BookBaby newsletters

Here are the latest newsletters for my followers to peruse:

Karen, enjoy this week’s newsletter from BookBaby!

Book Printing   |   eBooks   |   Editing   |   Book Design   |   Sell Your Book   |   Pricing What to Include on Your Book’s Copyright Page Do you have questions about how to assemble your book’s copyright page? Here’s a breakdown of what information you should include and how you should present it. Read more. Sell Your Book Through All Retailers… Not Just Bookstores Expand your approach to book sales to include retailers other than bookstores. The more strategic you are about where your book is available, the more likely your target buyers will be to find and buy it. Read more. Five Self-Publishing Mistakes You Need to Avoid The first step toward success as an independent author is educating yourself about everything involved with self-publishing. It’s what your book undoubtedly deserves. Read more. SPECIAL OFFERS  |  FREE GUIDES  |  BLOG  |  HELP  |  1-877-961-6878 Discover New Releases & Best Sellers © BookBaby 7905 N. Crescent Blvd., Pennsauken, NJ 08110 info@bookbaby.com   |   Become an affiliate

                                                               

Book Printing   |   eBooks   |   Editing   |   Book Design   |   Sell Your Book   |   Pricing Edgar Allan Poe’s Notion Of “Unity Of Effect” Edgar Allan Poe’s notion of “unity of effect” describes his belief that everything in a written work must lead toward the denouement, starting with the first word. Read more. How Crowdfunding Helped Tell the Story of Little Roo When embarking on his Kickstarter campaign, author Chuck Miller looked to other campaigns for ideas. He checked all the boxes, from producing videos to creative donor rewards, on his way to achieving his goal. Read more. Don’t Get Caught up in the “Cult of the First Sentence” There’s this cult of the opening sentence, as if crafting a perfect first line is the only key to writing a best-selling novel. Here’s my take: it isn’t. Read more. SPECIAL OFFERS  |  FREE GUIDES  |  BLOG  |  HELP  |  1-877-961-6878 Discover New Releases & Best Sellers © BookBaby 7905 N. Crescent Blvd., Pennsauken, NJ 08110 info@bookbaby.com   |   Become an affiliate

                                                               

 

Book Printing   |   eBooks   |   Editing   |   Book Design   |   Sell Your Book   |   Pricing NEW! Self-publishing packages tailored to your book. These new publishing options make it easy to decide what’s right for your book. But if you’re still not sure, call us at 866-707-0024 and one of our Publishing Specialists will help you find your way. For those with print-ready files. Learn more The essentials for a professional book release. Learn more The best way to print, publish, and promote your book. Learn more See packages SPECIAL OFFERS  |  FREE GUIDES  |  BLOG  |  HELP  |  1-877-961-6878 Discover New Releases & Best Sellers © BookBaby 7905 N. Crescent Blvd., Pennsauken, NJ 08110 info@bookbaby.com   |   Become an affiliate

                                                               

Book Printing   |   eBooks   |   Editing   |   Book Design   |   Sell Your Book   |   Pricing I'm pretty peeved this morning, Sorry for the foul mood, but I'm angry at all the fraudulent companies trying to take advantage of authors with phony book-marketing and promotion schemes. What set me off? I got solicited by one of them just last weekend. And boy, did they make a mistake trying to scam me because I'm naming names and coming after them. The call came up on my cell phone from a 619 area code and looked legit. When I answered, I immediately knew I was talking to someone at a foreign telemarketing boiler-room operation. I was going to hang up—but a few words into his pitch, I knew I had to learn more. The guy on the phone said he was from Readers Magnet and that the publisher of my book—he mentioned them by name numerous times—had contacted his company, gave them my phone number, and asked them to reach out to me. He said my book showed incredible sales potential, and with just the right marketing and promotion, I could hit best-seller status within days. He made it sound very convincing that my publisher and Readers Magnet had a working arrangement to find the best authors and books for this very special offer. I asked a lot of questions: How did they get my phone number? Why was my book selected? What kind of marketing packages did they offer?…Until I couldn't take it anymore. "You've made a big mistake," I told him. "Yes, I have a book, The End: 6 Steps To Take Your Manuscript To Marketplace In 6 Weeks. And yes, my publisher is BookBaby." "But BookBaby doesn't have any agreement with your scammy company to contact authors. How do I know? Because I know everyone BookBaby does business with. It's your bad luck that you happened to try to scam the president of BookBaby, and you need to cease and desist these illegal telemarketing schemes." I may have used more colorful language and the call ended rather suddenly. We're discussing the next steps to try to shut them down, including working with the Consumer Protection Agency or taking up our own civil legal action. Let me be clear: BookBaby has no relationship with slimeball fraudsters like Readers Magnet. And we never, ever give away our authors' information to anyone else. If you happen to get one of these calls, please email our customer service team at support@bookbaby.com. Readers Magnet is one of a growing number of Philippine-based fake publishing and marketing companies that try to extract enormous amounts of money from unwary writers through outrageously priced phony book-marketing services. Read this article that lists many of these bad actors as compiled by Victoria Straus, the co-founder of the publishing industry watchdog group Writer Beware, that has been tirelessly exposing frauds like Readers Magnet and many others. It's unfortunate that authors need to be aware of scammers and learn how to avoid them. Like everything else, it's buyer beware, so research any company you're considering before signing any contract. I encourage you to check out this post I published months ago that provides tips on "How To Spot Self-Publishing Scams." Don't fall prey to these scammers and become another cautionary tale. And if someone from Readers Magnet or any other company on Writer Beware's list calls you—give them a piece of your mind and hang up! Feel free to insert your own colorful language before you do. All the best, Steven Spatz President, BookBaby SPECIAL OFFERS  |  FREE GUIDES  |  BLOG  |  HELP  |  1-877-961-6878 Discover New Releases & Best Sellers © BookBaby 7905 N. Crescent Blvd., Pennsauken, NJ 08110 info@bookbaby.com   |   Become an affiliate

