Tag: Small Press Month

Author Spotlight, Marketing Options

Keep Working On That Book During Small Press Month!

You’ve probably heard us crowing about Small Press Month this month. March is the perfect time to promote the amazing work of independent publishers and self-publishing authors. High quality self-publishing is easy. Marketing your book afterwards is the key.

We hope you’re taking advantage of this celebration to finish and promote your own book using the 31 tips (one per day) provided by Outskirts Press. The idea is to take a few moments each day to implement one important step in your efforts to complete, market and promote your self-published book.

Once that book gets completed, we hope you take our suggestions to stock up on hard copies, connect on social media, send out press releases and reach out to local schools, universities, fellow authors, small businesses and sales channels. Don’t worry if you’re just ramping up now. These small steps are simple enough to take two at a time. Here’s what the next few days of your Small Press Month should look like:

March 16 – Get talking. Small, local radio stations – particularly news/talk formats – are constantly on the lookout for interesting guests. Contact local radio producers in your area and pitch them on your book, tying it into Small Press Month. Not sure where to start? Outskirts Press offers a Guaranteed Radio Interview option to get you started.

March 17 – Think green. St. Patrick’s Day green, that is. Take the day to get started on electronic editions of your book, which save trees and open you up to huge audiences of ebook consumers. Outskirts Press can set up a Kindle, Nook or Apple iPad edition of your book in no time at all.

March 18 – Think big. Local is a great starting point, but don’t forget to contact the major newspapers about Small Press Month, too. They’re more likely to cover something if they are contacted by authors, so reach out in person. Be ready to tell your press contact what sets your book apart from others (unusual topic, great reviews, a sudden spike in sales, past media attention, etc.). Here’s one to get you started:
THE NEW YORK TIMES: 229 W. 43rd St., New York, NY 10036-3959 (212) 556-1234

March 19 – Center yourself. Contact local community centers and inform them of Small Press Month; post information on their community bulletin board, if one is available. Gather the local authors with whom you’ve teamed up and schedule an impromptu event, celebrating Small Press books.

March 20 – Make a leap. If you’re considering all of your publishing options, this may be the month to start with Outskirts Press. If things have stagnated with your current publisher, a fresh start may be just what you need to get sales moving again. Even if you’re not quite ready to publish, Outskirts Press can still help. We offer a variety of marketing products and services for authors. Browse those marketing products today at: http://outskirtspress.com/services/marketing.

Want more tips? Visit our blog to read the full post or follow us on Facebook to get a tip each day throughout the month.

START PUBLISHING AND GET A FREE KINDLE AND NOOK!

Get a step ahead in your marketing efforts and into today’s electronic world with a FREE Kindle format AND NOOK format of your self-published book! Start today with the promotion code below!

Make your book available on the 2 most popular e-book reading devices, the Amazon Kindle and Barnes & Noble NOOK. More formats on Amazon and Barnes & Noble means more exposure in the e-book device world. Only books that have been submitted to the Amazon Kindle and the NOOK in the required formats are available for Kindle and NOOK readers to purchase and enjoy.

These 2 valuable, popular options are now FREE for authors who start publishing today. If you start right now and choose to publish with our industry-leading Diamond publishing service or our full-color Pearl publishing service, you will receive a FREE Amazon Kindle e-book format and a NOOK format at the time of publication.

Enter the promotion code KINDLENOOK15 when checking out of your shopping cart while purchasing the popular Diamond package or the full color Pearl publishing package.

In addition to receiving a FREE Kindle and NOOK format of your book, you’ll also receive the following with your Diamond package:

  • Standard Press Release. $99 value included free when you order your Diamond publishing service today.
  • Audio Excerpt. $99 value included free with your Diamond order today and a great way to share your voice with your readers, literally!
  • E-Book Edition (pdf). $99 value included free with your Diamond publishing service.
  • Cover Image. $99 value included free and a great way to enhance your cover.
  • Spring Arbor additional distribution. $99 value to complement the Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Ingram availability already included with your Diamond publishing service.

All in all, you’re looking at over $1,000 of free stuff in March!

Click to order the Diamond Package
Click to order the Pearl Package
TOP 5 PUBLISHING HEADLINES
AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT & SUCCESS STORY

“Before I found Outskirts Press, I used another publisher for an earlier book and the difference was like night and day. Throughout the process, all the members of my appointed Outskirts team helped me make decisions about what would work best from the content to the cover without exceeding my budget. The Outskirts print-on-demand service was quick and efficient in filling book orders. I would not consider working with any other publisher again.”

Kay Peterson’s life experiences and extensive travels have brought her in contact with people from many walks of life. After nine successful non-fiction books, 13 Days in Africa is her first venture into the creative world of fiction. Kay’s devoted readers hope she will continue to offer stories as intriguing as this safari adventure.

