Self Publishing News For Self-Publishing Authors » Testimonials

Introducing Sonya, Outskirts Press Personal Marketing Assistant

Outskirts Press — Thu, 07 Oct 2010 14:48:07 +0000

The Personal Marketing Assistant will correspond with you to arrive upon a marketing action plan. You will agree upon the specific tactics that will be taken which may include things like soliciting book reviews, contacting local bookstores, completing the verbiage on an author’s webpage, improving your Amazon tactics, or any number of tasks.

Meet one of the Outskirts Press Personal Marketing Assistants:

Sonya Gregory-Hayes’ professional background includes over 15 years of marketing, public relations and communications experience with such nationally-respected companies as United Way/Crusade of Mercy, J. Walter Thompson Advertising and Burrell Communications Group. In 1994 Sonya launched Sonya Hayes Consultants, a comprehensive marketing and PR consulting business. Between 1994 and 2009 Sonya built a nationwide client roster that encompassed the political arena, as well as the cosmetics, packaged goods, not-for-profit and entertainment industries.

Sonya holds a B.A. degree from Roosevelt University in Chicago and resides in IL with her husband and two teenage daughters. In her spare time, Sonya is an avid reader and teaches “ole skool” dance as a form of exercise. She loves jazz, classical and “ole skool” music, is becoming quite the “vegan chef.” She ran her first 5K race last year and is looking forward to doing it again (if her knee co-operates)!

Testimonial from Brad Bradbury,
We’ve Never Had a King:

Sonya, a very personable lady, immediately generated a feeling of compatibility. Her consideration for this first-time author’s preferences was evident. You can rest assured that she has the ability to establish an immediate rapport with your next client, regardless of his or her demeanor.

Outskirts Press published authors can order the Personal Marketing Assistant option at any time from within their author’s center: CLICK HERE

Not published with Outskirts Press? That’s okay! Our Personal Marketing Assistant option is available to all authors, regardless of where you published. CLICK HERE for more details and to order now.

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Tagged: book, brad bradbury, marketing, outskirts press, Personal Marketing Assistant, self-publishing, Sonya Gregory-Hayes, we've never had a king

What Self-Publishing Authors Have To Say About Personal Marketing Assistance

Outskirts Press — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 13:07:04 +0000

From Kaakyire Akosomo Nyantakyi, author of Practical English Level 365 Vol 1

Outskirts Press assigned Melanie Solomon as my Personal Marketing Assistant when my book, Practical English Level 365 Vo. 1, was published. It’s been just about six months since but I am inclined to show my heart-felt appreciation by officially acknowledging the recognition she so well deserves.

Melanie shows so much concern to ensure that my book gets nothing but excellent promotion prospects. Efficiency with courtesy attached is a rare combination in most of today‘s work places, but Melanie combines both with alacrity. If there is an Award at Outskirts Press, I do not hesitate to nominate Melanie Solomon.

From Ed Benjamin, author of Cash In on the Obama $3 Trillion Spending Plan!

I have had the privilege of working with Ms. Sally Shields as my Personal Marketing Assistant. Sally has helped me market my book, Cash In on the Obama $3 Trillion Spending Plan!: How to make large amounts of money by conducting business with or receiving grants from federal, state, and local governments.

Sally Shields is a phenomenal force of nature and when it comes to advising people on how to market their book, there is no equal. She speaks from experience having learned the lessons she promotes in her counseling sessions from selling her own book, The Daughter-in-Law Rules: 101 Surefire Ways to Manage (and Make Friends with) Your Mother-In-Law! Her book is a perennial best seller on Amzaon.com and other venues. (I know this for a fact because I checked her out on Amazon myself.)

Her advice is timely and thought provoking and is targeted toward helping her client maximize sales of his/her book. There is no one whom I would rather have in my corner than Sally Shields.

Would I recommend Sally as a Personal Marketing Assitant? The answer is an unqualified YES!, YES!, YES!

From Birinder Bhullar, author of The Supreme Being

My experience with the entire team of Outskirts Press has been highly exceptional at all stages. The sweetest part of my experience came in the end. Every author publishes to sell a book. This is a stage every author looks forward to. The Personal Marketing Assistance offered by Outskirts leaves the author asking for nothing more. My experience with Maritt Bird and the concern with which she helped me exalted my previous rating of Outskirts from extraordinary to Supreme. Believe me I am not overstating even one bit.

