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Book Printing   |   eBooks   |   Editing   |   Book Design   |   Sell Your Book   |   Pricing Happy Leap Day, Every morning, I scan my favorite writing blogs and websites to come up with a unique inspiration for the day. Last week, I happened upon an old profile of Gloria Steinem. Known by many as a leading American feminist, I first came to know about her as a journalist. She was a long-time columnist for New York magazine and co-founder of Ms. magazine. Steinem uttered one of my most favorite statements about writing: “Writing is the only thing that when I do it, I don’t feel I should be doing something else.” And yet, she does plenty of “something elses” that continue to blend with her writing career. For decades she’s been traveling the world giving lectures, engaging in political activism, and advocating for gender and race equality. Steinem used her writing as a springboard for many other avenues of expression, and it’s a goal that many BookBaby authors are striving for too. This morning I received this note from writer—and now speaker—D.W. Goates, who is making the leap. Hi Steven, My name is D.W. Goates. I’m a proud BookBaby author and thought I’d share with you the notice of my upcoming speaking engagement. I’ve attached it below. As you can see, beyond my book, I’ll be talking about how aspiring writers can get their work published. I intend to say great things about you and your team! Just thought you’d like to know. Ever Sincerely, D.W. Goates, Author of A Witch’s Burden Goates will be speaking at the Roddenbery Memorial Library in Cairo, Georgia at 11:00 AM on March 7, 2020. You should drop in and meet him if you’re in the area. He’s been especially effective at getting his indie-published books into libraries, including nearly 30 libraries in seven U.S. States—and Germany—according to his press release. Our friend Micah Solomon is someone who has taken his books far beyond his reading audience. Solomon’s BookBaby blog post, “From Independent Author To Professional Public Speaker,” offers a checklist to help you determine whether developing and marketing yourself as a professional public speaker should be in your future. All the best, Steven Spatz President, BookBaby SPECIAL OFFERS  |  FREE GUIDES  |  BLOG  |  CATALOG  |  HELP  |  1-877-961-6878 Discover New Releases & Best Sellers © BookBaby 7905 N. Crescent Blvd., Pennsauken, NJ 08110 info@bookbaby.com   |   Become an affiliate

                                                               

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Book Printing   |   eBooks   |   Editing   |   Book Design   |   Sell Your Book   |   Pricing Get the package that includes the essentials professional authors need. Publishing • 25 softcover books • eBook conversion & distribution • Print On Demand distribution • Two ISBN barcodes Design • Basic Cover Design • Printed book and eBook Interior Formatting Not quite right? Customize your package. Call your Publishing Specialist at 866-707-0024 to get started today. Learn more SPECIAL OFFERS  |  FREE GUIDES  |  BLOG  |  CATALOG  |  HELP  |  1-877-961-6878 Discover New Releases & Best Sellers © BookBaby 7905 N. Crescent Blvd., Pennsauken, NJ 08110 info@bookbaby.com   |   Become an affiliate

                                                               

Today’s topic: Third-party booksellers on Amazon and your royalties.