When tourists on an African safari are kidnapped by bandits, it changes their lives…forever. For Sarah, an American nurse who has just lost her job, it means accepting her past in order to find the family she always wanted. Sarah’s group includes a teenager named Boy trying to discover why he is alive; his racist father who resents his son’s existence; a former drug addict trying to rebuild her life, and the wealthy Englishman who loves her. Their leader is an Anglo-African guide haunted by his own ghosts. When the group is left stranded in Africa’s wild savanna, Sarah learns the value of living every moment, the importance of helping each other, and that hate and cruelty are two of the disguises worn by Fear.

13 Days in Africa is a memorable and evocative story of love and hate, kindness and cruelty, and the peace that comes when we can accept who we are.

Kay Peterson, author of 13 Days in Africa
Promotions, Publishing Packages, self publishing news, Uncategorized

31 Ways for Would-Be Authors to Self-Promote During Small Press Month

Every year during the month of March, Outskirts Press joins indie companies all across the United States in celebrating independent publishers and the talented self-publishing authors we serve. As an aspiring self-publishing author, you’re a pioneer at the cusp of a new era in literature. In fact, nowhere will you find a more eclectic, determined, creative and talented population of artists than those who write at their own will.

So, claim your rightful recognition! This month of celebration is your opportunity to promote yourself and your upcoming book with 31 effective marketing and promotion tactics. Throughout the month of March, take a moment each day to make an important step toward successfully marketing yourself as a writer. Here, we offer one simple tip for each day of the month that will help you advance-promote your future book:

March 1 – Start up. If you haven’t already, get that manuscript finished. Small Press Month is the perfect time to take the plunge or finish what you started. With just 1,700 or so words per day, you could conceivably have a novel finished by April Fool’s Day!

March 2 – Bone up. Become the local authority on Small Press Month. Do a little research about the history of independent publishing, your publisher (Outskirts Press) and what Small Press Month is all about, then offer yourself as a resource to local media. This will help you build your platform as a local writer and self-publishing author.

March 3 – Pay it forward. Treat yourself now to a few Outskirts Press self-publishing gift cards that you can spend when you’re ready to publish. Buy one or two per month, and by the time you’re ready to publish, you’ll be able to painlessly purchase everything you need to self-publish and promote a high-quality book.

March 4 – Connect. Meet with other independent published and prospective authors in your area, either in person with a local writers’ guild or online via social media. Not only can these comrades offer you advice to strengthen your skills, but you can also pool resources with them and learn more about promoting before, during and after publishing. For example, Outskirts Press already has a growing community of active and passionate fans/followers on Facebook and Twitter, with whom you can connect at any time. There’s a lot to do, and many minds are a better than one.

March 5 – Alert the media. Send a press release to the local media (newspapers, radio, television) mentioning Small Press Month, your knowledge of the industry, your connection to the community and your upcoming independently published book. Your press release should explain what Small Press Month is, why it’s important, what local organizations are doing to celebrate, and how the media can contact you for additional information. Supplement the press release with information about the release date of your own book, if applicable.

Want more tips? Visit our blog to read the full post or follow us on Facebook to get a tip each day throughout the month.

START PUBLISHING AND GET A FREE KINDLE AND FREE NOOK!

Jump-start your marketing efforts into today’s electronic world with a FREE Kindle edition AND NOOK edition of your self-published book! Start today with the promotion code below!

Make your book available on the 2 most popular ebook reading devices, the Amazon Kindle and Barnes & Noble NOOK. More formats on Amazon and Barnes & Noble means more exposure in the ebook device world. Only books that have been submitted to the Amazon Kindle and the NOOK in the required formats are available for Kindle and NOOK readers to purchase and enjoy.

These 2 valuable, popular options are now FREE for authors who start publishing today. If you start right now and choose to publish with our industry-leading Diamond publishing service or our full-color Pearl publishing service, you will receive a FREE Amazon Kindle e-book edition and a NOOK edition at the time of publication.

Enter the promotion code KINDLENOOK15 when checking out of your shopping cart while purchasing the popular Diamond package or the full color Pearl publishing package.

Click to order the Diamond Package
Click to order the Pearl Package
TOP 5 PUBLISHING HEADLINES
AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT & SUCCESS STORY

“With this being my very first experience with a publisher, I would have to say it was amazing! My book turned out just lovely!”

Throughout her life, Luvicia has used poetry as a means to cope with family dysfunction, heartbreaks, reunions, and many more unpleasant life situations. Her writing is true and honest, which allows her to become a better writer by character, not by luck. Luvicia is happily married to her husband and soul mate! They reside in Midwest City, Oklahoma.

