This Week in the Blogs, September 29 – October 5, 2018

by Shelley Sturgeon | Oct 7, 2018

Table of Contents

By Shelley Sturgeon

It’s Thanksgiving weekend here in the Great White North, a time to reflect upon all that we are grateful for. My list is long but you and all of the readers of The Book Designer are on it. Thank you.

So, are you ready to sit back, relax and do some reading? Another selection of great articles this week filled with information and tips for indie authors.

Melissa Bowersock on Indies Unlimited
eBook Gift Cards – Dropcards
“Recently I heard about this new (to me) thing: putting eBooks on a gift card to give away or sell at events. I have often thought that having eBooks to sell for a lower price than paperbacks would be a nice alternative for potential readers who balk at a typical paperback price.”

Stephanie Chandler on Nonfiction Authors Association
How many books can you expect to sell? The truth about book sales and the keys to generating income from publishing
“Recently I read a post in an online writers’ forum that broke my heart. A woman reported having dipped into her savings AND retirement accounts to invest in several expensive book marketing educational programs with the expectation that they would help her sell huge quantities of books.”

Yvonne Shiau on Writers Digest
The Anatomy of a Book Cover: A Guide for Authors
“Despite the popular saying, the cover of a book is what readers will use to judge the contents of your book. It could make the difference between readers walking (or scrolling) past it — or buying it.”

Nate Hoffelder on The Digital Reader
The Four Bios Every Author Needs
“If you Google author bios you will find a million different articles, each with their own recommendation. Be short and too the point. Use the third person. Simply say who you are, and give your publishing credit. Be formulaic.”

Debbie Young on Self Publishing Advice From The Alliance Of Independent Authors
Why Every Indie Author Should Publish Audiobooks (Abooks)
“Most indie authors start their self-publishing careers with ebooks and paperbacks, but the growth in audio makes a compelling argument for expanding their range into audiobooks (abooks).”

Too Good to Miss

David Wogahn on AuthorImprints
KDP Print ISBN Options: How to Choose and Converting from CreateSpace-2018
“KDP Print ISBN options are the same as they were with CreateSpace. If you choose the free ISBN option, be aware of its limitations. As always with ISBNs, the devil is in the details and usage depends on your goals.”

Anne R. Allen on Anne R. Allen’s Blog… with Ruth Harris
Want to Self-Publish Fiction Successfully? Follow These 9 Tips
“You can’t cross your fingers, pray for a rave review in The New York Times or Publishers Weekly, put on a book launch party, and wait for the money to roll in. (Which hardly ever happens except in the fevered dreams of aspiring authors.) … Self-publishing means opening a business.”

Sabrina Ricci on Digital Pubbing
128 Resources on the Who’s, What’s, Where’s, When’s, Why’s, and How’s of Book Marketing and Other Publishing Tidbits
“All right folks, time for another epic list! I noticed I’d accumulated a lot of WWWWWH links, and thought it’d fun to put them all together here. They’re mostly about book marketing, but some are about other aspects of publishing (and not always about books), and some are just for fun. Enjoy!”