I'm writing a book. First one. Really excited but concerned about publishing ?

Should I go for self publish or email traditional ones? Anyone who has faced this issue, please drop your thoughts

I'm really torn on how to end my novel. My main character finally achieves the thing she's wanted throughout the story, but should I end it on that note? Or add a mini-epilogue showing what's happened in her life since? I don't want the end to be boring, but the story seems somehow incomplete without writing a "follow-up". Or is it better to just leave it to the reader's imagination? Opinions appreciated!

I have had quite a few people, suggest I should make a business when I finally start publishing, While I appreciate the advice, no one has really told me the nitty-gritty of how to start one or the value it will being to my writing. I'm hoping to find some advice here

I’d say that my work falls under literary fiction. Though I do take advantage of genre elements when it suits me since I read a variety of books I’m interested in. I’ve been sending my novel out to agents but it’s been very frustrating. The most common response I get is that my book is good but there is no place for it in the current market. Sometimes it’s that they are looking for more diverse voices. I’ve sold some short stories to magazines before and it’s great because they don’t really care who you are, they care more about quality. Anyways I’ve been thinking of cutting out the middle man and publishing it myself. Jane Austen paid for a private printer and it seemed to turn out well for her. I’m pretty sure Herman Melville basically self published moby dick as well. Is it worth it just so my work is out there?

*meant Ingram Sparks for hardcover

Illustrator is saying that she would have to reformat the book (for extra money) to have it work as a hardcover. Right now, Ingram won’t let me upload it to test the current 8.5 x 11 file I have for Amazon because my acct is too new and it’s “processing”. The illustrator knew that wanted a hardcover, in addition to a paperback. However, I foolishly didn’t make sure that was explicitly mentioned in our contract. And now because she formatted the book in a weird format that Amazon doesn’t distribute as much in, and she therefore had to do me the “favor” of reformatting it to a standard format, she doesn’t want to do anything more.

Im trying to get sent a book cover template for the illustrator (I don’t even understand totally but they asked for it), and using Ingram Sparks tool for this. But getting this error message.

When uploading the cover of the book to KDP, in the preview the cover looks misaligned, even when the size is the right one, it always sends the cover down ...

cover (ignore the text on the red zone)

Im currently in the process of writing a book possibly a 3 book series and im wondering where or what is the best way to get a book published or a place to put it online for someone to read.

Thank you to whoever recommended Victory editing- got on Net Galley right away and so far am quite impressed with their level of professionalism.

Question: when on net galley what percentage of requests do you approve/reject? I’ve approved all of them so far (about 25). Is that normal? I figure if someone wants to review my book then why the heck not? (Ignoring the lingering terror of negative reviews of course).

Look forward to hearing about other people’s experienced. I appreciate this group so much!

So I have this idea for a book which contains sort of “found material” that is from various internet sources, like Facebook posts, Reddit discussion threads, and news articles. If I make it clear that it’s Reddit, and which (real or imagined) subreddit it’s from, and use some similar formatting as Reddit does, but without any copyrighted logos or whatever, is that kosher? Or is it like putting published song in your book where you need to have an arrangement with the corporation?

I'm about to publish my own Children's book soon and I'm in the process of getting my book copyrighted.

I hired someone in Europe to illustrate my book. This was a work for hire job and I was given full commercial use that is exclusive and perpetual.

When it comes to copyrighting my book, am I the author/illustrator of the work then?

Do I put him down as the copyright owner since he did the illustration or do I put myself down since it was work for hire? My main goal is to protect the copyright work for the illustrations in the book under my LLC.

I find it hard, not to compare myself to other writers because it does depend on the niche. I know that romance is definitely a big competitor in the sales area. How about poetry do you find that your poetry book sells a decent amount?

Hi everyone.

I have become frustrated and down in the dumps with how much money I have lost from Amazon Ads. They take so much and yet, I don't think I am even bidding much. Like my bids are around anywhere between 15p to 45p. My daily budget on some ads is £5. A couple of other ads have a daily budget of £10. Most days I don't even reach the budget.

