I spoke with the founder of Kirkus Discoveries, the paid review service today. The topic was Publisher's Weekly, but naturally the conversation turned to paid reviews and the inherent difficulty that lies therein.
On one side, there is something to be said for the value to the author. Securing reviews is tricky since the number of books published so heavily outweighs the number of reviewers available to review them. One advantage a publishing service provider can offer is the ability to help an author overcome those odds.
On the other hand, the moment a review is "paid for" its creditability is called into question (the same can be said for paid-for-mention blogs and more on that at a future date).
Kirkus Discoveries seems intent to counter such prejudices by being particularly brutal in its reviews of on-demand books. Is that biting the very hand that feeds it, or is that simply its way of maintaining its impartial MO? According to the founder (not sure if he wants to be mentioned or not, which is why I'm referring to him like that), Kirkus has a reputation for being somewhat callous and cruel in its reviews anyway.
Our major competitor offers th "Kirkus Review" for $360, which is $10 more than anybody can get it for from the Kirkus website. Presumably the $10 additional fee above and beyond was is available directly from the Kirkus website is their service fee (ie, profit), but knowing what I know about the 50-word "reviews" coming out of Kirkus Discoveries (that's $7 a word, in case you're calculating), I wonder if that publisher is coming to the same conclusion their authors are coming to -- that paying $350 for a bad review kind of...sucks.
That's where the Outskirts Press Marketing COACH helps. Not only does it tell you what to do; it tells you what to avoid. But if you're the gambling type and feel like playing roulette, place $350 on black at http://www.kirkusreviews.com/kirkusreviews/discoveries/index.jsp
Monday, August 27, 2007
Friday, August 24, 2007
Revising Print-on-Demand books
One of the advantages of publishing a book on-demand is being able to make moderate changes to it after publication without absorbing a whole new publishing fee, and without having to "eat" high quantities of books that you paid for in-advance with an off-set printer.
However, the publishing logistics involved in administrating post-publications is a daunting one. At Outskirts Press, we apply a lot of administration and technical resources to our post-publication revision process.
From my stand-point, I can see why many other on-demand publishers do not offer revisions at all. It's complicated from an information management and systems point of view. But, by not offering revisions, many publishers are removing one of the core advantages of POD. If you accidentally let a misspelling slip by (it happens to the best of us) or want to add a cover quote that you just received, there is nothing more liberating (and financially responsible) to being able to do so without taking a major hit to your wallet.
Few authors plan on making revisions to their book after publication while seeking out a publisher to begin with. But it is something to keep in mind as you look for the publishing service that is best for you. Will revising your book cost just as much as starting over from scratch? Make sure you have all the flexibility you need, in terms of post-publication revisions, setting your own pricing, and keeping all your rights. Your book deserves it.
However, the publishing logistics involved in administrating post-publications is a daunting one. At Outskirts Press, we apply a lot of administration and technical resources to our post-publication revision process.
From my stand-point, I can see why many other on-demand publishers do not offer revisions at all. It's complicated from an information management and systems point of view. But, by not offering revisions, many publishers are removing one of the core advantages of POD. If you accidentally let a misspelling slip by (it happens to the best of us) or want to add a cover quote that you just received, there is nothing more liberating (and financially responsible) to being able to do so without taking a major hit to your wallet.
Few authors plan on making revisions to their book after publication while seeking out a publisher to begin with. But it is something to keep in mind as you look for the publishing service that is best for you. Will revising your book cost just as much as starting over from scratch? Make sure you have all the flexibility you need, in terms of post-publication revisions, setting your own pricing, and keeping all your rights. Your book deserves it.
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Denver Business Journal recognizes Outskirst Press as 3rd fastest growing privately-held company in Colorado
In the category of "better late than never" I figured I would share some exciting news from July. Every year the Denver Business Journal recognizes the fastest growing privately-held companies in Colorado, based upon reported revenue for a three year period of time. The companies that demonstrated the greatest overall percentage of revenue growth between 2004 - 2006 were honored at a breakfast banquet in downtown Denver. The fastest growing company was a software company (Rally, I think), out of Boulder. The second fastest growing company was also a software company.
