Quality over Quantity?

Having researched printed and eBook prices of books in the same genre as my own, I am baffled at the range of price people are selling their books at.

Some authors have gone with the cheaper price to attract readers to their books then on sequels or other books they publish, they increase the price.


Other authors have priced their books slightly higher than other authors in their field and I'm guessing there doing this as they do not feel they should lower the price as the quality should be worth paying for.


However, although I think I will go with the first option, which is set a reasonably low price (without affecting my profits too much) to attract people to work, what I also noticed that the price people sell their books at do not seem depend over how many pages they have.


Now I do believe in quality over quantity but when I saw a book with 40 pages on at the same price as one with 365 pages in the same genre and many of the comments for the thinner book were negative as they all said the author did not manage to expand on the characters and the plot was flawed, what did they expect with a 40 paged book?


Now, as a new author myself, my blog is all about my own experiences and not to preach or pretend I know it all (as I do not!), which is why I would like to know, what is the best price to sell a book at if:

• It has between 100 and 200 pages?
• It has between 201 and 300 pages?
• It has more than 301 pages?

I know it shouldn't be judged on the amount of pages the book has but reading that review, did make me think and although I would never pay for a book with 40 pages and expect it to be fantastic, I am still curious at how people make these price decisions?

Note: Just remember when setting a price to sell your book at, keep in mind the fees which will come out of your profits, so price it accordingly.

How to Handle Good and Bad Reviews on your Books?

Having read a comment in a forum about reviews, I learnt quite a few things.


I have learnt that good reviews differ from great reviews and although all reviews which compliment your work are good, great reviews show potential buyers that:

• Your book is really worth parting their money for,
• The success of getting an audience for the sequel will be high and;
• The storyline was strong enough for someone to take time to write such a glowing review

This does not mean I am telling you not to celebrate good reviews as I really think you should, however, great reviews are the ones which will really gain the attention to your book.


However, if your work is selling or receiving great reviews, just like any other role where you are celebrated for an outstanding achievement, you will also have the 'haters'.


These 'haters' are the ones, who make it a point of writing bad reviews or being overly critical. 


These people can come under the following categories:

• They are very critical of every book they read so there was always going to be a slim chance yours would be any better than the rest,
• Your work generally wasn't to their liking and unless there is a flaw in the storyline, the grammar, the characters or the ending, there isn't much you can do about this. Your work and stories will not be to everyone's taste and you've got to just deal with that;
• Your reviews have come from fellow authors in your genre and they want to discredit your work with these bad reviews to make sure you do not succeed.

Hints and Tips on getting through the Bad Reviews

• Take the constructive criticisms on board but do not take them to heart. Remember these are the readers you want to buy your books so listen to their issues with your work and amend it.
• If you can, reply to some of the reviews by thanking them for taking time to write the reviews and make them feel like valued customers by letting them know you will take on board what they have said to help you with future work.
• If it is just nasty comments, report it to the website provider and if they feel it is necessary they will remove it for you.
• I always remember the phrase from a Hip Hop artist which went something like this, ' Haters don't really hate you. They hate themselves because you're a reflection of what they wish to be'. Keep that in mind when you are reading some of the bad reviews!

Hints and Tips on dealing with the Good/Great Reviews

• CELEBRATE! Do something special to celebrate your first good or great review! Whether it be with a bottle of wine, a nice takeaway, buy yourself a nice gift, something to celebrate such a special moment!

GOOD LUCK EVERYONE!

Free ISBNs?

Is there such thing as a free ISBN?

Well firstly, as a new writer looking at the different publishing options, everyday there seems to be something new I need to learn when it comes to advertising the book, and ISBN options are one of them!


Secondly, apart from seeing them on the back of books, I had no idea what the point of them were (yep, sad but true! lol) as I was more interested in spending time creating my books rather than thinking about what happens when I've finished them.


If you don't know (like myself a few months ago)...an ISBN is "The International Standard Book Number (ISBN) is a 10-digit number that uniquely identifies books and book-like products published internationally.


The purpose of the ISBN is to establish and identify one title or edition of a title from one specific publisher and is unique to that edition, allowing for more efficient marketing of products by booksellers, libraries, universities, wholesalers and distributors.


There are over 160 ISBN Agencies worldwide, and each ISBN Agency is appointed as the exclusive agent responsible for assigning ISBNs to publishers residing in their country or geographic territory. The United States ISBN Agency is the only source authorized to assign ISBNs to publishers supplying an address in the United States, U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam and Puerto Rico and its database establishes the publisher of record associated with each prefix.


If you are a new publisher, you should apply for your own ISBN publisher prefix and plan to identify and circulate your books properly in the industry supply chain. 


The ISBN Agency assigns ISBNs at the direct request of publishers, e-book publishers, audio cassette and video producers, software producers and museums and associations with publishing programs".


Source (in black): http://www.isbn.org/standards/home/isbn/us/isbnqa.asp

Through my own research I have realised that choosing to use a free ISBN service from one of these self publishing website depends on two things:

• Do you want to have your own "imprint of record" on your printed books? or;
• Do you not care if the website publishing your book is the "imprint of the record"?

Createspace offers this service (for printed books), however, through a few enquiring emails, I have found that should you take their free ISBN service, they have replied, 

"CreateSpace is happy to assign you an ISBN at no additional cost; however, the ISBN we assign to the title belongs to CreateSpace. This means that CreateSpace is the “imprint of record” through distribution channels, including on your Amazon.com detail page and will be registered as such in Books in Print. CreateSpace is unable to register your imprint for any CreateSpace-assigned ISBNs, and the ISBN cannot be used to manufacture titles through other services".


