RON PRAMSCHUFER - Click here for bio

It’s 102 degrees out... It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas.

How was your summer? In case you haven’t looked at the calendar lately, it’s almost over. Around the Pramschufer household we’re busy packing bottles shampoo and cases of “cup of noodles” in preparation for the trip back to Ohio to take my youngest son back to college. When that is done, it’s time to finish up a publishing project I have been bouncing around in my head for the last month or so and, yes, get it ready for the Christmas buying season. Sound familiar? Don’t think you have time? » Click here to read full article.

PHIL WHITMARSH- Click here for bio

Coaches Corner: Caveat Emptor. "Let the buyer beware." – Part II

When I was about ten years old, I saw something that I have never been able to explain … until now. There was a house in our neighborhood with a sloping driveway that descended into the basement. We’re talking a 30-dgree angle here. I was walking to a friend’s house when I saw a group of kids running down the sidewalk to the top of that driveway, pulling a large red wagon behind them. Four of them—ranging in age from about 6-11—clamored into that wagon. » Click here to read full article.

PATRICIA FRY- Click here for bio

Authors Who Love too Much

I've edited quite a few book proposals lately, and am noticing a common thread among them. Some authors are so passionate about their projects that they tend to lose their focus when attempting to pitch their books to agents or publishers.» Click here to read full article.

BURKE ALLEN - Click here for bio

Phun with Phoners: 5 Radio Phone Interview Tips

Many of the most effective radio interviews you’ll do are “phoners”, or interviews conducted on the telephone with a radio show (or in rare cases, a television show). There are several techniques that are crucial for a successful phoner; here are five of the most important. » Click here to read full article.

ED MATTE- Click here for bio

EBook basics: What is an EPub and what does it mean to the self-publisher?

EPUB is short for Electronic Publication an open e-book standard that was developed by the International Digital Publishing Forum. EPUBs were specifically designed to work with the many e-readers that are now available. If you are reading an EPUB on an e-reader and the text is too small for you, you can simply change the font size so it’s more legible. As the text enlarges, it will simply reflow to the next line to fit the dimensions of the e-reader you are using. » Click here to read full article.

BILL O'HANLON- Click here for bio

Platform, Positioning and Population

I have had 30 books published by major publishers such as HarperCollins, John Wiley and Sons, W.W. Norton, Penguin and others. When I first became involved in writing and publishing trade books (publishing industry jargon referring to books for a general audience), I had an author's mindset. That is, I was thinking like an author. "Once they see my proposal, they will realize this will be a great book and they will want to publish it." Sometimes I sold my proposed books and sometimes I didn't. » Click here to read full article.

SHEL HOROWITZ- Click here for bio

Never Stop Chasing Coverage

If you talk to big publishers, you'll hear a lot of malarkey about the brief, tiny window for news coverage on a new book-measured in months. This is absolute garbage, and they should know better. After all, they've invested many thousands of dollars in each book. It's in their interest to succeed, although sometimes it seems they don't realize this. What it does mean is that if you're a big-publisher author who believes in your own book, you can continue to breathe life into it long after the publisher's publicity department has given up. » Click here to read full article.

DIANA ENNEN- Click here for bio

Social Networking Changed Everything – The New Marketing & PR Model

It’s pretty obvious that the marketing of today has changed. You have newspapers going virtual/web only, Twitter and Facebook replacing postcards and phone calls, and potential clients now being the main target of your press releases as opposed to editors. It’s all changing and to do PR today, you need to change with it. The good news is that it’s never been easier. The bad news, you need to learn a new way to do things. Fortunately, there are tips that can make it easier and I’m here to show you a few. » Click here to read full article.

First Book Approach

The Direct to POD approach concentrates on helping the author get to the point that printed copies can be ordered. The old saying printers use: "the first book costs a lot but they get pretty cheap after that". The packages offered are all based on the cost of the first book. Once the author/publisher has received that first copy, they will be free to order 100, 1000 or 1,000,000. Remember... as with all SelfPublishing.com programs... you're the boss.