Hot Topic – What Makes Self-Publishing So Appealing? Part 6

During the month of April, we discussed the number one reason why writers today choose self-publishing over and over again — CONTROL.

Via self-publishing, writers control book titles, book covers, book content (story and words), publishing, copyrights, and promotion.

We spend countless hours in front of the computer and our notebooks researching, writing, and editing our manuscripts to perfection.  We work through blood, sweat, and tears, until we fall in love with every aspect of our stories.

By taking CONTROL, we announce to the world that we are not only the author, but the publisher, agent, and promoter as well.

Many of us didn’t go to school to study business and or marketing, while some of us might have.  Many of us don’t have the first clue as to how to promote our products.  Heck, many of us aren’t even that comfortable with promoting ourselves.

But we can; we can do it.

Previously, we suggested that one of the most important pages for an author to create in order to promote his or her book is an Author Website or primary launch pad.  Last week, we also stressed the importance of launching a blog tour.

But what else can we do?

Who all has read best-selling author James Patterson?  Ever notice how at the end of his novels, he includes a snippet (usually a few chapters) of his next book?  Talk about promotion that leaves a reader wanting more…

The same can be accomplished with selling e-books — whether an author writes a series or not.

If the writer doesn’t want to include chapters, he or she can also include picture images of his or her book covers.  Everyone says a picture is worth 1,000 words, right?  Or that many judge books by their covers?

Isn’t it in our best interest to promote our stories by advertising the book covers in as many places as possible?

We can take it even one step further… program these cover images with direct links to the sites where the books are sold (Amazon, Barnes & Noble, the iBookStore, and Author Websites).   One can even include a bitly code that will enable the author to track which covers receive the most clicks.   For more information about bitly, click here.

We’ll use our star client Jillian Dodd as an example…

Last year, Jillian self-published her first e-book, That Boy.  She knew immediately that That Boy would become a series, and she has since self-published her second installment, That Wedding.

With what we’re recommending, Jillian could promote That Wedding at the conclusion of That Boy, by either inserting the opening chapter/s, or at least by adding the cover image of That Wedding with a direct link to her website or Amazon selling page.

Wouldn’t that leave the reader wanting more, almost immediately?

We think so!

Ready to take CONTROL through self-publishing?

Thanks for reading and remember if you have any questions give us a call or submit a support ticket and we’ll be there to help.

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If you’re not a client – Get the #1 Digital Content Delivery Service for as little as $4.95 per month – Sign Up Now

Remember to follow us on Twitter @DCCservices, “Like” us on Facebook, and connect with us on LinkedIn.

Hot Topic – What Makes Self-Publishing So Appealing? Part 5

Over the past month, we have discussed the number one reason why writers today choose self-publishing over and over again – CONTROL.

Via self-publishing, writers control book titles, book covers, book content (story and words), publishing, copyrights, and promotion.

We spend countless hours in front of the computer and our notebooks researching, writing, and editing our manuscripts to perfection.  We work through blood, sweat, and tears, until we fall in love with every aspect of our stories.

By taking CONTROL, we announce to the world that we are not only the author, but the publisher, agent, and promoter as well.

Many of us didn’t go to school to study business and or marketing, while some of us might have.  Many of us don’t have the first clue as to how to promote our products.  Heck, many of us aren’t even that comfortable with promoting ourselves.

But we can; we can do it.

Last week we suggested that one of the most important pages for an author to create in order to promote his or her book is an Author Website.

This website will serve as the primary launch pad for selling our e-books.  We can create different pages on this website for different aspects of our writing: a home page, including our book cover/s and blurb/s; an author page, including biography and head shot; a blog page, linking back to our blogs if we have one; and perhaps even a shopping cart page.  The author website makes it possible to sell all e-book versions in one location; after all, it’s important to have a central location for readers to find information about our books.

Okay, so what do we do now?