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Tagged: Birinder Bhullar, book, ed benjamin, Kaakyire Akosomo Nyantakyi, marketing, outskirts press, Personal Marketing Assistant, self-publishing

Self-Publishing Author Testimonial – Jonna-Lynn Mandelbaum

Outskirts Press — Thu, 27 May 2010 12:48:47 +0000

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Jonna-Lynn K Mandelbaum earned a doctorate in education from Georgia State University and a master’s in public health from The Johns Hopkins University. She graduated from Philadelphia’s Methodist Hospital School of Nursing and received a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Lebanon Valley College prior to her appointment as a missionary nurse to Mozambique. International health was the dominant focus of her professional career. She developed and implemented educational programs for health professionals around the world. Now retired, she resides in northern New Mexico with her husband and three dachshunds.

Jonna-Lynn Mandelbaum, author of Unpredictable Crossing, recently purchased Custom Shoes offered by Outskirts Press, which are the ultimate conversation starter for any self-publishing author!

~~~

AUTHOR TESTIMONIAL:

The photos posted on the Outskirts Press touting the shoes looked good, but I had reservations about how well the cover of my book would be portrayed and the clarity of the lettering for the title and my name. Much to my delight the cover design is very clear and the words are quite legible. They are fun to wear and show people, if they haven’t noticed them first. It was very impressive that the shoes could accommodate my orthotic making them comfortable for me to wear. While this pair will not be a shoe for me to wear every day, they’ll be very good for special events and other times when you want to have some fun promoting your book. I ordered a second pair as a gift for someone who is doing a lot to assist me in promoting my books in another part of the country.

I encourage everyone to consider ordering a pair of shoes, if not for yourself then as a gift for someone helping you.

~Jonna-Lynn Mandelbaum
UNPREDICTABLE CROSSING

~~~

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Unpredictable Crossing is set entirely upon a modern-day cruise ship. But at the core of the novel is the December 1972 massacre in the small village of Wiriyamu at the hands of the Portuguese military. Tristeza, then 12, lost her whole family in the bloody rampage. Now a staffer aboard the ship on its way to Lisbon, Tristeza encounters a passenger whose face is seared into her mind: Col. Perreira, the man who ordered the killings.

In a remarkable twist of fate, Amanda Allmond, a former American missionary nurse in Mozambique during the war, is also on board. Chance encounters lead to the unraveling of Col. Perreira’s carefully constructed exterior – and the flooding back of painful memories for both Amanda and Tristeza. As the two women rekindle a long-lost association, they will soon discover three decades’ passing haven’t subdued the violence inside Col. Perreira.

Now, fate has left them no choice to try to expose his long-buried shame. Col. Perreira will stop at nothing – not even murder – to maintain the silence that has followed that brutal day.

Based on the true story of the crime that has been called “Mozambique’s My Lai,” Unpredictable Crossing shines a light on this underreported chapter in world history. But the book’s combination of forceful narrative and crackling dialogue will ensure it’s forgotten no longer.

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Outskirts Press authors can order these Custom shoes at any time easily and conveniently from the marketing options page in the Author’s Center. These custom shoes come in a wide variety of both adult or children’s sizes. A professional designer will take your book cover and design a one-of-a-kind pair of shoes using your book cover. The Outskirts Press logo is placed on the heel of each shoe.

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promotional products like this?

Tagged: book, Jonna-Lynn Mandelbaum, marketing, outskirts press, self-publishing, shoes, Unpredictable Crossing

Introducing Maritt Bird, Outskirts Press Personal Marketing Assistant

Outskirts Press — Thu, 13 May 2010 13:41:16 +0000

Successfully marketing a book can be a lot of work. A Personal Marketing Assistant is ideal for authors who want marketing assistance that is personal and specific. The Outskirts Press Personal Marketing Assistant is available to work with authors to promote your book in accordance with your plan and goals.The Personal Marketing Assistant will correspond with you to arrive upon a marketing action plan. You will agree upon the specific tactics that will be taken which may include things like soliciting book reviews, contacting local bookstores, completing the verbiage on an author’s webpage, improving your Amazon tactics, or any number of tasks.