                                                               

Book Printing   |   eBooks   |   Editing   |   Book Design   |   Sell Your Book   |   Pricing Why Audiobooks Are a Bad Investment for Most Independent Authors Audiobooks are growing in popularity and market share, but independent authors should focus on the more foundational aspects of publishing and promotion that will bring a higher return on investment. Read more. Pen Names: How and Why to Use Them When my first book was being published, I toyed with the idea of using a pen name for about three seconds. Looking back, I may have missed an opportunity. Read more. How to Confound and Frustrate Readers There are rules and expectations that form a bond between writer and reader. But that’s so traditional. If you want to confound and frustrate readers and stop them cold in their tracks, these 39 tips will help. Read more. What Marie Kondo Can Teach Us About Decluttering Our Prose Marie Kondo’s animism when dealing with all your "stuff" peddles the concept of perfect control over your things instead of letting your things control you. Writers, we can take a page out of Kondo’s book. Read more. Can You Make Millions Selling 99¢ Books? Amanda Hocking Did. Amanda Hocking’s story might strike some as a one-off or a product of luck, but her success was a product of great writing and smart decision-making. And since she was a self-published author, she got to call the shots. Read more. The Absolute Best Books on Writing (According to 10 "Top" Lists) The list of favorite books on writing can be very different from one author to another. So where do you start? I’ve scoured 10 "top" lists to see which titles spanned the gamut. Here’s what I found. Read more. Writing Your Own Life Story Even if you’re not a writer by trade, it doesn’t mean you can’t become an author. You’ve got a story born from your life and business experience. Aren’t you ready to share your life story with the world? Read more. It’s Never Too Late to Start Writing Writing isn’t just a young person’s game. Many authors who didn’t start writing until they were in their fifties, sixties, and seventies (and older!) have made their mark with critics and readers. Read more. Who Says Rhyme Doesn’t Pay? One tactic to selling and making money from your poetry is to pursue outlets other than bookstores. This post can help you think creatively about how to make a dime selling rhyme. Read more. Creating a Low-Cost Book Trailer Creating videos can be as satisfying as writing books, so don’t be afraid to extend your communication outreach to new dimensions by producing an inexpensive, but compelling, book trailer. Read more. SPECIAL OFFERS  |  FREE GUIDES  |  BLOG  |  HELP  |  1-877-961-6878 Discover New Releases & Best Sellers © BookBaby 7905 N. Crescent Blvd., Pennsauken, NJ 08110 info@bookbaby.com   |   Become an affiliate

                                                               

Book Printing   |   eBooks   |   Editing   |   Book Design   |   Sell Your Book   |   Pricing Amazon is one of the best places to sell your book, but not the only place. We’ll help you take advantage of Amazon’s best book promotional tools—like Amazon KDP Select—and make your book available for sale around the globe. And you can do it all with one BookBaby account. Publish, promote, and profit worldwide with these book distribution services: Publish your eBook on Amazon Kindle When you publish on Kindle with BookBaby, you can reach millions of readers, you collect 100% of your net royalties, and we’ll even convert your book to Kindle’s preferred format. Expand your readership. Promote your eBook with Amazon KDP Select Stimulate book sales with KDP’s exclusive promotional features and then sell your book around the world with our distribution network. Start promoting. Sell your printed book with Print On Demand Make your book available to the largest network of global booksellers, libraries, and online retailers, including Amazon, Powell’s Books, Barnes & Noble, Ingram, and more. Take your book everywhere. Learn more SPECIAL OFFERS  |  FREE GUIDES  |  BLOG  |  HELP  |  1-877-961-6878 Discover New Releases & Best Sellers © BookBaby 7905 N. Crescent Blvd., Pennsauken, NJ 08110 info@bookbaby.com   |   Become an affiliate

                                                               

Book Printing   |   eBooks   |   Editing   |   Book Design   |   Sell Your Book   |   Pricing Let’s start this Happy New Year with a question, Are you the type who packs up the decorations right after the holiday, almost before the last jingle bell rings? (Raises hand!) Or are you content to enjoy all the winter months in the glow of colored lights flickering out one by one, amid dusty ornaments and a parched tree? Early last year, Marie Kondo burst onto the scene, preaching the concept of “control” over our worldly possessions. Her Netflix series, Tidying Up, set online viewing records and triggered massive donations to thrift shops around the globe. But Kondo’s lessons go beyond the junk in the back of our closets. Writers can benefit from her guidance by eliminating the clutter in our writing. Have a look at BookBaby Blog contributor Kathy Edens’ take on the Marie Kondo style of writing in “What Marie Kondo Can Teach Us About Decluttering Our Prose.” All the best, Steven Spatz President, BookBaby SPECIAL OFFERS  |  FREE GUIDES  |  BLOG  |  HELP  |  1-877-961-6878 Discover New Releases & Best Sellers © BookBaby 7905 N. Crescent Blvd., Pennsauken, NJ 08110 info@bookbaby.com   |   Become an affiliate