Outskirts Press was the third fastest growing privately held-company, which is a testament to the value our authors find in our services.
Even though I live and breathe this industry every day and night, it takes a step out into the other business sectors to realize just how revolutionary (and still brand-new) the concept of print-on-demand publishing truly is. When I was speaking at the podium while accepting the award, and explained what it is we do, there were surprised and amazed looks on the faces in the crowd. "I can pull that old forgotten manuscript out of my bottom drawer, dust it off, and give it to you and actually be selling it from Amazon in about 12 weeks?" their jaw-dropping expressions seemed to ask.
Writers and authors who are already searching for a solution to their publishing woes are already well-informed about their publishing choices.
But 95% of our market remains untapped, because these are people who would never think of typing "self publishing" into Google.
Our task is tapping them...
Outskirts Press was the third fastest growing privately held-company, which is a testament to the value our authors find in our services.
Even though I live and breathe this industry every day and night, it takes a step out into the other business sectors to realize just how revolutionary (and still brand-new) the concept of print-on-demand publishing truly is. When I was speaking at the podium while accepting the award, and explained what it is we do, there were surprised and amazed looks on the faces in the crowd. "I can pull that old forgotten manuscript out of my bottom drawer, dust it off, and give it to you and actually be selling it from Amazon in about 12 weeks?" their jaw-dropping expressions seemed to ask.
Writers and authors who are already searching for a solution to their publishing woes are already well-informed about their publishing choices.
But 95% of our market remains untapped, because these are people who would never think of typing "self publishing" into Google.
Our task is tapping them...
Monday, August 20, 2007
WRITER’S DIGEST PARTNERS WITH OUTSKIRTS PRESS FOR 4th STRAIGHT YEAR
Outskirts Press, Inc. has signed an agreement extending our publishing partnership with Writer's Digest. For the fourth year in a row, Outskirts Press will publish the Writer's Digest Writing Competition Collection, which is the anthology of winners from Writer’s Digest’s most established annual writing competition.
Writer’s Digest magazine sponsors one of the oldest, most prestigious annual writing competitions in the country. The compilations published by Outskirts Press showcase competition winners while the broader distribution available through Outskirts Press increases visibility of the Writer’s Digest brand in the publishing community.
Obviously, we are excited to continue our publishing partnership with Writer's Digest. We both cater to savvy, professional authors who recognize the importance of high-quality. It's a natural match.
Writer’s Digest magazine sponsors one of the oldest, most prestigious annual writing competitions in the country. The compilations published by Outskirts Press showcase competition winners while the broader distribution available through Outskirts Press increases visibility of the Writer’s Digest brand in the publishing community.
Obviously, we are excited to continue our publishing partnership with Writer's Digest. We both cater to savvy, professional authors who recognize the importance of high-quality. It's a natural match.
Friday, August 17, 2007
Outskirts Press Award Winning Books
Yesterday I introduced our affiliation with the EVVY Awards. Last March, Outskirts Press won the most awards by a publisher. Below are the winners.
FIRST PLACE
Building a Champion Character: A Practical Guidance Program
Primary Version
by Susan R. Rose, M. Ed.
Category: Workbooks
Judge’s comment: “Perfect for counselors and parents.”
Defending Liars
In Defense Of President Bush And The War On Terror In Iraq
by Howard L. Salter Category: Political/Social
Judge’s comment: “The author put a lot of time and research into this book.”
RV Rentals
A Vacationer's Guide
by Dave & Kay Corby
Category: Travel
Judge’s comment: “Packed with information.”
SECOND PLACE
Christmas Tree Advent Calendar
A Country Quilted and Appliquéd Project
by Ruthy Sturgill Category: How to
Judge’s comment: “Well organized.”
The Struggle Among Ideas
A Tourist Guide to the Natural World and the Human Predicament
by J. Ivey Davis Category: Political/Social
Judge’s comment: “Nicely woven history of philosophies.”
