Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Social Media
September 2015
Your Guide to
Self-Publishing
Book Marketing 201
Jane Friedman on
the Library Market
74 New Titles Listed
Reviews Roundup
he self-publishing industry
continues to expand, opening up new opportunities
for young writers and becoming an attractive place
for veteran authors with traditionally
published titles under their belts. The
self-publishing boom broadly benefits all
authors, with new discoverability tools
and innovations to go along with readers
growing interest in self-published books.
But it is also creating a more crowded
field in which authors must struggle to
stand out.
The self-publishing landscape is shifting, requiring authors to evolve their marketing and social media strategies if they
want to stay on readers radars. To take one
prominent example, an active Facebook
author page is not what it used to be. The
social media giant is constantly refining
its algorithms to better spotlight posts
that might be of interest to members and
filter out less-relevant content. This has
made it increasingly difficult for authors
to get noticed, even by readers who already follow them. The marketing firm
Ogilvy & Mather recently reported that in
2014, a Facebook post from a given brand
only reached 6% of that brands followersdown from 16% in 2013.
The basic idea of shouting on social
media about your book has become saturated from a social standpoint, and the
social networks are filtering these out as
best they can to ensure their feeds arent
filled with spam, says Dan Blank, founder of author consultancy WeGrowMedia.
Last fall, Facebook announced that it
will reduce the number of overtly promotional poststhose with words such as
like, comment, or sharein mem-
bers newsfeeds, making it more important than ever for authors to ensure that
their posts encourage interaction from
followers. Blank sees this shift as a good
thing, requiring authors to go back to
their roots of using social media to truly
be social in forging relationships.
Not coincidentally, Facebook has also
expanded its advertising options, making them easier, cheaper, and often more
effective for authors, and ensuring that
paid posts enjoy greater prominence on
member newsfeeds. It is Facebooks way
of placing value on content for brands,
says Emily Taffel, founder and co-owner
of Mugsy PR, which manages publicity
for a number of authors. It is great as a
social user, but as a marketer or a brand
using the site for their promotions, it has
made it very difficult.
The new system means that authors are
now required to pay to play in the social
media space more than they were just a
year ago. If a specific post seems to be getting some attention, it may be worthwhile
for an author to boost the post, investing
a few dollars to help make a popular post
go viral. The ads allow authors to target
their messages based on age, gender, location, education level, income level, and
even relationship status. I see a lot of authors being more open to buying Facebook ads, Blank says.
Getting Visual
Compared to a year or two ago, social media has also become a much more visual
medium, and authors of books with eyecatching elements may find it worthwhile
to have a presence on platforms such as
Pinterest, Instagram, and even Snapchat.
Childrens books, fashion, weddings, and
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Wednesday,
September 30th
1 p.m. EDT
many more of them, says Jim Donovan, speaker and self-published author of titles including the recent Happy@Work. These
new offerings are not about reinventing the wheel. The same
basic rules of book marketing (build a steady list for email newsletters, consider dabbling in paid advertising, anchor it all with
a compelling author website) apply, but the new offerings allow
an author to build on this existing foundation.
Donovan adds that there are more opportunities for crosspollination between marketing platforms and tools, as brands
like WordPress and Squarespace have worked to enhance their
design offerings and social media integration. For example,
Squarespace 7, which launched last fall, offers enhanced social
media integration for cross-posting blog posts and book news,
as well as an Amazon Block for authors to more easily add a link
from Amazon to their site. It also offers authors new Cover
Pages that allow for a splash page to promote a particular new
book or offer.
The popularity of these landing pages points to a more general shift taking place with author websites: demand for brevity.
Rather than hitting visitors with an onrush of details, writers
are finding that to-the-point marketing messages are often the
most effective.
Alan Canton, managing partner of NewMedia Website Design, which works with a number of authors, says that his company has shifted to a less is more approach in its offerings.
That means more basic pages that can easily be shared on social
media and viewed on a mobile device, promoting the book and
its key offeringsbut little else.