Book Printing   |   eBooks   |   Editing   |   Book Design   |   Sell Your Book   |   Pricing Time to dip into the mailbag, A number of our esteemed authors have submitted questions that I wanted to address in this public forum. Let’s start with one we hear all the time regarding third-party booksellers who list BookBaby authors’ books. “It appears that third-party retailers purchased [our book] from BookBaby (Suwannee, Book Depository) and advertise on our [Amazon] book page, selling at a profit while we receive none.” —Monti S. Rest assured, Monti. You are being paid exactly the same amount for any sales from these outlets. Here’s what’s happening: The third-party listings you see on your Amazon page are generated by booksellers who have access to your print-on-demand listing through their affiliated wholesale distribution network. These booksellers use algorithms to generate thousands of listings for books without actually buying any books until they’ve converted a sale. They can list it on Amazon at a different retail price and in different conditions, but the book is still originating in the same place (with us!). Most importantly—you’ll still receive the same royalty rate that you agreed to for print-on-demand sales. Here’s a message I received last week from Sharon S. “Thank you so much for the helpful emails and guides. But even after reading those, I absolutely don’t know where to begin with getting my eBook onto Amazon. Other people have told me it’s so easy to do. HELP!” —Sharon S. I hear you, Sharon, and you’re not alone. I receive a lot of these notes. It’s surprisingly difficult getting your books published directly onto Amazon, and yet it’s vital for every author to put their book into the Kindle Direct Publishing platform. I have two ideas for you: Download our free guide, How To Publish On Amazon. It lays out all your options for getting your book into the world’s largest online bookstore. Call us at 877-961-6878 and talk to one of our publishing specialists. They’re available during regular business hours and are here to hold your hand and guide you through the process of publishing on Amazon (and everywhere else)! Finally, I’ve received several emails from authors who have been contacted by so-called “publishing agents.” These messages sound pretty suspect, so I did a little research. Sure enough, our friend Victoria Strauss at the website Writer Beware has some more details to share. Geez…there are some very unsavory characters out there! All the best, Steven Spatz President, BookBaby SPECIAL OFFERS  |  FREE GUIDES  |  BLOG  |  CATALOG  |  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 Voices Silenced: 12 Authors Who Died in 2019 It is time, once again, to remember and celebrate some of the authors who made major contributions to literature, poetry, nonfiction, and beyond who passed in 2019. Read more. Creating a Scene List Synopsis If you’ve written a book synopsis, you probably built it with great scenes in mind. Now’s the time to fill them in and focus on the rhythm of your story. Read more. I’m an Author… Do I Need a Blog? Some say authors should blog for the simple reason that it helps you write more consistently. Blogs build connections and experience. They also take time away from your other activities—like writing your next book. So… do you need a blog?. Read more. SPECIAL OFFERS  |  FREE GUIDES  |  BLOG  |  CATALOG  |  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 If you’ve been tuning in to the new BookBaby Spotlight Podcast, you may have heard how Michel Rubini found success selling his book through his BookBaby BookShop page. He’s even outearned his traditional publishing efforts! It’s time you take charge of your book sales See how BookShop’s features help you score more profits, get paid faster, and keep command of your work: More control Your printed book is guaranteed to always be in stock. Set your own prices and get paid weekly. Personalize your page with a suite of layout options. Collect buyer email addresses and build loyalty with your readers. More profit Sell your eBook in multiple formats and earn 85% of your retail sales. Earn up to 50% of your printed book retail sales. Sell more books with custom discount coupons. More ease Track all of your revenue within your BookBaby account. See where readers are buying your book with interactive sales maps. Lead readers directly to your sales page with our banner link generator. Open your BookShop SPECIAL OFFERS  |  FREE GUIDES  |  BLOG  |  CATALOG  |  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 Jay Arnold is many things: A Philadelphian. A filmmaker. And recently, a professional author in the publishing marketplace. Since December, he’s been successfully promoting and selling his book to readers on Facebook and Instagram. You can promote and sell your book too All you need is your book cover and an ad budget. We’ll take care of the rest: Develop an ad campaign targeting your book’s demographic. Deliver a free proof to approve before your campaign launches. Send readers to your Amazon, BookBaby BookShop™, or personal sales page. Share weekly reports tracking campaign performance, including how many readers saw your ad and reached your sales page. BookBaby was the way to go! “I ran the Facebook ad for six weeks, and reached an audience who never would have seen my book otherwise! One of the best BookBaby features is the BookShop page. I have been using social media to direct potential buyers to this page, and it is much more profitable than using other online catalogs. Working with BookBaby has been an excellent experience all the way around!” — Gary W. Reach more readers SPECIAL OFFERS  |  FREE GUIDES  |  BLOG  |  CATALOG  |  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 Write Your First Draft Like a Movie Script Spotlight the essentials of action and dialogue in your first draft, and then add all the exposition and descriptive “book stuff” the next time around. Read more. Be SMART in Your Approach to the Non-Bookstore Market You might look at the non-bookstore market for your books and think, “Is there a place for me in that market, or is it too big?” 