Yet, near the end of the month I wake up and see something like £189 has come out of my bank, and that's just for the UK. I'll have something like £150 coming out from Amazon US.

I have watched hours upon hours of YouTube videos on how to craft excellent ads that don't take too much money. That clearly didn't work out for me.

Last month I made £104 in royalties. So way off from being profitable. Heck, not even breaking even. I have had similar months like that before ekth royalties and ads spent. But unfortunately I don't think my books would hardly be seen and read if I don't run ads. I will have to stop the ads. I have tried time and time again adjusting them to make them profitable but it just isn't happening.

I really don't know what to do about marketing going forward. Posting the reels and posts on social media only goes so far, which isn't much for me.

If anyone has any suggestions for me in terms of ads and marketing ideas, I am all ears. I publish romance and erotica books. I don't run ads for my erotica stuff because that is against the rules on Amazon. I am mainly focusing on my romance books.

I finally plucked up the courage to put on my extrovert hat and venture forth to The Oxford Indie Book Fair (in the UK) to show off my book for the first time in person. I learned a lot from my adventure and thought others might find it helpful.

1 - Bring Obvious Bits

It’s worth making a checklist of all the obvious things to bring because you’re bound to forget something! Stuff like pens for signing, paper for notes, portable charger, snacks, tablecloth, and book stands are all easy to overlook. 

The plastic bookstands I bought were cheap and portable. Stacked on top of a pile of books, they added dynamic height without carrying a big shelf. Critical if you are car-less!

Bookmarks were also a must. I had some whipped up on Vistaprint pretty cheaply, and they even have a designing tool you can use. Bookmarks are a great way to connect with people on the fence about buying. However, I should have put on a discreet QR code with a unique redirect to track the success rate.

2 - The Right Stock

I brought waaaay too many books. A little optimistic on my part, and sadly, it broke the wheels on the suitcase! I sold 20 books, which I think was above average (I heard of other authors selling around 5 books). My sequel sold the least at only three copies. So, the first book in a series will likely sell at least four times as much as any sequel.

3 - Helpers Are Helpful

Luckily for me, my lovely partner came with me, and she was the perfect assistant! Running off to get me lunch and coffee, leaving me to sell sell sell. It’s also nice to have moral support and someone to help with carrying. Plus, I could go to the loo without worrying that I was abandoning ship.

4 - Finding Your Audience

As a fantasy author, I could spot the demographics that would be most interested. Basically, the fun nerds! The people at that kind of book fair were generally less interested in fantasy, so perhaps I would do better at comic conventions. However, I did have a trick to find the right crowd…

5 - Lure Them In

I had a fabulous gimmick to attract customers: if they could roll a 20 on a 20-sided die, they would win a free book. This was a BIG hit. It gave people a reason to stop, and then I could do my sales pitch. It also attracted people who like fantasy, who would immediately recognise the iconic ‘D20’. One person ran over after simply HEARING the die roll from afar. It added excitement to every encounter. It attracted the right crowd for my fantasy comedy book.

There were almost 200 rolls, and I had 7 people win a book (maths will tell you I beat the odds). It was interesting to see people’s reactions, too. Some people were clearly in the market for a freebie and were indifferent to me. Fortunately, they didn’t win. 

Each book costs me around £4 to print, but I think £28 was well worth it to attract 200 people! The people who did win may go on to leave reviews or buy the sequel.

I advise anyone looking to sell at a book fair or similar: have a lure. It should be fun and free. Bowls of sweets were popular, but I don’t think they helped. Try to think of a game or prize you can play that matches your genre. Like “Spot the Murderer in 10 Seconds” if you are in mystery, or “How Many Hershey Kisses Are in the Jar” if you are in romance.

Next time, however, I’ll bring disinfectant for the much-handled die.

6 - Gather Data

Counting the rolls was a good way to track my direct interactions. Bookmarks were a good marker (pun intended) of ‘maybes’. I gave them to people who I spoke to who seemed interested but didn’t want to buy the book then and there. There’s a very good chance they won’t, but you never know. 

