Many new authors have been misinformed about many of the aspects when self publishing. Don’t let these myths confuse you or prevent you from moving forward in your dream and goals to be a published author! Below are some clarifications on some of the misinformation floating around out there!

Myth: If your book is published by a top publisher, they will handle all the marketing and publicity.   

Truth: The reality is that big name publishers typically devote the majority of their marketing budget to the top 1% (think best sellers like Harry Potter, for example) of the books they publish. The other books published during that fiscal year seldom receive any assistance for marketing and publicity.

Myth: You cannot sell a self published book in stores..especially stores like Barnes and Noble.      

Truth: Completely untrue! While it may be a little harder for a self-published book to make it on the shelves of big name chain stores, it is not impossible. The truth is major book chains actually seek out local authors and save space in each store for this purpose.

Myth: If I become a self published author, then I will never be able to be published through a traditional publisher. 

Truth: NOT TRUE! Still don’t believe me?  Think about these authors: Stephen King and John Grisham are just a few of the popular authors out there today that have self published! When it comes down to it, readers are not really concerned about WHO published the book but rather if the BOOK is any good!

Many authors do not realize that the book’s back cover information is one of the best way to sell more books. If you think about it, once a reader is enticed by the front cover design, what do they do next? They turn the book over and read the back! This is the perfect opportunity to engage the reader and potential buyer.

While the front cover has to pop and the design must impress your buyers, the back cover is what will really “sell” them on your book. To make the most of the back cover, follow these tips:

Use testimonials: This can help to sell more books than any other information on the back cover. Try to use quotes from several different people.  Use one from a top professional in your field or perhaps a reader who has a positive review both famous and non famous.

Don’t overwhelm the reader: A common mistake is to use too much wording. Keep it simple. Write only a one or two-line bio on the back cover and be sure to put your photo and more bio on the inside of the back cover. Make sure you use powerful wording on the back to connect with the reader!

Many authors sometimes overlook how important copyediting really is. It is truly the foundation of the entire book. Even the most eloquently written and best marketed book will not be successful if there are errors and content problems.

A professional editor will do much more than just check for errors in spelling and punctuation. An editor will also look at overall organization, style,  permission/copyright issues, and addresses possible formatting concerns and develop and expand the content.

A common mistake that authors sometimes make is to use family and friends as copyeditors. While family and friends make a a great support network and sounding board, they rarely can gage the level of editing that is needed to be successful. Keep in mind that they may not mention certain things to avoid hard feelings or simply may not have the experience to catch certain items. A professional editor has experience and knows what to look for and will help to the final touches on your manuscript before you send it out for review, to agents, or for publication. It is a wise decision and investment!

Publishing your book takes some work, and it doesn’t end after you have the actual printed copy in your hand. After all you still need to get your book out into bookstores, onto radio and television programs and into the hands of your ideal readers. Below are some of ways that are effective to do just that!

Get an author website.  One of the most important things that authors fail to do is build a web site that attracts targeted visitors to their site. It is crucial to build a site that not only allows the visitor to purchase your book but also provide your contact information, you never know who may want to be in touch for an interview!

Write a press release. A press release is a one-page description of your book that will (hopefully)create interest in your story. If you are planning to write your own release be sure to make sure you make it interesting to draw in readers. Not sure if you did it right? Have your release ‘graded’ at Press Release Grader. Then submit your press release online and it will be distributed to media outlets around the world and appear on web sites and in print.

Get Book Reviews. You probably know that it is important to have positive reviews of your book, but where to start? Search online for web sites and groups that address the target audience for your book. Visit their sites and see if they publish book reviews. Contact the owner of the web site to see if the would be willing to review your book! 

These are just a few things you can do to get started promoting your book. However, you are never limited on ways to get the word out about your book. Do your research and explore-the online world is full of opportunities.

The term ghostwriter may sound mysterious but what it is is actually a professional writer who get paid to write books, articles, or other content which then is actually officially credited to another person. However sometimes the author will give credit to the ghostwriter for their services.

While this practice may seem surprising to some, it is actually a very common practice and totally accepted within the publishing industry. Most people are not aware of just how many books are actually written by someone other than the author. While the ghostwriter does the actual writing of the book, it is more of a collaboration because it is still the author’s concepts and ideas that create the basis of the book. It is the job of the ghostwriter to organize these ideas and concepts into a way that creates a fascinating book.

