Before you upload your book to the various distributor sites, you must prepare your book description in long and short forms, any review quotes you’ve obtained, keywords and categories, and your author biography. You’ll also need your ISBNs, subtitle, series title and volume number. If you’re going wide, choose if you want to submit your … Read more
Getting your manuscript ready for formatting means adding front and back material and completing your copyright page. For your copyright page, you’ll need the ISBN numbers for each edition. Make sure you have your book description, eBook cover, and author bio ready before you get started. You’ll need a separate ISBN number for digital, paperback, … Read more
If you’re an indie author, you have full responsibility for book production. This includes the cover, formatting, metadata and more. Let’s start with the cover. You can be working on this aspect while finalizing your completed manuscript. Getting Started Choose a ready-made cover, design one yourself, or hire a talented cover artist. I prefer the … Read more
You’ve finished your manuscript. Now it’s time to either submit it to a publisher or put the book into production prior to indie publishing your work. Which way to go? Delays Will Happen As I’ve just finished a new series starter, I’ve debated whether to submit it to a traditional publisher or go the indie … Read more
As a writer, setting goals each year will give you a path to follow. Each item you cross off your list will provide a sense of accomplishment. You might add new goals as you go along and find additional tasks to do. Each January, I set myself new creative and business-related writing goals. For 2024, … Read more
Swapping an outdated cover for a new, fresh look can help to improve sales for a backlist title. It’s also a good opportunity to update the interior file if needed. Your book description might need an overhaul as well. These are all things you can do to revive sales on earlier books. As an indie … Read more
While it may seem a no-brainer to reissue a backlist title in print format, it’s not so easy. There’s a lot more work involved than you might think. Assuming you’ve revised your traditionally published book earlier and reissued it in digital format, you’ll need to refresh this material before converting it into print. My eight … Read more
MWA has announced the Lilian Jackson Braun Award for contemporary cozy mysteries. It’s gratifying that the cozy subgenre has finally been recognized by Mystery Writers of America. Ever since I’ve been a member, the Edgars have leaned toward serious crime fiction. Conferences such as Malice Domestic, Killer Nashville, and Left Coast Crime offered cozy writers … Read more
Writing a book is like going to the doctor. You enter the office with nervous anticipation. You leave with a sense of relief. Writing a novel is similar. You begin the story with the same sense of heightened anticipation. When the first draft is done, you feel immensely relieved. A doctor visit engenders several questions. … Read more
You want to produce your book in print. What’s the best route to take? It’s best if you can publish directly to any of these distributors. Avoid companies that promise to publish your book for a high fee or with the requirement that you purchase a certain number of copies. If you get involved in … Read more