The War Chest
by Gary W. Buehner Category: Business/Finance
Judge’s comment: “Brilliant!”
THIRD PLACE
Blue Max
Missions & Memories
by N. G. Brown Category: Non-Fiction/Experiences
Judge’s comment: “Very realistic view of the Vietnam War.”
See Sally Kick Ass
A Woman's Guide to Personal Safety
by Fred Vogt Category: How to
Judge’s comment: “Very clear, very straight-forward.”
Simple Successes
From Obstacles to Solutions with Special Needs Children
by Rachelle Zola Category: Parenting
Judge’s comment: “Professional, through and through.”
Wake Up with Fleas
by Carla Kienast Category: Fiction
Judge’s comment: “Well paced and entertaining.”
MERIT AWARDS
Aidan’s Shoes
by Brent Sampson Category: Children’s
Judge’s comment: “The storyline is truly wonderful.”
Fly Me to the Moon
Bipolar Journey through Mania and Depression
by H. E. Logue, M.D. Category: Fiction
Judge’s comment: “Beautifully designed and immediately intriguing.”
Full-Bodied and Peppery
Chronicles of a Western Colorado Wine Wench
by Christine Feller Category: Fiction
Judge’s comment: “A delightful book.”
Into the Light
A Phantom of the Opera Story
by Debra P. Whitehead Category: Fiction
Judge’s comment: “Loved it!”
The Literary Six
by Vince A. Liaguno
Category: Fiction
Judge’s comment: “Maintains interest and suspense from page one. I had trouble putting it down.”
FIRST PLACE
Building a Champion Character: A Practical Guidance Program
Primary Version
by Susan R. Rose, M. Ed.
Category: Workbooks
Judge’s comment: “Perfect for counselors and parents.”
Defending Liars
In Defense Of President Bush And The War On Terror In Iraq
by Howard L. Salter Category: Political/Social
Judge’s comment: “The author put a lot of time and research into this book.”
RV Rentals
A Vacationer's Guide
by Dave & Kay Corby
Category: Travel
Judge’s comment: “Packed with information.”
SECOND PLACE
Christmas Tree Advent Calendar
A Country Quilted and Appliquéd Project
by Ruthy Sturgill Category: How to
Judge’s comment: “Well organized.”
The Struggle Among Ideas
A Tourist Guide to the Natural World and the Human Predicament
by J. Ivey Davis Category: Political/Social
Judge’s comment: “Nicely woven history of philosophies.”
The War Chest
by Gary W. Buehner Category: Business/Finance
Judge’s comment: “Brilliant!”
THIRD PLACE
Blue Max
Missions & Memories
by N. G. Brown Category: Non-Fiction/Experiences
Judge’s comment: “Very realistic view of the Vietnam War.”
See Sally Kick Ass
A Woman's Guide to Personal Safety
by Fred Vogt Category: How to
Judge’s comment: “Very clear, very straight-forward.”
Simple Successes
From Obstacles to Solutions with Special Needs Children
by Rachelle Zola Category: Parenting
Judge’s comment: “Professional, through and through.”
Wake Up with Fleas
by Carla Kienast Category: Fiction
Judge’s comment: “Well paced and entertaining.”
MERIT AWARDS
Aidan’s Shoes
by Brent Sampson Category: Children’s
Judge’s comment: “The storyline is truly wonderful.”
Fly Me to the Moon
Bipolar Journey through Mania and Depression
by H. E. Logue, M.D. Category: Fiction
Judge’s comment: “Beautifully designed and immediately intriguing.”
Full-Bodied and Peppery
Chronicles of a Western Colorado Wine Wench
by Christine Feller Category: Fiction
Judge’s comment: “A delightful book.”
Into the Light
A Phantom of the Opera Story
by Debra P. Whitehead Category: Fiction
Judge’s comment: “Loved it!”
The Literary Six
by Vince A. Liaguno
Category: Fiction
Judge’s comment: “Maintains interest and suspense from page one. I had trouble putting it down.”
