More Self-Publishing Expo Tidbits

Here are some more tips from the panelists (now the lawyer-ly bit: please note that all of these are straight from the panelists, and I know very little about some of these. Always use your good judgment--some are appropriate in some cases, and not in others. As always, if you have any questions, do ask...):

When you do your social networking, treat your followers as an exclusive group.
Yes, it's daunting. There could be thousands of them. But if you offer freebies, announcements, or something they can't get anywhere else--they'll keep coming back.

If you send out a newsletter, instead of (or in addition to) a blog, you don't have to pay for ConstantContact.com (though they make beautiful emails). MailChimp.com kind of blows my mind. It allows you to send pretty, sophisticated emails without any web skills--for free. And can tell you who opens the email, who clicks on its links, and who tweets about you and where. Watch the demo. I think we have a company that will either inspire Google (to rip it off) or soon be purchased by Google.

Consider an iPhone app for your book
An unusual and very smart way to publicize your book is to commission an iPhone app that ties into it. This was done for Question of the Day, which has its corresponding app. Author Katkowsky says he was able to get an app for between $500 and $1000. Not chump change, by any means, but it's a very clever way to target an audience that (if they have an iPhone) probably has a fair amount of disposable income. As always, though, keep in mind that you may not be writing for iPhone users--for example, if you're writing a book for five-year-olds, this may not be the best. On the other hand...they do have that "iPhone for Kids" app, don't they?

Before you try to get all of Barnes and Noble to stock your book, go meet with the manager of your local bookstores.
Have an informal proposal ready--don't just go in and ask to talk. Mention that, if they'll allow you to have a reading, you can guarantee 50 people will show up--and then make sure it happens. There's nothing worse than a reading without listeners. Note that many self-published book companies can make it possible for these stores to return unsold copies--this is standard for traditional presses, and many bookstores won't agree to stock anything they can't return.

Amazon.com, and other online retailers, will often take your work much more easily than a brick and mortar store. They don't have the storage logistics problems, and it sounded like Amazon could actually have a deal with, say, Lulu--once Amazon received an order, Lulu would then print the book, and then send it. Neither Amazon nor Lulu had to invest in the physical book before an order was placed, as it existed only as a file. Pretty spiffy.

What may seem like a disadvantage may actually help publicize your book.
Isobella Jade wrote her modeling memoir, Almost 5'4, from her local Apple store. (Once self-published, the HarperCollins edition comes out in February.) She was living on Dollar Menu, she said, and didn't have a computer or place to work. In part of her promotional plan (she really has promoted the heck out of her book--one woman in the audience, a freelance publicist, actually called out in the middle of the session, "I want to hire you!"), she hosted events at the Apple store where she wrote the work. One thing I thought was especially interesting--she emphasized the very real nature of her writing. (I haven't read it, so I can't comment.) "I'm not Grammar Girl," she said. "I'm telling you a story."

Many full-service self-publishers don't create physical books until they're ordered.
This prevents a garage filled with unsold copies--and doesn't require nearly the investment.

Some authors opt for Errors & Omissions Insurance.
This way, someone can't sue you if your (usually nonfiction) work can somehow be tied to causing harm in a reader's life. A year's policy is around $2600, and is often only necessary the first year. I can't comment on whether I think this is a good idea or not, but it's interesting to know that it exists.

You really do need an outside editor.
One of the panelists likened editing your own book to trying to do surgery on yourself. It just can't happen. No matter how much publishing changes, you'll still need a story and an editor. This could be anyone from people you met at a writing workshop to someone hired who does this for a living.

Think carefully before considering Publish America.
Yes, they do give you an advance--one dollar. For this, they call themselves a "traditional press." Unfortunately, also like traditional presses, they keep the rights--and the right of first refusal for your next book. Their site gives me the heebie-jeebies. They're saying everything a naive author would want to hear.

While a traditional publisher assumes all risk, you make far less per book.
With a traditional press, you may make 80 cents a book. With full-service self-publishing, though you've laid out around $1,000 to $2,000 to get the book published, it's more like $5 per sold, unreturned copy.

If you're writing for children, target schools, teachers, and libraries
Elizabeth Uhlig, author of a number of children's books, started with a bad experience in self-publishing. When the company (a small, independent outfit) more or less took her money and ran, there was a conversation with her husband where he said, "You're a librarian--I'm an MBA. Don't you think we can do better than that [unkind word for the woman]?" (Incidentally, the thief is now in jail.) So they started their own press, Marble House Editions, and come out with new books for young readers every year. She sends free copies to children's librarians and schools, and then asks for speaking engagements (for which she doesn't charge). Before she arrives, she sends order forms (the kids bring the money to school in envelopes), sample lesson plans (questions the teachers may ask the children about the book), and several similar materials. When a child asked her what about the process she didn't like--knowing the kid expected her to say something like "editing"--she replied, "The only thing I don't like is when I can't find a parking space."