EJ Thornton is an Author, Publisher, Speaker, Consultant/Coach and Instructor. She tries to make the world a better place by producing books with the same intention! Her latest book, "Secrets to Creating Passive Income" is dedicated to everyone who wants to achieve financial independence, because there IS enough to go around!
You can't tell a book by its cover, but you can SELL a book by its cover!
Cover design is an important consideration when writing a book. If you commercially publish, you’ll probably have little to input on this topic. However, if you maintain your rights, then you will need to address this issue and give it very serious thought.
My book started with a dark purple cover with white print, with only a halo over the “A” of Angel On Board that gave it any distinction whatsoever. It was functional, but hardly engaging. I had a pair of angel wings drawn - as a favor to me - and I used that with the same block style print. I then contracted a graphic designer, who took those wings and a description of a scene within in the book and created the pink cover. I asked him to make a sunrise type of scene - and the book cover came out very pink. It was the best $50 I ever spent!
However, my male readers complained. I changed the background cover back to a blue base. Now it is a cover, that is engaging, and not biased towards any group of people. It evolved and I learned from my mistakes, because there was no one there to guide me in this issue.
Very important point: Be sure that all reader types in your target market would be comfortable holding your book. Because someone holding your book is one of the best ways to sell your book! I had to change the cover color on Angel On Board from pink to blue, because my male readers complained about being seen with a ‘pink book.’ This is an especially important point in children's books!!!
Trackback URL For This Entry Is http://www.32direct.com/blogs_ma/trackback.php?id=189
I recently got the most amazing feedback for my book and it reminded me why I do what I do and why I work so hard.
Angel On Board (www.AngelOnBoard.com) is about a man's death and entrance into Heaven and his training up as a guardian angel, but first, he has to take his family through the transition of his death. He's there and assisting them in a very real way during a very difficult time.
Because of this story line, many people who are going through a difficult time, whether it is grief related or just a very tough time, connect with the thought that their angels are helping them and they find peace and comfort on the pages.
I've received many letters that tell me how the book did that for people and it re-enforces in me a very personal purpose that I have to help more and more people. One reader recently ordered 20 more books for her family, because there was a grief issue to get through and the book helped her and it was her desire to help the rest of her family find peace. That is my purpose with this book, that is why I'm on this journey.
The life of an author can get frustrating if sales aren't where we want them to be or the bills are getting paid, but when we get a letter like the one I've just described, it makes all the effort worth it. So, please, tell authors what you think of their book or how it positively influenced your life. It is means more to them than you'll ever know.
Trackback URL For This Entry Is http://www.32direct.com/blogs_ma/trackback.php?id=147
Your book is as individual as you are. Making it a success, will also likely be as individual a journey as you have ever experienced. There is no formula, except perseverance, to insure you will be a success. Just remember the tales of the journey, and use them in your speeches when you’re on the speaker circuit giving the next round of would-be successful authors encouragement.
One author told me in confidence once, that he felt like a fraud when he was invited to writer’s conferences to talk about “How he did it.” He told me that no one could ever emulate his tactic, nor would he want them to - his success story was unique and it couldn’t or shouldn’t be duplicated.
I told him that was the best part of his story - because I knew the same about my book. I knew that no one had ever done what I’ve done, and no one ever could - so the fact that he did make it - and the fact that he didn’t follow any pre-set formula to make it - gave me the most hope of all. He wasn’t a fraud, he was an anomaly and so was I!
You’re an anomaly - do it your way! The only common theme running in all these author’s stories was never quit, never be discouraged and never think any one else is going to do it for you! Even if you are commercially published, keep tooting your own horn. You do it the best and you will make the most impact, because of the simple fact: you are the only you there is and you are the one who cares the most about your book.
Your writer’s voice is unique and valuable - never lose it!
Trackback URL For This Entry Is http://www.32direct.com/blogs_ma/trackback.php?id=123
This is an old convention that is not a good copyright practice and offers no protection. It was when the author would send a copy of his/her own manuscript to themselves in the mail. It wouldn’t be opened, and if there was a copyright challenge, the post mark was to serve as proof of copyright date.