Like Squarespaces Cover Pages, NewMedias simple sites
keep the message basic in order to stick out in an increasingly
crowded market. Rather than a comprehensive author site, it is
just a four-screen site for the book, with a home page to capture attention, the next screen with more info about the book,
a third screen about the author, and a final screen with reviews
and testimonials.
New plug-ins and additions are also helping to enhance the
marketing options for authors websites. Donovan has integrated
SumoMe into his WordPress site. It offers plug-ins like List
W E B I N A R S
Marketing
& Social Media
for Indie Authors
Booklife continues its commitment to provide
informative and trusted advice from top industry
professionals. Join Adam Boretz, editor of Booklife
and PW Select, and a panel of industry leaders in
the first of four webinars covering indie authors
most sought-after and in-demand topics.
In webinar #1, sponsored by Publishers Weekly
and Booklife, bestselling author Bella Andre, book
designer and author Joel Friedlander and founder
and president of IndieReader Amy Edelman guide
indie authors through the ins and outs of marketing
a self-published book.
Covering everything from social media and
publicity to book reviews and live events, this
webinar provides indie
authors with a basic
PANELISTS
marketing strategy for
Bella Andre
Bestselling Author
their latest releases and
Amy Edelman
long-term careers.
Registration Fee
Per Webinar: $19.95
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Maximizing Traditional
Channels
Even with the frequent changes in social
media and marketing technology, the
relatively old-fashioned marketing tool
of an email list is proving to have lasting
value. [Email marketing] gives you a
direct conduit into your readers, without
having to worry about the next Facebook
or Amazon algorithm change, says Bryan Cohen, cohost of the Sell More Books
podcast, and founder of the book marketing firm Best Page Forward. Get readers
on your list by offering something for
free, like a free novella or novel, and then
get as much traffic onto the page where
youre making the offer as possible.
Cohen says every other element of selfpublished book marketinggetting online reviews, driving sales shortly after a
books release, and morecan be facilitated by a strong email list. Providers
like AWeber and MailChimp continue to
be the most popular, and offer simple solutions for authors to integrate mailing
list sign-ups into their websites.
Live or virtual author events also remain valuable ways to engage readers
and create opportunities for added media
coverage, and new platforms make such
events easier for authors than ever. Programs like Skype in the Classroom are a
great way for authors who write books for
younger readers to get face-to-face with
students without racking up travel costs.
Other live-streaming apps are making
it easier for authors to interact directly
with fans and potential fans. Both Periscope (owned by Twitter) and Meerkat allow authors to instantly notify their followers of an impromptu video event, inviting comments and interaction in real time.
Network
Despite all the newfangled marketing
tools that are opening up new possibilities for authors, traditional marketing
approaches remain as potent as ever for
indie authors. Chief among these are
making and working personal connections to help expand an authors impact.
Collaborating with fellow authors
whether traditionally published or selfpublishedcan be a powerful way to
boost ones marketing strength. While
group pages on Goodreads, Facebook,
and elsewhere provide an effective way to
communicate with other authors in ones
genre or region, this kind of interaction
can extend into real life as well.
Steven Porter, who oversees integrated
marketing and communications for Stillwater River Publications, provides an
example of this. Three years ago, he and
five other authors in the Rhode Island
area decided to pool their resources and
create the Association of Rhode Island
Authors (ARIA). Together they organized a series of open-mike readings and
a tour of local schools for Reading Week,
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and held monthly meetings where industry figures (agents, editors, designers, and
so on) attended and shared their expertise.
Interest in the activities grew, and
ARIA now takes part in the large Providence International Art Festival and has
forged partnerships with nonprofits like
the School Librarians of Rhode Island,
which established a collection of childrens books by ARIA writers that is
available to circulate among the states
school libraries.
