Thanks largely (though not exclusively) to the model and tools provided to us by Amazon, self publishing continues to experience a meteoric rise in popularity. Not all self publishing efforts though are created equal. Below are some tips to help get you ahead of the curve.
There's no arguing with the numbers. U.S. ISBN figures show self-publishing in 2012 jumping to over 391,000 titles. This is up 59% over 2011 - 422% over 2007.
And this growth is being driven by the e-book phenomenon. By 2012 they comprised 40 percent of the self published ISBNs. That is up from just 11 percent in 2007 - nearly a 400 percent increase in five years.
For the aspiring, self publishing, author these numbers point to two obvious facts. One, the opportunities have never been greater. And, two, neither has been the competition.
As this competition continually grows, it is essential that you learn to distinguish yourself from the rest of the field. If you're self publishing on Amazon, there are tools available that you need to make the most of if you hope to see success. Consider these three tools in particular. I'm not claiming that getting them right guarantees your book's success; I am guaranteeing that getting them wrong sets you off on the wrong foot from your first self publishing misstep.
Begin with your author's page. There is provided a place to post a photo. Surprisingly (or maybe not) most beginners post their book's cover art. I strongly recommend against this, unless of course your book cover has a picture of your smiling face.
Authors generally assume no one is interested in how they look. This assumption, though, it turns out, is precisely wrong. Rather, a sense of personal connection to the author is a considerable factor in such readers slapping down the old credit card for your book. I'm sure your cover art is great; it is virtually guaranteed though that a sense of personal connection to you will have greater impact on their purchasing decision.
Classic, shoulders-up, head shots are generally the best. Obviously it helps if you're good looking, so don't be hesitant about choosing your most flattering shot. But, whatever you look like, a personal photo is better than not having one. And do be sure to smile at the camera! (And, no sunglasses!)
Second, the author's page provides you the opportunity to say a little about yourself. It appears that most authors take this opportunity much too casually. Again, it seems to be believed that the book speaks for itself.
It doesn't matter how good your book is, it can only speak for itself if people read it! Your job is to get them to read it. If a prospective reader comes to think that the author is interesting enough to have written something they'll find worth reading that is some considerable distance in the right direction.
You're a writer, right? So write. Make yourself sound interesting. And an emphasis upon those aspects of your personality and biography that would make you a good candidate to produce a revealing and compelling book on the topic of your actual book is a good idea.
For example, did you wrote a travel book? Well, then, what is your travel resume? If you've got a mystery novel set in 1920s Paris how is it that you come to know about the time period? If it's a do-it-yourself guide, what is there in your experience that would instill confidence in the prospective reader that you know how to do it? I'm sure you'll following the idea.
Finally, last, but very much not least, give great consideration to your book's description. Believe it or not, this little bit of composition is truly more challenging than writing the actual book. Once they've laid down their hard earned cash for your book, most readers - unless they find it simply dreadful - generally give your book around 20 pages or so to win them over. In your book description, however, you have maybe 20-30 seconds to accomplish that feat.
Again, your book, however wonderful, is unable to speak for itself until prospective readers buy it. Until they do, you've got to do all the speaking. The short version of a great book description is simply stated: in just a few sentences you have 1) tell them, 2) entice them and 3) show them.
Space limits don't allow me to go into this at greater length, here. If you really want to understand what's involved, see my article specifically dedicated to the details and nuance of doing your book description well.
What we've covered here should go a long ways in improving your potential for success on Amazon. Getting these points right is essential to keeping your book from falling behind the curve right out of the gate. Self publishing on Amazon is a challenge and an opportunity. You have to successfully address the former if you hope to benefit from the latter.
There's no arguing with the numbers. U.S. ISBN figures show self-publishing in 2012 jumping to over 391,000 titles. This is up 59% over 2011 - 422% over 2007.
And this growth is being driven by the e-book phenomenon. By 2012 they comprised 40 percent of the self published ISBNs. That is up from just 11 percent in 2007 - nearly a 400 percent increase in five years.
For the aspiring, self publishing, author these numbers point to two obvious facts. One, the opportunities have never been greater. And, two, neither has been the competition.
As this competition continually grows, it is essential that you learn to distinguish yourself from the rest of the field. If you're self publishing on Amazon, there are tools available that you need to make the most of if you hope to see success. Consider these three tools in particular. I'm not claiming that getting them right guarantees your book's success; I am guaranteeing that getting them wrong sets you off on the wrong foot from your first self publishing misstep.
Begin with your author's page. There is provided a place to post a photo. Surprisingly (or maybe not) most beginners post their book's cover art. I strongly recommend against this, unless of course your book cover has a picture of your smiling face.
Authors generally assume no one is interested in how they look. This assumption, though, it turns out, is precisely wrong. Rather, a sense of personal connection to the author is a considerable factor in such readers slapping down the old credit card for your book. I'm sure your cover art is great; it is virtually guaranteed though that a sense of personal connection to you will have greater impact on their purchasing decision.
Classic, shoulders-up, head shots are generally the best. Obviously it helps if you're good looking, so don't be hesitant about choosing your most flattering shot. But, whatever you look like, a personal photo is better than not having one. And do be sure to smile at the camera! (And, no sunglasses!)
Second, the author's page provides you the opportunity to say a little about yourself. It appears that most authors take this opportunity much too casually. Again, it seems to be believed that the book speaks for itself.
It doesn't matter how good your book is, it can only speak for itself if people read it! Your job is to get them to read it. If a prospective reader comes to think that the author is interesting enough to have written something they'll find worth reading that is some considerable distance in the right direction.
You're a writer, right? So write. Make yourself sound interesting. And an emphasis upon those aspects of your personality and biography that would make you a good candidate to produce a revealing and compelling book on the topic of your actual book is a good idea.
For example, did you wrote a travel book? Well, then, what is your travel resume? If you've got a mystery novel set in 1920s Paris how is it that you come to know about the time period? If it's a do-it-yourself guide, what is there in your experience that would instill confidence in the prospective reader that you know how to do it? I'm sure you'll following the idea.
Finally, last, but very much not least, give great consideration to your book's description. Believe it or not, this little bit of composition is truly more challenging than writing the actual book. Once they've laid down their hard earned cash for your book, most readers - unless they find it simply dreadful - generally give your book around 20 pages or so to win them over. In your book description, however, you have maybe 20-30 seconds to accomplish that feat.
Again, your book, however wonderful, is unable to speak for itself until prospective readers buy it. Until they do, you've got to do all the speaking. The short version of a great book description is simply stated: in just a few sentences you have 1) tell them, 2) entice them and 3) show them.
Space limits don't allow me to go into this at greater length, here. If you really want to understand what's involved, see my article specifically dedicated to the details and nuance of doing your book description well.
What we've covered here should go a long ways in improving your potential for success on Amazon. Getting these points right is essential to keeping your book from falling behind the curve right out of the gate. Self publishing on Amazon is a challenge and an opportunity. You have to successfully address the former if you hope to benefit from the latter.
About the Author:
All you aspiring self publisher types, you need to keep up on the killer scoop at Self Publishing on Amazon . Lance Fallbrook writes on writing and writers at a variety of writing related websites. Check out his controversial list of top 20 most famous American authors .
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