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Seven Publishing Mistakes Nonfiction Authors Need to Avoid

April 19, 2012 by Barbara McNichol Leave a Comment

By Jerry D. Simmons (used by permision)

Publishers often make mistakes and it is important that writers are aware of the problems that can occur before the process moves along to publication.

Writers who self publish should especially be aware of common mistakes when publishing their own manuscript. Regardless of whether the publisher produces hundreds of titles or one, awareness and avoidance of common mistakes should be practiced.

Here are the seven biggest mistakes that publishers and authors make.

[1] Rushing to Publication

The first is rushing a manuscript to publication before the editorial process is complete or when the manuscript doesn’t deliver. Editors working inhouse are under pressure to deliver on a very tight and strict deadline to meet a publication date. The problem is that the manuscript may not be ready and ultimately will fail because of that fact. With self-publishing the pressure is off and yet too often writers tend to proceed to release date rather than correct the editorial problems.

Nothing can kill a book’s potential faster than rushing to publish a manuscript that is not ready for release. That same principle holds for the self-published who have revised and rewritten their manuscript to death and it still doesn’t work. In that case, the best approach is to avoid publication. Simply place the writing on a shelf and start something new. Rather than make a publishing mistake of this magnitude, the best advice is to delay, not destroy.

[2] Improper Categorization

The second mistake is placing the wrong category on a book that ends up in a spot where readers are not able to locate the title. With big publishers, this happens more than you can imagine because their goal is to segment each category into as many subgenres as possible to gain a competitive advantage.

The problem with that thinking is retailers and online sellers have caught on and now refuse to separate general categories into several sub-categories, thus making it more difficult for consumers to find individual titles or authors.

The same problem holds true for online sales where they are not fighting shelf space but still hesitate to slice and dice too many mainstream categories. This is difficult to understand but the idea seems to be keep things as simple as possible so readers will be forced to browse rather than go directly to what they want. The web site search engines help but online booksellers are smarter than we give them credit for. They have learned to throw as many titles in the face of the searcher in hopes they will purchase more than one .

[3] Title Mistakes

Bestselling authors seldom worry about titles; their notoriety can withstand just about anything. Not so for relatively unknown writers searching to expand their audience.

For both fiction and nonfiction, titles must provide direction for the reader. Romance writers cannot get away with titling their love story The Amazing Race or Guns for Hire. These titles send the wrong message and savvy consumers will often rush right past, regardless of the quality of the manuscript.

Title problems are especially troublesome for nonfiction where subtitles play a major part in the success of the book. If the title does not imply an immediate position for the reader, then often the book gets passed over.

If you are writing a particularly narrow niche manuscript that screams, for example, business finance, then the title should hit that nail squarely on the head. In addition, the subtitle should bring the subject into focus, making selection quick and easy.

With titles, the publisher and author get only one chance, so a mistake in this area can be fatal.

[4] Package Mistakes

Once the title is secure, the package or cover must convey the same message. The best advice is to browse the aisles of a local bookstore for comparison packages of similar titles and take notice of the colors, font, placement of title, and author name, whether photos or illustrations are used as opposed to simple title design without illustrations.

In this case, following the lead of the major publishers is a good idea. If they do one thing well it is package books because they have a tremendous advantage when it comes to knowing what consumers want.

Never get sentimental about specific designs that your friend or relative created for you. While a sweet gesture, if the cover misses the mark, the publication may never recover. Once the title is out in the market, trying to recall for a new look is not only difficult but costly. Plus the issue with pulling one title from the market and eventually replacing with a new one is time consuming. Leave the packaging to the experts and allow them to create a unique design for you with your specific direction. This is the best approach to book packaging.

[5] Pricing Mistakes

Writers value their work at a much higher level than the average consumer.

While every work has value, the truth is that the market sets the price, not the publisher or author. If fiction titles in your category are generally priced in a range separated by four dollars, it is wise to stay from the middle to the bottom of that range. It’s especially true if you are relatively unknown and building a readership. Trying to price yourself at the high end means you will compete for the same dollars as bestselling or notable and more experienced writers.

When it comes to pricing, it is easier to go up rather than go down. A reduction in price often indicates a fire sale when it comes to books and that screams failure. Special promotions with price reductions are fine but it still signals a potential problem. Consumers are smart when it comes to disposable income and they know the market when purchasing books. Price right from the beginning and avoid these issues.

