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Honor Earth Day by Going Green with eBooks, Print-on-Demand

22 Apr

Today marks the 43rd annual Earth Day celebration, a day when we all stop to appreciate our natural resources and gain awareness about preserving them for future generations.

In 1970 when the first Earth Day was celebrated, most Americans were tooling around in leaded-gas-chugging treecars past industrial plants that spewed waste from smokestacks and pipes. Disposable packaging was all the rage, yet recycling was on almost no one’s radar.

My, how things have changed! Today, many manufacturers are committed to using packaging that’s biodegradable or recyclable, and using production processes that produce less waste. Leaded gas is a thing of the past, and vehicles are more fuel-efficient overall. Communities and citizens are more aware than ever of the value of recycling, and many are equipped with special household receptacles for this purpose.

As a member of the literary community, you can play an even larger part in the environmental preservation movement by taking advantage of publishing avenues that lessen your book’s impact on the environment: namely, eBooks and print-on-demand publishing.

First, the print-on-demand option allows self-published authors to sell copies of their book without having a giant stack of hardcopies lingering in the basement. Print-on-demand means that copies of your book are “made to order” so to speak; they’re printed at the time of order. This keeps unsold copies from going to waste, thus saving paper.

The second option, eBooks, provide obvious ecological advantages. Since they exist solely in virtual — or electronic — form, no tree is harmed in the making of your book, regardless of how many copies you sell. By taking advantage of eBook publishing through Outskirts Press, you can sell via virtual means with Amazon Kindle, Apple iPad/iPhone and Barnes & Noble NOOK editions and enjoy wide distribution of your book without clearing a forest to do so.

Want to be a part of the “green” book movement? Contact Outskirts Press to find out how.

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Posted by on April 22, 2013 in Advice, Production Options

 

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Three Free Amazon Marketing Options Prepare Self-Publishing Authors for Success

02 Apr

The Amazon Extreme Marketing Package from Outskirts Press offers self-publishing authors a head start on book marketing by taking triple advantage of the immense audience of Amazon.com, the largest online retailer in the United States. These valuable, popular options are free for authors who start self-publishing in April.

Outskirts Press, the fastest growing self-publishing and book marketing company, announced today it is giving away its most popular marketing package (over $200 value) to authors who start their publishing process this month. The Amazon Extreme marketing package includes a Kindle Edition, Search Inside the Book submission Get $300 of marketing options FREE today!and Amazon Cover Enhancement, as well as a free copy of Sell Your Book on Amazon by Outskirts Press CEO Brent Sampson — everything an author needs to jump start their book sales on Amazon.com.

“This bundled marketing package is not available with any other publisher,” said Outskirts Press Vice President Kelly Schuknecht. “Taking advantage of these proven Amazon promotional functions is the perfect — and perfectly economical — way for authors to launch their book sales with gusto by choosing to publish now with Outskirts Press.”

Authors who start with Outskirts Press by choosing the Diamond or full-color Pearl publishing packages will receive over $200 of Amazon marketing options free: an Amazon Kindle edition of their published book, Amazon’s “Search Inside the Book” submission service, and the Amazon Cover Enhancement once their book is listed on Amazon.com. These authors will also receive a free copy of the Amazon bestseller Sell Your Book on Amazon by Brent Sampson.

The first prong of the Outskirts Press triple marketing approach is a free Kindle edition of the author’s book. An Amazon Kindle edition is a way to offer one’s book to the fast growing audience of Kindle e-book reading device owners. Amazon sells millions of Kindles annually. Because Amazon.com customers still love reading actual books, Kindle is an inexpensive way for them to sample a book before buying the paperback or hardback edition. This is especially true for their readers who love fiction.

With Amazon’s Search Inside the Book feature, the second Outskirts Press marketing tool in this package, authors can also dramatically increase their chances to sell their books. Amazon has found that books that participate in this program are significantly more successful, on average, than books that do not participate. Being able to browse through sections of the book increases the confidence the customer has in the product and makes it far more likely they’ll purchase a copy of the book.

