King Samuel Benson's Blog

Diary of a Young Girl, by Anne Frank I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban, by Malala Yousafzai A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier, by Ishmael Beah Why Me?, by Sarah Burleton Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail, by Cheryl Strayed Twelve Years a Slave, by Solomon Northup Let’s Pretend This Never Happened, by Jenny Lawson Night (Night Trilogy), by Elie Wiesel Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness, by Susannah Cahalan The Glass Castle, by Jeannette Walls Angela’s Ashes, by Frank McCourt The Hiding Place, by Corrie ten Boom Out of Africa, by Isak Dinesen A Moveable Feast, by Ernest Hemingway Breaking Night: A Memoir of Forgiveness, Survival, and My Journey from Homeless to Harvard, by Liz Murray

One of the reasons I got into independent publishing is because
traditional publishers are offering less and less author support.
Marketing budgets have shrunk as consumers favor the digital space over
print advertising. Authors are expected to create their own marketing
“platform” via digital media, including a website and social media
targeted to their specific readership.

This is fine, and it suits the modern marketplace. But it’s on you as
an author to spend the time and resources on a marketing campaign. A
publisher might help you get on a panel to discuss a relevant topic, or
help you get into bookstores, but the reach of your book is up to you.

This limited effort along with an uncertain acceptance and long
timeline for production make independent publishing the right choice for
many writers.

So, how do we “indie” authors market our work?

There are excellent resources which help with book promotion. Most come with a fee.

First up, securing a review. This is important if you want your book
to be on a shelf at Barnes and Noble or Politics and Prose here in
Washington, DC., and others. Most bookstores do not accept books without
a positive review. You can’t guarantee a review will be positive, of
course, but it might be worth the fee to try for this ticket to
bookstores and online sales.

So, which indie reviews should you go for? Publisher’s Weekly
has an excellent overview. I’d start with Kirkus Indie Review, at $425.
Kirkus is well established and highly regarded. The turn-around time is
seven to nine weeks.  If you don’t like the review, you can choose not
to have it published. If you like it, Kirkus will distribute the review
to partner sites including Google and BN.com. You can also post the
review on your website, and on Amazon or wherever you are selling your
book.

Another good option to market your book if you have also published it
as an ebook is BookBub, a respected site. The potential here is
significant. According to its website, “BookBub has over 10 million
members… voracious power readers who consistently turn to BookBub to
find their next great book.” Unfortunately, Bookbub accepts only 5% of
titles submitted to them, and it costs a minimum of $550 to get into
their promotion program once selected. That said, it is a major player,
with an enormous, specially curated email subscriber list.

Trade journals will also charge for reviews. Beyond reviews, check out book award programs such as the IPPYs, the Moonbeam Awards, and ForeWord’s INDIEFAB.

Take a look at the website Indies Unlimited to see which marketing strategy is worth your investment.

And remember, your own network of family, friends, colleagues, and
acquaintances is the best place to begin your marketing efforts. These
are your people. They want you to succeed! Ask all of them to post a
review on Amazon, and to talk about your book on their social media
sites. Linked In is a great site for professional networking, and
Facebook and Instagram work well for social branding and broadcasting.
Have fun with this! If you do, your friends and family will catch your
enthusiasm and hop on your marketing train.

Next up, how to apply for your book’s inclusion in the Library of Congress.

The hardest part of writing
is beginning.  Staring at a blank page is
just not motivating!

So before you begin, just push back your chair a moment and think
about why you’re writing this piece. What’s your connection to the
topic? Do you feel called to write it, or is it an assignment, or a
client piece? Is your desired outcome to inform and inspire people? Or
to go beyond that and activate them to change the world – or at least a
small part of it?

Remember that writing is about
honoring your voice (or your client’s voice). It’s about clarifying and
communicating in the most direct, thoughtful, and persuasive way. Your job is
to convey meaning and share a fresh perspective.

When I’m getting started on a new piece, I find it helpful to read
before I write. If I’m writing an article, I’ll research the topic to
get my mind in gear. I look for key phrases that resonate – language
that is especially vivid or agile. I write down these phrases as I
continue my research. Well-chosen words energize me.