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Book specifications for qualifying for EVVY Award Nominations
In the category of "better late than never" this posting and the one tomorrow will share the Official Outskirts Press 2007 EVVY Winners. A previous post (about 4-5 postings ago, but 5 months ago) mentioned the official Outskirts Press EVVY Nominees. From that list of nominees, Outskirts Press received 15 EVVY Awards last March, the most ever from a participating publisher.
The EVVY Awards are sponsored by the Colorado Independent Publishers Association (CIPA) and are open to all Colorado publishers. Named after CIPA's founder, Evelyn, the EVVY Awards recognize excellence in independent and self-published books.
Just being nominated as an Outskirts Press Official EVVY Nominee is an honor. Less than 5% of the books Outskirts Press publishes each year are nominated and the books must pass a set of criteria, both technical and subjective. These are the same set of criteria we know the independent, 3rd-party judges use when judging all the EVVY submissions.
The technical specifications are good rules to follow for anybody working on publishing a book. It is surprising to discover the number of publishers who do not deliver the basic requirements of a book:
A barcode must appear on the back
The ISBN must appear on the back
The price should be clearly apparent
The copyright page should contain all the relevant data and be organized
A book without a barcode or an ISBN is not a book, as defined by the industry. The U.S. ISBN agency requires that any non-children's book be at least 48 pages in length to qualify legitimately for an ISBN. Non-children's books of less than 48 pages are not classified as books and should not be assigned ISBN numbers. Problems arise when book-mill publishing companies do not enforce these operating standards; the authors end up paying the price, not due to negligence so much as lack of education.
Tomorrow I will recognize our 2006 EVVY Award winners.
The EVVY Awards are sponsored by the Colorado Independent Publishers Association (CIPA) and are open to all Colorado publishers. Named after CIPA's founder, Evelyn, the EVVY Awards recognize excellence in independent and self-published books.
Just being nominated as an Outskirts Press Official EVVY Nominee is an honor. Less than 5% of the books Outskirts Press publishes each year are nominated and the books must pass a set of criteria, both technical and subjective. These are the same set of criteria we know the independent, 3rd-party judges use when judging all the EVVY submissions.
The technical specifications are good rules to follow for anybody working on publishing a book. It is surprising to discover the number of publishers who do not deliver the basic requirements of a book:
A barcode must appear on the back
The ISBN must appear on the back
The price should be clearly apparent
The copyright page should contain all the relevant data and be organized
A book without a barcode or an ISBN is not a book, as defined by the industry. The U.S. ISBN agency requires that any non-children's book be at least 48 pages in length to qualify legitimately for an ISBN. Non-children's books of less than 48 pages are not classified as books and should not be assigned ISBN numbers. Problems arise when book-mill publishing companies do not enforce these operating standards; the authors end up paying the price, not due to negligence so much as lack of education.
Tomorrow I will recognize our 2006 EVVY Award winners.
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Navigating the Amazon Sales Ranking
A companion piece to the audio file I posted yesterday is the separate article I published about Amazon's Sales Ranking. Here I try to explain how the ranking works and define what value you can derive from it:
First, the disclaimers: Since the algorithm Amazon uses to generate its sales ranking is proprietary, the details contained herein are extrapolated from research and field tests. The resulting consensus finds Amazon’s system to provide marginal sales data at best.
To whit, read Amazon’s own definition of its system, slightly paraphrased from their FAQ: “The Sales Ranking system exhibits how books are selling. The lower the number, the higher the sales. The calculation is based on sales and is updated each hour to reflect recent and historical sales of every item sold. We hope you find the Amazon.com Sales Rank interesting!” This last sentence seems to indicate Amazon’s own perspective on the importance with which the sales rankings should be viewed.
You’re not supposed to find the sales rankings informative or helpful. You’re supposed to find them interesting.