The third marketing strategy of the Outskirts Press marketing package is the Amazon Cover Enhancement service. Outskirts Press submits your cover image to Ingram at the time of publication. Ingram, in turn, distributes your cover image to online retailers like Amazon. By manually interfacing directly with Amazon, we can override Amazon and Ingram’s automatic process and get your cover image on Amazon much faster, usually within 2-3 business days rather than the standard 30-45 days.

Authors who wish to take advantage of the Outskirts Press Amazon Extreme marketing package only need to enter the valid promotional code, available on the Outskirts Press website at http://www.outskirtspress.com/promotion.html, while they order their publishing package and place it in their online shopping cart.

Outskirts Press offers high-quality, full-service self-publishing and book marketing services for writers and professionals who are seeking a cost-effective, fast, and flexible way to publish and distribute their books worldwide while retaining 100% of their rights, 100% of their profits, and 100% of the creative control.http://www.outskirtspress.com.

Start Self-Publishing Now!

 
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Posted by on April 2, 2013 in Outskirts Press News, Promotions, Uncategorized

 

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Self-Publishing Book Spotlight: ‘Tears of the Phoenix’ by Lonnie Beerman

10 Feb

Outskirts Press enjoys helping self-published authors realize their greatest creative ambitions. After all, publishing a book is a huge accomplishment, so you’ll pardon us if we take a moment to sing the praises of our independent authors in our weekly Self-Publishing Book Spotlight.

This week we’re proud to feature another of our self-published authors, Lonnie Beerman and his book, Tears of the Phoenix.

Lonnie Beerman’s novel, Tears of the Phoenix, published by Outskirts Press, is the carefully told Tears of the Phoenixtale of three boys moving toward manhood, while sorting out their relationships with their fathers and with the sometimes harsh adult world they are wondering how best to enter.

Each of the three young heroes of Beerman’s debut novel has found himself an outcast among his peers, isolated by playground taunts and by being the butt of every ill-tempered joke at school. One day a violent playground assault by bullying boys suddenly brings the three of them together and — no longer isolated — they find they now each have someone they can call a friend.

The compressed world of isolation they have been living in opens up for them that summer as their new friendships with each other blossom and they bond happily in the shared adventures of warm vacation days.

Soon old prejudices and bigotries of their small town return, however, and the boys struggle to cope with a once again dark world, despite their new solidarity together. Then one hateful remark reveals a secret that threatens to destroy one of the boy’s worlds, and the others must grapple with new questions they find difficult to sort out.

The boys’ families have also begun to draw closer together and while personal tragedies change their lives, all draw closer together and all find new shoulders to lean on during these heartbreaks. The boys’ mothers, in particular, discover new friendships of their own and begin to discover more about themselves as they watch their sons grow.

Beerman shows how at that age boys are forced to ponder their relationships with their fathers, or the lack of a relationship with one, and the new novelist engages readers well in the tragedies and family secrets that prompt these three boys to wonder what it means to be a man and what it will mean to them eventually to be fathers.

ABOLonnie BeermanUT THE AUTHOR:

Lonnie Beerman is a new author. He is married and the father of a daughter and a son. Lonnie is a dog lover and an avid car enthusiast. In his first book, Tears of the Phoenix, Lonnie delves into the complexities of family relationships and social bigotries, offering insight into the importance of love, friendship and acceptance.

For more information or to contact the author, visit: http://outskirtspress.com/tearsofthephoenix/

Outskirts Press offers high-quality, full-service self-publishing and book marketing services for writers and professionals who are seeking a cost-effective, fast, and flexible way to publish and distribute their books worldwide while retaining 100% of their rights, 100% of their profits, and 100% of the creative control.http://www.outskirtspress.com.

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Posted by on February 10, 2013 in Uncategorized

 

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Two Ways Barnes & Noble Can Help You Sell Your Self-Published Book

17 Oct
Two Ways Barnes & Noble Can Help You Sell Your Self-Published Book

Barnes & Noble is one of the most powerful booksellers in the country. Even with the popularity of Amazon, many readers still turn to Barnes & Noble for their book purchasing needs. As a self-published author, understanding the options available through Barnes & Noble (and the expectations of their customers) can help improve your book sales. Here are two ways Barnes & Noble can help you sell your self-published book.