You need to protect yourself by getting an Library of Congress Catalog Number. That is the iron clad, but it is also an investment in your future. One of the things that bookstores look for in your submission package, is do you have an LCCN? If you don't, you won't get bookstore placement, at least not in the major chains. Many library distribution services go against it, instead of Bowker's ISBN's. So, not only is it protection against copyright infringment, it is a good investment in your future! Do it!
However, if you're going to wait for whatever reason and are still considering "The Poor Man's Copyright" - then please, use that same postage and mail it to your lawyer (if you're worried about a copyright infringment case, who better to have time-stamped it for their file?), or your accountant (you're going to be making tons of money on this - right?) or your minister (he's a strong witness in court).
But never ever think that obtaining a copyright is insurance against someone stealing from you, it is not!!! It is like a lock on the door, it just keeps the honest people out. If someone wants what is yours, they will challenge you. The copyright protect gives you the way to get it back!
Trackback URL For This Entry Is http://www.32direct.com/blogs_ma/trackback.php?id=119
Actually, yes there is! It is called: inexperience.
One significant reason many publishers hesitate to work with first-time authors is that their learning curve is HUGE. To train up an author on the terminology, expectations, requirements and nuances of publishing takes a great deal of effort. For most, it isn’t worth it for someone who only has one book. This is why publishers look for authors with the potential for several books and why someone with a previously published book is an attractive prospect. They’ve already been through Publishing 101!
So, work on a small scale publishing project for yourself or really play up the fact that your book is just the first of a series and it'll get more attention from that publisher - guaranteed!
Most authors refer to their book as their “baby” without really knowing how accurate that comparison is. Writing a book is like a pregnancy, long, drawn out and private –only you can do it. It has to grow from the seed of an idea to the actual entity we hold in our hand the first time we see it in print. That first meeting is an incredibly memorable experience! Some people cry, some jump up and down – most just stand in awe that the book is finally real and they can hold it in their hands. Most, women at least, clutch it to their chest and are so proud, they can’t hold back the tears.
It’s a Book! It’s a Baby!
Now, this book, like a baby, needs to be taken to professionals to “check it out.” It needs an editor, a baby book doctor, to clean it up, check it out, cure its woes and medicate its weak spots. The editor, like a pediatrician, is on your side and wants what you do - a healthy baby book! Editors can cost you money, but you’d pay a doctor – right? You wouldn’t trust your baby’s health to an amateur (like your neighbor or your sister – even though they got an “A” in Health), so why would you trust your baby book’s well-being to one? If you’re smart, you won’t.
Next, you want to share your baby with others. You want the world to know how great your baby is. This is where most new book parents go wrong. They think the book can speak for itself. It can’t! You’re going to be working long hours and sacrificing a lot of sleep. Much like a newborn baby is a full time job, so is a newborn book. New parents don’t get a lot of rest because the demands of a baby are so intense - it is that way here too. You’ve taken on another full time job introducing your baby to the world. A press kit needs to be developed, press releases need to be written and sent, reviews need to requested, interviews need to be scheduled, book clubs and book stores need to be approached, book signings scheduled and networking needs to be done! Don’t you send out birth announcements? Don’t you schedule christenings and take your baby places to introduce them to the world? It’s the same concept. No one knows about your baby has arrived, unless you tell them.
You’ll have to invest money to support your new book project, just like you’d support your new baby. They can’t support themselves yet – let alone you – it’s crazy to expect them to!
Many book parents don’t sell out of their first print run because they expect their baby to come out walking and talking. That baby needs carried and dressed and driven everywhere to introduce it to its readers. Then its readers will start to talk about it (a voice of its own). Its readers will recommend it to others (it starts to walk on its own). Now, thanks to your efforts and encouragement, you start to see your baby start to walk and talk on its own. And it’s a thrill to start seeing sales come through from efforts beyond your own!