[6] Format Mistakes

Not every manuscript should be published and not every format works for every publication.

Although this mistake is largely an issue for traditional publishers, there are mistakes that self-published authors make with regard to format. For example, print should not always be the first choice. Digital publishing makes a lot of sense when the budget is small and the readership is nonexistent. The question to ask is: why spend the majority of your budget on print when an eBook can produce the same result for much less?

Formats are the various designs for which a publication is produced. They include hardcover, trade paper, mass market paper, for the sake of the self-published a print-on-demand publication, audio and finally eBook. Publishers and authors need to consider the cost of producing each format versus the availability of distribution to reach the intended audience. Print distribution is costly and largely ineffective for the self-published. While eBook distribution is easy and open to all, print is not. Access to the marketplace combined with the marketing budget and intended audience should help to determine the format. Print often results in overprinting, which is one of the most costly format mistakes.

Publishing a paperback simultaneous with an eBook is almost standard for new writers and while both serve different markets, the marketing often cannot support both formats. The shotgun approach of publishing in many formats at once does not often work and failure in one format rarely ends in success in another. Each format requires a different marketing strategy, an approach that does not hold water for every format. Add the category and price into the thinking and it turns out not to be as simple as most think.

[7] Failure to Market

If a publisher or author makes mistakes in any of the six previous areas, then no amount of marketing will overcome the obvious errors in publication. If the publisher or author makes a serious mistake in any one of the six areas,  then the marketing task is made more difficult. In a marketplace that is highly competitive, publishers and authors cannot afford to make even one mistake and expect to overcome the problem with marketing.

For many publishers, the most common mistake is inadequate marketing; failing to provide the title with sufficient exposure to generate sales. In that case, the title is abandoned because the schedule means more new titles are coming quickly and there is not adequate time to recover.

For the self-published, failure to market means a re-start, pulling back and starting over. Books fail to sell copies for many reasons and here are the seven most common mistakes that result in failure.

Summary

Getting all seven points correct does not mean instant success because the competition is tremendous and the market is unforgiving.

Getting all seven points correct gives the publisher and author the best opportunity at achieving success in a very tough environment.

As a writer you cannot be discouraged but rather you need to be empowered with the knowledge that you know what it takes to be successful as an author.

Luck and timing always play a major role but the best chance at meeting your personal and professional goals is to put yourself and your publication in the right position to capitalize on what may happen in the market. Don’t be afraid and don’t give up! Writing and publishing is difficult but only those with industry knowledge, skill as a writer, and a strong temperament can make it as a successful author.

Jerry D. Simmons is a 35-year veteran of New York publishing with Random House and the former Time Warner Book Group. Over the years he has worked on thousands of New York Times bestselling titles and with hundreds of New York Times bestselling authors. Today he spends his time writing about the importance of understanding the marketplace and educating writers about publishing and book marketing. Jerry can be contacted at his web site www.WritersReaders.com

Filed Under: Writing Tips Tagged With: book editing services, book publishing, editing for nonficiton authors, Jerry Simmons, nonfiction authors, self-publishing

Choosing the Right Kind of Editor for Your Nonfiction Book

March 26, 2012 by Barbara McNichol Leave a Comment

by Beth Justino

Choosing an editor is a big step. This is the person you will trust with your words, your ideas, and your vision. How can you choose wisely?

The first step is to understand what kind of editorial service you’re looking for. Editors work with manuscripts in different ways. Some take the “10,000 foot” view, considering your book’s overall structure and theme, while others are basically holding a magnifying glass right up to the details of spelling and punctuation.

Which is right for you? Do you want someone to tear your work to shreds? To suggest alternate endings, or to point out entire chapters that aren’t necessary? Or do you want someone to check the spelling?

While not everyone uses the terms noted below, these are standard descriptions for different editing services.

Developmental:

Also often called a “substantive edit” or “manuscript evaluation.” This service invites an editor to critique your overall manuscript. Feedback often comes in a memo, or in annotated comments throughout the work, that provides general guidelines and feedback for you to tackle revisions. The editor doesn’t actually change anything in the document itself.

For nonfiction manuscripts, the feedback will focus on the impact of your content: its clarity and conviction, the flow of ideas, and the effectiveness of the writing style.

