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!

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.

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.

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.

You may have heard of the latest buzz term ’social networking’, otherwise related to such site as Facebook, Myspace, Tagged, Twitter and there are several more and new ones enter the scene all the time. Social networking sites can help to promote your book by providing interaction with readers and potential readers.

Most sites are free and easy to use, and can be a wealth of endless possbilites for online promotion. The best part is you can do all of this from your home or office! Many authors find great connections from these sites as well as use the opportunity to spread the word about their book and causes.

Explore these different sites to find out which ones fit you best. Below are some options to get you started!

Facebook - Facebook is made up of many networks, join one or create your own!

Twitter - a place where people follow each other’s day-to-day activities in short bites.

MySpace - Popular networking site that offers complete profile options with various groups.

Linked In - offers an opportunity to network with other publishing professionals from a diversity of backgrounds.

What better way to tell the world about your book than radio interviews, whether they are local, national or internet shows.  Having an interview on a talk radio show, like Sound Authors is a great way to gain national recognition and promote your book. In addition, there are several other benefits to being a guest on a talk radio show…..

IMMEDIATE EXPOSURE. Talk radio is a great way to get your name ( and your book) out there right away. If you plan to be a guest on several shows,  create new angles for your topic that reflect current events, that will help to keep you on the air and in the news on an ongoing basis.

COST-EFFECTIVE PROMOTION. Most talk radio interviews are all done by phone, so you can be a guest on shows around the globe without leaving your home or office. Radio interviews are one of the best ways to promote your book and get your message out there to a large amount of people at one time. Talk shows not only have a large captive audience but many times they are a loyal following!

YOU HAVE THE TIME. With talk radio shows you will have anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes to tell the world about yourself and your book. Where else can you spend this amount of time with a captive audience?

These are just a few of the benefits that being a guest on a talk radio show…many authors don’t take advantage of this wonderful medium, being a guest is one of the best-kept marketing secrets out there!

At Blooming Twig Books LLC, we offer some of the most competitive rates in the industry for professional service and products for authors! In additon to the best prices, we work to find custom solutions for your project, we know that every book is unique and so are the needs of each author. 

From book printing to e-book design, custom blogs and podcasts to easily updated author websites, 25 copies of your book to ten thousand, we can find the custom solution for you!

If you find a lower advertised rate somewhere on the web, it would be our pleasure to match it for you! Try us out! We can also work on custom options for your project – simply tell us what you are trying to do, and if we can’t do it, we will give you our best advice as to where you can get the best service at the lowest affordable price! Guaranteed!

What you get from other self-publishers:

• PRINTING
• COVER DESIGN
• INTERIOR LAYOUT DESIGN
• COPY EDITING (Though very expensive)
• CONTENT EDITING (Though very expensive)

Then, from other sites, you can find:

• WEBSITES
• BLOGGING AND PODCASTING TOOLS
• OTHER WEB STUFF
• MARKETING AND PUBLICITY

Blooming Twig Books LLC offers all of the above, at rates our competition can’t believe or match…And, we keep you involved in the entire process!