Your first print run will be as much expense as profit and so much work, you’ll wonder why you’re bothering. Many young parents ask themselves questions like, “Why did we want this again?” But then they pick up their baby, feel the love again, regain their strength and get going again. When the first print run is sold out - it is a milestone. Your baby is growing up and it’s taken its first few steps.
When you make it into your second printing, you can see the impact of the first round’s efforts and you, as a book parent, mature and enjoy how your book has grown. Now the book can support itself a little. This stage is much akin to when a child starts working odd jobs, like babysitting or lawn mowing. They create their own spending money – and they want to spend it on themselves! Hoorah! So, do – spend that money on the book, invest in advertising or flyers and postage or promotional material, memberships to authors groups or conferences or your own booth at trade show, and entry into catalogs with a good circulation. All these things the book can now do for itself and you can watch these new ventures pay off and ultimately, your second print run is sold out! You baby is growing up (but you’re still probably driving them everywhere). You can see the potential of this new family member, you can see their personality develop and how they interact with the world. And you are so proud!
During the third and fourth printings, you’re dealing with a young adult book. They’re out on their own, they’re earning their own way, but they still want and need your involvement and encouragement in their lives and you love them so much, you can’t imagine not being there for them.
If they make it to this point and you haven’t quit on them (because it’s only you who can quit), then it can support itself and in return take care of you. It has arrived! Your baby is all grown up, but just like adult children, you’re still very involved in their life.
Now, what if you’re a prolific writer? Just like that prolific parent, there’s a second book on the way, while the first one is barely learning to walk. It happens, and with most authors, it happens A LOT! Like with a second baby, you’re not so scared, you’re smarter now, and you know without being told or questioning all the things that you need to do for a baby. The older sibling book many times can be helpful in raising the new book (especially if it is a series), but each will always be an individual (even if they look alike). Don’t forget that, when you have a little family of books growing up right before your very eyes!
The other main point that new authors forget is that a book is a lifetime commitment – they’ll have this beautiful baby all the rest of their lives and frankly, it will live on beyond them, just like our children do. Each one is a new addition to the family and must be nurtured and taken care of. You have the rest of your life to have a relationship with this baby and to watch it grow and become.
Don’t rush the process, it is all a wonderful ride!
You can't tell a book by its cover, but you can SELL a book by its cover!
Cover design is an important consideration when writing a book. If you commercially publish, you’ll probably have little to input on this topic. However, if you maintain your rights, then you will need to address this issue and give it very serious thought.
My book started with a dark purple cover with white print, with only a halo over the “A” of Angel On Board that gave it any distinction whatsoever. It was functional, but hardly engaging. I had a pair of angel wings drawn - as a favor to me - and I used that with the same block style print. I then contracted a graphic designer, who took those wings and a description of a scene within in the book and created the pink cover. I asked him to make a sunrise type of scene - and the book cover came out very pink. It was the best $50 I ever spent!
However, my male readers complained. I changed the background cover back to a blue base. Now it is a cover, that is engaging, and not biased towards any group of people. It evolved and I learned from my mistakes, because there was no one there to guide me in this issue.
Very important point: Be sure that all reader types in your target market would be comfortable holding your book. Because someone holding your book is one of the best ways to sell your book! I had to change the cover color on Angel On Board from pink to blue, because my male readers complained about being seen with a ‘pink book.’ This is an especially important point in children's books!!!
Trackback URL For This Entry Is http://www.32direct.com/blogs_ma/trackback.php?id=189
I recently got the most amazing feedback for my book and it reminded me why I do what I do and why I work so hard.
Angel On Board (www.AngelOnBoard.com) is about a man's death and entrance into Heaven and his training up as a guardian angel, but first, he has to take his family through the transition of his death. He's there and assisting them in a very real way during a very difficult time.
Because of this story line, many people who are going through a difficult time, whether it is grief related or just a very tough time, connect with the thought that their angels are helping them and they find peace and comfort on the pages.
I've received many letters that tell me how the book did that for people and it re-enforces in me a very personal purpose that I have to help more and more people. One reader recently ordered 20 more books for her family, because there was a grief issue to get through and the book helped her and it was her desire to help the rest of her family find peace. That is my purpose with this book, that is why I'm on this journey.
