Well, it’s almost Thanksgiving. Hope you have a good turkey day.
First, Last Clichés:
Does the Trick–Succeed, accomplish something. This dates from the early 19th century. “Trick” means an accomplishment. i.e. “Add salt to the water and that should do the trick.”
From the Word Go–From the very beginning. “Go” in the phrase means time to begin a race. Originated in 19th century America. Davy Crockett used it in Narrative of the Life of Davy Crockett (1834). A newer version is from the get-go. This originated in black English in the 1960s.
a Labor of Love–Work done from a sense of duty, for the pleasure of accomplishment, or from personal interest rather than for monetary reward. Appears in two Epistles of St. Paul in the New Testament: Hebrews (6:10) and Thessalonians (1:3). Both refer to the faithful who do God’s work as a labor of love.
So, how many did you find?
Another speaker was Jim Azevedo from Smashwords, “The Secret to E-book Publishing Success.” Smashwords is an e-book distributor. As long as you don’t have KDP Select with Amazon, you can also upload your e-book with Smashwords.
If you’re going to go to town with your e-book, you should learn a few secrets for publishing success.
#1 – Write a Great Book!
a. Make it emotionally satisfying
b. Act like a Publisher
c. Be fanatical about quality
#2 – Create a Superb Cover Image — it’s your first impression
a. Match to target audience
b. Be Professional
c. Needs to be as arresting as a thumbnail
d. Consider hiring a professional for both editing and cover art
#3 – Write and Publish Another Great Book!
a. Another new published book is an opportunity to cross promote other titles.
b. Build your Brand, Fan base and Reader trust
#4 – Add these Sections to your back matter – after the end of your e-book:
a. About the Author – short bio
b. Other books by your name – existing and upcoming
c. Include excerpts/sample chapter
d. Connect with Author – give your website, facebook, twitter, etc.
#5 – Experiment with “Free” e-books
a. Highest grossing Smashwords authors offer at least one free book
b. Powers of Free:
– drives awareness to backlist
– eliminates financial risk
– leads to more reviews
– 30 times more downloads
– turbo charges a series e-book
#6 – Patience is a Virtue!
a. Indie e-books sales can develop differently
b. e-books never go out of print
c. e-books never get unpublished
#7 – Maximize Availability, Avoid Exclusivity – Smashwords goes with several e-book sellers – not just one
a. If you’re not everywhere, you’re not discoverable
b. Exclusivity annoys fans, limits audience
#8 – Pricing Strategy is a lever for Success – Price impacts unit sales and earnings
a. Unit sales x royalty per unity = your profit
b. Every sale yields two benefits:
– money
– readers
#9 – Don’t Let Fear of Piracy Stop You.
a. Obscurity is a bigger risk
b. Most piracy is accidental
c. Easier to purchase than to steal
#10 – Practice Positivity and Partnerships
#11 – Release Next book as a pre-order:
Best Launch routine:
–advance listing at major retailers
–readers reserve copy ahead of release date
–fast track to bestseller
The bottom line, I took some of the above advice or secrets, and I’ve published my first two books on Smashwords as e-books and my third one is coming soon. Birthmark Killer is about to be released.
Check out Smashwords for your e-books as well as Amazon.
Keep Writing,
Julie