A copyright is legal protection of a piece of music, literature, photo or other piece of creative printable matter.  A copyright determines who has the rights to print, copy or distribute a work.  This protection is issued by a government and normally has a time limit.  A copyright is notated by the symbol that looks like this ©

 Anyone can register their work, you don’t need a lawyer  nor do you need to speak alot of money. Works can be registered in the US by visiting the US Copyright Office online.   Please note when registering a work as copyrighted in one country, it may not be protected in other countries.  The United States has a variety of countries that honor their copyrights and are honored by.  The government has created a website that has a complete list.

  A common question in regards to copyrights, is how long is the work protected? Work that was created (fixed in tangible form for the first time) on or after January 1, 1978, is automatically protected from the moment of its creation and is ordinarily given a term enduring for the author’s life plus an additional 70 years after the author’s death.

Plagiarism is defined by Wikipedia as the unauthorized use or close imitation of the language and thoughts of another author and the representation of them as one’s own original work. The availability of material in electronic format has made plagiarism easier than ever. If you are a writer you can imagine how devastating it would be to have someone steal your hard work. Preventing plagiarism isn’t as difficult as one might think. The following are some simple strategies that you can use can use to prevent plagiarism:

• It is important that all writers and publishers take steps to protect their content. The first step is to copyright all written material. This can be done by submitting your documents online through the U.S. Copyright office for $45 per submission.
• If you have your content on the web you do have options to protect it. Coypyscape is a service that allows you to search the web for possible copies of your content as well as automatic web monitoring.
• Another popular site Plagiarism.org which, for a fee, will let you upload your text/manuscripts and within 5 days they will email you results.

You may have noticed a set of numbers (usually 10 or 13) that are separated with dashes and are located toward the bottom of the ‘copyright’ page and wondered, what exactly is an ISBN number? It stands for The International Standard Book Number, or ISBN (sometimes pronounced “is-ben”), is a unique identifier for books, intended to be used commercially.  The ISBN system was created in the United Kingdom in 1966 by the booksellers and stationers W H Smith and originally called Standard Book Numbering or SBN. It was adopted as international standard in 1970.

You can obtain an ISBN number through Bowker and there is a service fee to process all ISBN applications and it typically takes 15 business days. For more detailed information visit the 
U.S. ISBN Agency, the official source for ISBNs in the United States.

The Audio Book market is expanding exponentially. At the moment, there are only about 10-20,000 Audio Books published each year in the United States, while at the same time, there are nearly 300,000 “paper” titles written each year in just the United States. We can help you explore this opening market, and find your niche, brand, and success!

Distribution for your Audio Book can go through iTunes, audible.com and dozens of other digital sites online, and can help to broaden your traditional audio book base to Web 2.0 as well. Market and media research, continual contact to the online media, website marketing, internet advertising methods, internet networking, weekly updates on developments and progress, and expenses for phone calls, mailings and research materials are included as part of the consultation.

We work with you at the close of audio production to develop a marketing strategy, and can continue to walk you through the process of getting exposure and publicity in advance of the audio book’s release.

Just as people judge a book by its cover, they also judge a book by its title. It must be clear and catchy so that the reader is compelled to pick up the book and read more. While some long titles are successful, typically it is best to use a shorter title–keep it short and sweet! Because the title is part of your cover design, you will want to make sure that the two blend together to make an attractive package that makes the reader grab the book off the shelf.So how do you come up with this title that does all these things? Follow the below tips to help you brainstorm for the perfect title that fits your book perfectly!

• Find intriguing aspects of your story that your readers can visualize and use those words in the title.
• Don’t overlook keywords. Think about what someone might type into a search engine to find a book similar to yours and the subject matter and try to incorporate those words into the title.
• Try to incorporate the benefits that your book has to offer within the title. You want to create a desire within the reader so they feel they HAVE to buy the book.
• There are millions of books and millions of titles, and because they are not copywrited, you may need to choose an alternate title. Check out a wonderful comprehensive tool called Global Books in Print to research book titles.