I gave away 69 bookmarks, and 196 people rolled the dice, with 20 sales, which amounts to around a 10% success rate. We can imagine the bookmark takers are hard ‘maybe’s’, so that’s a 35% connection rate. The organisers said there were around 1500 visitors who attended the event. Therefore, I managed to sell to just over 1% of the visitors.

I don’t know how all this compares to other events and authors, but it’s a good future reference point! Would love to hear about other peoples statistics.

7 - Location, Location, Location

My table was right by the entrance - but I don’t know if that was good or not. You would think that you could catch more people's attention, but people often used the excuse that they had “only just arrived” and wanted to shop around rather than buy my book. I wonder if a different placement would change that. Perhaps people at the other end of the hall would be the last seen, and therefore, the customer's decision would be clearer by then? I would need to experiment to really know! 

8 - Don’t Miss Networking

I probably could have networked more with other authors. It is such a great opportunity to see what other people are doing and make connections. However, my dice game kept a constant stream of people coming, so I barely had a moment once the doors opened! The next time, I’ll probably feel more “at home” and will take a moment to speak with the other authors before the event starts.

9 - Have Proper Signage

The other author’s big banners looked really cool, so I may try to get one made for my next book fair. I just had a framed poster on an easel. Many people stopped to pick up my book and read the blurb, which was a little awkward to watch them read all 250 words. I think having a sign/banner with an abbreviated blurb for people to read from afar would be well worth it.

10 - Take All Payments

I thought needed a sign with the prices and payment types. However, people would still ask about the prices and if I took cash or card. Many simply expected me to take card payments. Luckily, I used the Zelle app on my phone, and it worked great. After an hour, I took down the price sign, which didn’t change anything. One less sign to worry about! It also meant I could reduce prices and make cheeky deals as appropriate.

Furthermore, the younger crowd was often interested in the book but didn’t want to spend money. Poor students can barely afford the heating bills, after all! I think next time, I will offer a sizable student discount. A sale is a sale!

-

Anyway, that was everything I learned from my experience. I’m sure there is much more to discover in the world of book fairs… which I look forward to discovering! I hope it helps some of you out there, too.

So I write erotica novellas and I have 40 followers on smashwords and if I really work at it I can generate 500$+ a month but I notice I don't get traffic to my own personal blog I would like to rectify this as I have other projects (non books) my fans would enjoy that I would like to get eyes on

Any advice?

I am getting closer to submitting my first paperback book. While I have a description ready to go for my back cover, I am unclear why KDP is also asking for a description. Are these not the same? Any clarification is much appreciated!

One of my books was reviewed on Goodreads. Someone uploaded the book, cover and everything and reviewed it. I just stumbled upon it. However, the book's author was attributed to another author with my name. I signed up to Goodreads, and pointed out the error and they kindly removed the wrong author from my book. Great!

So I thought I'd set up an author's page for my book. Only makes sense, right? Well, they won't accept me!

I've supplied all the information they ask; except I don't have a website and I don't sell on Amazon (I know it's odd, but I don't like Amazon as a company, that's just me). I sell my ebook on all the other platforms - it's all over the place.

After the rejection, I responded back with links to my book on other platforms, my email address, my book as it's already listed on Goodreads, etc. But they keep insisting that I need to have a KDP account and so on.

They are being remarkably unhelpful. They just don't want me on their website. If I can't get an author's page set up, is there a way I can get my book removed from Goodreads?

I am planning a horror series and a possible anthology of horror short stories (perhaps also a dark Sci-Fi anthology too) but I am concerned that even with ad spend and social media marketing, I may be on to a loser before I even begin, as I am not writing romance, crime thrillers or adult fantasy.

Is anyone here making money from horror? Or do you know of any author who is (and hasn't been self publishing books for a decade already).

I know that I shouldn't be going into this expecting to get rich but is it possible to pay some bills with it if the writing is good and I am able to figure out a marketing plan and ad spend, once I have a few books from the series ready to go?

