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Are you on Pinterest yet? If your book audience is mainly women, Pinterest may be worth looking into because there are a LOT of women there and many cruise it at least daily (warning: it's addictive!). Maybe Kim and I need to do a mini workshop on this. Below are some tips on using Pinterest for business:

 

Three Quick Ways to Get Crazy Activity on Pinterest

Jane Friedman writes a blog every author should follow. Here's a post by her describing what an author platform is - and what it isn't. We may have posted this already, but thanks to Peggy Nehmen for alerting us to this important article.

 

A Definition of Author Platform

 

There is more to making a book cover stand out than most of us can begin to realize (that goes for the interior of the book, too). Even a commercial graphic artist is not the same as one who understands what works for book covers. If you don't have much money, save up, but you can find cover designers that aren't that expensive, particularly if you stick to a simple design, if you can lead them in the direction your mind is thinking so they don't have to do umpteen retakes of guessing, and if you have your own artwork or nice photos. 

 

Carolyn Howard-Johnson has several good DIY books on marketing and even on self-editing so your pro editor won't have to charge you a fortune to clean up a mess. Here's her post giving some tips on cover design so you can confer intelligently with your designer: What You Should Know About Book Covers

 

 

 

Jane Friedman has experience as an insider in both trade and indie publishing. She's worth your follow. Below is a great article by her.

 

The Future of the Author-Publisher Relationship

 

 

Color printing has long been too expensive unless using an overseas printer from an East Asian country like China. Recently Ingram announced a new color print technology that drops the price of color printing nearly in half. Sounds promising!

 

Ingram/Lightning Source announces new color printing technology

 

There is an art to writing and emailing a press release to the media so it doesn't get deleted immediately. Take a look at Sandra's article below. Note the email subject line must be catchy, but not so cute the journalist can't tell what you're talking about. If it relates to something in current news, all the better. Journalists say they ignore the plethora of press releases coming in through press release site (ex. PRWeb) so email directly to the editor and a reporter of the appropriate section of the news media (Lifestyle, Business, Entertainment, etc.) Check the media's website to find names.

 

How to email a press release to journalists

 

 

 

Thanks to board member Cathy Davis for bringing this comprehensive article to our attention. It offers different and respected viewpoints as well as options if you prefer not to do it totally DIY. One of our members hired someone from Smashwords's  list of formatters and was pleased by the cost and performance, while another is happy with BookBaby. Be sure you understand the contracts when using Kindle Direct and Select, Smashwords, BookBaby or other company.

 

How to Self-Publish Your E-book

 

 

Most indie authors can't afford a developmental editor, but it pays to know what they do. You might get a critique group to help with some of it. Alan Rinzler tells us what you should expect from a developmental editor.

Your website should have a page with all info the media might want about you and your book, especially important if you are sending media releases to gather publicity. And make it really easy for them to find what they need.

 

How to make your website media friendly, from BookBaby

Found this excellent comprehensive (without being a book!) article on really important things to know about self-publishing before you jump in the water.

 

25 Things You Need to Know About Self Publishing