1) Barnes & Noble Nook: E-readers are changing the way customers buy and read books, and their popularity is expected to grow as the holidays approach. You can expect many people to receive an e-reader as a holiday gift, which means they will be purchasing e-books. (This is in addition to all the readers who already buy and read e-books.) Since Nook editions are optimally submitted in a special format, be sure to check out the Outskirts Press Nook Format option, which makes it as easy as possible to publish a professionally-formatted Nook edition (yes, you still keep 100% of your rights).

2) Barnes & Noble Look Inside: This feature allows readers to get a sneak peek at the pages inside your book. It is the modern-day equivalent of a reader browsing through a bookstore, picking your book off the shelf, and flipping through the pages. It has been suggested that authors who take advantage of this feature have higher sales rates than those who do not.

By self-publishing with Outskirts Press, you can take advantage of these great options as well as many others.

Begin your exciting book publishing experience today at Outskirts Press with just a $35 down-payment by clicking here and then get ready to maximize your book sales on sites like Amazon and Barnes & Noble when you are published. We’ll help you all the way!

 
Maximize your book sales with a free AMAZON EXTREME Marketing Package today.
Are you ready to jump-start your marketing efforts with a free Amazon marketing package worth over $300?

The Amazon Extreme Marketing Package from Outskirts Press offers self-publishing authors a head start on book marketing by taking triple advantage of the immense audience of Amazon.com, the largest online retailer in the United States. The package includes:

• an Amazon Kindle edition of your book
• Amazon’s Search Inside the Book feature
• Amazon Keyword Search tagging service
• A free book – “Sell Your Book on Amazon”

These valuable, popular options are free for authors who start self-publishing in October.

Start today with the promotion code below when you choose to publish with our industry-leading Diamond publishing service or our full-color Pearl publishing service to receive the FREE Amazon Extreme Marketing Package. Don’t delay!

Promo code: FreeAEOct2012

 

Click to order the Diamond Package
Click to order the Pearl Package
TOP 3 PUBLISHING HEADLINES
AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT & SUCCESS STORY
“This is my 4th novel with you guys. What I really appreciate is your patience with a guy that is computer illiterate, but who has a passion to write. Maybe one of these days I’ll submit one that really takes off. If so, I think I’ll fly up there and take you all out to dinner. Thanks so much for your encouragement.”

Dan Price is a retired school teacher and the father of two sons. He lives in Houston, Texas.

Dan Price , author of How a Cockroach Saved a Deadman
 
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Posted by on October 17, 2012 in Author Spotlight, Book Spotlight, Marketing Options, Outskirts Press News, Promotions, self publishing news

 

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Author Spotlight: New Character, Big Twists in David Brookover’s ‘Ghostworld’

10 Oct

Author David Brookover may be relatively new to publishing novels, but he’s far from inexperienced. The 65-year-old former English teacher has released his sixth novel through Outskirts Press since retiring in 2011 and is gearing up for a seventh.

Two of his other novels, Mortal Eclipse and The Ancient Breed, garnered critical acclaim and featured the beloved recurring character Nick Bellamy. Brookover seems to have proven his knack for detective and fantasy works. His latest, the fantasy novel Ghostworld, introduces fans of his Teddi McCoy books (The Fossil and Demon Key) to Joe Luna, a supernatural investigator with supernatural origins himself.

“His mother was a sorceress and his father is a werewolf,” or a “sorwolf,” Brookover explained for Cary’s Comics Craze. The fanboy website profiled Brookover in September. With that pedigree, it makes sense that Luna is the top gun in Florida’s fictional Department of Supernatural Investigations. The very special, special agent witnesses a pair of gruesome homicides at the Ghostworld theme park, setting in motion a fantastic mystery that grows darker as the investigation progresses.

Though Brookover has only been publishing for a relatively short time, he’s been writing for longer than many of his former students have been alive, using the summers off from teaching to churn out ideas, one chapter at a time.

“Ideas start growing up in my mind,” he said. “The problem is weeding out the bad ones. The good ones are right behind the bad ones, whether it be a title or a character.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

David Brookover, a longtime resident of Orlando, now lives in Norwalk, Conn., with his wife, Mary. He taught English for many years, and spent 23 years in advertising as an executive and writer. He retired in 2011 and now devotes himself to writing.