In actuality, the process is somewhat more convoluted than they let on. Only the top 10,000 books are updated every hour and the ranking does not depend upon the actual number of books sold, but rather, on a comparison against the sales figures of the other 9,999 books within that same hour. Simultaneously, a trending calculation is applied to arrive at a computerized sales trajectory. So, hypothetically, a book that held a ranking of 2,000 at 2pm and 3,000 at 3pm, might hold a 4,000 ranking at 4pm, even if it actually sold MORE books between 3-4 than it did between 2-3.
Books with rankings between 10,000 and 100,000 are recalculated slightly differently. Current projections, as well as historic sales information play a key role in these calculations. In fact, the predictive nature of the Amazon ranking system is what makes it possible for a newly-released book to outrank an older established title, even though the actual sales figures for the latter far exceed the former.
Books with rankings over 100,000 are applied with historic sales information and projections, although in the case of these books, history takes a back seat. Sales projections and trending take an active role here, which is why a book’s ranking can leap from 900,000 to 200,000 in the span of 24 hours or less. Does this mean the book has sold 700,000 copies in 24 hours? Absolutely not! What it does mean is that recent activity (i.e. purchases) for that book is trending higher than those 700,000 books it just surpassed. But, don’t get excited just yet; since the activity of those 700,000 other books range from slow to stagnant, one or two orders are sufficient to catapult a ranking.
If a book’s ranking breaks into the top 100,000, the sales history calculation starts to rear its head, which is why a “phenomenon” book has a hard time maintaining a high, legitimate ranking. A phenomenon is defined by a book that leaps from the high hundred-thousands into the lower thousands (or better) in the span of 24 hours or less, usually due to some concentrated marketing initiatives. Since Amazon’s sales history for that title doesn’t support the leap, the spike occurs and then quickly drops again.
HOW DOES ALL THIS TRANSLATE TO ACTUAL SALES FIGURES?
Since the data is recalculated every hour, it’s impossible to get cumulative sales figures, although those figures are applied to the algorithm during the calculation. No, to get a very rough idea of the actual number of books being sold, the sales ranking has to be dissected dynamically, with the same immediacy as the ranking being calculated. Chart the ranking of a top 10,000 book every hour for 24 hours and divide by 24 to arrive at its average daily ranking.
First, the disclaimers: Since the algorithm Amazon uses to generate its sales ranking is proprietary, the details contained herein are extrapolated from research and field tests. The resulting consensus finds Amazon’s system to provide marginal sales data at best.
To whit, read Amazon’s own definition of its system, slightly paraphrased from their FAQ: “The Sales Ranking system exhibits how books are selling. The lower the number, the higher the sales. The calculation is based on sales and is updated each hour to reflect recent and historical sales of every item sold. We hope you find the Amazon.com Sales Rank interesting!” This last sentence seems to indicate Amazon’s own perspective on the importance with which the sales rankings should be viewed.
You’re not supposed to find the sales rankings informative or helpful. You’re supposed to find them interesting.
In actuality, the process is somewhat more convoluted than they let on. Only the top 10,000 books are updated every hour and the ranking does not depend upon the actual number of books sold, but rather, on a comparison against the sales figures of the other 9,999 books within that same hour. Simultaneously, a trending calculation is applied to arrive at a computerized sales trajectory. So, hypothetically, a book that held a ranking of 2,000 at 2pm and 3,000 at 3pm, might hold a 4,000 ranking at 4pm, even if it actually sold MORE books between 3-4 than it did between 2-3.
Books with rankings between 10,000 and 100,000 are recalculated slightly differently. Current projections, as well as historic sales information play a key role in these calculations. In fact, the predictive nature of the Amazon ranking system is what makes it possible for a newly-released book to outrank an older established title, even though the actual sales figures for the latter far exceed the former.
Books with rankings over 100,000 are applied with historic sales information and projections, although in the case of these books, history takes a back seat. Sales projections and trending take an active role here, which is why a book’s ranking can leap from 900,000 to 200,000 in the span of 24 hours or less. Does this mean the book has sold 700,000 copies in 24 hours? Absolutely not! What it does mean is that recent activity (i.e. purchases) for that book is trending higher than those 700,000 books it just surpassed. But, don’t get excited just yet; since the activity of those 700,000 other books range from slow to stagnant, one or two orders are sufficient to catapult a ranking.