This translated means:

• They will give you a free ISBN number for the books you upload and want them to print, however, due to the ISBN belong solely to Createspace, they will be the brand/trade publishing name (e.g. like Marvel Comics, Penguin books, Simon & Schuster, etc.), 
• You cannot use their free ISBN service if you want to have another brand/trade publishing name on your book and; 
• You can not use your free ISBN with any other other services

The Pro's

The pros of a free CS ISBN include the fact that it's free. Also, you don't have to do any registration with Bowker; CS takes care of that. 


The Con's
The cons are that you can't take that ISBN with you to another printer because CS owns it. CS is listed as the imprint of record, although they will not allow you to state anywhere that they are the publisher of your book. 


Also, if you plan to publish more than one book and want to create your own imprint, purchasing and registering your own ISBNs would be preferable.


I used Createspace (they specialise in print books. Kindle is best for eBooks and these do not need ISBNs) throughout this blog as I have the most experience with them and have read mixed reviews about them. 

The Best Web Hosting Sites to Create a Website to Publicize your Book

Having a website to advertise your work is essential!


You should be able to tell the visitor the following:


1) About Yourself (who are you? what inspired you to write? your writing experiences? etc.)
2) About the Book (e.g. like the description you would put on the back cover of the book)
3) Maybe a sample of a chapter
4) A Forum (to get reviews on your sample chapter)
5) Where the customer can buy the book?
6) A Contact Form


However, if you are not a web designer or feel confident making your own website from scratch, which are the best website's to help you make your website?


Remember your website represents you, your work and the image you want to sell to your readers!


I have seen so many website's which overload the visitor with:

• Too much information on each page
• Jargon
• Cluttered and too many images

These three things above are what you need to avoid (I have experience in web design and I have also looked at a few author's web pages and am just giving my opinions not trying to say I am an expert in this department).

Even though I have experience in web design, I chose to go with a web hosting company for a number of my ventures and found the pro's and con's very quickly.

YOU DON'T GET ANYTHING FOR FEEL IN THIS WORLD SO IF YOUR EXPECTING A FREE, FANTASTIC LOOKING, FLASH WEBSITE...GOOD LUCK!

I have had experience with the following three websites and will tell you my experiences with each:

• 123 Reg
• 350 Pages
• Mr Site

123 Reg

The Pro's: 

1. It is easy to register, 
2. Finding a domain name and; 
3. Linking it to your website is easy and they offer a email hosting service.

The Con's: 

1. In 2011, there were not that many templates for me to choose from (even though they advertise they have a vast selection), 
2. Placing your text, headings and images are restricted (e.g. if the template you have chosen shows that you can place an image in the top left hand corner of the page then you cannot move it) and;
3. Transferring a domain name away from 123 Reg took weeks for me to do (even with my constant emails checking for updates more than three times a week and checking with my new web hosting company).

350 Pages

The Pro's: 

1. Simple layout (you can find everything you need easily), 
2. Easy to add HTML code into (e.g. if you want to gain extra money from your website and advertise 'Affiliate companies' on your site); 
3. You can edit the templates quickly and easily (although if you need help their customer support is fantastic and reply to your 'contact us' forms and emails within a day.

The Con's:

1. There could be a wider choice of templates on the Standard Package, 
2. The e-commerce facility is limited for the paying packages and;
3. They do not include a web hosting facility

Mr Site

The Pro's: 

1. It provides a blank canvas for you, 
2. They provide a nice range of additional products included in the price for your website (e.g. blogs, forums, guestbooks, etc.) and; 
3. A decent range of gallery photographs to choose from.

The Con's:

1. The templates are too basic and you need to invest a bit more time into editing and creating your own unique looking website as the templates do not offer enough, 
2. In 2010, they could not provide me with 'Sub menu's' from the navigation bar which I found strange as the basic package is not cheap and; 
3. I found it difficult to get support within a reasonable amount of time (a maximum of a week is long enough to wait for an answer to a simple enough question).

Conclusion

Obviously, these are my ideas and experiences, so please do not be put off or rule out any of these websites.

Please leave your own comments if you agree or have had different experiences with these three sites and I hope the 'website promoting your book' is helpful to you!

xoxo

Literary Agent's Contradiction!

As a new writer, I find it unbelievable that every literary agency only advertises for experienced writers!


Like I was 15 yrs old looking for my first Saturday job, I got more and more frustrated being knocked back from each retailer due to having no experience.
However, when and how do you get the break? 

After many knock backs, I realised I needed a new approach and was advised to go down the 'Self Publishing' route.


Obviously, I would be much happier having an agent as I would receive a lot more publicity, the marketing would be taken away from me and I would be free, in general, to just concentrate on what I love...writing!


Researching a few 'Self Publishing Website's' I agree, these are great options for new writers to get their work published and out to the world, however, the free services compared to the 'small fee' services differ greatly.


I have realised that unless you have your own proof reader, a decent cover designer and have created a basics, marketing plan yourself (a website, blog, advertising in forums for your genre of book, on social networking site, etc.), these 'small fees' will add up to be huge fees and you need to think objectively to judge whether you think your work will make this money back in the time frame you want.