2nd Part of Test Yourself – How Professional are You Publishing?

One-Step-at-a-Time

 

Here is another example of how poorly publishers often treat their author’s presence, this time a small publisher in Kelowna, BC, Canada.  Statement on their website: “Initially a small kitchen-table operation, the company has grown over the past 30 years to become one of Canada’s most respected independent, ecumenical Protestant publishers, with approximately 200 titles in print.”
Well, I believe, they are still at the “small kitchen-table operation” status, or even worse… See how unprofessional they created the sales page of one of their authors at Amazon (BTW: a fantastic book, I read the print version at a friends place – and I am feeling sorry for the author) :

This publishing company did not even
create an authors page at Amazon! 

They totally omitted this great free marketing and SEO tool. Instead they placed “About the Author” under “Editorial Reviews”, a rookie mistake!  Even worse, if this comes from a “30 year old” publishing company!

Editorial Reviews
About the Author
<P class=MsoNormal style=”MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt”><SPAN lang=EN-US>Lee Simpson was the first female publisher<I style=”mso-bidi-font-style: normal”> Chatelaine – Canada’s most successful women’s lifestyles magazine. As such, Lee worked contentedly as one of the primary voices in marketing to women for 20 years. Her year of buying nothing was documented by <I style=”mso-bidi-font-style: normal”>The United Church Observer to help spread this message.<?xml:namespace prefix = “o” ns = “urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office” ><o:p></o:p></SPAN>

I have never seen such a poorly set-up Amazon sales page at a self-publisher’s site, as this one here by a trade publisher!

No matter who’s fault it is, (the publishers or a glitch by Amazon, a publisher (or self-publisher) should periodically check their online presence in order to show a professional appearance to their potential readers and book purchasers.

Oh, and BTW, it’s not a matter of funds to have someone look after the marketing: This publisher is, like many other publishers in Canada, funded by the Government as well as by the province of British Columbia!  See the official acknowledgements in their print and digital books.  Benefit of being a publisher in Canada…
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Check Your Own Self-Publishing, Using this Questionnaire:

  1. Did you find ways to recommend books of your writer friends on Goodreads, Amazon, B&N, iBooks etc?  And convince them to do the same for you?  YES / NO

  2. Did you buy your own ISBN (to officially be your own publisher)?  YES / NO
  3. Do you list your book for pre-orders at least 3 months in advance (Amazon) or 12 months on iBooks?  YES / NO
  4. Did you plan Giveaways for your print and e-book via Goodreads (print) and LibraryThing (for e-books)?  YES / NO
  5. How are you planning to promote your Giveaways?  YES / NO
  6. Do you utilize the FREE Event feature on Google+ and Goodreads for Giveaways, book signings, your book launch?  YES / NO

  7. How many reader and writer forums did you join?  YES / NO
  8. Did you use every possibility to add friends to Goodreads?  YES / NO
  9. Did you use Goodreads’ “Share This Book” feature?  YES / NO
  10. Did you connect your blog with your Goodreads page?  YES / NO
  11. Did you already join LinkedIn (over 300 million members) – even if you do not need a job?  YES / NO

  12. Do you know how to import your LinkedIn contacts to Google+?  YES / NO

  13. Do you have hundreds of LinkedIn connections?  YES / NO

  14. Did you create and promote your book via book trailers?

  15. Do you know the tools on the web to help with basic keyword research?  YES / NO

  16. Do you plan a “book-cover-reveal” for your next title?  YES / NO
  17. If you had book signings already, did you take a video about it?  YES / NO
  18. Did you establish a monthly email newsletter for your readers?  YES / NO
  19. Did you create a magnificent book cover?  YES / NO
  20. Are you sure you have the “right” price for your book?  YES / NO
  21. Do you know the “reputation of numbers” in foreign countries?  YES / NO
  22. Do you have the perfect title to ensure the success of your book?  YES / NO
  23. Do you work hard on getting lots of reviews before book launch?  YES / NO
  24. Did you sent out “Advanced Review Copies” of your book?  YES / NO
  25. Do you write lots of book reviews to get the good karma returned?  YES / NO
  26. Do you use several beta readers before the manuscript goes to editing?  YES / NO
  27. Do you use at least two proof readers before the book’s launch?  YES / NO
  28. Do you know what line editing, copy editing and content editing means?  YES / NO
  29. Do you have a profession book layouter for your print version?  YES / NO
  30. Did you or your formatter create a “Table of Contents (TOC) with links to your chapters?  YES / NO
  31. Did you take advantage of hyperlinks in your e-book?  YES / NO
  32. Did you install review links at the last page of your e-book?  YES / NO
  33. Did you install an opt-in link for your email newsletter?  YES / NO
  34. Did you list your author page on all your books?  YES / NO
  35. Do you have a link to your social media sites in your book?  YES / NO
  36. Did you install re-tweet buttons in your e-book?  YES / NO
  37. Do you use the last pages of your book to promote former or future books?  YES / NO
  38. Did you implement pre-worded tweets in your e-book?  YES / NO
  39. Did you create an audiobook as well?  YES / NO
  40. Did you include the sales tax into e-books in foreign countries?  YES / NO
  41. Do you plan a translation of your books into Spanish, French, German, Cantonese, or Russian?  YES / NO
  42. Do you pitch radio / TV stations for an author interview?  YES / NO
  43. Do you write articles for a local newspaper?  YES / NO
  44. Do you diversify, selling your book at several online retailers?  YES / NO
  45. Do you work on getting your book into libraries?  YES / NO
  46. Are you demonstrating the quality of your book to librarians?  YES / NO
  47. Do you work on getting your books into retail bookstores as a “local author”?  YES / NO
  48. Did you “bundle” your books or create box-sets?  Two or more e-books, or one e-book and one print book?  YES / NO
  49. Do you participate regularly in writing contests?  YES / NO
  50. Did you discount your first book before launching a new one?  YES / NO
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How many of these questions could you answer with YES?To implement all these steps and for even more tips read:
111 Tips on How to Market Your Book for free

For more motivation read the author of “Wool” Hugh Howey’s article “So You Want to be a Writer…

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