Ah, the dreaded book cover! A self-publishing author's waking nightmare, right there with eBook file types, ISBNs, and —gasp!— MARGINS! But it doesn't have to be so bad (and in fact, it can be quite fun). In this post I'll go over how to: Find and download your custom Kindle full (front, back, spine) book cover template … Continue reading Easily Create and Size a Full Book Cover for Kindle with Basic Photoshop
I've been getting a lot of questions lately about AMS ads from authors looking to increase their marketing efforts. Amazon Marketing Services is, as you can guess, Amazon's ad platform for sellers. Although vendors selling products like paper towels have many options under the AMS roof, authors are limited to just a few: Sponsored Product Ads, Headline … Continue reading Amazon Marketing Services: A Guide to the 3 Types of Ads for Authors
Don't panic. This one's not hard. BISAC (Book Industry Standards and Communications) codes basically represent the various subjects used in America's (and English-Speaking Canada's) book trade. Just like your local bookstore, online realtors need a way to organize books into different categories to help us, the readers, find them. Currently, there are over 3,000 BISAC codes. … Continue reading Author’s Guide: Choosing BISAC Codes
I wrote the book...why is it so hard to write the description? Ah, the book description. We've read hundreds of them while browsing online for our next great read, but sometimes when you sit down to write your own marketing materials, it's hard to know where to start. Your manuscript is massive, how can you … Continue reading Author’s Guide: Writing Book Descriptions
The internet has brought us plenty of good things: online shopping, ebooks, and this... But with the internet comes something we at DE call "insta-publish," meaning people tend to send everything out into the void before checking it first. Back when everything was headed for the printing press, writers and publishers alike took a lot … Continue reading Checklist: Proofing Your eBook Before Pressing “Submit”
Haters gonna hate. For a lot of authors, those first positive reviews will have you sending screenshots and popping champagne before the night's end. It's only human to seek the validation of a good review from an adoring fan. Positive reviews can feed your ego, which make you a happier writer, which can, in the … Continue reading 3 Bestsellers with Worse Reviews than Your Book
The back matters, too. Here's a follow up to our recent post on front matter. What's the difference between a dedication and an acknowledgment? An epilogue and an afterword? Which one comes first? And where do I get to talk about living in NYC with my perfect husband? (We're looking at you, Lauren Weisberger.) Don't fret. … Continue reading “Back Matter” Guide for Self-Published Authors
The front matters. Authors who are new to the self-publishing world often get intimated by front matter. What's the difference between a preface and a foreword? A foreword an introduction? Which one comes first? And what the heck is an epigraph? Front matter can seem a little tedious at first, so I'll walk you through … Continue reading “Front Matter” Guide for Self-Published Authors
All good things come in...boxes? In the fiction genre, it's hard to deny the power of the series. For children, it was Captain Underpants and The Series of Unfortunate Events. For young adults, it was Twilight, The Hunger Games, and Eragon. For adults, it was Lord of the Rings, Stephen King's Dark Tower, and Fifty Shades of Grey. And, well, for everyone, it was Harry Potter. … Continue reading Writer’s How-To: Sell Box Sets
This will be the first of a few posts on software for writers. Vellum is a formatting software that imports your Microsoft Word document, plugs it into its system, and makes it easy for you to compile your books into the appropriate file types for eBook and print publication. We recommend Vellum for people who: … Continue reading Writer’s Software: Format, Customize, and Compile Books with Vellum
