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People really do judge a book by its cover. Hire a graphic designer that specializes in book covers, not just any graphic designer - and don't try this yourself at home. So much goes into a good cover that most authors have no clue about. A book cover designer may also format your book interior to professional standards. Make your book look its best, inside and out. Ryan Lanz's A Writer's Path blog has a recent post about book covers:

What Self-Pubbing Authors Need to Know About Getting the Best Book Cover

Blogging on your website is a way to attract attention to yourself and your books. Posting regularly keeps your website fresh to search engines. But most people eventually fail at blogging. How can your blog successfully capture interest? 

Top 5 Blogging Tips for Success

The most important part of book marketing is to know your audience! What do they want to know about or hear about, relating to your book? They do not want to constantly hear about your book, rather the topic or themes of your book. Jane Friedman has a guest article on her website that will help you craft posts that will get noticed by the ideal readers of your book.

Avoid Random Acts of Content by Stephanie Chandler

Our last post was about the importance of authors having a website and even a blog. Here is a link to a post telling ways to impress a first-time blog reader - so they will follow your blog and maybe even share your posts on social media, thus sharing YOU!

22 Ways to Impress a First-Time Blog Reader

(If you are not following "A Writer's Path" you should be.) 

Authors should have a website, their "home page" online, but do they really need to have a blog, too? Well, blogging keeps your website fresh for Google Searches, helps you find your audience, and gives you something to post about on Facebook or any other social media. Ryan Lanz's A Writer's Path website features Robin Houghton's post:

10 Reasons for Authors to Blog

Many (most?) authors dream of finding a traditional publisher for their book. Reasons vary, but number one is the cache of saying they've "been published." Also, a traditional publisher takes care of all the business of providing editing, design, and getting the book into distribution - no extra cost to the author, and if there is, that is not a traditional publisher but a publishing services company for hire. 

Ryan Lanz's The Writer's Path website features author Ryan J. Doughan's May 5, 2023, post "Why Choose Indie Publishing." 

Novels tend to be more difficult to write than nonfiction because novels create worlds and characters that have to make sense and be consistent. This is especially important for those who write fantasy or sci-fi. Professional editors cost money, so best to first try a little self-editing on your own to make their job easier and hopefully cost you less.

The Alliance of Independent Authors has a post about how you can work on self-editing your fiction. The post is a bit complex, but you can glean important tips:

How to Self-Edit Your Novel: What You Can Learn From Professional Editors

(Always get a professional editor after you think you have your final draft, and prior to that if you need help developing the story)   

Author and self-publishing mentor Shayla Raquel was our November featured speaker presenting on social media for authors. She has a YouTube video advising on creating one document to hold all the marketing details about your book - efficient to find everything important in one place. Start the new year off right by organizing!

Organize Your Book Marketing Copy

Have you heard about hybrid publishing? What is that?

Traditional publishing means the publisher takes on all the costs of producing your book and usually gives the author some upfront money (an advance). As the book sells, the the author starts receiving royalties (small percentage of sales) ONLY after sales compensate the publisher for that advance money.

In hybrid publishing, the author pays the publisher to produce the book but the author then immediately earns a much larger royalty from book sales. It costs a lot of money to edit, format interior, and design a cover so hybrid publishing can cost the author a lot of money - about what it costs a self-publisher to manage on their own IF they want their book to look and read as good as a traditionally published book.

Either way, traditional or hybrid, the author does not have to be concerned  with the work of producing the book - what a relief! The author always owns the copyright, but the publisher owns the rights for the physical book and probably the ebook.

With hybrid publishing the author needs to "buyer beware" that they are not being excessively charged or promised great sales or sold an $$$$$ marketing package that is not worth it. Read the contract and walk into it with fully opened eyes. Jane Friedman has an article on her website about what to look for with a hybrid publisher, and why or why not you might want to work with one.

Is Hybrid Publishing Ethical? by Meghan Harvey of Girl Friday Productions

(Follow Jane Friedman on Twitter at @janefriedman or on Facebook)  

Authors must often juggle multiple tasks and responsibilities on the journey to publication and beyond. Brian Feinblum, creator of BookMarketingBuzzBlog, addresses the common complaints and problems many authors face. His April 8, 2022, blog post shares hard truths and practical advice for authors at every stage.

The Truth That Authors Need to Hear