Hey everyone,
I've just published my first book, about football (or soccer) and its history, development, and unusual stories that have rarely been covered. I want to ask for advice on which platforms/newsletters are the best for advertising books?
Many thanks

Thanks to everyone for your invaluable advice! I’m thrilled to share that I found an editor for my first book just yesterday. One comment really resonated with me: “How would you feel if something published under your name is filled with errors?”

That hit home. I have a captivating story to tell, and with a professional editor polishing and perfecting every detail, I’m confident I’ll end up with a book that I can truly be proud of. I appreciate all your support! 🙏🏾

Hi guys, wanted y’all’s opinion on my cover for my poetry book. It’s the exact aura that suits the content if that makes sense? But idk if it’s good enough…

Also the title sucks and I’m struggling to come up with a better name. Any help would be greatly appreciated. I can send you the content.

Here is the cover: https://ibb.co/6sf4XxC

Essentially asking how long is the process form clicking complete in Amazon KDP to send myself an author copy, to receiving it?

The issue is…I’ve been working with a nightmare illustrator who has caused this book to take a year and a half to complete. It’s a children’s book. Age is 7 to 10. Does this mean because I can only now get a print copy made for me to review, and then start getting people print copies to read (perhaps I can get some people to review from a digital) and have people ready to write reviews on Amazon for launch day, that I’m out of luck for launching before Christmas sales time? I’m considering if I should just wait until the Christmas sales chaos, etc. is over in the new year. Since I’m going to be very late to the game with reviews.

I don’t know if this is the right flair but the title will be on the cover hehehe

So how did you pick the right title if you’re working alone.

Hello to you at r/SelfPublish,

Over the next couple years, my plans include releasing two chapbooks featuring either one long story, or three short stories, in two separate chapbooks. I found an article at Authors Publish, that generally describes the course from start to completion.

The question here is where does one find other chapbook authors and readers with whom to network and connect?

I am no longer on Facebook for personal reasons. I do have an account on Mastodon, but have been mostly active here for a good two months.

In advance, thanks for what input you may provide!

Another reason not to pay for a BookLife review, from BookLife's FAQs section (note that PW is Publishers Weekly, of which BookLife is apparently a division):

If my book is reviewed and I don’t like the review, can the review be retracted?

No. PW’s reviews are widely syndicated, and once published cannot be retracted. We encourage you to take advantage of BookLife’s many free resources to make sure your book is as great as it can be before you submit it for review consideration.

Just curious about what people are bidding per keyword these days (I know that every niche is different).

I read that people used to bid much lower than suggested pre-covid, but I'm not sure if that advice is outdated or still relevant.

If I do NSFW & can I also have a SFW Patreon, Buy Me a Coffee; accounts?

I heard they are getting a bit flexible? But how flexbile are they? I need first hand experiences. Bc I already read their TOS. Buy me a coffee says no porno allowed& no chats(?) Idk what they mean w chats.

Now Patreon seems to really allow NSFW: “ Works which are sexually gratifying or (…) nudity (…) are permitted on Patreon pages categorized as Adult/18+.” Just like Twitter. They don’t sound like being fans of sexting tho? Any opinion or input?

I’m thinking of self publishing and I would like to make my book hardcover but my book is pretty damn thick at around 650 pages. Is this okay? Or is it too much?

Hi all,

Where on Reddit have you had good luck sharing your book and where it is allowed? IE, "you can self promote here".

I ask as I run r/fantasybooks and I just started a recurring post every 2 weeks on Wednesday to allow authors to pitch their Fantasy book to readers with a set format. Details here -> https://www.reddit.com/r/fantasybooks/comments/1hbexon/authors_pitch_your_fantasy_book_to_our_readers/

I know /books has a thing for asking for an author spotlight here: https://www.reddit.com/r/books/wiki/authorspotlight/

Anyone had good luck with others and want to point them out within their genres?

I am also asking to know what are best practices here to help authors reach readers while keeping self-promotion out of normal threads.