By now, everyone knows that Outskirts Press is New & Improved, with a new website, new packages, and better value for our clients before (new Publishing Tips Sheets), during (more free image insertions, more free galley revision rounds), and after publication (Book Marketing RoadMap, responsive author webpages, and so much more).
This means:
- New Publishing Tips Sheets during pre-production
- More free image insertions and more free galley revisions during production
- The Book Marketing RoadMap and responsive author webpages after publication
- More informative/helpful articles on our blogs and in our newsletters.
Speaking of newsletters, we’re upgrading that, too. So, in other words, this week marks the end of the “old” newsletter (which isn’t very old, itself — it was transitioned into RWD earlier this year). But if you want to see it one last time in its current edition, with the Amazon Top 5 Bestsellers of the Week and Top 5 Self-Publishing Headlines, you can see the latest newsletter in its entirety right here.
But if you just want to read the lead article about 3 tips for writing and publishing your book in time for the holidays, here it is!
3 tips to write and publish your book in time for the holidays!
As an author, you have a heightened awareness of time. It dictates the course of events both in respect to the content and the publication of your book. In some cases, it determines who lives and who dies–in a narrative sense, at least. And self-publishing itself takes time. Which is why we wanted to remind you that September 1st is rapidly approaching–a very real benchmark for authors looking to see their books hit the shelves by the Winter holidays. Why is this day so important? At Outskirts Press, we have discovered over the years that authors who start the publication process by September 1st tend to achieve their holiday goals easily … while those who wait even one or two weeks more tend to struggle to publish in time. A holiday may seem like an arbitrary deadline, but there are countless marketing opportunities centering around those few weeks between Christmas and New Year’s Day that more than make it worthwhile.
And let’s face it: One of the greatest challenges authors can face is knowing how best to structure and manage their time. Will today be a day dedicated to generating new material, or will it be spent navigating the tides and channels and rip currents of the publication and marketing processes? Is there some middle way where all facets of authorship can get their due? Sometimes it can be useful to consider time a resource in the same way that we consider money a resource; it may be intangible, but that in no way diminishes the fact that time is finite and that how we spend it matters.
So how can we spend our time wisely between now and September 1st? There are a number of articles floating around the web touting the possibilities of writing a book in three weeks or fewer, and while many of them assume you have no other competing interests or demands on your time–or at the very least, that you can ignore them for three weeks–it is in fact true that writing to a rapidly approaching deadline can generate some truly fantastic work, not least because priorities tend to automatically fall into place when we are too busy to over think details.
Here are three tips to publish your book before the holidays:
• Trust your gut. This isn’t exactly the same as saying “Write now, edit later,” but that’s not far off. Doubt, often disguised as the editorial instinct, eats up more time than all of the world’s best laid plans, combined. Make bold, command decisions about what you’re going to write–and stick to your guns.
• Write early. With a few rare exceptions, research indicates that both the human mind and the human body at their peak productivity in the early to mid-morning hours, before the post-lunch lull and the day’s various activities become undeniable distractions. Get a head start on finishing your project by dedicating a least a part of your morning to the craft. Getting up extra early is hard, but often worth it.
• Write everywhere. If the mornings are when the hard work gets done, inspiration tends to crop up when least expected–or useful, in many cases. In bed, in the car, at work. To take full advantage of the mysterious workings of your imagination, make sure you are fully mobile as a writer. Carry a pocket notebook or use your smartphone to record your thoughts as they arrive, and keep these notes on hand each morning as you launch into another day. Don’t let them escape! Stop traffic or block an aisle in the grocery store if you have to–and if you bump into someone, maybe your apology can serve as an icebreaker to talk about your upcoming work with a potential reader!
There is time to finish writing your book before September 1st and to publish it with Outskirts Press before the holidays. But only if you act now! When you’re ready to take the next step, we’re here to help. You can always contact us for more information about self-publishing or for inspiration in the form of our newsletters, emails, and social media accounts.
And if you’re wanting to publish a fully illustrated children’s book for the holidays, now is the time to save $600 on the One-Click Children’s Book Suite. All you have to do is click the “Get Started!” button below and use the promotion code when checking out.
Promotion Code: Save600Aug16