call follow-up.  A professional quality, 60 second book promotion video is also created and distributed to popular internet viewing channels such as YouTube and the book is given “face out” exposure at the renowned Bologna Children’s Book Fair.  Finally, five hours of personal one-on-one marketing assistance are provided, in addition to the Marketing COACH tips the One-Click author will receive via email for two years after publication.

Everything that every children’s book author has ever wished for has suddenly come true with this remarkable and surprisingly affordable package that is available as of today through Outskirts Press.  Authors ready to begin publishing their own Children’s book can get started now at www.outskirtspress.com/p/children.

Boston Review is a prestigious magazine that describes itself as “committed to public reason and literary imagination.” It is a magazine of ideas and it covers a lot of ground — book reviews, poetry, fiction, film, criticism and politics — with five important premises tying it all together editorially: Democracy depends on public discussion; Sometimes understanding means going deep; Vast inequalities are unjust; The human imagination breaks free from neat political categories; Powerful images are worth more than piles of words.

By putting politics and poetry on the same page, Boston Review anticipates a world that is at once more democratic and more imaginative than our own. They take their designation as a magazine of political, cultural, and literary ideas seriously, and the intellectual range of their audience distinguishes them from any political journal or literary quarterly. So too does their seriousness of purpose set them apart from other general-interest magazines. They therefore offer the perfect audience for authors of thoughtful new fiction and nonfiction books.

With this co-op marketing option each full-color ad for an author’s book in Boston Review occupies a 2” by 2.5” space that includes a full color image of the book’s cover, an abbreviated synopsis, the ISBN, its retail price and all necessary retail and wholesale ordering information. The full page ad includes eleven other Outskirts Press titles.

Boston Review is published six times a year and reservations for Outskirts Press co-op ads are taken on a first come, first served basis. Act quickly! Space is limited for the upcoming Outskirts Press ad in this popular magazine. For more information or to reserve your space now, visit http://outskirtspress.com/p/bostoncoop.

“We hope David will have many hours of reading pleasure from his new NOOK e-Reader,” said Outskirts Press CEO Brent Sampson.  “It’s just our special way of saying thank you to all of our enthusiastic fans for liking Outskirts Press on Facebook.”

The Barnes & Noble NOOK e-Reader is a high tech treasure for any 21^st century reader.  Over 2.5 million (and growing) books, magazines, newspapers, comics, and more can be downloaded with this handy device. Paired with available free in-store support and in-store reading, the NOOK is a great complement to any reader’s collection.

Readers also cut down on their entertainment expenses with available library borrowing available on the device.

The NOOK itself is very lightweight and compact.  It weighs less than eight ounces and fits handily in any pocket or small purse.  It can hold a personal library of books – and the new E Ink screen reads as easily as real paper.  There is no glare, and one can read as clearly outside under a bright sun as in the muted light of one’s own living room.

A single charge of the battery keeps readers turning pages for over two months – made all the easier with NOOK’s faster new page turner function — and there is always free WI FI access at AT&T hotspots across the country.  One can also connect to WI FI hotspots at home or on the road.

Exclusive Outskirts Press anthologies, announcements and contests through its social channels are just another way the self-publishing company helps keep its social friends and authors united and engaged in the act of writing, reading, and publishing.   In fact, just recently, Patricia A. Hawkenson, author of Magnetic Repulsion: 100 Poems From Desire to Disgust, was awarded a free iPad 2 from Outskirts Press for her “Video Valentine” submission, which was voted the most popular in a public poll. “Wow! Thank you, Outskirts Press! This was a FUN opportunity, and [runner-up] Rev. Judy Neal is very deserving of her prize. I am so glad she is to receive a special gift, as well. It was a close nail biting race, and I enjoyed the competition more because our results kept changing as our friends, family, and supporters came to vote for each of us. Thank you, again, to all involved. I’m feeling the luv!”

