Sankofa Literary Society
Emerging Writer and New Author Business Toolkit
EDC Creations New Author Tool kit: distribution lists, publishers, book stores, promotion tips, book discussion communities and so much more! Click the file to download and print.
This is not an article on time management. I’ve never managed to make the time to do anywhere near everything I needed or wanted to do. Instead, this is an article on how to organize your novel so you can write it in those snatches of time you are able to steal.
A novel is a complex body of work. If a writer tries to employ all the elements at once, it’s akin to juggling a dozen balls in the air while holding that proverbial tiger by the tail. And if tonight, after a long day, you’ve finally managed to carve out an hour, that hour can shrink to nothing while you’re trying to catch that blasted tiger. And where are all those delightful balls you’re supposed to be juggling? Read the article>
Self-Publishing opens up great possibilities for those of you who want to:
- Establish a track record (prove yourself) and get noticed by the big publishing houses.
- Publish books for focused audiences / niche markets.
- Publish a small number of books to disburse amongst family and friends.
- Publish eBooks (electronic books) online.
#1 GET YOUR FREE SELF-PUBLISHING ACTION PLAN
#2 LEARN ABOUT THE COST OF SELF-PUBLISHING
#3 DISCOVER THE BASICS ABOUT SELF-PUBLISHING
#4 LEARN HOW AND WHY TO COPYRIGHT YOUR BOOK
Print on Demand, POD, Vanity Press, Subsidy Press or whatever you want to call the “pay to be published” publishing industry, it’s all the same.
This 7 part series gets to the bottom of the multi-billion dollar “pay to be published” publishing industry. Publishing Basics Radio Show Host Ron Pramschufer interviews the presidents of Author House and IUniverse, the top two online “pay to be published” publishers as well as the former VP of Finance, the third largest.
Between these three companies they have over 50,000 active titles. Also interviewed is Mark Levine, copyright attorney and author of The Fine Print - What Print-on-Demand and E-Publishing Contracts Really Say. Jan Nathan, the Executive Director of PMA, the Independent Book Publishers Association finishes the series by talking about who is a publisher and who is not. The listener is left to draw their own conclusions. Anyone thinking of publishing a book should go no further without listening to these interviews. Read>
GUIDE TO LITERARY AGENTS and you can find it at www.guidetoliteraryagents.com/blog/".
This is a blog with great articles of writing and publishing. Read More>
The manuscript is finished, now you have to convince people they want it (whether the reader, editor, agent or publisher). Here’s where you turn from writer to marketer and there is nothing harder than selling yourself. First-time authors and self-publishers (and some more experienced!) need to avoid the common mistakes in writing their author bio that brand them as amateurs and lose them sales. So how do you create an Author Bio for the cover or inside of your book, or for the cover letter that accompanies your article? One that will hook your readers and avoid making you look like an amateur? There are four issues you need to address. Read More>
Book Marketing Plan—you need one, whether your book is being published by a big New York publisher, a small press or is a self published book. Although many authors think that big publishers and small presses will do their book promotion, this is simply not the case.
A friend of mine whose book is being published by a big name publisher, told me that when considering her book for publication, the publisher asked the following questions about her book marketing plan. Explore this site, it's full of useful publishing information. Read More>
Promoting your book online is possibly the most cost-effective way to spread the word, but how do you actually do it? Read More>
1. Know your competition. How can you make your book better than what’s already out there unless you are aware of your rivals? Look in the Subject Guide to Books in Print in a major library to determine what other books are available on your topic. Then stop at a good independent bookstore and ask the owner or manager what three books on the subject he or she would recommend. Buy them. Study them. Don’t emulate them! Find a way to make yours more complete, shorter, funnier, easier to read, more appealing in some way.
2. Include marketable mentions. Hoping to sell quantities of your book to a corporation? Include the name of the organization and a quote from the CEO. (Conversely, you might choose not to mention names to keep the content generic so it can be used in a number of different companies.)