Line:

This is typically the most intense (and some say, invasive) editing, and the place where you really need to trust your editor. Line editors bring out the best in your author’s voice and make your writing shine. That means that sometimes a line editor will make actual content changes to a work.

Line editing represents the highest level of the editor’s craft. Line editors consider what can be trimmed, condensed, or cut in order to improve pace, avoid repetition, and make the experience of a book as engaging as possible. A line edit might include:

  • Eliminating wordiness, triteness, and inappropriate jargon.
  • Giving dialogue more “snap” and bite.
  • Smoothing transitions and moving sentences to improve readability.
  • Extending examples, adding subheadings.
  • Suggesting—and sometimes implementing—more comprehensive additions and deletions, noting them at the sentence and paragraph level.

 Copy:

Copy editing is, I think, what most people envision when they think about editing. The book remains largely in the order and at the pace that it was, and editorial changes happen at the sentence level.

Copy editing may include:

  • Editing for clarity, format, syntax, obvious factual errors, and continuity. 
  • Correcting faulty spelling, grammar, and punctuation.
  • Correcting incorrect usage (such as who for that).
  • Checking specific cross-references (page numbers, references, etc.)
  • Flagging inappropriate or over-used figures of speech.
  • Changing passive verbs to active.
  • Flagging ambiguous or incorrect statements.

 Proofreading:

This is usually the final step in editing, when a detail-oriented, meticulous editor goes word-by-word to correct grammar, spelling, usage, and typographical errors. Proofreaders make sure that spelling (is it grey or gray?), hyphens, numerals, and capitalization are always consistent.

Proofreading fixes what our computer spelling and grammar checkers miss.

Which of these services fits what you need right now?

Beth Jusino is an editor, teacher, and the Director of Book and Author Marketing for The Editorial Department, one of the oldest and most respected author services firms in the United States. There, she evaluates everything from self-help nonfiction to mystery novels, women’s fiction to memoir. She lives in Seattle, where she is a member of the Northwest Independent Editors Guild, and teaches a “Guide to Getting Published” seminar each quarter at the University of Washington’s Experimental College in Seattle. She has published white papers on Writing a Nonfiction Book Proposal and Market While You Write: Developing Your Author Brand While You’re Still Working on Your Book (both available from The Editorial Department for now, and Amazon soon).  Find out more at www.editorialdepartment.com.

 

Filed Under: Editors and Authors Tagged With: Beth Justino, book editing services, copy editing, developmental editing, line editing, nonfiction editing, proofreading, The Editorial Department

Active Construction: The Single Most Important Change Writers Can Make

February 6, 2012 by Barbara McNichol Leave a Comment

by Barbara McNichol

active constructionWhat’s the single most important change you can make in your writing? Learn to use active construction to add clarity and action to your message.

Watch out for “is” words and their various cousins.
Stay alert to phrases like “is happening” or “was being good”;
change them to “happens” or “behaved.” Search out every
weak “is” form in your manuscript and find a strong
alternative.

Avoid “Start” and “Begin”–“Just” too

Don’t overuse the words “start to” and “begin.” What
can you do differently? “Start to rub your hands together”
becomes “rub your hands together”; “allow your energy
fields to begin merg ing” becomes “allow your energy fields
to merge.” Are you guilty of overusing these two weak words?

In fact, I’d put the word “just” in the same “weak” category.
I love what one of my subscribers wrote: “I don’t have a
Begin or Start habit. I do, though, have a Just habit. I just
can’t kick it. It just seems appropriate when you just do
something . . . like I just read your newsletter. Without the
just, I could have read it anytime.”

Lazy Linking Phrases

Add to that a few lazy linking phrases like “there are” and
“there will be.”  Rewrite them! For example, “There will be
many representatives elected” becomes “voters will elect
many representatives.” (Better yet, instead of many, use a
specific number.)

Why do I call these phrases lazy? Because they often lead
into long passive sentences that stem the flow and slow
readers down. When your readers have to swim upstream to
follow what you write, they tend to give up. Better to ease
them along with crisp, sharp prose—especially active verbs!

Yes, I do keep beating this drum about active verbs because
they will make your writing better. Change passive to active
and you’ll see how they improve the flow, enhance the clarity,
and add muscle to the meaning.

