Got the spring blahs? Buy an erotic novel at http://www.sexynovels.com!
In my last entry, I discussed how to publicize your site on search engines and directories. Now, I’ll say a few words about the importance of getting your book reviewed.
Seeking Reviewers Willing To Write A Critique Of Your Book
There are many Web sites that specialize in reviewing books. Unfortunately, the reviewers at a goodly number of them will only review a hard copy. If your masterpiece exists only as an electronic file, you will encounter difficulties in finding reviewers willing to read it. Don’t let that discourage you, however. Do an exhaustive search of sites that either review books in all genres, or specialize in your genre. Write each a clear, concise, polite, grammatically correct, correctly spelled letter addressed to the person who handles reviews.
Acquire the habit of never firing off an e-mail to ANYONE—not even your relatives—unless you’ve proofread it first! Avoid embarrassment. Editors and reviewers automatically look for errors, and they’ll wrinkle up their noses if they see glaring errors leaping out at them from a message asking them to read your offering!
You may find that you encounter better luck finding a reviewer willing to read your e-book, if you ask someone who has a personal Web site devoted to several aspects of your genre—someone who occasionally posts a review on his or her site—than you will with the editor of a site devoted solely to reviews.
Once a reviewer writes a critique of your book—hopefully, a favorable one—be sure you thank him or her, whether the review is favorable or not. If it’s not, graciously tell the reviewer you’ve learned from the experience—that you’ll become a better writer for having heeded their criticism. Develop a thick skin. You WILL become a better writer by heeding constructive criticism. Also, be sure to ask for permission to quote from the review on a page of your site. Don’t post anything without receiving permission!
Print-On-Demand. What Is It, And Can The Author Self-Publishing On A Shoestring Afford It?
Print-on-demand means exactly that: when a customer orders the book, the author notifies the printer, who then prints one copy of the book.
If, after reading this far, you're still contemplating self-publishing, you’d better at least consider offering a POD version of your book. In my experience, dealing directly with the printer is cheaper and more satisfactory than paying some site that publishes e-books (like greatunpublished.com) to set up the POD mechanism for you. I use Digitz.net, which is a branch of Booksurge.com (which, by the way, owns greatunpublished.com). Send off an e-mail message to sales@digitz.net and ask for their latest document outlining publisher guidelines. That file covers how to begin a business relationship with Digitz.net.
Print-on-demand editions cost more to print than do books produced by conventional printing methods. A 240-page, 5 inch by 8 inch paperback will probably incur a printing cost of seven dollars and some cents for a single copy. There is also a one-time fee for setting up the print file. However, Digitz offers one feature that benefits authors greatly. They’ll print one copy, and mail it directly to your customer via Priority Mail, thus saving you the cost and the delay that would be involved if they sent the book to you, and you then had to send it to your customer. They usually send out a POD copy within 48 hours of its being ordered. I’ve found their service most satisfactory.
Although being able to order POD versions for yourself, so as to have hard copies to send to reviewers, and to take to book fairs and the like, constitutes a big benefit, you might well discover, as I have, that most of your customers order the e-book, because that version’s cheaper than the POD version.
In my next entry, I’ll discuss electronic covers. I’ll also say a few words about authors’ rights.
Alexandra Adams 6:48 PM