Another trick to getting started is to write better emails. If you
choose your words with care and precision, you’re on your way. Writing
begets writing, no matter what its’ purpose.

Of course, having a comfortable and conducive place to write is very
important. If I’m beginning a new piece, I need quiet. So I’ll go to a
library and sit by other writers. There are also excellent writers’
rooms in most cities. DC Writers Space
is a small, collegial, shared workspace with individual desks and
soundproof panels. Everyone is tapping away, so writing there is
contagious.

I do my best writing in the Writers Lounge at Hera Hub DC, a collaborative coworking space where authors and entrepreneurs come in and get a lot
done. For me, the difference between writing at home or the library,
and writing at Hera Hub is significant. There is something about being
around other professionals on their laptops that is very motivating and
cheering.

You’ll know what works best
for you by your productivity. If writing in your kitchen or at your desk works
for you, great. Keep doing what you’re doing. But if you’re like most writers,
you need a consistent environment that has minimal distractions and just enough
stimulation to keep you alert and engaged.

Lastly, be sure to set up a schedule for writing that is reasonable
and achievable. Are you most alert in the morning, after a run, or late
at night when all is quiet? Keep to a consistent schedule and commit to
your writing practice.

You will become a more
prolific writer. And your voice will be stronger and clearer on the page.

The most economical strategy for publishing your book is to print on
demand (POD). This means printing only the books you need when you need
them.

In the
current self-publishing market, there are four POD services that stand out:

Ingram
spark, KDP Print (Amazon’s publishing platforms Kindle + Create Space have
merged), Book Baby, and Blurb.

Reedsy, a
British marketplace for editing, marketing and publishing talent, did a very
helpful survey of
these four POD services.

So, which publisher should you choose? Let’s consider your priorities.

Amazon’s KDP Print

Do you want to print in softcover and ebook formats, with a
relatively easy upload process, low-cost preview books, and Amazon’s
mighty marketplace?  Then choose KDP Print.
This is Amazon’s hybrid publishing platform which combines their former
Createspace with Kindle Direct Publishing. KDP does not charge for
uploading your book. There are no fees until you press “print.” As with
all PODs, you decide how many to print at one time.

If you want the widest possible distribution of your book, when
clicking on distribution options, opt for Amazon but opt out of Amazon’s
expanded distributions services; instead, select IngramSpark’s
distribution network (see below).

Downsides
to KDP books are: bookstores usually do not stock them, there is no option for
hardcover, and there is a significant fee to send your books to sell at other
stores besides Amazon.

Ingram Spark

Ingram Content Group is currently the largest book distributor and wholesaler in the U.S. IngramSpark
is their publishing arm for indie publishers. They excel at
distribution – and they have global partnerships that can expand the
distribution of your book significantly. Ingram also has the largest
variety of retailers and wholesale networks, so if you’re planning to
sell in bookstores, this a good choice. There is a $49 set-up fee.

The
downside to IngramSpark is that this is not a user-friendly experience. There
is a thick set of instructions and minimal customer support. They will flag
formatting issues and leave it to you to fix them. Other POD services will indicate
format problems and try to help you correct them. With IngramSpark, it’s best
if your PDF and cover are perfectly formatted before you submit. This could
mean hiring a designer, adding to your expenses.

BookBaby

People like BookBaby because
they offer a lot of support to self-publishing authors. New authors need
advice regarding POD, ebook production, book editing, design,
marketing, and distribution.

Their platform is easier than most; there is little to no learning
curve. There is a set-up fee of $299, though, which covers their
services.

The
downside is that it’s expensive to distribute your book via BookBaby. Their
distribution options utilize Ingram Content Group, so you’re charged extra for that
service.

Blurb

Blurb is a moderately easy,
versatile publisher that allows you to print books on demand as well as
image-rich works like magazines or photography books. So if your book is
heavily illustrated, Blurb’s software is far more agile than most.
There is no set-up fee, but their production fees are higher than
others. If you need to order in bulk, Blurb offers good volume
discounts. They will also list your book in Ingram’s book catalog for
free.