One way writers promote their books is by launching a blog tour.  With a blog tour, others in the blogosphere read and review books for their followers.  Some tours consist solely of book reviews, while others interview the author about their stories, characters, and general motivations behind telling their particular story.  Most authors like to offer their products to the reviewer for free, and sometimes even like to extend discounts to the reviewer’s readers.

We asked star client, Jillian Dodd, what she likes most about using her author website and here is what she had to say:

“The big thing I love about my author website is the ability to give my reviewers a coupon code linked to my Digital Content Center shopping cart instead of emailing a copy directly to the reviewer.  When we email copies, e-books usually aren’t digitally protected.  However, by giving the reviewer a coupon code to my author website, the digital rights of my story are still protected.

“This coupon code also allows the reviewer to grab a copy of my book in whichever format they prefer – Kindle, Nook, i-Books, and even .PDF.   With the DCC shopping cart service, there is a digital stamp created to help discourage file uploading to share sites.

“Clearly this method seems much more professional and I control the sharing of my work.”

Jillian saw much success with her That Boy Blog Tour earlier this year, and we wish her continued success with her sequel, That Wedding.  Her experiences have been crucial to our CONTROL blog series, and we can’t thank her enough.

To learn more about Jillian, her books, or just to simply check out her author website, click here.

And now…

Now we’re ready.  We’re ready to convert.  We’re ready to self-publish.  We’re ready to promote.  We’re ready to take CONTROL of our story.

Want to take control of your story?

Thanks for reading and remember if you have any questions give us a call or submit a support ticket and we’ll be there to help.

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If you’re not a client – Get the #1 Digital Content Delivery Service for as little as $4.95 per month – Sign Up Now

Remember to follow us on Twitter @DCCservices, “Like” us on Facebook, and connect with us on LinkedIn.

Is Free Always a Good Thing?

We all know that the age of the e-book has arrived.  Once writers have decided to forgo the traditional publishing route, they then waiver back and forth as to what value they should assign to their e-books.  By value, we mean price.

$9.99? $7.99? $4.99? $2.99? $0.99? 

What about for free

This question raises another controversy in the digital world, although nowhere near as potent as DRM (Digital Rights Management). 

Using Twitter as a form of blog research, we found that multiple sources become wary when an author gives away his or her e-book.  Others stated that they associate free with sub-par writing and they are no longer interested in reading the material. 

Some suggested that a temporary sale of an e-book, offering a promotion, or giving away e-book certificates to a limited quantity of winners as a more appealing offer. 

On the contrary, we received other responses that indicated once they read a few free e-books, they immediately jumped online to purchase the prequels and sequels from the authors.

We decided to ask Digital Content Center client and author Jillian Dodd what she thinks about giving away free e-books.  Jillian self-published her book, That Boy, earlier this year, and she plans to release the sequel, That Wedding, in early 2012.

“I worked hard on my book and I plan to make a living via self-publishing.  I am big on value, and I personally don’t even look at free e-books.  I figure that if an author doesn’t think their book is worth paying for, why should I?” ~ Jillian Dodd

Jillian does, however, believe in giveaways.  Recently, she completed her first blog tour with That Boy, and she awarded each of the hosting blogs a free copy of her e-book for their reviews and time.  She also allowed each host to offer discount codes to their readers. 

Throughout the year, Jillian has offered special prices and other promotional events.  Additionally, she plans to offer That Boy at a discount once she publishes That Wedding to incentivize readers to buy both books together.

And has she been successful? Yes!

What do you think?  Do you read free e-books or do you run the other direction?  Writers, have you given away your e-books and seen success?  We’d love to hear from you in the comment section below.

Thanks for reading and remember if you have any questions give us a call or submit a support ticket and we’ll be there to help. 

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If you’re not a client – Get the #1 Digital Content Delivery Service for as little as $4.95 per month – Sign Up Now

Remember to follow us on Twitter @DCCservices, “Like” us on Facebook, and connect with us on LinkedIn.

