This is the official announcement of the 2019 I & IBook Awards for Non-Fiction Guide Books and How-To books, a division of the CIBAs, First Place Category Winners, and the I & I Grand Prize Winner. Congratulations to all! The 2019 I & I Book Awards were presented by Gail Avery Halverson, Grand Prize Winner in 2019 Chatelaine Awards.
What can a lonely self-published author do to prevent the theft of their hard work, and sink the pirate ships before they can even toss a grappling hook into your manuscript? Are you ready to hear about one possible future for publishing? If so, read on!
Like the game of football, professional novels have elements that can’t be changed like how it’s formatted, where the inciting incident should be, how the story arc relates to the climax, etc. The thing that can be changed is how the writer tells the story.
Click here for action steps and informational links to help you on your Indie publishing road.
What is the cornerstone of any successful author's promotional platform? Unlocking the Secrets of Successful Publishing! I was asked by Orna Ross of Alliance of Independent Authors to share what I consider to be the “Seven Must-Haves for Independent Authors” at UPublishU event that was held at the Book Expo of America 2016 held in Chicago. Of course, I agreed! However, the Seven Must-Haves are applicable for all authors whether they are self-published, small press published, traditionally published, or hybrid published. Today, I am addressing the second of the Seven Must-Haves for Authors. What is the cornerstone of any author platform? Editorial Book Reviews Why? Why is it that the big traditional publishing houses have staff and contractors whose main job responsibility is to secure editorial book reviews for their upcoming releases? First a PDQ lesson about the different types of reviews (and, yes, books should have all four): Editorial Reviews by professional reviewers in the publishing industry (required by librarians before purchase) Peer Reviews by peer authors or same genre authors who further up the top-selling list Consumer Reviews by individual consumers (readers) Manuscript Overviews: these are pre-editing, pre-publication evaluations Why are Editorial Reviews Important to Traditional Publishers? Editorial Reviews are needed for pre-launch sales, bookseller tradeshows, sales catalogs, distributor catalogs, sell sheets, and to create marketing collateral. Editorial Reviews establish credibility and competence in the publishing marketplace. Editorial Reviews help set the tone for reader interaction. Editorial Reviews give readers the language and vocabulary to write [...]
APE is the how-to compendium for today’s self-publishers. Authors will find APE an indispensable resource. Guy Kawasaki passes along his publishing experience in his “no-shitake,” but affable manner. Imagine having an extremely successful uncle in the publishing biz who also has a tech-wizard pal (co-author Shawn Welch) of digital publishing magic. Fortunately for us, this dynamic duo decided to share their publishing know-how. APE’s premise is that publishing is a parallel process “that requires simultaneous progress along multiple fronts.” Hence, self-publishers are challenged with how to: market, brand, design, promote, publish, distribute, and finance a book–all at the same time. Oh, and don’t forget the time required for actually writing the book. Indisputably, each self-publisher is an: Author, Publisher and Entrepreneur. Reading APE is like taking a condensed survey course in publishing; it addresses the range of topics that authors must know about self-publishing. APE covers aspects from the existential question of “Should I write a book?” to advice on how to create foreign language versions of your book, to guerrilla marketing techniques, and ideas for financing. Traditional publishers have long prided themselves on their art form and on their discernment abilities. Readers have come to expect and appreciate their expertise. APE’s tactics and techniques will enable self-published authors to deliver to readers books that will meet these time-honored and well-justified expectations. Kawasaki and Welch challenge self-publishers to take up the mantle of “artisanal publishing”—where authors who love their craft must dedicate the time and resources to [...]