Challenge: Rewrite these sentences using active construction:

  1. Passive: This policy is being implemented in an effort to streamline our process.
    Active:
  2. Passive: Improvement will be noted in most cases (or instances).
    Active:
  3. Passive: The procedure was changed in order to reduce the necessary steps.
    Active:

Filed Under: Business Writing Tagged With: active construction, active verbs, active voice, Barbara McNichol, better writing, book editing services, business writing, effective writing, nonfiction book editing, passive voice, professional book editing

Time’s Top 10 Buzzwords – Pay Attention in Your Writing

December 23, 2011 by Barbara McNichol Leave a Comment

by Barbara McNichol

I find “top 10” lists fascinating (I have a list of my own–Top 10 Techniques for Improving Your Writing–downloadable at www.BarbaraMcNichol.com) and I especially love them at year end. What better way to summarize “the year that was.”

Time Magazine has outdone itself this year. Its entertaining list of “top 10” buzzwords for 2011 give a tongue-in-cheek snapshot of current events, with Occupy at the top.

Why pay attention to them? So you can selectively use them in your writing–or avoid them if the meaning gets distorted in context and goes against your purposes.

Curious to know all 10? Click on the link below and list your favorites in the comment box. What buzzwords would you add? What ones do you want to create buzz around for yourself in 2012?

http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2101344_2100571_2100572,00.html

Filed Under: Compelling Special Tagged With: Barbara's Top 10 Techniques, book editing services, professional editing, Time Magazine top ten list, top ten list

Ideas for Picking Titles from Daily Writing Tips

December 17, 2011 by Barbara McNichol Leave a Comment

Editor’s note: I hope you enjoy these fun ways of picking titles from Daily Writing Tips–a fabulous resource for writers.

Picking a title can often be the hardest part of a writing project. Sometimes the title just comes to you, but more often than not, you have to put quite a bit of work into finding just the right one. You may even have to sift through several titles before you find one that sits well with you. Here are a few suggestions to try:

1. Mad Libs

Think of a couple adjectives, nouns and verbs that describe your story. Write them all down on a sheet of paper and combine them into different phrases. Sometimes you can pick up on a title that works.

2. Pick a Part

Look for an important turning point in your novel or just focus on the climax. Describe this event on paper. Pick out the words or phrases that stand out to you in your description. Mix and match these words to see what works for you.

3. Live by Example

Pick out novels or short stories that run in the same genre as your project. Study the titles and how they relate to the story as a whole. Then, look at your project as a whole. Think of the theme or overall message of your book. Write down some words that go along with your theme and work them to see if you can find a fitting title.

4. Go for the Obscure

Avoid the obvious “The” titles like “The Pink Slipper” or “The Brown Dog.” Look for slight recurring themes or undercurrents in your novel and try naming your novel after those subtle nuances. JK Rowling, author of the Harry Potter series, is a genius with titles. The titles, especially the Half-Blood Prince, all highlight under-riding themes that later play a large role in the series as a whole.

5. Appeal to the Higher

Poets usually have a way of weaving words in a beautiful tapestry of art that put prose writers to shame. Read some famous poetry and write down words and phrases that stick out to you. Song lyrics often have the same effect. You can find some powerful titles by mixing, matching and combining words from powerful lyrics.

6. A Writer’s Best Friend

Consult your thesaurus and look up synonyms for commonly occurring words in your novel. Write down as many synonyms as you can to try and get a fresh point of view on an event in your novel. Look up these synonyms in the dictionary to get a better understanding of their meaning. Use different words in context to find a combination that you like.

7. Super Easy Way

Type “title generator” into Google and see what pops up. There are several websites that will either have you type in a couple descriptive words and scramble them for you or they’ll just generate some random titles for a variety of genres. Some, like guywiththecoat.com, just generate extremely random and funny titles. Mostly, these titles are just good for a laugh, like “Pants ride the Bus,” but you may actually be able to find something that works with your project.

Reprinted from Daily Writing Tips, Dec. 16, 2011

Filed Under: Book Writing Tagged With: book editing services, Daily Writing Tips, how to title your book, professional editing services

7 Writing Mistakes Editors are Constantly Fixing

November 17, 2011 by Barbara McNichol Leave a Comment

by Barbara McNichol

What can editors tell writers about improving their writing before they even begin the editing process? Here’s a summary:

Mistake #1.      Being so self-absorbed as a writer that you’re unaware of the reader’s experience. The fix? Know your core message and write to that message, leaving out the experience of writing.