Meet one of the Outskirts Press Personal Marketing Assistants:

Maritt Bird is a marketing professional with a background working with developers to market and sell real estate throughout the Colorado Front Range. Maritt has effectively managed and trained sales teams along with analyzing numerous marketing materials, websites, and sales collateral. In 2008, Maritt was responsible for packaging 13 real estate award entries resulting in four national and regional awards. She received her B.S. in Marketing from the University of Colorado and is a member of Stand.org, St. Andrew Society of Colorado, and the Denver Board of Realtors.

Testimonial from Carl M. Powe, Jr.,
author of Career Planning and Development – In Reverse:

I would like to take this opportunity to endorse the efforts of Maritt Bird in assisting me with marketing my book “Career Planing and Development–In Reverse.” From the initial introductory phone call to the final minutes of the allotted time, Maritt has been a true professional in every sense of the word. I have been very pleased with her knowledge and ability to convey that knowledge to me. Her interpersonal skills far surpass those of most business people I have dealt with. Thanks, Maritt.

The Personal Marketing Assistant is available as an a-la-carte option or as part of the Book Blast package where authors can save 25% on 5 powerful marketing services to blast their book into the stratosphere! Outskirts Press authors can easily and conveniently add the Personal Marketing Assistant option or the Book Blast package at any time from the Marketing Options screen of the author’s center. Outskirts Press has a team of Personal Marketing Assistants ready to help you in your book promotion efforts today!

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marketing support and services like this?

Tagged: book, Carl M. Powe, Maritt Bird, marketing, outskirts press, self-publishing

Self-Publishing Author Testimonial: Don McPherson

Outskirts Press — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 13:12:34 +0000

When Don and Silvia McPherson had the inspiration to create an idyllic “home away from home” in Tuscany, Italy, it seemed like the perfect decision. After all, they were well acquainted with European ways, having lived for a time in Paris and traveled to Italy for more than two decades to vacation and visit with Silvia’s family. Over the years the McPhersons had reveled in the extraordinary beauty of Italy; the scope of its history, art and architecture; the joyful people and, of course, the culinary delights. What they were unprepared for was the side of Tuscan living not experienced by tourists. Ah! Tuscany: The Enlightenment of an Expatriate is a cautionary tale with both joyful and frustrating experiences and a gratifying outcome. It presents a sobering yet humorous look at the positive and negative sides of relocating abroad.

