The short answer is yes. Am I excited about this new development? Yes, in that it may be just the punch needed to send the POD/Vanity Publishing industry down to the mat for a standing eight count. As something I think is important to my serious customers, absolutely not. This whole ISBN issue is a subject I have written on in the past. Ten years … [Read more...]

A carpenter knows that the right tool applied in the proper situation gets the job done most effectively. Similarly, you should use the correct marketing tools when building a successful promotional campaign. The Promotion Mix Promotion is one of the most important functions of marketing. It makes people aware that your books exists, and makes … [Read more...]

I spend a lot of time talking to authors about how to publish, and successfully publish, their books. But today I’d like to talk about when—and why—you should NOT publish your book. Read on. If you’re not thrilled with the topic. It takes several years—yes, years—to successfully position a book. If you’re not prepared to write … [Read more...]

Whenever I conduct a workshop or teleclass, invariably someone asks the question: "What should I say when the prospect says, 'I'm not interested?'" My response invariably is: "It's probably too late." Certainly you can try to recover from that "I'm not interested" response. You can ask, "Why do you say that?" (Say this gently, as though … [Read more...]

Most authors shudder at the thought of writing a book proposal. I did when I was just starting out in this business. As soon as I realized that publishing IS a business, however, I understood the importance of writing a book proposal. A book is a product, after all, and a book proposal is a business plan for that book. But what if you’ve written … [Read more...]

(Excerpted from The Well-Fed Self-Publisher: How to Turn One Book into a Full-Time Living, by Peter Bowerman. Fanove, 2006. www.wellfedsp.com). “Crazy” Lives… We’ve all known people who talk about their “crazy” lives, which, 99 out of 100, is just a life like most other lives, or, at the very least, certainly not some Oprah-worthy … [Read more...]

Want to broaden your book’s readership base? Consider converting your print title to an audiobook. In our busy multi-tasking society, audiobooks are becoming increasingly popular. Many people today don’t make time to sit down and read, but more and more individuals are “listening” to good books as they go about their day. For instance, … [Read more...]