After years of creating, editing, polishing and many revisions, the last line of your book is written. You have sent it off to the printer. You are finally finished! Now you can sit back, kick up your feet and relax while your book becomes a bestseller. Wrong. For the self-published […]
The Stigma of Self-Publishing
I am the self-published author of four books. Three of my books are currently on various bestsellers’ lists on Kindle. My second novel, In Name Only, won a Gold Medal in Religious Fiction in the 2010 IPPY Awards (the first Catholic novel to win this award). It has been #1 […]
Increase The Odds For Self-Publishing Success
When I began writing my first book, Emily’s Hope, ten years ago, I did so thinking, “If just one person can read my book and feel they’ve learned something, then I’ll have reached my goal.” It never even occurred to me to “make money” with my books. But, eight years […]
Internet Marketing – Four Sites to Study
I asked Sarah R. if I could sub for her this week, because I wanted to share four examples of excellent internet marketing that have come across my desk recently. She said yes — probably because I didn’t tell her what #4 would be. 1. Take a look at Ellen […]
Researching Medieval France
Acclaimed historical novelist Catherine Delors once interviewed me about the research for my novel The Night’s Dark Shade and the joys of self-publishing. Here is the interview, which may be of interest to other writers: Elena, your third novel, The Night’s Dark Shade takes place during the Albigensian Crusade, in […]
The “Control” of Self-Publishing
Self-Publishing is so easy nowadays that anyone can publish his or her own book. Because of that, many self-published authors are producing poor quality books. This can give self-publishing a bad name. In some respects, self-publishing is more difficult than publishing with traditional publishers. After all, publishers take care of […]
Self-Promotion…or the Strangest Place I’ve Ever Sold A Book
Since a self-published author doesn’t have a publisher to promote them, it’s important to take every opportunity to promote oneself. Keep copies of your books in your car, always have business cards or book marks in your purse or wallet and…don’t be afraid to talk about your books. I’ve sold […]
Publishing My First Historical Novel
Nothing is impossible. In 1995 I wrote a novel about Marie-Antoinette and called it Trianon. I had been fascinated by Marie-Antoinette since the age of nine. By the time I was a grad student I had visited Versailles twice, but it was not until I saw a picture of Petit […]
The Personal Approach to Marketing Your Self-Published Book
Because self-published authors don’t have a publishing company to help them promote their work, it’s important to take the initiative in marketing. Connecting with your fans on a personal level is a great way to market. This can be done through attending conferences as well as interacting with them through […]
E-Books: The Future of Self-Publishing Part II
Last month’s post focused on the advantages of making your books available on Amazon Kindle. This month, I’m going to talk about the practical considerations, like e-book conversion, pricing etc. Some Practical Considerations Create a Quality BookIf your book has not been edited and polished, it will probably not gain […]