Category Archives: Marketing

March 11, 2013 · 4:00 am

How I Published and Launched My Latest Ebook for Under $150

The Book Designer

Around the time I set forth on my journey to publishing A Writer’s Bucket List, I came across this comprehensive post on the cost of self-publishing by Duolit — a great overview!

But it scared me

The list is long. Was I doomed to an inferior product because I had nothing to invest upfront? DIY Writers on my email list know that my first financial investment in Bucket List stemmed from a generous gift of just $100 from a supportive loved one. It’s a teeny place to start, but it gave me the boost I needed to reach out to my community and make this the best book it could be.

Below is the sorta-lengthy cost break-down for A Writer’s Bucket List, based on the Duolit cost list, explaining how I published this book — to surprising success and plenty of praise — for under $150. First, here are the key lessons:

1. Nothing is out of your reach, even if it seems too costly.

Don’t lose hope, thinking you’ll never be able to publish your book because you can’t fork over hundreds or thousands of dollars in production costs. You’re a creative person — you wrote that whole book! Now that you’ve created a product or work of art (or both!), flip the switch and use that creativity on the business side of things. How can you use your talents in parts of the process besides writing? How can you use your creativity, motivation, and innovation to achieve this dream, even if you don’t have the money you think you need?

2. Nothing should be ignored because it seems too costly.

While you shouldn’t be barred from self-publishing by cost, you also don’t have a right to use a tight budget as an excuse for producing a crappy product. Don’t skip steps because people tell you they cost money. If you’ve decided to delve into self-publishing, understand that it comes with a wealth of responsibility. You have to wear several hats and display a variety of talents. Successful self-publishers are ambitious entrepreneurs who learn to do this, often out of necessity. When you simply don’t have the skills or the money necessary for any part of the process, dig into the deepest recesses of your network, and find people to help you.

The Cost of Self-Publishing A Writer’s Bucket List

Writing

Books and Courses: FREE

Investment in your career — i.e. education — is vital, but the costs seem unjustifiable sometimes. Free ebooks, webinars, newsletters, and online courses abound, so take advantage of them while you’re scraping by. Check out my Resources for Writers section to see some of the free resources I’ve taken advantage of to boost my writing, publishing, and business knowledge. And don’t forget to utilize your local library for educational books!

Software: FREE

I wrote, designed, and formatted A Writer’s Bucket List on the free programs from OpenOffice.org and with Google Docs. I now work with Adobe Photoshop, which is pricey, but came free to me because the person who gifted me their old Mac Mini had already purchased the program.

Beta Readers: FREE

I offered a free copy of the book to beta readers from the blog, Facebook, and my email list, and was surprised by the enthusiastic response — thanks!

Proofreaders/ Professional editors: $60

I had to stay thrifty, but I know that editing is the number-one service everyone demands you spend money on. Rather than wait years before I have hundreds to pay an editor, I decided to source editing from DIY Writers — I put out the call to my email list and hired three great editors who were willing to do the work for a small fee and the credit and experience, plus had a couple of writer friends insist they could look over the manuscript for free.

Before you scoff at this, remember: There was a time when I worked for free, and you probably have, too. I trusted my skills at the time, but knew I needed some experience before I could get better paid work. I put that same faith into the DIY Writers who helped with Bucket List, and I received invaluable feedback that helped the manuscript shine.

Publication

Cover design: FREE

Oops. The other number-one service you’re supposed to shell out money for. Instead, I did it myself. The cover went through several (three or four) “final” iterations before I was happy with it — I had to learn throughout the process. But in the end, I am happy with it; it represents the book wonderfully and didn’t cost me a dime to create.

Layout design: FREE

The first edition of A Writer’s Bucket List is PDF; I formatted it entirely in OpenOffice, which also did the conversion to PDF. I’ve got a Kindle edition coming soon (details soon!), which I’m formatting myself free through Pressbooks (thank you-thank you to Chris Brogan for tipping me off to that!), and the paperback I’ll very painstakingly format in OpenOffice.

If you want to format an ebook for multiple e-readers yourself, Smashwords founder Mark Coker wrote the free Smashwords Style Guide with detailed instructions to do it through Microsoft Word (and they translate pretty well to OpenOffice).

Images: $40

I was lucky to have a very kind and very talented friend  to do illustrations for the book for this nominal up-front fee. She’s also receiving royalties from book sales, because the illustrations add so much value to the book. Any additional images (for blog posts or other promotion) are licensed through Creative Commons, so I can use those for free.

Fonts: FREE

I’m glad this is included in the list, because many self-publishers overlook the weight a font carries in your book and cover design. For a more professional and unique look, you might consider buying fonts or downloading them for free (or a small donation) from sites like Dafont. My first-edition fonts were included in OpenOffice. An updated edition will include free fonts from Dafont.

ISBN: FREE

The PDF edition has no ISBN, so no cost there. When I publish the Kindle and print editions, I’ll probably choose the free or the $10 ISBN options through Amazon, though I have to fully review the restrictions of those options first.