Writing, for Luvicia, has been a tremendous joy throughout the years. Poetry has helped in times of fear, sadness, loss, excitement, and happiness. The author LOVES to express who she is through her work, and hopes that readers will enjoy the poems in this book.

– Luvicia Maxey, author of A Pocket Full of Poems
Author Spotlight, Outskirts Press News, Promotions, self publishing news, Uncategorized

Start Self-Publishing Your Book During Small Press Month!

March is Small Press Month, so it’s the perfect time to promote the amazing work of independent publishers and (soon to be) self-published authors, like you! High quality self-publishing is easy. Marketing your book afterwards is the key.

We hope you’re taking advantage of this celebration to finish and promote your own book using the 31 tips (one per day) provided by Outskirts Press. The idea is to take a few moments each day to implement one important step in your efforts to complete, market and promote your book.

Once your book is completed, we hope you take our suggestions to stock up on hard copies, connect on social media, send out press releases and reach out to local schools, universities, fellow authors, small businesses and sales channels. Don’t worry if you’re just ramping up now. These small steps are simple enough to take two at a time. Here’s what the next few days of your Small Business Month should look like:

March 15 – Co-op. Connect with other independently published authors and arrange co-op advertisement in the local media. In addition to promoting your books, promote your upcoming events. Encourage other authors to join in the events, which may generate more interest about future events among bookstores.

March 16 – Get talking. Small, local radio stations – particularly news/talk formats – are constantly on the lookout for interesting guests. Contact local radio producers in your area and pitch them on your book, tying it into Small Press Month. Not sure where to start? Outskirts Press offers a Guaranteed Radio Interview option to get you started.

March 17 – Think green. St. Patrick’s Day green, that is. Take the day to focus on electronic editions of your book, which save trees and open you up to huge audiences of ebook consumers. Outskirts Press can set up a Kindle, NOOK or Apple iPad edition of your book in no time at all.

March 18– Think big. Local is a great starting point, but don’t forget to contact the major newspapers about Small Press Month, too. They’re more likely to cover something if they are contacted by authors, so reach out in person. Be ready to tell your press contact what sets your book apart from others (unusual topic, great reviews, a sudden spike in sales, past media attention, etc).

March 19 – Center yourself. Contact your local community center and inform them of Small Press Month; post information on their community bulletin board if one is available. Gather the local authors with whom you’ve teamed up and schedule an impromptu event, celebrating Small Press books.

Want more tips? Visit our blog to read the full post or follow us on Facebook to get a tip each day throughout the month.

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 choose from many others. The only question is, how are you going to spend it?

Enter the promotion code MADMONEYMAR14 and start publishing today!

In addition to receiving $300 in Mad Money, you’ll also receive the following with your Diamond package:

  • Standard Press Release. $99 value included free when you order your Diamond publishing service today.
  • Audio Excerpt. $99 value included free with your Diamond order today and a great way to share your voice with your readers, literally!
  • E-Book Edition (pdf). $99 value included free with your Diamond publishing service.
  • Cover Image. $99 value included free and a great way to enhance your cover.
  • Spring Arbor additional distribution. $99 value to complement the Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Ingram availability already included with your Diamond publishing service.

All in all, you’re looking at over $800 of free stuff in March!

Click to order the Diamond Package
Click to order the Pearl Package
TOP 5 PUBLISHING HEADLINES
AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT & SUCCESS STORY


“I searched for an affordable way to publish my book. And after reading some terrific reviews, I decided Outskirts Press was the company for me. They really are a great and affordable company, who lets the author be in control throughout the entire process. I was absolutely blown away when I saw the finished product. My book turned out to look amazing. In addition, even after my book was published, they continued to provide me with helpful ways to market my book and increase my sales by sending me marketing COACH emails. They really do offer high-quality products and amazing service at an awesome value. Thanks a lot Outskirts Press; you made my dream a reality!”

Sheryl H. Outlaw is a living testimony of God’s love, compassion and supernatural abilities. She is a registered nurse, with an Associate of Science in Nursing, from Gordon State College. She lives with her family in Georgia.

Sheryl and her father Garry always had a unique and special relationship…and ever since she was a little girl, Sheryl had been aware of her own intuition and sensitivity to things unseen. But neither of them could have guessed the ways in which their closeness and Sheryl’s attunement to the spirit world would manifest, through the grace of God. On the morning of December 18, 2012, about 12 a.m., Garry pulled over to the side of the road to rest, and suddenly died of cardiopulmonary arrest. In the weeks before his death, Sheryl had begun to experience supernatural occurrences, including precognitive dreams, and communications from spirits. Life After Death: Us Forever is the fascinating and compelling story of a father and daughter who allowed Jesus into their hearts, accepted Him as their Lord and Savior, and watched as His amazing gifts changed their lives.

– Sheryl H. Outlaw, author of Life After Death