As the McPhersons put down roots in Tuscan soil and renovated their “dream castle,” each new day brought eye-opening experiences as they learned to deal with endless permits, a confusing banking system, and the maddening ways of public utilities, car ownership, and other everyday matters—all of which made life incredibly challenging. “There were times when we wondered if we had made a major lifetime mistake,” author Don McPherson writes. “But with time, we discovered new ways of going about the business of living, and eventually, the beautiful and the unseen sides begin to merge to form a whole that was fuller, more human and more interesting than the Tuscany we first knew as tourists.”

~~~

McPherson recently purchased the Custom Shoes offered by Outskirts Press, which are the ultimate conversation starter for any self-publishing author!

AUTHOR TESTIMONIAL:

Thanks for the receipt of my KEDS. They are beautiful with a fine replication of my book cover – as promised – and even fit my men’s size quite well. Keep up the good work.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

McPherson has an extensive background in Nuclear Engineering and, throughout his career, has published over fifty technical papers and presentations in his field. Today, from his home in San Gimignano in Tuscany, McPherson writes a monthly letter in Poche Parole, the newsletter of the Washington Italian Cultural Society. He has also contributed articles to Elan magazine. Silvia is a retired piano concert artist and piano teacher. Together, they enjoy a family of five girls, six grandchildren and one great granddaughter, living in Canada, the U.S. and Brazil.

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Tagged: Ah! Tuscany, book, Don McPherson, marketing, outskirts press, self-publishing, shoes, Tuscany

Self-Publishing Author Testimonial: Grady P. Brown

Outskirts Press — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 13:37:52 +0000

Meet one of the Outskirts Press Personal Marketing Assistants:

Sally Shields is an award-winning pianist, composer, speaker, author and radio personality. Co-host of the exciting new BlogTalkRadio show, “Blurb!” Shields is a frequent contributor to various magazines, and has been featured in Star Magazine, Obvious, My Day, Girlfriendz, For the Bride and many others. Endorsed by Dr. Laura Schlessinger and Martha Stewart, she has appeared on Fox and Friends, and is a repeat guest on the nationally syndicated The Daily Buzz with her Wedding Showers #1 Amazon.com bestseller, THE DAUGHTER-IN-LAW RULES!Winner of the 17th annual Great American Jazz Piano Competition, she performs, speaks and gives workshops worldwide, and her music is currently featured on the ABC TV daytime drama All My Children. While not traveling and performing, she lives at home in New York City with her husband and two children.

Testimonial from Grady P. Brown, author of The Young Guardians and the Genesis Spell:

You have been an extremely helpful and valuable resource and business partner. Before I was assigned to you, I was lost and did not know which direction I should go, but when I was assigned to you, your advice and support were just the thing I needed to be pointed in the right direction. I was alone and lost in a dark tunnel without a flashlight, but your support and advice became a light at the end of the tunnel that is guiding me towards the outside world. No amount of gratitude would be enough to repay you for all your help. I wish I could help you as much as you helped me. Thank you and I hope we can continue to work together.

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Tagged: Grady P. Brown, Personal Marketing Assistant, Sally Shields, self-publishing, The Young Guardians and the Genesis Spell

Self-Publishing Author Testimonial: Dr. B. Leland Baker

Outskirts Press — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 13:11:59 +0000

Successfully marketing a book can be a lot of work. Outskirts Press Personal Marketing Assistants can help!

Testimonial from Dr. B. Leland Baker,
author of Outskirts Press bestseller Tea Party Revival:

As a result of the Personal Marketing Assistant’s advice, my book is selling well, and I recently spoke at the Tea Party National Convention in Nashville, TN. They invited me to discuss the financial status of the Federal Government based upon my book.

I also appeared on PBS Television for a discussion on Tea Parties. Caroline is terrific!

~Dr. Baker

Watch Dr. Baker on the show here: http://video.kbdi.org/video/1417590214/#

Meet Caroline, Personal Marketing Assistant for Dr. B. Leland Baker:

With a long history in marketing communications, Caroline brings a decade of marketing experience to Outskirts Press authors. She began her career in corporate communications developing and writing advertising strategies and campaigns. Her experience in a wide range of industries and market sectors (from tape drives to paleoclimatology to tea), enables her to target unique market niches giving Outskirts Press authors an extra advantage.

Caroline holds a Bachelor of Arts from Chaminade, University of Honolulu, HI. She resides in Colorado with her husband and beloved dog. In her free time, Caroline teaches piano lessons, enjoys gardening, long walks, and is an avid reader. She is fluent in French and currently working on her third language, Italian.

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marketing support and services like this?

Tagged: Dr. B. Leland Baker, Dr. Baker, outskirts press, Personal Marketing Assistant, self-publishing, tea party revival

Personal Marketing Assistants for Self Publishing Authors

Outskirts Press — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 13:39:06 +0000

Meet one of the Outskirts Press Personal Marketing Assistants:

