Publishing Gems Final Cover

Finally! Publishing Gems: Insider Information for the Self-Publishing Writer is done and on press. It should be published within the week. We'll definitely meet the CIPA deadline. Now on to finalizing Adventures in Publishing, including decided how we're going to distribute it, to whom, and whether there will be a cost. We're having a short BOD lunch meeting today to iron that out.

Here's the cover of Publishing Gems. I'm very happy with it. Now, the work of promotion begins in earnest.

Promotion has sort of already started. These blogs will start to propagate hopefully. And I'll use the SEO techniques on OutskirtsPress.net to propel it more. This will be the first book I can really use to leverage the Amazon "listmania" and "...So you wanna..." opportunities, plus some springboarding/portal pages that use Amazon and BN. Time consuming stuff. I'll write about it as I do it for the e-Gem series I'm writing. It's our tips and hints on promotion and publication. If you're not getting it yet, you can see what it's about by sending a blank email to egems@outskirtspress.com

Submitting your book to news stations

A busy and productive day today. The president of CIPA and I discussed some possible joint-publication opportunities. I also visited 9 News with some CIPA members where their Communications Coordinator Randy took us on a tour and provided some insight into getting television exposure for books. This included listed some of their most likely shows, producer names, demographics, and tips on submitting manuscript and press kits. All very informative and information I will see gets passed to applicable people who publishing with Outskirts Press.

I'll include more information about this in a new book I'm starting to write -- excerpts will be included in the new e-Gem course that we're finalizing. To receive the free e-Gem course of articles, hints, and tips, just send a blank email to egems@outskirtspress.com

Publisher's Weekly

Doh!

One of the reasons I was aiming for an April publication date for Publishing Gems was to give my review copy enough time to get into the hands of Publisher's Weekly editors.

We'll I just received the galley copy back in the mail. Apparently I used the wrong address. I'll have to confirm that the information we're providing in the Author's Center is accurate and then resend it, although now there isn't enough time before it's published. Nevertheless, there's an old saying that I like to quote from time to time: "If at first you don't succeed, yell profanities until someone gives you your way!"


We've decided what we're going to do with the distribution of Adventures in Publishing. By "we've" I mean the Board of Directors. This isn't exactly what I wanted to do personally. It's kind of odd having to take strategic direction from a group of people rather than just doing what I want to do... but there you have it, life in the big city.

Another directive is that I can't actually say what we're going to do yet... because it's the future. I'm now allowed to only report what has happened or is happening on this blog. Not what will happen in the future. ("But that's all the fun stuff!" I whined, to no avail).

Board of Directors

What kind of company has board of directors meetings on Sunday? We do, that's who. Sometimes I tell people that I would 24/7 on this company. It's true. Ack.

Got through all the usual BOD stuff, including BOD members' intention to review these blogs to determine their use vis-a-vis the website. We already know they'll eventually serve a SEO purpose, but they might be a nice addition to the author center, along with instructions for Authors to create their own blogs. Or, we might use the RSS feed, so the OutskirtsPress.net SEO site has more dynamic content. The SEO was determined to be a pretty high priority, and falls close to the top of my list after the books and fixing the cookies.

Speaking of the books, hereI'll try to get the back of Publishing Gems uploaded soon. I also have a better look of the Adventures in Publishing book -- the one we'll use for advertising. The back will be done this week. In fact, everything with both of them will be done this week because we have to get Publishing Gems into the distribution network with Ingram before the CIPA college on the 17th. I also need to look into the premiums -- shirts, mugs, etc -- with the OP logo. Lot's to do, which means updating the blog may come lower on the list.

Adventures in Publishing update

Adventures in Publishing: An Interactive Guide to Publishing Your Book is finished, and the main editing is complete. We're going to format the interior in the next couple of days and make last minute adjustments, in necessary. I think I've decided not to mention our color Pearl package at all -- it's just so different from the other four packages we offer, kind of messes up the whole symmetry of the book. But I haven't decided for sure.

Publishing Gems is going to be completely done in the next week. I think I'm going to have to write the foreword after all, which kind of sucks, but I wasn't able to secure anyone else to do in with enough time to spare to ensure availability of the published book by the middle of March, which is when I'm unveiling it during the CIPA college. That's the last day for Evvy award submissions, and I think I may submit it this year after all. I was thinking of waiting until next year, but by next year I'll probably have a number of new reference guides to submit, so might as well submit this one when I'm not competing with myself. I may submit Adventures in Publishing, too, but we'll see how I'm feeling about that.

I got my professional portrait back from the photographers for the back of the books. It'll be on the back of the Publishing Gems, but not Adventures (since that book back is FULL with all the cover choice thumbnails.).

I also have it clear in my mind how the ebook version of Adventures is going to work -- now implementing it, that's a different matter. It has to translate to web and CD, since it will be a foundation of the software CD we'll start to make in the coming months.

Adventures in Publishing

I mentioned the cover in my last post. Here's a low-res image of Adventures in Publishing: An Interactive Guide to Publishing Your Book. I have to use low-res so it doesn't take forever to load.