 

Keeping it Organic – A Few Great Marketing and Social Media Links

Organic advertising and marketing is spreading like wildfire, so in keeping with our earlier messages of providing valuable content and promoting others, we wanted to take the time to share a few of our favorite blogs with everyone. 

Heidi Cohen publishes fantastic blog articles multiple times a week.  Yesterday’s post is a prime example of her expertise – Do You Know What Gets Attention on Twitter

HubSpot Blog focuses on Internet marketing and provides Answers to 31 Social Media Questions we’re too shy to ask, as well as 7 Epic Marketing Uses of Linkedin

Jeff Bullas teaches us How to Video Blog this week, and better yet, this message is for beginners on a budget! 

WordServe Watercooler talks Keywording 101 for SEO Success.  Search Engine Optimization is crucial for organic marketing, isn’t it? 

Dan Zarrella, also known as The Social Media Scientist, provides a Viral Marketing Campaign Checklist

Few of us are all that familiar with Google+, and even less familiar with the new Google+ Business Pages.  Here are a few blogs that answer our questions about the new social media platform

Amber West talks Google+ Basics and the advantages of adding Google+ to our social media to do list in Yet Another Google+ Post

Heidi Cohen lists 62 Must Have Google+ Resources

ReelSEO discusses Using Video with Google+ Pages for Business

In honor of our first attempt at mashup greatness, we want to take this time to thank author Jillian Dodd for mentioning Digital Content Center in her blog post this week.  Jill is preparing to self-publish the sequel to That Boy, titled That Wedding, and she offers her readers a sneak peek here.

Which blogs to you like to follow to stay on top of organic marketing and the high-speed chase we know as technology and social media today?   Leave a comment below, we’d love to hear from you! 

Thanks for reading and remember if you have any questions give us a call or submit a support ticket and we’ll be there to help.===

If you’re not a client – Get the #1 Digital Content Delivery Service for as little as $4.95 per month – Sign Up Now 

Remember to follow us on Twitter @DCCservices, “Like” us on Facebook, and connect with us on LinkedIn.

Customer Spotlight: November 2011

This month’s Customer Spotlight showcases Jillian Dodd and her recently published romance novel: That Boy, a coming of age story about falling in love with the boys next door.

Jillian resides in Texas with her family, where she is working on the sequel to That Boy, currently titled That Wedding.   In addition to writing stories, she loves to read. Jillian is an avid college football fan, a proud member of her sorority’s alumni group, and she spends many hours dedicated to giving back.  Jillian found her own prince in college, and together they have two amazing children and a couple of great dogs.

“I could gush and gush about my experience with Digital Content Center Services, but here’s the most important thing: I’m getting ready to convert my second book, and there’s no one I would have do it other than DCC.

“I tried converting the manuscript myself, but after trying to get it to format correctly, my husband suggested I hire a professional. I looked around on the Internet and was leery, there seems to be so many scams related to the self publishing world out there.

“Then I found DCC. Their price was very reasonable, and the finished product looks extremely professional.

“If you get a chance, go to my website and download the free sample to view DCC’s work. My book was unusual, as it had numerous hand drawings that I wanted to incorporate making it much more difficult to convert.

“Digital Content Center’s turnaround time is very fast and my book was on the e-book sites before I knew it!  I couldn’t be happier with the finished product. I was so happy that I pretty much begged DCC to do my website as well.  Digital Content Center built me a very reasonably priced custom website that fits my personality and books.

“Because of the great customer service at DCC, my website can grow with me. My goal for 2012 is to release three more e-books, and I will have DCC convert them all and rework my website with a new page for each one.”  ~ Jillian Dodd

To learn more about Jillian, visit her website and blog, and follower her on Twitter.

To order a copy of That Boy, click here.  A portion of the proceeds from her e-book sales go to The University of Nebraska and The Make-A-Wish Foundations.

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Interested in having your business and products showcased?  Let us know!

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