The life of an author can get frustrating if sales aren't where we want them to be or the bills are getting paid, but when we get a letter like the one I've just described, it makes all the effort worth it. So, please, tell authors what you think of their book or how it positively influenced your life. It is means more to them than you'll ever know.
Trackback URL For This Entry Is http://www.32direct.com/blogs_ma/trackback.php?id=147
Your book is as individual as you are. Making it a success, will also likely be as individual a journey as you have ever experienced. There is no formula, except perseverance, to insure you will be a success. Just remember the tales of the journey, and use them in your speeches when you’re on the speaker circuit giving the next round of would-be successful authors encouragement.
One author told me in confidence once, that he felt like a fraud when he was invited to writer’s conferences to talk about “How he did it.” He told me that no one could ever emulate his tactic, nor would he want them to - his success story was unique and it couldn’t or shouldn’t be duplicated.
I told him that was the best part of his story - because I knew the same about my book. I knew that no one had ever done what I’ve done, and no one ever could - so the fact that he did make it - and the fact that he didn’t follow any pre-set formula to make it - gave me the most hope of all. He wasn’t a fraud, he was an anomaly and so was I!
You’re an anomaly - do it your way! The only common theme running in all these author’s stories was never quit, never be discouraged and never think any one else is going to do it for you! Even if you are commercially published, keep tooting your own horn. You do it the best and you will make the most impact, because of the simple fact: you are the only you there is and you are the one who cares the most about your book.
Your writer’s voice is unique and valuable - never lose it!
Trackback URL For This Entry Is http://www.32direct.com/blogs_ma/trackback.php?id=123
This is an old convention that is not a good copyright practice and offers no protection. It was when the author would send a copy of his/her own manuscript to themselves in the mail. It wouldn’t be opened, and if there was a copyright challenge, the post mark was to serve as proof of copyright date.
You need to protect yourself by getting an Library of Congress Catalog Number. That is the iron clad, but it is also an investment in your future. One of the things that bookstores look for in your submission package, is do you have an LCCN? If you don't, you won't get bookstore placement, at least not in the major chains. Many library distribution services go against it, instead of Bowker's ISBN's. So, not only is it protection against copyright infringment, it is a good investment in your future! Do it!
However, if you're going to wait for whatever reason and are still considering "The Poor Man's Copyright" - then please, use that same postage and mail it to your lawyer (if you're worried about a copyright infringment case, who better to have time-stamped it for their file?), or your accountant (you're going to be making tons of money on this - right?) or your minister (he's a strong witness in court).
But never ever think that obtaining a copyright is insurance against someone stealing from you, it is not!!! It is like a lock on the door, it just keeps the honest people out. If someone wants what is yours, they will challenge you. The copyright protect gives you the way to get it back!
Trackback URL For This Entry Is http://www.32direct.com/blogs_ma/trackback.php?id=119
Actually, yes there is! It is called: inexperience.
One significant reason many publishers hesitate to work with first-time authors is that their learning curve is HUGE. To train up an author on the terminology, expectations, requirements and nuances of publishing takes a great deal of effort. For most, it isn’t worth it for someone who only has one book. This is why publishers look for authors with the potential for several books and why someone with a previously published book is an attractive prospect. They’ve already been through Publishing 101!
So, work on a small scale publishing project for yourself or really play up the fact that your book is just the first of a series and it'll get more attention from that publisher - guaranteed!
Most authors refer to their book as their “baby” without really knowing how accurate that comparison is. Writing a book is like a pregnancy, long, drawn out and private –only you can do it. It has to grow from the seed of an idea to the actual entity we hold in our hand the first time we see it in print. That first meeting is an incredibly memorable experience! Some people cry, some jump up and down – most just stand in awe that the book is finally real and they can hold it in their hands. Most, women at least, clutch it to their chest and are so proud, they can’t hold back the tears.
It’s a Book! It’s a Baby!