Winner of the 17th annual Great American Jazz Piano Competition, she performs, speaks and gives workshops worldwide, and her music is currently featured on the ABC TV daytime drama All My Children. While not traveling and performing, she lives at home in New York City with her husband and two children.

Testimonial from Elise Cooke, author of The Grocery Garden:

I recently purchased a five-hour Personal Marketing Assistant block of time. Sally Shields taught me how to successfully pitch my frugality books to advertising-dependent media outlets, which is really on the order of selling surfboards in the Sahara! She truly understands how to make a product stand out, and how to get busy reporters and talk show hosts to take notice.

Sally answered all my questions promptly and completely; she encouraged me all along the way. I’m truly impressed with her work ethic. Even though I’m a real tightwad, I feel I got more than my money’s worth from Sally Shields’ publicity training. Sally taught me invaluable skills and techniques I couldn’t find anywhere else.

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marketing support and services like this?

Tagged: Book Blast, elise cooke, Personal Marketing Assistant, Sally Shields, self publish

Self-Publishing Author Testimonial

Outskirts Press — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 16:46:16 +0000

Missing: Kidnapping the Image of God by Barry M. Carlos & Jeffrey Allen Micheli Recently published by Outskirts Press…
	Press play to listen to comments from co-author Barry Carlos about the publishing experience with Outskirts Press. Visit the author’s webpage by clicking here.

Are you ready to get published?
Click here for free publishing guides to help you get started.

Tagged: Barry Carlos, book, outskirts press, publishing, self publish, testimonial

Self-published author testimonials

Outskirts Press — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 16:52:26 +0000

It is wonderful working at a place where you get to help so many people. Published authors cannot stop saying nice things about Outskirts Press. We’re here because we love helping authors publish their books professionally and successfully. Comments like these below make all the hard work (and long nights) worthwhile. On behalf of all members of our Production and Author Support departments, we extend a heart-felt thank you to all our published authors. We couldn’t do it without you.

I can hardly wait to publish my second book.

“Publishing my book with Outskirts Press has been an amazing journey. A dream come true which would not have happened without the support of their outstanding staff.

After doing extensive research for the best publisher for my book, Embrace the Light, I was sold completely when I found Outskirts Press. My Author Representative went the extra mile for me. She took me through the publishing process step by step with patience and humor, which always made me feel optimistic. When she asked me to choose a poem for my website, I read it to her, and tears came to my eyes. It was a poem I dedicated to my students. She was extremely compassionate.

Since my book has been published, I have the supportive Marketing COACH to help me promote my book. My students inspired me to write my book, and to see the pride and happiness on their faces when they first saw my book, left me speechless. Everyone is so proud of me, and I can hardly wait to publish my second book of poetry with Outskirts Press in the near future. Thank you, Outskirts Press, for all of your help!”

Donna M. Solitario, successful author of Embrace the Light

The finished book is everything I dreamed about!

“There is nothing quite as thrilling as receiving a delivered box with your very own book in it! The driver laughed when he saw how happy I was, but then I told him about my beautiful book, and we opened the box together! The finished book is everything I dreamed about and more. The cover design is professional
and attractive—excellent color choices! I have sold almost 50 copies in a week, and have plans to place them in bookstores from Montana to Texas! I wholeheartedly recommend Outskirts Press to anyone with a story to tell.”

Ann Smith, successful author of Simple, But Not Easy

My Author Representative was fantastic!

“When I first decided to write a book, I knew that the publisher would be the critical component. I approached some traditional mainstream publishers first. Fortunately, through some contacts in the business, I was actually able to talk with some of the editors or publishing managers. None of them impressed me that they would be working for me. In fact it seemed that if my manuscript was lucky enough to be accepted, I would be working for them – and it would cost me!

So I did my research and found that Outskirts Press had an excellent reputation. And viola! What To Do When You Become The Boss is now a reality.

Being a technical book for new managers, my manuscript presented a challenge to Outskirts Press. Unlike fictional novels, What To Do When You Become The Boss required a lot of formatting with tables, graphs and illustrations. Outskirts Press could not have been more helpful and professional in meeting my requirements. Nothing was too much trouble. My Author Representative was fantastic! And the turnaround time really surprised me. Every time I submitted a request, it was answered immediately.

The finished product is very impressive. Quality of print and binding are as good as I have seen (and the hardcover dust jacket is of higher quality than I have seen on most other books). Speaking of the cover, I had my own initial design which I thought was pretty good. However, the cover designer at Outskirts Press played with my original concept in a way I had not thought of. The result is a striking cover that really stands out amongst similar type books in the management genre.

All in all, I could not be happier. Thank you to the team at Outskirts Press.”