For more information or to contact the author, visit www.outskirtspress.com/ghostworld.

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marketing support and services like this?

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Posted by on October 10, 2012 in Author Spotlight, Bestseller Spotlight, Testimonials

 

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Healthy Serial: Amazon Revives the Serial Novel Format

04 Oct

A few of you may remember the “serials,” at the local movie theater: short chapter plays before the feature film that left you with a thrilling cliffhanger you couldn’t wait to see resolved. Before television series gain popularity in the 1950s, movie serials brought patrons to the theater in droves.

A century earlier, Charles Dickens popularized the serial novel with The Pickwick Papers. Several years later, American author Harriet Beecher Stowe’s controversial tome on slavery, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, was released in installments over a 40-week period in 1851-52.

Now, Amazon has announced it is bringing back the once-popular format for Kindle readers with novels released one episode at a time. Kindle Serials launched with the release of eight serial novels to be released in installments, which readers can purchase for $1.99 per subscription.

We at Outskirts Press are waiting with baited breath to see how serial novels go over with modern readers (and writers)! Think releasing an episodic work might be right for you? It certainly can’t hurt to talk to your Personal Marketing Assistant to discuss whether this type of publication will work for your next release, and figure out how to get you to the presses — one chuck at a time, if need be!

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marketing support and services like this?

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Posted by on October 4, 2012 in Advice, Author Inspiration, book marketing, Marketing Options, self publishing news

 

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Maximize Your Self-Published Book Sales on Amazon

03 Oct
Three Ways Amazon Helps you Sell Your Self-Published Books

Amazon is the single largest book retailer and understanding how you can maximize their offerings will help you maximize your books sales.

1) Amazon Search Inside the Book:This is the online equivalent to flipping through your book on the shelf. An optional feature, “Look Inside” provides an icon over your book’s cover image, and allows readers to browse through portions of your interior content. Amazon claims that books utilizing this option see considerably higher sales over those that do not. Pretty intuitive.

2) Amazon Key Word Submission:Allows readers to browse titles instantly by category or ‘key words.’ They key is determining the top keywords to tag your book with in order to provide the widest exposure possible.

3) Amazon Kindle:The Kindle is everywhere, and for good reason. It is a revolutionary digital reading device that allows individuals to purchase books anywhere, anytime, and instantly. One source noted that Kindle owners, on average, buy 3x more books than non-Kindle owners. Kindle editions must be submitted with special formatting, which only some self-publishing firms (like Outskirts Press) offer.

Begin your exciting book publishing experience today at Outskirts Press with just a $35 down-payment by clicking here and then get ready to maximize your book sales on sites like Amazon and Barnes & Noble when you are published. We’ll help you all the way!
Maximize your book sales with a free AMAZON EXTREME Marketing Package today.

Are you ready to jump-start your marketing efforts with a free Amazon marketing package worth over $200?

The Amazon Extreme Marketing Package from Outskirts Press offers self-publishing authors a head start on book marketing by taking triple advantage of the immense audience of Amazon.com, the largest online retailer in the United States. The package includes:

• an Amazon Kindle edition of your book
• Amazon’s Search Inside the Book feature
• Amazon Keyword Search tagging service
• A free book – “Sell Your Book on Amazon”

These valuable, popular options are free for authors who start self-publishing in October.

Start today with the promotion code below when you choose to publish with our industry-leading Diamond publishing service or our full-color Pearl publishing service to receive the FREE Amazon Extreme Marketing Package. Don’t delay!

