Insider Information for the Self Publishing Writer

Finally! Publishing Gems: Insider Information for the Self-Publishing Writer is done and on press. It should be published within the week. We'll definitely meet the CIPA deadline. Now on to finalizing Adventures in Publishing, including decided how we're going to distribute it, to whom, and whether there will be a cost. We're having a short BOD lunch meeting today to iron that out.

Here's the cover of Publishing Gems. I'm very happy with it. Now, the work of promotion begins in earnest.

So much to do

I have to determine what to do with these blogs vis-a-vis the website. We already know they'll eventually serve a SEO purpose, but they might be a nice addition to the author center, along with instructions for Authors to create their own blogs. Or, we might use the RSS feed, so the OutskirtsPress.net SEO site has more dynamic content. The SEO was determined to be a pretty high priority, and falls close to the top of my list after the books and fixing the cookies.

Speaking of the books, hereI'll try to get the back of Publishing Gems uploaded soon. I also have a better look of the Adventures in Publishing book -- the one we'll use for advertising. The back will be done this week. In fact, everything with both of them will be done this week because we have to get Publishing Gems into the distribution network with Ingram before the CIPA college on the 17th. I also need to look into the premiums -- shirts, mugs, etc -- with the OP logo. Lot's to do, which means updating the blog may come lower on the list.

Self Publishing Guide Book

I mentioned the cover in my last post. Here's a low-res image of Adventures in Publishing: An Interactive Guide to Publishing Your Book. I have to use low-res so it doesn't take forever to load.



Adventures will have a retail price of $10.95 through normal distribution, although our BOD is still trying to determine what methods we will use to get this book into the hands of writers. There will probably be more about this book and distribution of it and the software (which I'll get to once it's published) at OutskirtsPress.net.

Maximize yourself on Amazon

I've read several articles where some of the "tools" or "resources" available on Amazon.com help drive traffic to books, and secure people as experts. In the interest of experimenting with this phenomenon first-hand, I've established an Amazon.com "personality" with the screen name of outskirtspress. I'm creating some lists in "listmania" and writing some articles under the "So you'd like...." section. Like all things SEO related, this could take some time and it'll be 6 months or more before I know whether or not it was time well spent.

To create your own lists and articles on Amazon, which are then (reportedly) shared throughout the Amazon.com network, simply create a Friends and Family page -- or is that a cell phone plan? It's something like that. Nothing on Amazon is very challenging, so have fun.

Self Publishing on the CHEEEAP

I always get a kick out of checking out some of our competitors. There are a couple of dot-com publishers (who I differentiate from the POD publishers since the dot-commers at least understand the necessity of a new pricing model, to some extent). They offer to publish your book for free (with a whopping 3-4 (I think) different formats, rather than the 15 offered by Outskirts Press. But here's the kicker. Your BASE PRICE (the amount you have to pay for each book) is at least $10. At least! Ouch. Who's going to buy that? Oh, right ... nobody, because in addition to gouging you on the price, they don't distribute your book anywhere.

Just for kicks and shingles, I signed up to see how their interface worked. Maybe it was a work in progress, but I was hopelessly confused -- and I'm a relatively savvy fellow in terms of web design AND publishing. Who would deal with them?

Yet, lots of books are being published in that sad, sad manner. I just don't understand.

On a happier note...

Judith Briles, the president of CIPA, will also be providing a cover blurb for PUBLISHING GEMS. I've asked her if she would consider writing the forward -- no word yet.

And just cuz I gotta --- OutskirtsPress.net.

Adventures in Publishing

Adventures in Publishing, also referred to as our publishing guide, is nearly complete. I had to basically rewrite it when we changed the site. The cover concept is complete too -- it closely resembles our current Writer's Digest ads.

Promotion in Industry Pubs Paramount

You can never get enough promotion and exposure for your book.

In collaboration with Publisher's Weekly and Publisher's Marketing Association, we're offering an opportunity for our published books to be mentioned/promoted within the pages (or on the cover) of Publisher's Weekly. The details are within our free email newsletter, which comes out every 10 days. Here's the story:

Your Book on the Cover of PUBLISHER'S
WEEKLY

Would you like to see your published book on
the cover of the March 7th, 2005 issue of Publisher's Weekly?

Outskirts Press has an exciting offer for you
in association with the Publisher's Marketing Association.

10-12 covers will be featured on the cover of
the premier publishing industry publication. Publisher's Weekly
will also feature 8-10 titles per page on subsequent pages throughout
the magazine.

Each title placement includes a picture of your
cover and ordering information about your book, including your
OP Webpage, ISBN, and price.

If you have published your book with Outskirts
Press and would like to participate, we need to receive your reservation
by no later than February 5, 2005.

Please note: We CANNOT guarantee placement on
the cover since only 10-12 titles will be featured on the cover.

All other titles will be placed in their specific
genre directly following the front cover. All books will be displayed
in 4-color. We will inform you by no later than February 25 if
your book is among those chosen for the cover.

Cost for this opportunity is $600 per title.
If you would like to request the front cover of Publisher's
Weekly, there will be an additional $500 fee involved, bringing
the total cost to $1100 if your cover is one selected for the
cover.

We will refund the $500 cover fee if your book
is not chosen for the cover. We will refund your payment in full
if your book is not chosen to be included in the the publication.

If you would like to participate, please notify
us at info@outskirtspress.com
and we will update your author's center for secure payment. Indicate
in the email whether you want the Front Cover option. We must
receive payment prior to February 5 if you wish to see your cover
in the pages (or on the cover) of Publisher's Weekly.

Here's the link to our newsletter in its entirety. You can subscribe for free from our website. February 1 Newsletter.

Other updates on the Writer's Digest publication, their contest sponsorship, my book, getting blurbs, press releases, and more... coming... later.... to .... much... to .... do.