self-publishers Archives - Speakipedia https://speakipedia.com/tag/self-publishers/ The Presentation & Storytelling Encyclopedia by Dave Bricker Sun, 16 Jun 2024 12:02:38 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.1 https://speakipedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/cropped-puzzle-globe-60x60.jpg self-publishers Archives - Speakipedia https://speakipedia.com/tag/self-publishers/ 32 32 Writing is Design: Avoid Writing Clichés for Better Prose https://speakipedia.com/writing-cliches/ Thu, 13 Jun 2024 13:12:20 +0000 http://theworldsgreatestbook.com/?p=3099 Since time immemorial, clichés have sneaked in the door when we least expect them to. They’re low-hanging fruit for writers who abscond with them quickly instead of striving for excellence. But to the trained eye, writing clichés stick out like … More ☛

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]]> Want a Traditional Publishing Contract? Do Your Homework https://speakipedia.com/traditional-publishing/ Thu, 13 Jun 2024 13:12:17 +0000 http://theworldsgreatestbook.com/?p=611549 This article discusses the pros and cons of traditional publishing. Abandon your biases, study the business of publishing, and choose the publishing method that best suits you and your book. Perhaps the biggest myth in publishing is that as a … More ☛

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]]> The Perfect Book Sales Page https://speakipedia.com/perfect-book-sales-page/ Thu, 13 Jun 2024 13:12:15 +0000 http://theworldsgreatestbook.com/?p=4531 Tom Morkes published The Perfect Book sales Page on his blog. I’m usually the first person to reject formulaic approaches to book marketing. Many well-written books are horrible products. But what I like about Tom’s template is that it forces … More ☛

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]]> Publishing Scams and How they Work https://speakipedia.com/self-publishing-scams/ Thu, 13 Jun 2024 13:12:14 +0000 http://theworldsgreatestbook.com/?p=3193 Many self-publishers start their book projects with unrealistic expectations and misunderstandings about how publishing works. A huge industry has arisen to prey on writers who are unsure of the path. This article explains the basics of how publishing scams work … More ☛

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]]> How to Produce Audiobooks with Amazon ACX https://speakipedia.com/acx/ Thu, 13 Jun 2024 13:12:13 +0000 http://theworldsgreatestbook.com/?p=4333 This article explains how to produce and market a professional quality audiobook using Amazon ACX. Through ACX (Audiobook Creation Exchange), I was able to audition voiceover talent, choose a professional producer, review the work in progress, and make my audiobook … More ☛

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]]> Self-Publishing Scams: Keep the “Self” in Self-Publishing https://speakipedia.com/self-publishing-scams-2/ Thu, 13 Jun 2024 13:12:13 +0000 http://theworldsgreatestbook.com/?p=4497 Here’s an addendum to Publishing Scams and How they Work. I wonder why so many authors, after spending thousands of hours working on a book, fail to conduct a few critical hours of research that will save them thousands of … More ☛

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]]> Not Selling Books? Did you do the Math? https://speakipedia.com/selling-books/ Thu, 13 Jun 2024 13:12:08 +0000 http://theworldsgreatestbook.com/?p=3363 You threw a grand party but nobody came. Your novel is so good but you’re not selling books. What happened? You were supposed to appear on Oprah’s show. Terry Gross isn’t calling you for an interview. You may be an … More ☛

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]]> The Grammar of Book Design https://speakipedia.com/book-design-grammar/ Thu, 13 Jun 2024 13:12:07 +0000 http://theworldsgreatestbook.com/?p=3023 Are images analogous to words? Is what makes a sentence sound “right” the same thing that makes an image “pop” or a jazz solo “burn?” The similarities are noteworthy but the differences are important. Just as the best of writers … More ☛

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]]> Blogging to Build a Speaker or Author Platform https://speakipedia.com/author-platform/ Thu, 13 Jun 2024 13:12:05 +0000 http://theworldsgreatestbook.com/?p=2818 How can speakers, indie writers, and self-publishers use a blog to build a platform? This article explains how to publish online content to build community around your books. Build a Platform: Set up Your Blog A blog (short for web … More ☛

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]]> Book Cover Design: Judging a Book by its Cover – Part 2 https://speakipedia.com/judging-book-cover-design-2/ Thu, 13 Jun 2024 13:12:05 +0000 http://theworldsgreatestbook.com/?p=2893 Part 1 of Book Cover Design: Judging a Book by its Cover critiqued “professional” covers taken from Amazon’s Editor’s choice list. Read that article first as it provides background for this one. The article looked at design elements that worked … More ☛

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]]> What’s a Professional Editor Worth? https://speakipedia.com/whats-editor-worth/ Thu, 13 Jun 2024 13:12:03 +0000 http://theworldsgreatestbook.com/?p=2729 What do you think a professional editor’s pay scale should be? Assume that a proofreader would be at the bottom of the scale and a developmental/line editor would be at the top. An examination of the work editors perform sheds … More ☛

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]]> Co-Publishing – Alternative Path or Another Trap for Writers? https://speakipedia.com/co-publishing/ Thu, 13 Jun 2024 13:12:02 +0000 http://theworldsgreatestbook.com/?p=2570 I recently published a post about the difference between vanity publishing and true self-publishing. Fundamentally, the article defines a publisher as “someone who takes the risk on a book.” Vanity Presses represent themselves as publishers and accept royalties while the … More ☛

