Crowdfunding Campaigns December 2013 by Justine Schofield Many publishers and self-publishers know by now that crowdfunding lets you raise money to launch a book, gauge the audience for it, and minimize the financial risks of the publishing process. But, given many crowdfunding platforms to choose among, it can be hard to decide which platform is …

(SEE ALSO: Part 1) As the hub of your online presence, your publisher Website has many different functions, including: branding and positioning to promote your publishing house promoting your authors merchandising your books and other products courting the media staying in touch with your customers providing an ordering portal for your consumer, commercial, and/or wholesale …

Why All Self-Publishers Should Sell Direct December 2013 Suw Charman-Anderson The self-publishing process has become pretty well established by now; a received wisdom shapes every entrepreneurial writer’s secret dreams: 1. Write book 2. ??? 3. Profit! Amazon is the secret sauce that many self-publishers rely on to propel them to the authorial stratosphere, hoping that …

A press that got its start serving pioneers is celebrating its greatest coup: the right to publish the autobiography of one of the most beloved pioneers, Laura Ingalls Wilder. The South Dakota State Historical Society Press already has hundreds of orders for Pioneer Girl: The Annotated Autobiography, scheduled for a summer 2014 launch with previously unpublished …

The Top 10 Mistakes Entrepreneurs Make December 2013 by Rana DiOrio As independent publishers, author-publishers, small-business owners, and/or vendors supporting the content-producing industry, we are all entrepreneurs. I took on that role in 2009 by starting a children’s media company after I had spent years working in law, finance, and private equity. Throughout my career …

From the Written Word to the Spoken Word: Our Audiobook Journey December 2013 by Bill Boik As I started to write this article, we were preparing to release our first audiobook through Audible.com. We had not planned to release an audiobook this year, but then Lorraine Lotzof Abramson, the author of our bestseller—My Race: A Jewish …

The CEO’s New Challenge: Managing Two Companies at the Same Time December 2013 by Joseph J. Esposito It is not unusual for the heads of publishing companies nowadays to feel that they have to manage two companies simultaneously. The first company is the established business. This business has products in the marketplace, a staff dedicated …

A Book Marketing Timeline December 2013 by Tanya Hall Marketing a book is hard work, no doubt. Countless books, articles, blog posts, conference speakers, and so on remind us of this on a regular basis and give us initiative after initiative to pile onto the book launch to-do list. So how does a publisher prioritize …

PUBLISHED DECEMBER 2013 by Angela Bole, CEO, Independent Book Publishers Association — Think about how a trade group like IBPA forms. Members of a community realize they face common problems, and they come together to solve those problems. I’ve heard this idea expressed in a beautiful way by Ken Michaels, chair of the Book Industry …

Spotlight November 2013 by Linda Carlson Closeup: John Mutter A delightful conversation with John Mutter—IBPA board member and co-founder of the Shelf Awareness publishing newsletters—recently touched on espresso, comfortable chairs, e-publishing, and many other things that go into selling books these days. It was delightful in part because Mutter’s fun to talk with, and also …

How to Succeed with School Visits November 2013 by Kevin Gerard If you write fiction for children, school visits are an enjoyable and profitable way to promote your books. With a little finesse and a lot of persistence, you can develop rewarding friendships with school librarians close to where you live and—if you dream as I do—maybe …

Press releases can be seen as an art form (and some are), but mostly they are just news sent to the right people at the right time. As I’ve learned from my own experience, the key points for writing them are: Identify exactly what you want to say and who your target is. Keep it …

What POD Can Do, Part 3 The reports from IBPA members that you’ll read here reflect, and to some extent document, one of the biggest and most important publishing revolutions ever. Like members’ contributions to the first two parts of this series, this collection shows that stubborn financial barriers to book production have crumbled to …

Because Authors Are Our Greatest Assets November 2013 by Theodore P. Savas As the managing director of a niche publishing company that specializes in the American Civil War, I need to make sure we continue to generate the revenue required to produce the quality books our customers have come to demand, expect, and enjoy. Anyone …

It’s a ubiquitous complaint these days: One of your titles is being offered as a free download by a Website. Your author saw the offer during one of the Internet searches she does from time to time to see how her work is being received and reviewed. She wants to know what you are going …

E-Book Cover Design Tips November 2013 by Bethany Brown You may be focusing your sales and marketing efforts on print books, with e-book versions also available. Or you may be focusing on your e-books while making a printed edition available through CreateSpace and/or Lightning Source. Either way, your e-book cover is important. Here are seven …

The Language of Publishing T-Z November 2013 by Linda Carlson Welcome to the concluding installment of our printing and publishing glossary. We’ve now demystified both centuries-old printing lingo and the jargon of 21st-century publishing, starting with acid-free and acquisitions editor, and wrapping up this month with x-height and Zip file. If you’ve missed any of the issues with A through S, see Independent magazine at ibpa-online.org. Coming …

Mass Miscommunication: Ten Ways to Stop Misusing Digital Tools and Undermining Results November 2013 by Geoffrey Tumlin Technology offers more and more opportunities to connect with others, yet the way we use it often creates disconnects. Here are ten counterintuitive but concrete tips, based on my experience as a communication consultant, to help you avoid …

(SEE ALSO: Part 2) Indie publishers who understand the need for a comprehensive marketing plan for each season and each year also understand that a significant, coordinated online presence is part of that plan. Your publisher Website is the hub of your online presence, with the various social media channels—blog, Twitter stream, Facebook page(s), LinkedIn …

PUBLISHED NOVEMBER 2013 by Angela Bole, CEO, Independent Book Publishers Association — When I’m asked to describe the independent publishers and self-published authors who choose to join IBPA, I say they’re the kind who understand that publishing is a business and, knowing this, join IBPA to become better business people. But what does this mean? …