But an indie author does not necessarily need an association to effectively partner with other organizations. Eric Liguori, who teaches entrepreneurship at the
University of Tampa, has published both
traditionally and independently. For his
latest book, The Startup Student, he went
the indie route, but, instead of spending
money on online advertising, he focused
on attracting the interest of organizations whose members would have an interest in the books message. Four organizations proved receptive.
Two of the organizations agreed to do
email blasts announcing the books availability to their entire membership, as
well as promote it via social media during
our launch period, Liguori says. The
third organization gave me free expo
space at their annual meeting to not only
promote the book but build an email list.
The fourth organization immediately
placed an order for 100 copies.
Of course, seeking publicity through
traditional magazines, newspapers, TV
shows, and blogs remains a valuable marketing strategy. But the more crowded
book market makes it more important
than ever for authors to be smart about
what they pitch and to whom.
Media is being pitched more books
than ever, says Kevin Finley, director
of publicity for Leabhar PR, which
works with a number of authors, both
traditional and indie. Targeting media
outlets with tailored pitches [is] critical: why is the book they are pitching a
good fit for the outlet they are pitching? This means being informed about
what the outlet and journalist or editor
writes about.
INDIE SUCCESS
another one.
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D
-L JU
AU S T
NC
HE
RE
JOIN NOW!
bookworks.com
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POETRY
Breakfast with My Fathers
Kevin M. Isaac. AuthorHouse. $16.95
paper (180p), ISBN 978-1-4969-2074-4;
$3.99 e-book, ISBN 978-1-4969-2073-7
Amazon, BN.com
This book is a timeless
journey of self-discovery
that uses verbal photography to explore fond memories, relationships, and
life. It is also a celebration of fatherhood.
MYSTERY/THRILLER
Aberration
Lisa Regan. Sapphire Star Publishing.
$3.99 e-book, ASIN B00D6QKWIA
Amazon, BN.com
When a series of sadistic
murders bearing the same
signature occur in different
parts of the country, FBI
analyst Kassidy Bishop
finds herself the target of a ruthless killer.
Auf Wiedersehen, Lampione
Vincent Palazzo. CreateSpace. $14.99
paper (190p),
ISBN 978-1-4959-5996-7;
$2.99 e-book,
ASIN B012T4S2O0
Amazon, BN.com
Everything dark and disturbing in this thriller begins and ends
with lasagna and cannoli.
The Boy and the Bastard
Russell Newell. Dog Ear Publishing.
$14.99 paper (328p),
ISBN 978-1-4575-3670-0
Amazon, BN.com
At a time before Amber
Alerts and Americas Most
Wanted, on Christmas Day
1977, the young son of the
premier mutual fund manager in America disappears.
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SF/FANTASY/HORROR
The Color of My Blood
John H. Sibley. Sibsartstudio. $12 paper
(257p), ISBN 978-0-692-51639-3
Amazon, BN.com
Sibley wrestles with questions of identity, racism,
Americanism, and alien contact through the lens of the
alien Damon James.
Decomposition
K.M. Boze. Trafford. $15.33 paper
(316p), ISBN 978-1-4907-2169-9;
$3.99 e-book, ISBN 978-1-4907-2170-5
Amazon, BN.com
After Xyla Roses experiment went haywire in Empty
Vessels, Xyla and her friends
are on the run from the zombies to search for safety.
Nightscape: Cynopolis
David Edwards. Imperiad Entertainment.
$14.99 paper (350p),
ISBN 978-0-9897487-3-5
Amazon, BN.com
A former counterculture
radical starts a thought
virus that turns Detroits
dogs feral and its underclass into jackalheaded beasts. The few remaining
humans must find a way to survive.
Pokergeist
Michael Phillip Cash. Chelshire. $12.99
paper (266p), ISBN 978-1-51207496-3;
99 e-book,
ASIN B013KJC49C
Amazon, BN.com
Telly becomes the protg
of world-famous poker
champion Clutch
Henderson. The only catchClutch is a
ghost. Telly and Clutch navigate gambling
in Las Vegas, learning to trust each other.