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]]> Book Cover Design: Judging a Book by Its Cover – Part 1 https://speakipedia.com/judging-book-cover-design-1/ Thu, 13 Jun 2024 13:12:02 +0000 http://theworldsgreatestbook.com/?p=2803 Nothing screams “amateur” like a poorly crafted book cover. The standards for book design aspired to by trade publishers are not all that high, but self-publishers routinely fall short of them. If you want your book to be taken seriously, … More ☛

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]]> Reality Checklist for Self-Publishers https://speakipedia.com/self-publisher-reality-check/ Thu, 13 Jun 2024 13:12:00 +0000 http://theworldsgreatestbook.com/?p=2383 One question that loops endlessly on writers’ forums is “How can I sell more books?” The question is a natural one, but for many self-publishers, it betrays a certain lack of awareness about the publishing business. Lest I sound holier … More ☛

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]]> Self-Publishing & Vanity Publishing: Confuse Them and Pay the Price https://speakipedia.com/self-publishing-vanity-publishing/ Thu, 13 Jun 2024 13:12:00 +0000 http://theworldsgreatestbook.com/?p=2437 What is true self-publishing? What is the difference between self-publishing and “vanity publishing” or “subsidy publishing?” How do these differ from “traditional publishing?” Don’t publish until you understand these terms; that knowledge can make or break your book. Learn about … More ☛

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]]> Gatekeepers and Self-Publishing https://speakipedia.com/gatekeepers-selfpublishing/ Thu, 13 Jun 2024 13:11:58 +0000 http://theworldsgreatestbook.com/?p=2256 Indie publishers complain that the mainstream publishing establishment acts as a “gatekeeper.” Many readers rely on big publishing houses to filter out low quality books—even though trade publishers regularly print celebrity crap with impunity. Indie publishers often see themselves as … More ☛

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]]> Self-Publishing: Art or Business? https://speakipedia.com/self-publishing-art-business/ Thu, 13 Jun 2024 13:11:57 +0000 http://theworldsgreatestbook.com/?p=172 The very idea of "book marketing" is vague. It's like subsuming advertising and fine art sales into a single realm of "image marketing." And in tacking marketing on as the de facto second phase of writing a book, a lot of worthy artists' resources are placed in jeopardy.

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]]> Book Design Basics Part 1: Margins and Leading https://speakipedia.com/book-design-part-1/ Thu, 13 Jun 2024 13:11:50 +0000 http://theworldsgreatestbook.com/?p=826 Book design is a lost art. Though book design discussions usually focus on covers, consider how much more time a reader spends staring at the text. An elegant book block is just as important. Decades ago, professional tradesmen practiced the … More ☛

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]]> Book Design Basics Part 2: Optical Margins, Indents and Periods https://speakipedia.com/book-design-part-2/ Thu, 13 Jun 2024 13:11:50 +0000 http://theworldsgreatestbook.com/?p=930 Part 2 of Fundamentals of Book Design explores optical margins, paragraph formatting and spaces. Read about margins, layout and leading in Part 1. The self-publishing revolution is (aside from the Internet) the greatest thing ever to happen to freedom of … More ☛

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]]> Self-Publishers Should Not Be Self-Editors https://speakipedia.com/self-editors/ Thu, 13 Jun 2024 13:11:49 +0000 http://theworldsgreatestbook.com/?p=560 Editing is one of the first hurdles you’ll encounter as an independent writer. Your fan club is your enemy. Encouraging friends who think it’s “wonderful you actually wrote a book” are not unbiased editors. A good editor will put your … More ☛

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]]> Many Unhappy Returns – Think Outside the Bookstore https://speakipedia.com/many-unhappy-returns-think-outside-the-bookstore/ Thu, 13 Jun 2024 13:11:47 +0000 http://theworldsgreatestbook.com/?p=202 If you’re hoping to have mainstream bookstore distribution, using a Vanity Press may present some obstacles. Book buyers will likely tell you, “your book may be excellent, but you’re using a Vanity Publisher and the vast majority of their books … More ☛

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]]> Stop Picking on POD https://speakipedia.com/stop-picking-on-pod/ Thu, 13 Jun 2024 13:11:47 +0000 http://theworldsgreatestbook.com/?p=297 A great technology is getting a bad rap for the wrong reasons. Print On Demand (POD) technology is often mislabeled "Publish On Demand," which consequently associates it with the Vanity Publishing world; a realm inhabited by a few reputable operators and a large number of scammers waiting to prey on naive writers. While it's true most Vanity Publishers do rely on POD technology, the majority of reputable self-publishers and many small traditional publishers do, too. POD is entirely disconnected from matters related to whether you own your own ISBN numbers, share rights and royalties with a third party, own your cover artwork or choose one distribution chain over another. It's just a digital book-manufacturing technology. After all the business arrangements are decided on, a file is sent to a POD printer and books are then manufactured to order in quantities as small as a single book. POD is just a printing technology—and it's a great one.

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