Mistake #2.      Addressing readers as readers rather than a single key person whose interest you want to capture with your message. The fix? Keep a single interested person in your target audience top of mind as you write.

Mistake #3.      Skimming the surface, not going deep enough. The fix? When describing an experience, explain what you felt, what the other person felt as best you can, and what exact words were spoken. Go deeper with the details.

Mistake #4.      Having no rhyme or reason to the order of the paragraphs. The fix? Make a conscious decision about the order based on logic and facilitating your readers’ comprehension.

Mistake #5.      Overusing weak verbs and throwing in extraneous phrases and wobbly words. The fix? Rewrite using active verbs; question use of every adjective and adverb; throw out wobbly words: really, very, much, some that.  “I Really Think That We Should Not Use Some Words Very Much.”

Mistake #6.      Using multiword noun phrases when one active verb will do. The fix? Whenever possible, get an active verb to do the “work.”

Mistake #7.      Writing sentences that ramble (on and on and on and on). The fix? Limit sentences to 15-21 words max but vary sentence length.

Bonus mistake: Mixing metaphors and flat-out choosing the wrong word. The fix? Use a word choice guide like Word Trippers to help you select the perfect word when it really matters.

Filed Under: Writing Tips Tagged With: book editing services, NAIWE, professional book editior, writing mistakes

Make Your Book One-Sheet Work Hard for You

October 8, 2011 by Barbara McNichol Leave a Comment

By Patrice Rhoades-Baum

On the surface, a book/author one-sheet appears simple. After all, it’s one page of sales copy that promotes your book. Toss in a graphic of the book cover, your bio, and photo, and you’re done, right? Wrong!

Your book/author one-sheet is a hardworking marketing and sales tool. As such, it must—

  • help you meet your business objectives to promote and sell your book
  • clearly state the top benefit message for your target audience
  • be professional, both in content and design.

Transforming your one-sheet from a shallow list of information into a strategic tool requires putting on your marketing hat. Use the following 7 steps to guide you.

Take these 7 steps

1. Write down the business objectives for your one-sheet. What do you want this marketing tool to accomplish? Here are some example objectives:

  • “Create a professional-quality one-sheet that makes me shine as a professional.”
  • “Use as a talking guide (like a script) to support my sales calls and visits with buyers.”
  • “Leave with (or mail to) prospective book buyers as a reference sheet, so they have all the information to make a purchase decision, contact me, and buy my book.”
  • “Give to bookstore managers, so they have all info to promote book-signing events.”
  • “Give to media reps, so they have all info when deciding to schedule an interview.”
  • “Position myself as a subject-matter expert who is available for speaking opportunities.”

2. Write down a description of your target audience:

  • Clarify their demographics, needs/wants, and challenges/frustrations.

3. Identify and write down the top benefit your book delivers to your target audience:

  • The buyer must clearly understand how your book will help or educate someone.

4. Identify the target audience who will be using your one-sheet (e.g., owners/managers at local bookstores, buyers at national chain bookstores, buyers for library districts, media reps, etc.).

5. Clarify the call-to-action for your one-sheet recipients. What action do you want them to take?

6. Write professional copy for your one-sheet:

  • Select and hire an experienced copywriter.
  • If you decide to write the one-sheet copy yourself, then hire a marketing copywriter to edit and finalize the copy.
  • Start with writing the copy first, then meet with your designer to give it a professional design.

7. Select and hire a professional designer with one-sheet experience:

  • Book buyers are professionals who expect to see professional-quality materials – both in design and content.

 Write or gather the following content

1. Brief introductory paragraph introducing the book topic and delivering a strong benefit message for the target audience (be clear, concise, and compelling!)

2. Your brief bio, written specifically for this marketing tool

3. Snippets of 2 to 3 book reviews

4. Contact information

  • Publishing company, contact name, and title
  • Phone number
  • Website address (you should have a landing page, at minimum)
  • Email address that corresponds with website address (not gmail or yahoo)

5. Specific book information

  • Retail price for hard cover, soft cover, e-book
  • Bulk discounts, if available
  • ISBN number
  • Book description (example: Business)
  • Page count

6. Include a bold, compelling call-to-action that encourages the buyer to purchase your book!

Graphic elements to create or gather

  • High-resolution image of book cover
  • Thumbnail images of other books you have written, if applicable
  • Your logo, if you have one
  • Your brand colors, if you have them
  • Your professional photo

Don’t cut corners with your one-sheet.  Make it a hardworking marketing and sales tool that shows you off as a pro!