If a book’s ranking breaks into the top 100,000, the sales history calculation starts to rear its head, which is why a “phenomenon” book has a hard time maintaining a high, legitimate ranking. A phenomenon is defined by a book that leaps from the high hundred-thousands into the lower thousands (or better) in the span of 24 hours or less, usually due to some concentrated marketing initiatives. Since Amazon’s sales history for that title doesn’t support the leap, the spike occurs and then quickly drops again.
HOW DOES ALL THIS TRANSLATE TO ACTUAL SALES FIGURES?
Since the data is recalculated every hour, it’s impossible to get cumulative sales figures, although those figures are applied to the algorithm during the calculation. No, to get a very rough idea of the actual number of books being sold, the sales ranking has to be dissected dynamically, with the same immediacy as the ranking being calculated. Chart the ranking of a top 10,000 book every hour for 24 hours and divide by 24 to arrive at its average daily ranking.
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
IPOD Listening - All About the Amazon Sales Ranking
Right before my recent book SELL YOUR BOOK ON AMAZON was published, I was interviewed about the Amazon Sales Ranking for a podcast. The audio interview is available via the play buttons below. I figured I would include it here since we touched upon my book in the last posting as I try to play catch-up with all that has transpired in the world of print-on-demand book publishing since my updates last spring.
It was my intention through this interview (and by writing the book itself) to dispel many myths about Amazon, its sales ranking, and publishing on-demand in general, particularly as it applies to self-publishing writers. A common misconception that occurs in relation to the Amazon sales ranking is an author's belief that the ranking is a quantifiable indication of book sales. The ranking is more complex than that. Sure, there is no doubt that the latest Harry Potter book (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows) is selling millions of copies and therefore has a #1 ranking on Amazon (which it has held for months before its release). But what does a ranking of 454,000 mean? Or, furthermore, what does it mean when a book's ranking jumps from 3 million to 700,000 in one day? Does that mean hundreds of books suddenly sold? No. (But it MAY mean that 1 sold).
The interview started on the subject of the Amazon Sales Ranking, and then we found ourselves discussing many other aspects of Amazon as well. You can listen to it using the buttons below:
It was my intention through this interview (and by writing the book itself) to dispel many myths about Amazon, its sales ranking, and publishing on-demand in general, particularly as it applies to self-publishing writers. A common misconception that occurs in relation to the Amazon sales ranking is an author's belief that the ranking is a quantifiable indication of book sales. The ranking is more complex than that. Sure, there is no doubt that the latest Harry Potter book (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows) is selling millions of copies and therefore has a #1 ranking on Amazon (which it has held for months before its release). But what does a ranking of 454,000 mean? Or, furthermore, what does it mean when a book's ranking jumps from 3 million to 700,000 in one day? Does that mean hundreds of books suddenly sold? No. (But it MAY mean that 1 sold).
The interview started on the subject of the Amazon Sales Ranking, and then we found ourselves discussing many other aspects of Amazon as well. You can listen to it using the buttons below:
I hope you enjoy it and find it informative.
Monday, August 13, 2007
Sell Your Book on Amazon
Outskirts Press has been very busy since I last updated this blog a few months ago (not counting the quick post I uploaded yesterday from our most recent e-newsletter). I will try to simultaneously bring you up to date and also stay current on new developments. Today I submitted my latest book SELL YOUR BOOK ON AMAZON to two different book award contests. Contests are a dime a dozen, so I'm trying one to see if we would be comfortable recommending our authors to it next year. It's the Best Books 2008 awards by USABookNews.com. Worth it? We'll see. The other I submitted to is the Benjamin Franklin Awards, sponsored by PMA. This is a well-known contest, although I still have my reservations about it, probably because their judges seem to have reservations about on-demand books (judging from the list of previous winners). But, ultimately, that tide will turn. It's just a matter of when.
