Tag: Author Platform Set-up

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5 Book Elements That Attract Book Buyers

Readers are a mysterious bunch.  Authors, publishers and booksellers have been trying to get inside their heads and crack all the secret codes to producing that next bestseller for centuries.

There’s likely never going to be a formula that ensures a book’s success, but there are always things an author can do to improve their odds of getting the attention of potential readers and converting those shoppers into buyers.

Here, we explore five book elements that are known to attract buyers and boost sales:

  1. An Attractive Cover. Contrary to the old adage, book buyers can, and will, judge your book by its cover. Readers will draw a number of conclusions about you, your story and the quality of your book within milliseconds, based solely on the impressions created by the cover art. —Make no mistake; designing a strong cover that grabs attention and conveys the mood, genre or themes in a story is an art – a very important one. While there are templates on the market that can help an author put together a cover, custom design from an artist with specialized training in design principals, and experience in the field, will produce far more effective art. A professional custom cover can pay for itself with increased traffic to your book page that translates into increased sales.
  2. Back Cover Copy. Once the cover captures the eye, the text on the back cover must sell the book quickly, and in this day of online sales, the back cover copy is often the same marketing text used on sales pages for Amazon’s and Barnes & Noble’s websites.  —Every writer has different skills. An author who excels at expounding on ideas in a 500-page tome may be at a loss to sum up his work in 200 words or less. Cover scribing is a narrow specialty; some writers will “get it” and some will not. If you’re not “wired” that way, don’t be afraid to ask for help from a writer with experience in book marketing.
  3. A Beautiful Interior. Believe it or not, book formatting can vary greatly, depending on the genre, the content and other factors that may be specific to the author’s message. There are a number of widely accepted industry standards; however, many factors such as a font style and size, headers/footers, page numbering and graphic elements, can and should be tailored to the specific needs of your book. These elements can be useful in conveying your ideas more clearly and enhancing the reader’s experience.
  4. Professional Copy Editing.  A funny thing happens when you edit your own work. Typos become invisible. You fall in love with your own words. Whether you’re writing your first words ever or you’ve been at it for decades, you need fresh eyes. A professional copy editor is a writer like you, but usually has additional training as an editor, English language professional, grammar czar or other expertise – and even they use copy editors. No writer worth his salt circumvents the copy editing process. Ever.
  5. Illustrations. Certain book genres – science fiction, medical, children’s books – lend themselves nicely to custom illustrations, but any book can benefit from quality art. From the book cover to key chapters in the body, illustrations can bring alive vital elements of your story or reinforce specific information in your text.

Writing is very often a solo effort, but the more eyes, brains and hearts you get involved in the polishing process, the more your book will benefit – and the more readers you may be able to attract. The good news is, Outskirts Press offers all these options (and about 100 more) so you can truly receive the exact level of service you need for your special project.

Start Publishing Today

Start Publishing Today

GET $300 OF FREE UPGRADES WHEN YOU START PUBLISHING TODAY!

Get $300 of “Mad Money” with the promotion code below when you choose to publish with our industry-leading Diamond publishing service or our full-color Pearl publishing service.

You can apply your $300 of “Mad Money” toward any optional production or marketing option we offer during the pre-production process. And with many of our optional services beginning at just $99, you can get quite a few! Apply it to options such as a Custom Cover, Cover Scribing, Editing, a Kindle format, or many others

Promo Code:  MadMoneyFeb13

Click to order the Diamond Package
Click to order the Pearl Package
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AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT & SUCCESS STORY

“I enjoy working with Jennifer. She is helpful and knowledgeable about layout, design, and marketing aspects, and whatever she may not know she finds the answer immediately to help the author to achieve the results required.”Dr. Juna Jinsei has a Ph.D. in Pastoral Counseling Psychology, and is the founder and president of World Wholeness, Inc. At the commencement of her career, Juna was part owner of an advertising agency in Caracas, Venezuela, promoting some of the largest national companies from Gerber to Lagoven Petroleum.

– Juna Jinsei, author of FUNdaMENTAL Creativity
Promotions

Using Social Media to Promote Your Book

Social media is one of the best marketing tools available to self-publishing authors. It is the digital era’s version of word of mouth marketing, and it is free, easy to use, and effective. Some of the most popular sites include Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and YouTube. 

Regardless of which sites you decide to use, there are a few tips to maximize your marketing efforts. Here is what you need to know about using social media to promote your self-published book:

  • Always include a cover photo. Ideally, this photo should be the cover of your book. You could also use a picture of yourself if you plan to promote yourself as an author, but make sure the pictures are professional and appropriate.
  • Invite all of your friends and contacts to “like” or “follow” you. The more people see your postings, the more effective your marketing will be.
  • Post regularly. Social media is not effective if you never post once you create the page. Fans expect frequent (but not excessive) postings. If updating regularly is a challenge, you can use programs such as HootSuite to schedule your posts.
  • Include a link on your website. For every social media site you use, make sure there is a link on your website so readers can easily find your social media profiles.
  • Check your page regularly. Social media is about conversation. You want people to comment on your posts, so you need to make sure you are responding to the conversations.

Need help getting started?

Social Media Set-Up

Until January 31, we at Outskirts Press would like to get you started off on the right foot in 2013 with free social media set-up services (a $399 for Diamond and Pearl authors). Author Platform Set-Up Through Social Media is a social media services package normally priced at $399 for our Diamond and Pearl package customers and $499 for all other authors — a huge savings for self-publishing authors for just a few more days this month!

With a minimal amount of information from you, Outskirts Press can launch your book into the social media landscape with the following services included in the package:

  • Establish author accounts on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube and WordPress
  • Set up social media profiles on each platform
  • Identify and establish relevant connections with users on each social media platform
  • Assist you in building their unique online presence

You can take advantage of the service by visiting the product page.

To experience publishing success like this, click here to meet your consultant.

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3 Reasons Self-Publishing Authors Need Social Media

Social media represents a huge opportunity for professionals.

People are using social media to connect with people, clients, and customers around the world; and businesses are using social media to improve their relationships with current customers and new potential customers. For self-publishing authors, social media offers a chance to level the playing field with traditionally published writers.

Outskirts Press recently introduced a new Author Platform Set-up through Social Media option. Here are three reasons authors should consider this new option when establishing their own expertise and building their author platform:

1)      Marketing Power – According to Knowledge Networks, more than 38 million people between the ages of 13 and 80 in the US are influenced to make purchase decisions based on what they’ve seen on social media sites.

2)      Build Relationships – Social media is a powerful tool for marketing, but it is different than traditional marketing avenues. Social media allows authors to communicate with readers and build relationships. With social media, marketing is no longer a one way conversation. Words can influence readers to buy your book, but more importantly, readers can influence authors.

3)      Join the Competition – Social media is growing, and authors are recognizing the potential to connect with readers and improve sales. Don’t let your competition reap all the benefit. Authors can join the game and improve sales.

“Authors often struggle with implementing social media campaigns,” says Outskirts Press Manager of Author Support Elise Connors. “With our Author Platform Set-up through Social Media option, authors no longer have to worry about creating their author platform through social media because we do all the set-up for them. Instead, they can focus on other forms of promotion or spend time doing what they do best — writing books!”
When authors purchase the Author Platform Set-up through Social Media option, Outskirts Press will set-up a profile on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, and WordPress. In addition to setting up each account on these social media sites,

Outskirts Press will connect authors with relevant people, brands, and communities on each network through “likes,” “tweets,” “followers,” subscriptions, and groups. It’s the complete solution to cracking into successful social media for writers.

To purchase this option, visit http://outskirtspress.com/p/social today.