The Skyview of
Astronauts
Sean Kestrel. Kestrel
Court. $5.99 e-book,
ISBN 978-0-9847840-4-2
Amazon, Apple iBooks,
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ROMANCE/EROTICA
The Amish Heiress
(The Paradise Chronicles, Vol. 1)
Patrick E. Craig. P&J Publishing. $13.99
paper (363p), ISBN 978-0-9965334-0-9
Amazon, BN.com
This novel is part mystery, part romance, and part
thriller. An Amish girl is
trapped in a web of deception and intrigue.
Compromised! A Pride and
Prejudice Variation
J. Dawn King. Joy Dawn
King. $4.49 e-book,
ASIN B01496BFQS
Amazon
When Elizabeth Bennet
finds Fitzwilliam Darcy alone and vulnerable, she makes a decision to bend the rules
of propriety to help someone in need.
Discovery changes their lives.
Let Me Heal Your Heart
Lily Foster. Shore Front
Books. $2.99 e-book,
ISBN 978-0-9905941-7-8
Amazon, Apple iBooks,
BN.com
One hockey phenom, destined for the
pros. One summer hell never forget. One
girl he will never stop loving.
Terms of Surrender
Lorrie Farrelly. CreateSpace. $12.99 paper
INSPIRATIONAL
From Happiness to Tragedy: To Bliss on
the Borderline (Lamentations of a Fool)
Nicholas E. Cleveland. AuthorHouse.
$19.95 paper (264p), ISBN 978-1-49696636-0; $3.99 e-book,
ISBN 978-1-4969-6637-7
Amazon, BN.com
This book describes the
authors roller-coaster ride
through two marriages and
why he stayed with his second wife, who
has borderline personality disorder.
Rainbows and Banana Peels:
Surviving Lifes Knocks with Grace
Katharine C. Giovanni. Newroad
Publishing. $12.95 paper (165p),
ISBN 978-1-931109-04-8
Amazon, Baker & Taylor, BN.com
Giovanni has always met
life with positivity and
laughter, and she needed
every bit of that lifesaving
attitude the day the doctor
told her, You have cancer.
Spectrum of Mind: An Inquiry into
the Principles of the Mind and the
Meaning of Life
J. Michael Yang. Hint Press.
$14.99 paper (252p),
ISBN 978-0-692-37949-3
Amazon, BN.com
Yang explains the principles behind the human mind, how they
can reconcile religion and science or different cultures, and how they deepen our
appreciation of life.
NONFICTION
The Box House
Brigid Marlin. Infinity Publishing.
$12.95 paper (176p), ISBN 978-1-4958-
Amazon, BN.com
To address problems
about educations importance to the competitiveness of business, this book
examines areas of national
education policies, programs, practices,
and resources. It focuses on the stakeholders in the education environment.
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Seven to Seventy:
My Journey Through Time
Lavera Goodeye. iUniverse. $19.95 paper
(262p), ISBN 978-1-4917-1398-3;
$3.99 e-book, ISBN 978-1-4917-1399-0
Amazon, BN.com
In this memoir, Goodeye
recalls her experiences living
with trauma and religious
conflict while building productive careers, creating satisfying relationships, and raising four sons.
CHILDRENS/YA
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Reviews Roundup
This month, we reviewed 26 self-published titles submitted via BookLife, Publishers Weeklys website dedicated to indie authors. Among the highlights are three books that received starred reviews: Day of the
Dragonking by Terry Irving, False Start by Barbara Valentin, and The Rockets Red Glare by John Darrin and
Michael Gresalfi.