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  |  CATALOG  |  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 Your manuscript looks marvelous. The cover design is divine. It looks like you’re ready to print your book. But maybe you’re not ready to print 100 copies—you want to make sure your book looks just like the one in your dreams. Well, now you can. For $39 you can print a retail-quality proof of your book. Our team of experts will help you realize your dream, no matter what type of book you’re making: Any page count Any trim size Any color Any binding style You can get your book started by saving a quote to your account. But if you’d like a helping hand from one of our professionals, you can give us a call at 1-877-961-6878. “I purchased a single copy as an author proof for a manuscript I’m working on. The submission and editing process was streamlined and relatively painless. I was happy with the prompt and professional service and the high quality of the product I received. I will use BookBaby again in the future.” – James Make your copy SPECIAL OFFERS  |  FREE GUIDES  |  BLOG  |  CATALOG  |  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 Counterintuitive Advice on the Craft of Writing You own all your artistic decisions, so let your heart guide you on your path as you embark on the craft of writing. Read more. Douglas Keister’s Race to Publish a Book About the Paradise Fire Traditional publishing seems to be mentally moored in a slow-lane ethos. What if you don’t have the luxury of time to publish a book? Read more. How to Confound and Frustrate Readers There are rules that form a bond between writer and reader. But that’s so traditional. If you want to make it your mission to confound and frustrate readers and stop them cold in their tracks, these 39 tips will help. Read more. SPECIAL OFFERS  |  FREE GUIDES  |  BLOG  |  CATALOG  |  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 Good morning, Let me share something about our friends at Amazon: They play things pretty close to the vest. What I’m saying is, this mega-corporation rarely shares any kind of revenue or sales information. And that’s especially true for Kindle Direct Publishing—even with BookBaby, one of their biggest self-publishing partners. So whenever the good folks in Seattle DO share numbers with us, it’s a pretty big deal. And this fascinating reveal is worth $300 million to indie authors. That’s the amount Amazon reports paying out in 2019 to indie publishers and authors through its Kindle Unlimited subscription program. That brings Amazon’s total payout for self-published authors up to $2.2 billion since 2012 when it launched this “pay as you read” program that’s much loved by readers around the world. I love sharing good news about how indie authors are succeeding in the marketplace. Unfortunately, it’s tied to some bad news that we’ve learned through experience: Very few indie authors know what Kindle Unlimited is all about! (FYI, Kindle Unlimited is a “lending library” that helps readers discover your books in dozens of countries, including the US, UK, Germany, Canada, Mexico, and beyond. Authors are paid by the number of pages read instead of outright eBook purchases.) Kindle Unlimited is just one of many great sales and marketing opportunities available at Amazon, and self-published authors have found great success using them to launch and promote their eBooks. So how do you learn about all of Amazon’s programs? I know of two options: The DIY route, by going to the KDP site and reading through the 112-page KDP Publishing Guide, Amazon Kindle Publishing Guidelines: How to make books available for Kindle devices and applications, or scouring the internet for recent articles and videos. Or the much easier option: Just call the BookBaby publishing experts at 1-877-961-6878 any time during our business hours. I have to brag on my talented team: they truly are THE Amazon experts. Tens of thousands of authors have learned that BookBaby is the best—and easiest—way to take full advantage of all of Amazon’s programs. Some folks in self-publishing circles make it sound so easy to get your eBook or printed book for sale on Amazon. And for those who take the many hours of time and effort to make it happen themselves—I applaud them. But if you don’t want to spend your nights and weekends figuring out this mammoth marketplace, the folks at BookBaby are really your best friends in helping to sort this out. I suggest you start here, and when your manuscript is ready to go, give us a call to take the next steps. Before I sign off, let me share one last thing. A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about Lee Harvey, a BookBaby author who waited until she was 91 to publish her first book. Here’s a related New York Times story about how Claude McKay’s novel, Romance In Marseille, took 87 years to find its way into the marketplace. All the best, Steven Spatz President, BookBaby SPECIAL OFFERS  |  FREE GUIDES  |  BLOG  |  CATALOG  |  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 People Judge Your Book by Your Headshot The goal of your author headshot is to cement your brand. At all times you should be asking yourself, "What kind of image am I trying to project to the world?" Read more. Alternative Ways to Sell Fiction If you expand your marketing activity to include sales through venues other than bookstores, you are more likely to reach your target buyers where and when they shop. Read more. What Type of Book Editing Do You Need? And When? There are different types of book editing for different stages of the publication process. You should be aware of what kind of editing your manuscript needs and what is involved in each type. Read more. SPECIAL OFFERS  |  FREE GUIDES  |  BLOG  |  CATALOG  |  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 Book printing with all the trimmings Self-publishing may be a complicated business, but we make it our business to make the process easy. No matter what kind of book you’re making, everything you need to print the book of your dreams is right here. The only 100% money-back satisfaction guarantee in self-publishing. Reliable customer service that makes the process easy. Premium quality printing with a wholesale price tag. A complete range of trim sizes, paper stocks, and other options. Your books are ready in as fast as 5 days. Ready to get started? Order 100 or more printed books and get $100 off regular prices. Use code 100OFFBOOK at checkout. What our authors have to say: “For anyone looking to publish, I would definitely say consider BookBaby. I had a great experience and would definitely look forward to working with them in the future.” – Charmisse M. Owens Print your books SPECIAL OFFERS  |  FREE GUIDES  |  BLOG  |  CATALOG  |  HELP  |  1-877-961-6878 Discover New Releases & Best Sellers © BookBaby 7905 N. Crescent Blvd., Pennsauken, NJ 08110 info@bookbaby.com   |   Become an affiliate