3. Consider global appeal. If your topic will “travel” into other cultures, you might have potential for foreign rights sales or translations into foreign languages. If so, exclude words or ideas that might be offensive to people in other countries. It’s not unusual for a book to make more money in foreign than domestic sales. Read the complete article>
Over the years, authors who wanted to promote their books directly to the public had one main option; you had to physically travel across the country conducting book signings and readings in various bookstores and praying that people would show up. This meant spending money on flights, hotels, transportation and meals. This traditional type of book tour is expensive and very few publishing companies are willing to pay for them. But now, authors have a new method of ‘touring the world’―the virtual book tour. Read the entire article>
'Every author knows they should have a website. Not every author is sure what to put on that site.
Website coding has become much more powerful in the past few years, allowing tech-heads and designers to do beautiful, pointless things. Don’t worry if you can’t do any of these things. Your aim is to let as many people as possible see the information about your book and, hopefully, buy it. Plan to make your site simple and elegant so that even readers with old computers/browsers can access your site. A good author/book site is more than a static brochure, though. Online, readers have become accustomed to be being able to do more than just look at a page. They want to click on interesting links, sample the product before they buy, find out what other people are saying about the product. This is why your author’s website should have a few distinct pages. Read More>
Where Authors and Readers Come Together. Online Community of Authors and Readers, Promotion, author, author promotion, author marketing, book marketing and so much more.
The most vibrant community of authors and readers online! Over 50,000 authors visited by over
1 million readers each month. AuthorsDen focuses on delivering the best author promotion and personal discovery of content on the web. Join today>
All of marketing ultimately comes down to one thing: creating relationships. If you don't understand this basic principle, you will ultimately fail as a book marketer. Indeed, you will fail in life as well.
Think of it: What is publicity? It is simply creating relationships with people in the media who, if they like your product, idea, or service, will pass on that information to their audience in the form of reviews, interviews, stories, or notices.
Think of it: What is distribution? It is simply creating relationships with bookstores, wholesalers, and sales representatives who will make your books available to retail customers.
Think of it: What are rights sales? They, too, are based on creating relationships with key companies and people who can exploit those rights better than you can.
Think of it: What is editorial? It is simply creating relationships with authors, literary agents, and other people who can bring you good material to polish, design, and promote. All of book publishing ultimately comes down to creating relationships. Indeed, all of business operates the same way. Read More>
Advertising Your Book
AALBC: African American Literature Book Club – authors and books, writers' resources, discussions, chats, reviews, and more.
Mosaic: is a quarterly magazine exploring the literary landscapes of Black and Latino writers. Each issue contains a unique blend of essays, profiles, and reviews.
Booking Matters Magazine: full of great resources for book clubs and readers; excellent advertising for authors.
Sankofa Literary Society: Showcase your book or business on our site.
Book-Remarks.com is ranked among the top 15 web sites that promote literary works which may reflect the African-American culture. In addition to posting the latest info regarding new releases by mainstream as well as self-published writers, we also conduct random book giveaways, and provide readers with book previews, book reviews, postings about upcoming literary events, a list of anticipated releases for the current year and beyond, and press releases regarding events, awards, and other related web content. Explore this excellent literary resource>
Writer Resource Links on Book-Remarks
African-American Literature Book Club - Writers' Resources - This is a fantastic and comprehensive link that features articles, info on agents, copyrights, AA bookstores, publishers, online newsletters, and more.
African American Children's Book Writers and Illustrators
Anchor Books Homepage
Authorlink! About Writers, Writing, Editors, Literary Agents: Main Index
Black Professionals Consortium of Houston
Book Publishers Compared - publishers of The Fine Print
BookSpot - The best of book reviews
EchoList Directory - The Echolist online directory features a massive wealth of information, news and links about a wide range of topics for your edification.