Promo code: FreeAEOct2012

Click to order the Diamond Package
Click to order the Pearl Package
TOP 5 PUBLISHING HEADLINES
AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT & SUCCESS STORY
“My experience with Outskirts Press was terrific. When I received my author’s copies, I had to pinch myself to remember that I wrote the 277 pages! I was thrilled with the final results.”Dawna Lott was born in Tennessee and raised in Georgia. She worked in the executive administrative field for Fortune 500 companies for twelve years but now enjoys free time to fulfill her passion for creative writing and poetry. She currently lives in Virginia with her husband, Tom. Emma’s Journey is her first novel.Dawna Lott, author of Emma’s Journey
 
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Posted by on October 3, 2012 in book marketing, Marketing Options, Marketing Packages, self publishing news

 

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Author Spotlight: Young Sci-fi Writer Profiled in OC Register

27 Sep

In the science fiction book The Young Guardians and the Great Darkness, four teenage outcasts encounter forces that expose their mystic inner powers. It’s a fanciful story, but one, perhaps, many of us can relate to.

And none so much as author Grady Brown himself. The Outskirts Press author, 23, of Tustin, California, was recently profiled in the Orange County Register after the release of The Young Guardians and the Great Darkness, the second in his Young Guardians book series, geared toward teens and young adults.

In the books, the four awkward adolescents are inadvertently exposed to the Genesis Spell, a strange radiation that ignites secret powers in them. They use these powers to fight malevolent forces in Southern California to keep the world safe.

Brown, who is autistic and has a photographic memory, has always enjoyed spinning tales for close friends and family and the book series is a natural extension of that. The books deal with mystical supernatural powers but, while most of us aren’t superheros, many teens will be able to relate to the transformation of the main characters.

“Since the young guardians originated as unassuming teenagers that served as social outcasts, I think people can really connect with that,” Brown told the Register. “[It] reminds them of when they were alone, but in the end having the means to make the greatest difference in the world.”

Brown, who is employed at the Tustin Public Library, has started work on the third installment in the series and plans to release that book in three years.

“He’s been very focused on this and he’s wanted to leave his mark on the world, and he felt that with publishing his books he will have left his mark,” Brown’s mother, Martha, said. “And I think his autism helps him in visualizing the story and with getting it written and with his perseverance to stick to it and making sure it got published.”

For more information or to contact the author, visit www.outskirtspress.com/theyoungguardiansandthegreatdarkness.

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Posted by on September 27, 2012 in Author Spotlight, Testimonials

 

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Virtual Reality in the Hardcopy World

26 Sep

When new authors first begin to contemplate self-publishing a book, visions of that thick, solid, hardcover volume must surely dance in their heads. Nothing beats the sensation of holding your first book in your hands and cracking the crisp pages for the first time. But it’s important for authors in this modern book publishing climate to remember the vital role ebooks play in the success of the book.

There are a few very compelling reasons you may wish to start with an ebook and then work your way to a hardcopy edition.

  • It’s easier. Designing and formatting for the electronic format is easier than designing and formatting a hardcopy book. So, formatting your ebook is an excellent way to get your feet wet before diving into the hard copy.
  • It’s quicker. Publishers can make an ebook available to consumers in a virtual instant, via electronic upload, compared to physical books, which must be ordered, set for print, produced and distributed before being put up for sale.
  • It’s an easier sell. Ebooks are far less expensive to produce than hardcopy editions, so can be priced lower. If your hard copy is priced at $13.99, the ability to also offer an ebook for $4.99 to millions of Kindle, Nook and iPad users is a priceless advantage in a highly competitive marketplace.

If you currently have a hardcopy book for sale, converting it to an ebook format is a simple and cost-effective proposition — and one that could provide a much needed boost in visibility and sales!

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marketing support and services like this?

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Posted by on September 26, 2012 in Advice, Author Inspiration, book marketing, Market Research

 

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Amazon Featured Book-of-the-Week: Out Among the Rooster Men by Norton Girault

10 Aug

Here’s this week’s Featured Book-of-the-Week available now on Amazon.com!


Out Among the Rooster Men

by Norton Girault

(5 Stars – 1 Customer Review)

Price: $15.95

Powerful short stories – life in the 20th Century…

Please note that product prices and availability are subject to change. Prices and availability were accurate at the time of this posting; however, they may differ from those you see when you visit Amazon.com.© Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.All rights reserved. Amazon, Amazon.com, the Amazon.com logo, and 1-Click are registered trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. Amazon.com, 410 Terry Avenue N., Seattle, WA 98109-5210.
 
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Posted by on August 10, 2012 in Featured Book of the Week, Uncategorized

 

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