Distribution: $5/mo = $15 total for 3 months of ARC distribution and launch

I’m distributing the PDF through e-junkie, which is an incredibly affordable service utilized by many bloggers with information products. The setup is simple, as well, and overall, the service is very user-friendly. I’ve had just a few glitches figuring out coupon codes, and no issues that were e-junkie’s fault :)

Review Copies: FREE

Yay, ebooks! Even for the launch of the paperback edition, I plan to stick with electronic ARCs — they’re easy for me to distribute, and I don’t have to worry about any production  or shipping cost.

Marketing/Promotion

Website

- Design: $30/year

For danasitar.com I use the free Inuit Types theme and have purchased the $30/year CSS and font customization. For writersbucketlist.com, I use the standard free Pilcrow theme.

-Domain name: $12/year to WordPress + $10 /year to GoDaddy X 2 sites

For both sites, I’ve purchased a custom domain name, and WordPress charges $12/year for domain mapping.

-Hosting: FREE for now

Both are hosted on WordPress.com, which is free, though my move to a self-hosted blog with WordPress.org is in the works!

-Mailing List: FREE

The DIY Writing mailing list is managed through MailChimp’s “Forever Free” plan, which is free up to 2,000 subscribers.

-Book trailer: FREE

This one risks being costly, but thankfully, I was able to create the book trailer myself, with the help of Stefan and his iMovie skills.

Have you encountered any costs in self-publishing that I didn’t cover? What is the biggest barrier you face in self-publishing?

If you’re new to DIY Writing, here’s a great place to start. You can also subscribe to updates to download your FREE ebook!

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February 11, 2013 · 4:00 am

My Super-Secret Weapon for Awesome Book Promotion

I have a super-awesome secret weapon for book promotion up my sleeve, and it has made a world of difference to my success as an indie author. I wish I could share it with you guys, spread the love, give you this awesome weapon for your own arsenal, but I’m afraid I can’t do that. I’m not being selfish, but…

My secret weapon is Stefan.

If you’re just joining us, Stefan is my BF. He’s a stand-up comedian professionally, but he’s had a lot of past lives (like many creatives), and he’s picked up a lot of skills that happen to come in handy for publishing and selling books.

He studied graphic design for a minute, he worked as a videographer for a few years, and he learned website design in a small town when people were still connecting to AOL by CD-ROM.

So, he’s pretty useful to me. He helped me produce my first book trailer, and taught me how to create those oh-so-lifelike 3D ebook covers you see scattered across the site.

You see why I can’t share, though, right?

What I can share instead is this tip: You don’t need Stefan, anyway.

You have your own secret weapons.

Self-publishing is a multi-faceted undertaking. It involves a lot of skills that go way beyond the scope of writing — graphic design for your book covers, code  for your website and blog, marketing for your book promotion, video editing for your trailer, and all kinds of more specific aspects of all of those for a bunch of minute details of the publishing process that you never knew existed until you ventured into this crazy world.

But, despite the lonely connotation of the term and our inclination for solitude, self-publishing does not have to happen alone. You can get others involved, and you don’t have to spend a ton of money to do it.

Look at your existing network. Who are the “Stefans” around you? What skills do your friends, family, co-workers, and other acquaintances have that could be helpful in publishing and selling your book?

It’s a 2-way street, of course.

Once you’ve identified the hidden gems in your network, figure out how you can work together with those people, what you have to offer them in return for their services. If it’s your boyfriend, maybe your simple happiness will be reward enough ;) If it’s someone more distant, make sure you respect their time, effort, and skills, and don’t ask them to apply their expertise for any less than you would be willing to offer your writing or editing services for.

Maybe all you have to do is make them dinner every few weeks, and they’ll be happy to design your book cover. Maybe they have a piece of writing they want you to look at in exchange for fancying up your author website. Maybe you can write copy for their video website in exchange for a professional book trailer.

There are tons of ways you can leverage your existing network to support your self-publishing goals so you don’t have to become an expert in every field. You just have to be open to the opportunities, and learn how to bargain.

Don’t forget what friends are for…

“Friends” intro theme song, just for fun.

If you’re new to DIY Writing, here’s a great place to start. You can also subscribe to updates to download your FREE ebook!

Featured image by Leland Francisco (Creative Commons)

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February 8, 2013 · 4:00 am

Covering All the Angles During eBook Launch Week

OMG. You. Rock.

This has already been a whirlwind of a Launch Week, and we’re just over halfway through! I’m so excited by the response to A Writer’s Bucket List — thank you! Sales are exceeding my expectations, and people are coming out of the woodwork to share their thoughts and help spread the word. I’m so happy to meet you all! And Oh-My-God, you guys are soo generous with the word-of-mouth! Thanks so much for all the mentions and the touching shout-outs.

The Launch Week fun — and the 30% discount! — last through next Tuesday, February 12. Look for more blog hoppers and a guest post through the weekend, and a wrap up next week.