The prize runner-up Judy Neal won was an iPad e-book edition of her book, Another Woman at the Well…, also published by Outskirts Press, which offers e-book publishing and distribution options for the three largest e-book platforms: Amazon (http://outskirtspress.com/p/kindle), Barnes & Noble Nook (http://outskirtspress.com/p/nook) and the Apple iPad (http://outskirtspress.com/p/ipad).

Is your book ready for prime time? Let’s talk...

In January 2012, Outskirts Press once again invited fans of its Facebook community to submit poetry, short stories, excerpts, recipes or anecdotes for free publication in the 2nd annual Outskirts Press Facebook anthology Fandemonium by contributing directly to the Outskirts Press Facebook wall.  Fans were then asked to “Like” the submissions they liked the best.

The result is this collection of superior writing from the Outskirts Facebook community.

Proceeds from the sale of Fandemonium will be donated to the American Red Cross on behalf of Outskirts Press and its Facebook fans.

With U.S. wholesale distribution through Ingram and Baker & Taylor, and pervasive online availability through Amazon, Barnes & Noble and elsewhere, Outskirts Press Presents Fandemonium Volume 2 meets consumer demand through both retail and library markets with a suggested retail price of $16.95.

Additionally, Outskirts Press Presents Fandemonium Volume 2 can be ordered by retailers or wholesalers for the maximum trade discount price set by the author in quantities of ten or more from the Outskirts Press Direct bookstore at www.outskirtspress.com/bookstore.

Are you ready to publish your own book?

“All of our packages have always included free standard book formatting, but as self-publishing has become more competitive, we’ve found authors to be increasingly attentive to the production qualities of their books,” said Outskirts Press Director of Author Services, Wendy Stetina.  “Only with Outskirts Press can authors receive an Enhanced Interior that lets them customize their own distinctive and individual style. And this value-added service is free if they publish with our Diamond or Pearl services this March.  It’s a great way to help their books stand out in the marketplace.”

Authors taking advantage of the Enhanced Interior simply fill out a personalized design form that allows them to customize the appearance of their title page, chapter headings, headers, and footers. They can customize the font style, font size, line spacing, margins, and even consistent graphic elements that really add that extra level of polish to a publication, thus setting their book apart from all others — especially books that are “spit out” by machines at “author mill” publishers.

With these custom requests from the author, the technical experts at Outskirts Press design a custom “style sheet” that acts as the blue print for the book’s interior design.  The author and designer collaborate together on the individual style sheet to ensure  maximum potential for the unique and individual appearance of the book.  The author then receives a sample lay-out to see the custom elements in practice and to review and approve the look and “feel” of the book. Then,  Outskirts Press experts design the book according to those custom, author approved specifications.

By choosing a consistent, individual formatting style, the aesthetics of the physical book itself are enhanced, thereby accurately reflecting the tone, theme and content of the author’s text.  A book is a complete package.  By using the Enhanced Interior option, an author can ensure that all elements of it align to create the greatest impact on the reader or potential reader.

And best of all, it’s free this March with this promotion code: Enh0312 at http://outskirtspress.com.

What are you waiting for?

To keep you productive, we’ve compiled a list of 31 book marketing tips that you should find 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 – Make a goal to set up your author platform. The first start can be with social media. If you aren’t familiar (or comfortable) with social media and need a bit of assistance, our Author Platform Set-up Through Social Media Option is a good way to start.

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.

Here’s a sample:

Mar 5 – Send a press release to the local media (newspapers, radio, television) mentioning Small Press Month and your independently published book. If you secured some events, mention them in the release. Don’t yet have a press release? Outskirts Press can compose and distribute a custom press release on your behalf.

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 – Consider taking your book on a Virtual Book Tour. You can save 15% on this option through the rest of March when you check out using the promotion code VBT15PCT.

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, Publisher’s Weekly, and the New York Times.

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 your book is available in all formats. We offer Kindle, iPad, and NOOK formatting options to all authors.

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