Now, this book, like a baby, needs to be taken to professionals to “check it out.” It needs an editor, a baby book doctor, to clean it up, check it out, cure its woes and medicate its weak spots. The editor, like a pediatrician, is on your side and wants what you do - a healthy baby book! Editors can cost you money, but you’d pay a doctor – right? You wouldn’t trust your baby’s health to an amateur (like your neighbor or your sister – even though they got an “A” in Health), so why would you trust your baby book’s well-being to one? If you’re smart, you won’t.
Next, you want to share your baby with others. You want the world to know how great your baby is. This is where most new book parents go wrong. They think the book can speak for itself. It can’t! You’re going to be working long hours and sacrificing a lot of sleep. Much like a newborn baby is a full time job, so is a newborn book. New parents don’t get a lot of rest because the demands of a baby are so intense - it is that way here too. You’ve taken on another full time job introducing your baby to the world. A press kit needs to be developed, press releases need to be written and sent, reviews need to requested, interviews need to be scheduled, book clubs and book stores need to be approached, book signings scheduled and networking needs to be done! Don’t you send out birth announcements? Don’t you schedule christenings and take your baby places to introduce them to the world? It’s the same concept. No one knows about your baby has arrived, unless you tell them.
You’ll have to invest money to support your new book project, just like you’d support your new baby. They can’t support themselves yet – let alone you – it’s crazy to expect them to!
Many book parents don’t sell out of their first print run because they expect their baby to come out walking and talking. That baby needs carried and dressed and driven everywhere to introduce it to its readers. Then its readers will start to talk about it (a voice of its own). Its readers will recommend it to others (it starts to walk on its own). Now, thanks to your efforts and encouragement, you start to see your baby start to walk and talk on its own. And it’s a thrill to start seeing sales come through from efforts beyond your own!
Your first print run will be as much expense as profit and so much work, you’ll wonder why you’re bothering. Many young parents ask themselves questions like, “Why did we want this again?” But then they pick up their baby, feel the love again, regain their strength and get going again. When the first print run is sold out - it is a milestone. Your baby is growing up and it’s taken its first few steps.
When you make it into your second printing, you can see the impact of the first round’s efforts and you, as a book parent, mature and enjoy how your book has grown. Now the book can support itself a little. This stage is much akin to when a child starts working odd jobs, like babysitting or lawn mowing. They create their own spending money – and they want to spend it on themselves! Hoorah! So, do – spend that money on the book, invest in advertising or flyers and postage or promotional material, memberships to authors groups or conferences or your own booth at trade show, and entry into catalogs with a good circulation. All these things the book can now do for itself and you can watch these new ventures pay off and ultimately, your second print run is sold out! You baby is growing up (but you’re still probably driving them everywhere). You can see the potential of this new family member, you can see their personality develop and how they interact with the world. And you are so proud!
During the third and fourth printings, you’re dealing with a young adult book. They’re out on their own, they’re earning their own way, but they still want and need your involvement and encouragement in their lives and you love them so much, you can’t imagine not being there for them.
If they make it to this point and you haven’t quit on them (because it’s only you who can quit), then it can support itself and in return take care of you. It has arrived! Your baby is all grown up, but just like adult children, you’re still very involved in their life.
Now, what if you’re a prolific writer? Just like that prolific parent, there’s a second book on the way, while the first one is barely learning to walk. It happens, and with most authors, it happens A LOT! Like with a second baby, you’re not so scared, you’re smarter now, and you know without being told or questioning all the things that you need to do for a baby. The older sibling book many times can be helpful in raising the new book (especially if it is a series), but each will always be an individual (even if they look alike). Don’t forget that, when you have a little family of books growing up right before your very eyes!
The other main point that new authors forget is that a book is a lifetime commitment – they’ll have this beautiful baby all the rest of their lives and frankly, it will live on beyond them, just like our children do. Each one is a new addition to the family and must be nurtured and taken care of. You have the rest of your life to have a relationship with this baby and to watch it grow and become.
Don’t rush the process, it is all a wonderful ride!