If you’re reading the book, let us know on Goodreads! Add it to your shelves, and leave your review when you’re finished to let your friends know about it — I appreciate the help :)

In case you’re preparing for an ebook launch of your own, here’s a look at what I’ve done for (mostly online) book promotion:

Writing

At SelfPublishingTeam.com on Monday, I shared a checklist of things you need to write to help you rock your Launch Week. Thankfully, online promotion for a book heavily involves writing — the skill you already possess if you’re selling a book! That much writing is time-consuming, though, so be sure to start planning an prepping long ahead of Launch Week — I’ve been pitching and writing guest posts, features, ads, and Q&As since before Christmas — I’m on 20+ blogs and newsletters (and counting) this week!

In addition to guest posts, here is what I wrote to promote the book this week:

Social Media + Blogs

Say hello and thanks to the awesome Bucket List Launch Team for their efforts in planning and executing the social promotions with me!

Traditional PR

  • Sent ~150 ARCs
  • Contacting local — Seattle, San Francisco, Madison — writers groups with info about the book
  • Dropping fliers at cafes, libraries, and bookstores around Seattle
  • Ambassador Kit for “cooperative book tour” around the world

Video

  • YouTube channel with book trailer (coming soon: author intro + more tips)

Visual

Oh, also I’m pretty exhausted at the end of every day — but good-exhausted, like when you’ve hiked to the top of Mount Everest and you barely have oxygen left but you get to look at the world from the top of freakin’ Mount Everest. And I’m learning a LOT, so I’ll be sure to share these lessons over the next few weeks to save you the trouble of learning them the hard way.

Anything you would add to the list? What do you find most effective for online book promotion?

If you’re new to DIY Writing, here’s a great place to start. You can also subscribe to updates to download your FREE ebook!

Featured image by Taz (Creative Commons)

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February 4, 2013 · 4:00 am

3 Lessons I Learned Figuring out How to Create a Book Trailer for ‘A Writer’s Bucket List’

My first public *squeeee*

A Writer’s Bucket List comes out TOMORROW!

I don’t care if that onomatopoeia is silly; that’s the kind of excitement that’s bursting out of me right now. Launch. Tomorrow.

The book is still available to pre-order today — but you may want to hold off, because tonight at midnight, the bundle goes on sale for one week. When you buy the book during the official Launch Week (February 5-12), you’ll get A Writer’s Bucket List, the Brainstorming Workbook, the Bucket List Workbook, and Bucket List Exercises for only $6.95.

Set your alarms, and visit e-junkie.com/danasitar at midnight Pacific time tonight to get your copy. (Or, just follow me on Twitter, because I’ll be awake and ready to remind you!)

Video Trailer for A Writer’s Bucket List

I was determined to do this one right, so I couldn’t miss one step in launching this book. Inevitably, I had to learn how to create a book trailer, among the myriad other promotional activities I’ve planned. It’s on my Bucket List, after all ;)

Watch the trailer below to see how I did, and scroll down after that for some resources I used and what I learned making this trailer.

Don’t see the video? Click here to watch it at my YouTube channel.

What I Learned Creating a Book Trailer for A Writer’s Bucket List

1. A professional eye can make all the difference. Many of us can open iMovie or Windows Movie Maker, throw in images, text, and transitions, and create a playable video. But — just like a book cover and content — experience and training will add a much-needed polish to any of that innate know-how. I’m lucky that one of Stefan’s past lives was as a professional videographer, and I’m able to utilize his video-editing skills for free.

If you’re not living with a pro, look for affordable services or a trade through sites like Uniiverse, or put a call out to your network. If you have to produce the entire thing yourself, keep it simple. Trying to add too many effects or transitions without expertise will quickly mark your video as amateur — and what will viewers think of your book?

2. Speaking gets easier once you get over yourself and try it a few times. I resisted doing the voice-over for my trailer. I hated the sound of my voice. I’m embarrassed of my Wisconsin accent. But “my producer” convinced me that the video would be way better with voice over than just music and a bunch of text — and he was right! I practiced reading the script just a few times, got over the giggles, and stopped worrying about how silly it feels to fake an emotion in your voice. And I’ve gotten a lot of compliments on the personal touch of the voice-over. Success!

3. iMovie is not the best tool for this type of video editing. Creating a video with slides and text is not really what iMovie is for. The app is designed to help you edit video footage (ideally, shot with your iPhone). So our options for text effects were limited, and I wasn’t able to do exactly what I wanted with the slides. It’s the app I have, though, so I’ll adjust my plans for the next one! (Windows Movie Maker is recommended by a lot for making trailers, so if you have that, maybe you’re better off. Alas, I have fallen under the Apple spell, and enjoy the free iMovie software that comes with it.)

These are just the three lessons that struck me throughout the process. For step-by-step instructions and tips, check out these articles:

Resources to Help You Create a Book Trailer

A few examples:

What are your tips for creating an effective book trailer for fiction or non-fiction?

If you’re new to DIY Writing, here’s a great place to start. You can also subscribe to updates to download your FREE ebook!

Featured image from Stock xchng.

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