Patrice Rhoades-Baum specializes in branding and copywriting for websites and one-sheets. Backed by 30 years of strategic marketing communications, Patrice teams with authors, speakers, and consultants to clarify their brand, write copy for their websites and one-sheets, and facilitate their logo, website, and one-sheet design/development. Learn more at www.BrandingAndWebsites.com.

 

Filed Under: Writing Tips Tagged With: book biography, book editing services, book one-sheets, branding and websites, Patrice Rhoades-Baum

“How Can I Be a Good Editing Client for You?”

September 12, 2011 by Barbara McNichol Leave a Comment

by Barbara McNichol

Recently, an author and I settled in to have our project-finalizing conversation before starting to edit her manuscript. Price determined. Timelines set. Anticipation high. Before we signed off, she asked with gentleness and genuine interest, “How can I be a good editing client for you, Barbara?”

Quite frankly, this question blew me away—largely because no one had asked it before in my two decades of editing books! Deep inside, my playful side wanted to answer, “Well, accept everything I change, write a glowing testimonial, pay me extremely well, and send me loads of great referrals, too.” But instead, I curbed my enthusiasm and quietly said, “Simply be available to answer my questions during the editing process.” An okay answer . . . well, really kinda lame. Because upon further reflection, I came up with these 7 ways to help turn any book-editing project into an ideal process—for both me and the authors I love to work with.

Ideal Process Point #1: Have a focused understanding of your book’s “reason to be”—that means knowing what this book will do for your readers, for you, and for your business (e.g., solve a problem, provide a new stream of income, open doors to a new niche, etc.). When your goals and overall dream for your book are stated upfront, I can better ensure the writing hits the mark.

 Ideal Process Point #2: Have a feel for what to expect throughout the editing process (e.g., Does the manuscript go through one, two, or three editing reviews for the stated project fee? Is proofreading included? Do you want it to come before the layout stage or after?)

Ideal Process Point #3: Early on, communicate any sense of urgency (e.g., book must ready for an upcoming conference). Planning for tight timelines affects priorities and avoids a “push” that adds crazymaking—and the potential for errors.

Ideal Process Point #4: Understand the level of editing desired—ranging from proofreading to minor edits to major rewrites. Doing a Sample Edit (editing 3 to 10 pages of your manuscript) helps both author and editor assess the level required.

Ideal Process Point #5: In reference to #4, take heed when the editor advises a “deep massage” rather than a “fluff-and-buff” approach to editing the chapters. In my experience, authors appreciate the “deep” treatment when it’s needed to clarify and strengthen their writing so readers can readily understand what you want to say.

Ideal Process Point #6: Hold off making copious changes and additions once the editing process gets underway. Integrating the “new” with the “old” can increase time, expense, and frustration, so make your content as complete as possible from the get-go.

Ideal Process Point #7: Send red roses when all is said and done—just kidding (although it’s happened J). Like most editors, I appreciate receiving a signed copy of the printed book, a testimonial that reflects the benefits of our work together, and a willingness to refer my services to other authors.

Most of all, I appreciate it when the process runs smoothly and we can both reap the rewards of being “good clients” for each other.

 

 

 

Filed Under: Book Writing Tagged With: Barbara McNichol, book editing services, good editing client, nonfiction book editor, working with a book editor

Converting Print to eBook – Lessons Learned

July 21, 2011 by Barbara McNichol Leave a Comment

by Karen Saunders, MacGraphics Services (used with permission)

As an author and independent publisher, I’m always looking for ways to leverage my work. Turning my intellectual property into various products is a pretty obvious solution. The emerging popularity of Kindle, iPads, and Nooks convinced me now was the time to convert my printed book, Turn Eye Appeal into Buy Appeal into an ebook.