Fiction
Bright Morning Star
Tom Coffey. Oak Tree Press, $18.95 trade paper (318p) ISBN 978-161009-169-5
Courier
Terry Irving. Ronin Robot, $14.99 trade paper (302p) ISBN 978-0-9860873-1-8
The Dark
Neil Gibson et al. TPub, $14.99 trade paper (204p) ISBN 978-0-9569434-4-6
Michael Phillip Cash. CreateSpace, $11.99 trade paper (238p)
ISBN 978-1-5114-1134-9
Nonfiction
False Start
Barbara Valentin. Gemma Halliday (gemmahalliday.com), $11.99 trade
paper (216p) ISBN 978-1-5027-6693-9
Help Wanted
Barbara Valentin. Gemma Halliday (gemmahalliday.com), $3.99 e-book
(206p) ASIN B00XK8ZSLK
Private Lines
Ina Coolbrith:
The Bittersweet Song of Californias First Poet Laureate
Aleta George. Shifting Plates (aleta-george.blogspot.com), $19.95 trade
paper (362p) ISBN 978-0-9861240-1-3
Childrens & YA
Darien and the Lost Paints of Telinoria
Jeanna Kunce, illus. by Craig Kunce. Windhill (windhillbooks.com), $16
(192p) ISBN 978-0-9844828-6-3
Emma Gates. Wells Street, $15.95 trade paper (332p) ISBN 978-0-9888906-8-8
Lucky Rocks
Reviews
Fiction
Bright Morning Star
Tom Coffey. Oak Tree Press, $18.95 trade
paper (318p) ISBN 978-1-61009-169-5
Douglass 27th Midnight Louie mystery (after 2014s Cat in a Yellow Spotlight)
is strictly for the faithful. Louie, a
twenty-pound alley cat who thinks hes
Sam Spade, and Temple Barr, the public
relations freelancer with whom he lives in
Las Vegas, Nev., lead lives that are typically full of danger, angst, and confusion. Temple escapes unscathed after an
intruder attacks her in her apartment, but
Courier
Terry Irving. Ronin Robot, $14.99 trade paper
(302p) ISBN 978-0-9860873-1-8
REVIEWS
that the bloodshed is connected with the White
House, Irving uses a lesserknown allegation of Nixonian villainy as
his payoff. The fast-paced action will
appeal to Baldacci and Meltzer fans.
The Dark
Forrest Carr. Premonition, $14.99 trade paper
(300p) ISBN 978-0-692-43602-8
False Start
Barbara Valentin. Gemma Halliday (gemmahalliday.com), $11.99 trade paper (216p)
ISBN 978-1-5027-6693-9
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reviews
desires surrounding Fletcher. Borums
slow-unfolding romance holds few surprises, but thats forgivable in a story as
much about place as people.
Goshena:
Queen of the Big In-Betweena
Chuck Bright and Maureen Burdock.
Dr. Chucky Publications, $19 trade paper
(154p) ISBN 978-0-9907398-0-7
Help Wanted
Barbara Valentin. Gemma Halliday
(gemmahalliday.com), $3.99 e-book (206p)
ASIN B00XK8ZSLK
Lilas Hamsa:
A Novel of Love and Deception
Arlene Kurtis. Xlibris, $19.99 trade paper
(230p) ISBN 978-1-4990-6039-3
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REVIEWS
Private Lines
Emma Gates. Wells Street,
$15.95 trade paper (332p)
ISBN 978-0-9888906-8-8
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dont turn him or his colleagues into miracle workers. The story line is one that
genre readers will find familiar, but
Darrin and Gresalfi give it new life and
urgency through a combination of taut
prose, punchy chapters, and convincing
detail.
Ten Percent:
Hollywood Can Be Murder
DL Bruin. DL Bruin, $15 trade paper (324p)
ISBN 978-0-9743479-0-5
REVIEWS
takes a nicely cynical view of Hollywood
and its players. LAPD homicide detectives Maxine Maximum Calderas and
Greg London have landed a red ballthe
search for a murderer the press has dubbed
the Coyote, who strangles women and
dumps them by the highway. Meanwhile,
a parallel story charts the ascent of actor
Cody Clifton,
whose star is on
the rise after he
lands the lead role
in a TV PI series.