Since we're discussing SELL YOUR BOOK ON AMAZON, it's also worth noting that in the previous months I submitted it to a number of other contests, too, including ForeWord Magazine's Book of the Years, and the one sponsored by Writer's Digest.
One last comment about SELL YOUR BOOK ON AMAZON. The month is was published, it reached #29 overall on the bestseller list on Amazon, and #2 in its category. It's nice when a book practices what it preaches.
Since we're discussing SELL YOUR BOOK ON AMAZON, it's also worth noting that in the previous months I submitted it to a number of other contests, too, including ForeWord Magazine's Book of the Years, and the one sponsored by Writer's Digest.
One last comment about SELL YOUR BOOK ON AMAZON. The month is was published, it reached #29 overall on the bestseller list on Amazon, and #2 in its category. It's nice when a book practices what it preaches.
Sunday, August 12, 2007
Self-published authors share their experiences and frustrations
Yes, taking that leap to become a published author
can be a little scary. And selecting the right publisher for
your book can be tricky. Sometimes the answers are just as confusing
as the questions. Get ready to hear from the authors themselves--
writers just like you who researched publishing companies and
made the best decision for their book.
Join us sharing in their hopes, fears, and dreams;
they may sound familiar to you...
“After
five years of trying to work with traditional publishers, vanity
presses, and literary agents, I found Outskirts Press, Inc.
That was less than a year ago. Today my book, The Unlikely Agent,
is listed on Ingram, Amazon.com, and Barnes and Noble. But how
was Outskirts Press to work with? They did everything they said
they would and sometimes even more. Their people are friendly,
helpful, and very understanding of a first time author. Ask
a question and it is answered promptly and completely. My experience
with Outskirts Press has been positive and I will definitely
use them again when The Unlikely Sleuth is finished.
Thank you.” - William Walker, author of The
Unlikely Agent
“After
three books and four years with a literary agent, I was unsuccessful
getting published. I decided to look into self-publishing and
spent a great deal of time researching prospective publishers.
I decided on Outskirts Press because of their professional reputation
in the industry. What a fabulous decision! It only took a few
short months to have my book in my hands and it was exactly
how I envisioned! Thanks Outskirts Press! Get ready for my other
two books that I'm planning on publishing soon!” - Thane
C. Crozier, author of Dreams
Come True
“I've
been shopping manuscripts around since I was thirteen years
old, and I've got a box of form rejection letters a mile high.
Nothing made me stop believing in myself, but Outskirts Press
was the first publishing company to give me a chance. Through
Outskirts, I've been able to do more than get published--I've
been successfully published. My book is available in hardback
and paperback; customers will find it at Borders and in other
bookstores. Through this process, I've been able to retain complete
creative control of my little vampire story--no one told me
what cover to use, what the price was going to be, or what to
change in the manuscript itself. My book is still mine. Because
of Outskirts, my book can now be yours, too--I've never been
this happy with any decision in my professional life.”
- Marcus Damanda, author of Teeth
“I
have been trying to find a good publisher for the past 15 years.
I was so discouraged by rejections and poor suggestions about
my illustrations that I packed my book away in the basement,
and there it sat until I found Outskirts. I have been delighted
with Outskirts' service. My Author Representative was very helpful,
as well as encouraging and friendly. Since I drew my own color
illustrations for my children's book, Outskirts Press provided
me step-by-step instructions on how to prepare them into a print
ready file. A lot of publishers are not willing to take the
time to show you the tricks of the trade. As a matter of fact
I am so encouraged that I am now working on my second children's
book.” - Sally H. Taylor, author of The
Magic in You!
“There
are no words to describe the joy I am feeling deep inside. For
approximately eleven years, I have searched for just the right
publisher who would make my dream of becoming an author come
true. You and your team have gone above and beyond my wildest
imagination of how my book would ultimately turn out. It is
beautiful! I would recommend Outskirts Press to anyone seeking
publication while still maintaining total control of their works.
My next book will definitely be published with Outskirts Press
and the wonderful people who make getting it done so comfortable
and easy. Thank you, thank you, thank you!” - Janice Harris,
author of The
Journey
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