BLOG: Eye-Popping Tips

From Karen Saunders

Your Branding, Marketing & Self-Publishing Coach



Posts About ‘Self publishing’

September 26th, 2013 | By: Karen Saunders

3 Creative Ways to Sell More eBooks: Matchbook, Kobo, Ganxy

Kindle Matchbook Program Amazon has just unveiled Kindle Matchbook for ebook publishers. This special program encourages their customers to buy two copies of your book; the printed version at the regular price and the ebook version at a discounted price. Publishers receive approximately 50% royalty on the ebook sold and a standard royalty on the printed book sold. What this means for the publisher is increased revenue; they’re selling two books at one time. The book buyer can immediately download the Kindle version while waiting for the printed version to arrive in the mail. Publishers will need to discount the…

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July 30th, 2013 | By: Karen Saunders

Tips on Creating Eye-Catching Book Covers

Shown below are a few covers our team recently designed for our clients. We strive to create unique eye-catching book covers with attention-grabbing graphics and compelling titles and subtitles. To reach the right target market we need to understand what intrigues and interests those folks. By using carefully chosen keywords and appropriate fonts in the title, selecting symbolic colors and imagery, and using the right style of photos and/or graphics we can create the most effective message for each specific target market. As a result, each book cover appeals to the right audience. The following 2 books are for managers, leaders and directors…

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May 28th, 2013 | By: Karen Saunders

How to Use Radio Talk Shows to Publicize your Self-Published Book

Radio talk show producers are always looking for quality guests, and this is the perfect way to publicize your book at no cost. There are 900 radio talk shows that need guests every day. You can do the interviews right from your home phone. Here are the guidelines to securing an interview and maximizing the experience to promote book sales. Contact the Producers Radio talk show producers – not talk show hosts – are responsible for arranging guest interviews. You should send an email to the producer first to schedule a time for your phone “audition” to pitch your topic….

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January 30th, 2013 | By: Karen Saunders

Should Self-Publishers Enroll in Amazon’s KDP Select Program?

Kindle Direct Publishing Select (KDP Select) is a special program that Amazon offers independent publishers, authors and self-publishers to be a part of the digital Kindle Owners’ Lending Library. You can earn a share of a $6 million fund based on how often your ebook is borrowed through the program. In addition, you can use Amazon’s special marketing tools, which include offering your ebook for free to readers for up to 5 days in each 90-day period. You can also earn up to 70% royalties on sales in Brazil, Japan and India. Ebooks not in the KDP Select program only…

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October 28th, 2012 | By: Karen Saunders

Guidelines for a Properly Formatted Manuscript

Sometimes our team will receive a partial manuscript or a manuscript that has not been edited or proofread. If a self-publisher provides us with a properly formatted manuscript, we can save them time and money on editing and proofreading services. Once the manuscript has been edited and proofread we can move on to the design and layout stage. Your manuscript should be formatted in a typical 8.5″ x 11″ MS Word document so it is easy for you and our editor to review, markup and make text changes. While your manuscript is in the editing stage it will NOT resemble a book page layout. Our graphic designer will do that later during…

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March 23rd, 2012 | By: Karen Saunders

Self-Published Book Printing Options

So you’ve finished writing your manuscript. You’ve hired an editor to edit your book and a designer to create the cover and lay out your interior. Great. Now you’re ready to print your book, so you want to compare self-published book printing options. There are two ways to have your book printed. Your choices are to have it printed conventionally or print on demand (POD). I’ll explain the differences and provide a price chart for two hypothetical books. But, before you can make your printing choice, you need to decide if you want someone to handle the printing process for you,…

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January 1st, 2011 | By: Karen Saunders

The Yellow Brick Road Map to the Book Production Process

Are you publishing your first book? Congratulations! Would you like a road map to show you the book production process and outline each step to go from manuscript to a professional, printed book or ebook listed on Amazon? Over the years of designing books for independent publishers I’ve recognized first-time publishers could use a quick reference guide on time frames, tasks they are responsible for, and how to work with contractors such as editors, designers and printers. I created an easy-to-follow 10-page guide with checklists of action items, standard time frames, an overview of the design process, and where to obtain important items (such as ISBN…

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November 29th, 2010 | By: Karen Saunders

Copyright Tips for Self-Publishers and Authors

This compilation of copyright tips for self-publishers was written by Joyce Miller, one of the experts on my team who specializes in copyright clearance and permissions tracking. Here is her article: In today’s marketplace, whether you are a web designer, an author, a marketing specialist, or any other kind of creative professional, it is imperative that you have some knowledge of copyright laws and understand how to protect your work. Below are some copyright tips for self-publishers. Whether your valued work is a book, an image, a blog entry, or a website page, you should place a copyright notice on it that says to…

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August 31st, 2010 | By: Karen Saunders

Self-Publishers: How to Get Your ISBN and LCCN Numbers

In my daily business I’ve made a couple of observations about my prospects and clients. When an author embarks on the self-publishing path he or she usually has never heard of ISBN or LCCN numbers. Secondly, most first-time self-publishers forget to include the copyright page in their manuscript. This is the most important page in your book. It contains language that protects your intellectual property, has the copyright date, publishing company name, contact information, and has the ISBN and LCCN numbers imprinted on it. Here’s what those acronyms mean and instructions on how complete these essential tasks. How to Get Your ISBN Number The first item on your book production checklist is to order your ISBN number (International Standard Book…

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March 26th, 2010 | By: Karen Saunders

Newsletter Formatting and Page Layout: Part 1

If you’re one of those brave entrepreneurs who’s tried to embrace desktop publishing along with the responsibilities of running your small business, you’ve may have been challenged by the task of creating a page layout for your marketing materials or newsletter. Corporations have an undeniable edge over home-based businesses because they generally have an in-house department filled with skilled marketing experts and graphic designers. In your small business, that task usually falls to you or your administrative assistant, whose training in the graphic arts may be haphazard. A discerning eye can easily spot the difference between a professionally-designed newsletter over an amateur…

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