The downside to Blurb is that you can’t send trade books directly to Amazon for sale; you can send them through Ingram.

The
self-publishing market is constantly innovating and changing. It’s a good idea
to read up to stay current. I read Publisher’s Weekly,
Reedsy,
and Writer’s
Digest.

Next up, how
to set up your writing practice.

When I tell people what I do, their eyes widen in surprise. I’m not a
magician, but I do make something happen that’s hard to accomplish
alone. I’m a book finisher. I am an independent editor who helps people
write, polish, and finish the book they’ve been meaning to write.

Coming
face to face with an editor is a moment of truth. It’s an opportunity to
explore your ideas out loud and make a commitment to yourself. Is this the year
you’re going to write your book?

The fact is, 80% of us want to write a book – but only 1% gets it done. We’re all so busy with work, family, and daily life, none of us has the time nor the headspace to devote to writing.

Books seem
like lofty goals. Someday, somehow, that book will get done. And yet… it
doesn’t.

That’s why
an editor can be helpful. We listen to your ideas, take copious notes, and then
give you feedback to help you shape your ideas into a completed book – whether you’ve
started writing or not. We set up a structure with deadlines and offer regular
feedback and support.   

Most potential authors have a desired outcome in mind. When they
finish their book, they’ll keynote at an upcoming conference, speak at a
special event, or attract and influence valuable clients.

Writing a book is a brilliant business move: your book can establish
you as a thought leader in your field. When you introduce yourself as an
author, people look at you as an expert and this opens doors to your
career advancement.

So, how does this work?

One of the
first questions I get from a client is, “How will I get my book done on time
and on budget?” 

The answer
I give them is: “We’re going to self-publish.” I say “we” because they’ve come
to me for support and guidance. “We’re going to produce a professionally
edited, impressive book at a reasonable cost.”

“Wait,”
you say, “self-publish? Isn’t that for
writers who can’t get a ‘legitimate’ publisher?”

Self-publishing

Actually, self-publishing has come a long way. It is no longer
considered a “vanity project” when you publish independently. It is now
considered a smart, expedient, and professional option in a crowded
marketplace.

Interestingly, some books that are independently published are picked up by traditional publishers later. Ever hear of The Joy of Cooking? Irma Rombauer, a homemaker, had it printed in 1931 by a company that made labels for shoes. Joy was picked up by a publisher and, to date, 18 million copies have been sold. The Tales of Peter Rabbit and What Color is Your Parachute? started out the same way. So did Fifty Shades of Grey.

These authors and others who’ve become successful, either via
independent or traditional publishing, have worked at it every day.
We’ll talk about your writing practice and marketing tips in my next
blogs.

The hard truth about traditional publishing today is that fewer than
1% of submitted manuscripts are accepted by Random House and others. And
most of us don’t want to spend 5-10 years chasing down a publisher, and
then 5-10 more years writing and rewriting to that publisher’s
specifications.

This is why I advise self-publishing. There are many options that
produce impressive results, and self-publishing achieves my clients’
goals:

Creative
control of the content, flow, and design of your book.Guaranteed
publication by a certain date.Professional
results.Value
for your money.

So if you
want to write a book this year, hire an editor. An editor will guide you
through the process of completing and publishing your book.

If you don’t
have time to write your book, hire a ghostwriter to compile and transform your content
into a book.

Or hire me:
I do both.

In my next
blog, we’ll talk about the top 4 print-on-demand options for self-publishing
your book.

When natural drugs are ILLEGAL and synthetic drugs are LEGAL, you know there’s something wrong with the SYSTEM.

— King Samuel Benson

You must FEEL before you can want; you must WANT before you can become; you must BECOME before you can have.

— King Samuel Benson

There is no doubt that work is an important part of life, but think about it: are you living to work, or are you working to live?

— King Samuel Benson

Remember that “LEGAL” doesn’t necessarily mean RIGHT and “ILLEGAL” doesn’t necessarily mean WRONG.

— King Samuel Benson

The only ASSET you truly own is that which you know. TRUE KNOWLEDGE is that which can never be taken away from you.

— King Samuel Benson