 Many Ways to Sell and Distribute eBooks

I discovered there are several routes I could take to sell and distribute my ebooks, depending on how much time and effort I wanted to put into the distribution process. I initially learned that I could use a third-party aggregator to get my books listed on popular ebook sales sites such as Amazon.com’s Kindle department, Apple iBookstore, and Barnes & Noble’s Nook’s department.

All About Aggregators

Third-party aggregators (such as Smashwords, BiblioCore, LuLu, Book Baby, LibreDigital, DarkFire, InGrooves, and many more) help self-publishers convert their books into ebooks and set up distribution with the popular retailers I’ve already mentioned. But the aggregators also take a cut (sometimes a significant cut) of each sale. Some aggregators also use contracts that are digital rights management (DRM)-free. DRM protects the copyrights of electronic media. DRM as applied to ebooks is a proprietary file encryption that helps publishers limit the illegal sale of copyrighted books. This is very important to me, so it was another reason not to use aggregators.

 Direct Portals to Retail Sites

Next, I discovered there are direct portals to each of these retail sites. I set up my own publisher’s account with Apple, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Google. This allowed me to keep a bigger portion of my sales by selecting a discount rate of my choice (the discount rate is an amount I agree to give to the retailer to sell my book) and keep the middleman (aggregator) out of it.

I filled out an application and contract online with each of the retailers and provided information on how they could make payments to my bank account, as well as metadata (information about the book such as copyright date, book categories, ISBN number, keywords, etc). Then I had to convert my book to the proper format they requested, and upload the ebook file and cover image.

Here is a chart on the most popular ebook formats:

Retailer/Location     eReader Device/App       File Format      Publisher’s Connection

Amazon                      Kindle                                Mobi                 Digital Text Platform          

Apple                         iPad                                   ePub                  iTunes Connect

Barnes & Noble          Sony Nook                        ePub                  PubIt

Libraries                     Adobe Digital Editions        ePub                  Local Libraries

Many ways to convert a book into an ebook

My printed book was originally formatted in Adobe InDesign, and I also had an identical version available in a PDF file format. (I can easily output an identical version of my printed book in a PDF file through Adobe InDesign or Distiller.) But these sites didn’t want a PDF file. They wanted Mobi or ePub format.

My book was two columns and had over 200 illustrations and graphics throughout the interior, so it was a fairly complicated layout. I discovered that complex interior formats don’t easily translate into ebook pages.

Although InDesign has a feature that allows me to convert a document into epub, and I’ve seen websites (including Amazon’s) that claim it is easy and inexpensive to translate a file, they just didn’t result in a clean format.

First of all, eBook readers are built to support one long continuous column, so I had to make some major adjustments to my 2-column layout. A proper layout was particularly important to me since my book was about design, layout and marketing! The websites and automated conversion software do convert very simple word documents with pretty good results though.

So I sought the experts in this area; individuals and companies who specialize in ebook conversion services. Because my book had such a complex layout, the price was quite high. I also got a price from a company overseas. I quickly learned that you get what you pay for. As in any service field, the price of the service usually matches the quality you receive.

Overseas Service

I paid a very low price for the ebook conversion service, but I had to spend many hours proofing layout and formatting errors and checking all the links. The titles, subtitles, lists, body copy, and graphics were not formatted in a consistent manner or in a standard book format. Indents and justified formatting were applied to titles and subtitles when they shouldn’t have been. Links were not active or were going to the wrong places, headline text was clipped off, graphics were missing or in the wrong places, and on and on. Eventually after several months of working with the contractor on both the mobi and epub versions of my ebooks, the files were formatted properly and I was able to upload them to the retail sites.

Some things to watch out for:

  • Make sure you have an active table of contents with live links that go to the correct sections in your book interior
  • Make sure your epub document passes the epub validation test (a free test is available at www.threepress.org)
  • Be sure your ebook has its own ISBN number (you can buy a block of 10 ISBN numbers from www.Bowker.com). Amazon will assign its own unique identifier to your book, but Apple requires an ISBN number.
  • Be sure to have an eye-catching cover design with a title that you can read clearly when it is reduced to postage-stamp size.
  • Reformat your front cover to 600 pixels wide by 800 pixels tall at 300 DPI so it maximizes the entire screen on most eReader devices.
  • Check your files on all the ebook software readers and devices. If you don’t own a Kindle, Nook, or iPad, find a friend who does. Download Adobe Digital Editions and Kindle for Mac/PC. Look at your book on each one and make sure everything looks and works properly.
  • Put your table of contents first, even before your copyright page.
  • Be careful about your decision on digital rights management and how you answer this question on contracts.
  • Do the numbers on how to price your book according to the discount rate you pay the distributor/retailer. It sometimes works best to lower your price to get a higher profit margin. For example, Amazon and Apple will pay up to 70% royalty on a book if it is priced between $2.99 and $9.99. They only pay 35% if the book is priced at $10.00 or more!