Bob Selden, successful author of What To Do When You Become
the Boss


	It was so easy to follow step-by-step! “Old Girl Talk is my second published book, but the first with Outskirts Press. Naturally I couldn’t help but compare my two experiences. Outskirts Press amazed me with its well-planned technical accessibility. It was so easy to follow step-by-step and the whole process moved along in a timely manner. Of course I had personal contact with my representative when needed. The finished product is exactly as I pictured it to be. I am delighted with the cover, as are all my friends. I would especially like to comment on the Marketing COACH advise that I am receiving. It is very helpful and most welcome. I recommend Outskirts Press to others, and plan to use it again myself.” Susan LeGree, successful author of Old Girl Talk

	My dreams are now as real as my book! “I’m writing to you to express my heartfelt appreciation for everything that your company has done for me. The quality of the finished product was beyond my greatest expectations. I found the entire publication process to be straightforward, well-explained, and in the end, simple. In fact, I happily recommended Outskirts Press to my sister Amy. Most surprising to me of all has been the continuing support that Outskirts Press has given to me in the aftermath of publication. The Marketing COACH, webpage, and Author’s Center make me feel as if Outskirts Press is ever present and ready to help lift me up when I stumble. I can’t wait to finish my sequel, and see all of my work in its finished glory! More importantly, Outskirts Press fulfilled all of their promises. My Author’s Rep went out of her way to help me during crunch time, and with any luck, she’ll be able to help me along the way with Book Two. The Marketing COACH is constantly teaching me additional ways to improve the reach of my book. I recently discovered that a local book store near my home town was ordering my books to stock on their shelves! I had no preconceived notions about it, but my dreams are now as real as my book. They have reawakened my childhood belief that magic is still alive and well in the world, you just need to know where to look for it.” Erik D.J. O’Brien, successful author of Kur’s Rage

All you can do is sit back in wonder.

What impressed me most about Outskirts Press was the breadth of services they offered. While they published a very attractive soft cover, e-book and hard back edition of my book and had it offered online in both Amazon and Barnes & Noble’s in around 2 months; that was just the beginning.

They created my author’s webpage with links to every method of distribution, produced a promotional video and had it embedded in my webpage and available on YouTube, embedded an audio clip of my reading on my page and designed the page itself to include an excerpt from my book, some of my industry reviews and a brief biography. To top that off, it’s appearing at the Frankfurt Book Fair and all of this was professionally produced for me in under three months. All you can do is sit back in wonder as all of this occurs because Outskirt’s understands how to leverage all of the current evolving media channels to the benefit of your book.”

Jeff Roberts, successful author of Little Stories

Outskirts Press exceeded my expectations!

“Getting published is a dream finally come true for me. A long struggle to get published the traditional way was truly disappointing. I could not get a publisher’s attention without an agent and I could not get an agent without first being published. In addition, it takes from two to twelve months to get a response from a publisher. Time just seemed too precious to waste as months turned into years and I sat waiting only to get another rejection notice and taking notice that my novel never even got read.

Reading Writer’s Digest magazine one day, I came across an article about self publishing. After doing extensive research I found Outskirts Press offered the best package and at a very affordable price.

Thanks to Outskirts Press, Destiny’s Warriors, the first of ten novels in my series has finally come to life for me as I hold the finished product in my hands. Outskirts Press exceeded my expectations. The cover, the illustrations, format and style of the book are simply beautiful.

My experience with Outskirts Press was not only fun and exciting but very educational. My author representative was very patient with my many questions and replied quickly with complete answers and suggestions. She gave me guidance through each step of the publishing process and was so friendly as we built a bond. What is most impressive to me is that it didn’t end with the printing of my book. Outskirts Press continues to stand behind me by way of a Marketing COACH who continually gives me information as to marketing, where, when and how in easy-to-understand instructions. I now feel confident to promote my book, attend interviews and book signings as I begin a professional career as a novelist.

I look forward to submitting my next novel, feeling that self publishing with Outskirts Press is the best way to go. Not only do I retain ALL my rights but they make my book to my specifications. I have complete control as to price and post-publication revisions if I so desire.

They even set up my own free webpage ready to sell my novel by way of Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble. Thank you, Outskirts Press, for making me a published author, who can now enjoy the limelight at book signings and interviews.”

R.M Putnam, successful author of Destiny’s Warriors

Are you a published Outskirts Press author will a testimonial to offer or a success story to share? Won any awards? Been on television or the radio recently? Tell your Marketing COACH about it via email.

Not yet a published Outskirts Press author? What are you waiting for?