Codys ambition is
stoked by a classic
greedy and heartless agent, Shelly
Monroe, who has
channeled her own
frustration at not succeeding as an actress
into squeezing whatever she can out of the
Hollywood dream machine, and who has
no scruples against viewing her clientele
as just a warm-blooded means toward that
end. Predictably, the two story lines intersect, but the payoff will surprise some
readers and makes the book more than
just a broad parody of the entertainment
industry.
The World as We
Know It
Curtis Krusie. CreateSpace,
$12.99 trade paper (334p) ISBN 978-1-50612001-0
Krusies debut novel delves into a philosophy of the apocalypse, focusing on one
mans journey to decipher the great mysteries of life. Before the collapse of the
world financial markets, Joe was a man
who seemed to have it alla high-paying
job, a loving wife, the right car, a big
house. When the collapse comes, hes left
with little more than his wife, friends, and
shelter on a friends farm. Lacking insight
about his place in this new world, Joe sets
out on a nationwide tour on horseback
with the intent of helping set up a new
postal system. His search for answers
takes him through
the best of
humanity and the
worst of his own
stupidity. Though
it has an
intriguing
premise, the narrative is very light
on traditional
ideas of faith and
focuses more on idealized notions of what
life is like without common institutions.
Heavy-handed sections often overwhelm
the topical plot, making for typical
bluster about the end of days where whispers among wayward survivors would
have done just fine.
Nonfiction
Good Decisions... Most of the Time:
Because Life Is Too Short Not to
Eat Chocolate
Danielle Brooks. Aviva (avivapubs.com),
$27.59 (404p) ISBN 978-1-938686-63-4
REVIEWS
Nutritional therapist Brooks
uses the image of the
hallway of life, which we
can use to walk toward either illness or
health. According to her, by incorporating the nutritional foundations
described here, everything else will fall
into place. Brooks provides information
about simple carbohydrates and outlines
the no-sugar challenge, the books first
nutritional foundation. Other sections
feature complex carbs such as legumes
(regarding vegetables, Brooks said, Eat
as many as you like), healthy fats and
oils, and water and electrolytes. Brooks
also covers recipes such as vanilla rumsoaked pineapple, roasted garbanzo bean
snacks, and an herbal brain booster. Each
section has a simple homework assignment and lesson about the psychology of
food. Those lessons cover awareness of
choices, heeding your inner voice, and
even meditating your way out of eating
French fries. Brooks bolsters her insights
with nutritional nuggets (fish oil might
help achy legs; seafood eaters should add
dandelions to their diets). Even with all
the information imparted, the books
most appealing aspect is Brookss patient,
authoritative voiceno preaching, no
cheerleading, just an informed guide
sharing useful advice.
Ina Coolbrith:
The Bittersweet Song of
Californias First Poet Laureate
Aleta George. Shifting Plates (aletageorge.blogspot.com), $19.95 trade paper
(362p) ISBN 978-09861240-1-3
In this noble
but unsatisfying
biography of
Californias first
poet laureate,
George attempts
to bring Ina
Coolbriths story
to a wider audience. Coolbrith was born Josephine Smith
in 1841 Illinois, named for her uncle,
Joseph Smith Jr., the founder of the
Mormon church (a fact she concealed by
changing her name). In 1851, her family
moved to California, where Coolbrith
began her career, first publishing poetry
at age 15. She became a contributor to
magazines such as the Californian and the
Overland Monthly, was published by Bret
Harte in Californias first poetry
anthology, and formed friendships with
such notable figures as Mark Twain,
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Childrens & YA
Darien and the
Lost Paints of Telinoria
Jeanna Kunce, illus. by Craig Kunce. Windhill
(windhillbooks.com), $16 (192p) ISBN 978-09844828-6-3
REVIEWS
walls of an underground city are lit by
tubes filled with luminescent fish). Craig
Kunces delicately etched b&w illustrations help add to the magic of a fantasy
starring a heroine empowered to do the
right thing. Ages 8up.
Lucky Rocks
Murray Richter. Ten Story (tenstorybooks.com), $11.99 paper (180p) ISBN 978-09916348-8-0
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