Adventures will have a retail price of $10.95 through normal distribution, although our BOD is still trying to determine what methods we will use to get this book into the hands of writers. There will probably be more about this book and distribution of it and the software (which I'll get to once it's published) at OutskirtsPress.net.

Strategic Alliances

How long has it been since I've updated? A few days at least. A lot is going on. Trying to secure some mutual partnerships with New Novelist and other writing sites and affiliates. Also, the Writer's Digest publication for 2004 is complete, although I can't gauge F & W Publication's interest in promoting it -- which is odd.

Adventures in Publishing and Publishing Gems, the two books I've written that will be published simultaneously at the end of March, continue to march toward their printing dates. I need to have them both finished and "producing" by the end of February. Half a month. That's what's been keeping me so busy. The front of Adventures in Publishing is complete although I don't have a smaller image to share. I'll get on uploaded to this blog soon. The back copy of Publishing Gems is conceptualized, just needs to be laid out. The back copy of Adventures in Publishing takes care of itself -- full color thumbnail images of our 25 cover choices to authors can see the selection. -- These won't include the 18 different color varieties for each one, or the textures that we're adding as an additional sub-option before the book is released.

SEO is a big concern of mine and will start to occupy more of my time once these books are written. A third book has been conceptualized and I'll start on that, too. But in the meantime, just to keep it going, here's the .net and .com links.

I sent the rest of the pre-publication galleys out to reviewers. I was going to include newspapers in that list, but since their turn-around is so quick anyway, I figured it might be more beneficial to send the actual published book (the interior looks SOOO much better). We'll see if that pans out. Who knows.

This blog is jumping all over the place -- so's my brain. I can't decide when/if I want to include this blog on the Author's Center of our website. Is there "too" much information in this thing?

A Board of Directors meeting is this week. I have to get ready for that.

A long day ahead

Today is a day I get to kick a little ass -- dealing with some Outskirts Press trade name infringement already, but that's going away today. Also continue to deal with breaking through the roadblock that is the Ingram brick-hit-shouse. If they have the capcaity to ride the technological wave, why are they so hesitant to do it? Oh, yeah... half of 'em want to keep their jobs.

Here's the cover to Publishing Gems: Insider Information for the Self-Publishing Writer. I'll post the back when it's finished, too, although it won't be as exciting. Mostly boring text about yours truly, and another testimonial from CIPA President Judith Briles.

Competitor hi-jinx

I always get a kick out of checking out some of our competitors. There are a couple of dot-com publishers (who I differentiate from the POD publishers since the dot-commers at least understand the necessity of a new pricing model, to some extent). They offer to publish your book for free (with a whopping 3-4 (I think) different formats, rather than the 15 offered by Outskirts Press. But here's the kicker. Your BASE PRICE (the amount you have to pay for each book) is at least $10. At least! Ouch. Who's going to buy that? Oh, right ... nobody, because in addition to gouging you on the price, they don't distribute your book anywhere.

Just for kicks and shingles, I signed up to see how their interface worked. Maybe it was a work in progress, but I was hopelessly confused -- and I'm a relatively savvy fellow in terms of web design AND publishing. Who would deal with them?

Yet, lots of books are being published in that sad, sad manner. I just don't understand.

On a happier note...

Judith Briles, the president of CIPA, will also be providing a cover blurb for PUBLISHING GEMS. I've asked her if she would consider writing the forward -- no word yet.

And just cuz I gotta --- OutskirtsPress.net.

CEO junk

I'm usually so wrapped up in reporting the day to day minutia within these blogs that I don't step back and report on the strategic steps we're taking every day to not only grow Outskirts Press but help custom publishing become a household concept. I have nearly conceptualized the strategic goals for this year along with (and this is the hard part) the tactical milestones necessary to accomplish those goals. A lot of hinges on the completion and publication of both Publishing Gem: Insider Information for the Self-Publishing Writer and Adventures in Publishing: An Interactive Guide to Publishing Your Book.

Another step hinges on the completion of a project I'll simply call PKRD. Some of the pieces are falling into place; I just have to put them in the correct order.

The interior of Publishing Gems is complete. Our designer did a wonderful job -- it's beautiful. A very fun, inviting inside that's packed with information in an aesthetic manner. Not always easy in just around 70 pages.

Another step begins and grows and adapts OutskirtsPress.net.

Securing Testimonials

If you're publishing a work of non-fiction, it's always a good idea to secure blurbs from other industry professionals prior to publication. These "cover quotes" or testimonials or endorsements are good for a variety of uses, from enhancing your front cover, to fleshing out the back, to inclusion within sales sheets, press releases, and other promotional materials (postcards, posters, etc). It never hurts to be able to add an industry testimonial to your webpage and/or Amazon.com listing, and the higher profile the endorsee, the better.

How do you get professional testimonials? By asking, of course. The trick is positioning the request in a manner where they see the benefit to them. Well known, high-caliber professionals and "celebrities" are always on the look-out for additional ways they can market themselves -- why do you think they're so well known?