New Technology and the Lack of Established Standards

As with any new technology, standards need to be established, and ebooks are no exception. There is a lot of debate among developers and publishers regarding a number of issues including whether every ebook format needs a separate ISBN number, the standard order of pages, coding that provides consistent results on every version of each device and software, consistent image size and resolution requirements for cover and interior graphics, formatting that resembles books, navigation, whether the devices supports color imagery, etc. This is where a lot of the labor was spent; trying to make my book look the best on every eReader device out there.

I hope this helps you find your path from printed book to ebook with fewer trials and tribulations.

Karen Saunders and her team of award winning designers help authors and small business owners design their books, build their brand, launch their website and market their business. She now offers ebook conversion services. Visit her website to download a free Book Media Checklist and a free eCourse on How to Create a Best-selling Book Design from the Inside Out www.MacGraphics.net

Note: Barbara McNichol is editor of Karen’s book Turn Eye Appeal into Buy Appeal.

(c) 2011 Karen Saunders

Filed Under: Writing Tips Tagged With: Barbara McNichol, book aggregators, book editing services, convert print book to ebook, ebook formats, Karen Saunders, MacGraphics

Why Wimbledon Tennis Amazes and Engages Me

July 7, 2011 by Barbara McNichol Leave a Comment

by Barbara McNichol

I used to delude myself that watching the pros play their brand of
tennis on TV would benefit my own game (even though I didn’t start
playing until my 40s). I’m not sure how much technique can be picked
up by watching. But what’s even more important to pick up on are qualities like tenacity, strength and deftness, and grace under pressure that the pros model.

Every day I watch the pros, I’m more eager to know how they overcome setbacks and build their careers. Yes, tournament play—like the recent Wimbledon Championships in England—fascinates me, engages me, almost possesses me.

Why? For the same reason it’s impossible to put down a good novel.

Each of the men’s and women’s singles field starts with 128 players
and, within a fortnight, only one man and one woman stand victorious.
In the meantime, unveiling character traits (who’s got the most
resolve? quickness? stamina?) keeps me involved. So does the suspense
(who can remain unphased by former champions?).

In addition to absorbing match after amazing match, I love reading
about the unfolding drama. I’m especially in awe of sports writers who
can hook a whole article on a minute angle. My favorite, Jane Voigt,
turns a sporting affair into a slice-of-life vignette anyone can
relate to.

For example, she wrote a piece for Tennis Server about The Queue—a
line that forms for those vying to buy tickets to Wimbledon’s Centre
Court. She explained how The Queue has evolved into a culture of rules
and politeness.

“The Queue first became a part of The Championships in 1927 when some
27,000 appeared for entry to the grounds. The system has become such a
time-honored experience that the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Museum
established a special exhibition t o trace the history of The Queue.
The Code of Conduct for The Queue details everything from what is The
Queue to the 10 PM cutoff time for music and game playing at the
campsite, plus the maximum number of people allowed in a tent (two).
Alcohol is limited to one bottle of wine . . . Some fans make The
Queue an annual celebration. They like the party atmosphere of the
campsite, which can draw musicians, jugglers, and hacky-sack players.”

What’s my point? That you can turn a seemingly ordinary event into a
slice-of-life masterpiece by writing about it with verve and
originality. Observe. Research. Look for variety. Tell unexpected
things. Within the writing process, you can build character, suspense,
drama—making it like a novel within a book, even a nonfiction book.

Our language is just waiting to be massaged with your insightful and
talented writing. Are you playing with that part of your game
“brilliantly” (as the Brits would say)?

Your turn. When have you turned an observation into a delightful
slice-of-life story? Leave your comments below.

 

Filed Under: Book Writing Tagged With: Barbara McNichol, book editing services, slice-of-life writing, The Queue, Wimbledon Championships, Wimbledon tennis

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