For example, I contact Dan Poynter with a request to offer a testimonial for my upcoming book Publishing Gems: Insider Information for the Self-Publishing Writer. Dan Poynter is the best selling author of The Self-Publishing Manual, as well as a highly sought after public speaker and wildly acclaimed expert on self-publishing. (He "literally wrote the book" so to speak).

So, in given an opportunity to have his name and his book title associated with another book that would be marketed to the same audience (ie, my book), Mr. Poynter graciously offered a generous testimonial for my book. I plan on placing it above the title. After all, Publishing Gems is not yet know, but Dan Poynter is. Thank you Dan.

More later about the other blurb I got from the President of CIPA.

Too much to mention

To busy to update this thing, lately. As I said before -- the more often a blog is updated, the more boring it tends to be. It's kind of like the boring parts of a vacation. That's when you tend to get the most pictures. How many pictures of grassy hill tops do you seen from a moving car? Billions? That's because the person with the camera is bored.

But beyond lack of boredom comes my commitment to continue to update this and other blogs. Work continues to progress on the Publishing Gems and Publishing Guide. I got the review copies sent out for Publishing Gems, so hopefully we'll be able to secure some reviews or editorials in the trade when it's published in April. I'm going to have advance copies ready at the CIPA College in March. I need to get a Kinko's banner created. I don't know if I'll have time to do that.

Interior layout of Publishing Gems is nearly complete. We'll have the size of the book finalized and then can finalize the cover. We have a great quote to put on the front -- a testimonial blurb from Dan Poynter. He was very gracious to provide it. I'm considering asking him if he's inclined to write the forward. I'll be catching him with him at a CIPA meeting soon, but probably after the book is published. When we have the final cover, I'll post it here.

Adventures in Publishing, also referred to as our publishing guide, is nearly complete. I had to basically rewrite it when we changed the site. The cover concept is complete too -- it closely resembles our current Writer's Digest ads.

Hiring continues with our Author Reps. We have 3 new ones and two more possibilities. They're not taking on as many authors as I would like. We have over 60 active authors currently and more coming every day. We need more reps. It's a great gig. They work from home. What more could you want?

Additional Trim Sizes

Outskirts Press is adding two new trim sizes to our offerings. A 7 x 10 size and a 6.7 x 9 size. It's still TBD about which packages will get access to the new sizes, although certainly the Diamond Package will, bringing its total format offerings to a whopping 16!

I've registered OutskirtsPress.net and will begin aggressive SEO tactics in the coming months. This is not a process that fulfills immediate gratification. It's long and arduous (i.e. painful), so I'm setting my sites on 365 days for now -- that's when I'll expect to see the fruits of this labor pan out. Longer than it took Aidan to be baked.

He's cute. Here's another picture of him, just cuz I'm a dotting dad.

Oh, by the way, Colleen and Kristin both said no to the Publishing Gems blurb ;-( but perhaps we'll see some excerpts of the book in future issues of Writer's Digest. I'll finalize the editing and layout in the next two weeks, and the hopefully we'll have some blurbs from Dan and Judith by then.

Publisher's Weekly

Busy busy. In collaboration with Publisher's Weekly and Publisher's Marketing Association, we're offering an opportunity for our published books to be mentioned/promoted within the pages (or on the cover) of Publisher's Weekly. The details are within our free email newsletter, which comes out every 10 days. Here's the story:

Your Book on the Cover of PUBLISHER'S
WEEKLY

Would you like to see your published book on
the cover of the March 7th, 2005 issue of Publisher's Weekly?

Outskirts Press has an exciting offer for you
in association with the Publisher's Marketing Association.

10-12 covers will be featured on the cover of
the premier publishing industry publication. Publisher's Weekly
will also feature 8-10 titles per page on subsequent pages throughout
the magazine.

Each title placement includes a picture of your
cover and ordering information about your book, including your
OP Webpage, ISBN, and price.

If you have published your book with Outskirts
Press and would like to participate, we need to receive your reservation
by no later than February 5, 2005.

Please note: We CANNOT guarantee placement on
the cover since only 10-12 titles will be featured on the cover.

All other titles will be placed in their specific
genre directly following the front cover. All books will be displayed
in 4-color. We will inform you by no later than February 25 if
your book is among those chosen for the cover.

Cost for this opportunity is $600 per title.
If you would like to request the front cover of Publisher's
Weekly, there will be an additional $500 fee involved, bringing
the total cost to $1100 if your cover is one selected for the
cover.

We will refund the $500 cover fee if your book
is not chosen for the cover. We will refund your payment in full
if your book is not chosen to be included in the the publication.

If you would like to participate, please notify
us at info@outskirtspress.com
and we will update your author's center for secure payment. Indicate
in the email whether you want the Front Cover option. We must
receive payment prior to February 5 if you wish to see your cover
in the pages (or on the cover) of Publisher's Weekly.

Here's the link to our newsletter in its entirety. You can subscribe for free from our website. February 1 Newsletter.

Other updates on the Writer's Digest publication, their contest sponsorship, my book, getting blurbs, press releases, and more... coming... later.... to .... much... to .... do.