Edit Avenue An Online Editing Service
Elite.com - A site for creative writers (Articles, Exercises, Workshops, etc.)
FictionAddiction.net - Ultimate NETwork for writers and readers
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www.sankofaliterarysociety.org | info@edc-creations.com
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SLS Learning Center
Downloadable Guides and Toolkits
Fantastic Resources for book clubs, reader's groups and emerging authors.
Book Club and Reader's Groups Resources
A guide for Book Clubs and Reading Groups with a collection of links and information for readers who want to start their own reading group, participate in one online, or learn more about what a book club is. Read More>>>
Interested In Writing & Promoting Your Book
Everything you need to know about self-publishing your own book and promoting it to the fullest. This free service offers a way to help writers and authors stay connected to the leaders in the industry. Read More>>>
Internet Marketing for Beginners
Everything you need to start your own Internet Marketing Campaign. Read More>>>
Starting your own book club or readers group is easy with our exclusive starter kits! The kits include everything you need to start your own book club. The SLS Book Clubs To Go Kits include: customized totebags, T-shirt creation, marketing material, webpage, books, chatroom, MySpace setup, and your own social networking site. Contact Ella today to get your group started by Jan. 2008! Explore this site for guides to help you on the way. Ella is available to help find authors to meet with your group. Email: Ella@edc-creations.com
New Author
Suggested Reading List
Book Club Learning Center
Starting up a reading group? Want to make your book club even more fun? Get advice here from reading group veterans. Explore the links listed below:
A book discussion group (sometimes referred to as a 'book club', sometimes as a 'reading group') is simply a group of people who get together on a regular basis to discuss books. There are so many reasons to join a book club or start your own. They can be an excellent way to enjoy books more and challenge your mind, they can also encourage you to read more, or to read books that you might not normally choose. In short, most people join a book club, or start their own, in order to have fun, make friends, stimulate the brain cells and meet like minded people! Complete resources on Starting A Book Discussion Group.
One of the most enjoyable yet frightening aspects of a reading group is choosing the books. While it's exciting to consider the options, make your list and winnow it down to those few select titles that you'll read each year, picking good books for your group can also be intimidating. You want the perfect book: one that's not too easy, not too hard, that will hold the interest of a diverse group of readers and will also inspire a lively discussion. Where on earth do you find books that are all that and more, and how do you pick which of these to read? Read More>
African American Author Profiles on Mosaic Books- profiles of authors and businesses for us and about us. Powerful list of organizations and networks.
Read tips for other reading discussion groups. Just a few things to get you going. Read More>
Printable and Downloadable Reader's Guides
Write With Vision Promotions is the best place authors and book clubs can post your readers guides to easy access to the book lovers of the world.
Halala.com is a web site devoted entirely to the promotion of books written by or pertaining to African Americans from Hachette Book Group USA. Read More>
Resources to Add Flair to Your Next Meeting
Wondering how to structure your book club dinner group, how long the meeting should go and how you fit in your reading group discussion with the meal and social time? Check out these tips to hosting a smooth and successful book club. Read More>
Add Your Book Club to the SLS Partnership Center
Add your book club and contact person to our links page so authors can find you. SLS Links Page>>>
Spice Up Your Group Meetings with an Author Chat
Invite an author to join your next book discussion via tele-conversation or by visiting your chatroom/blog. Did you ever want to ask an author how a character was created? Ask whether an author is planning to write a sequel? Maybe you can! All you have to do is email Ella about having SLS members attend your next meeting. Please include your name, reading group name, number of members, speaker phone number, three dates and times (and time zone), whom you saw on this site you'd like to invite for a book chat. Ella@edc-creations.com
SLS Book Club Reading List
See what our readers chose as their favorite books. Visit our Shelfari Reading List to see what we are reading now.
Book Club Network Center
News articles and press releases about book groups, book festivals, bookstores, libraries and of course SLS Readers' Choices. Visit our readers and book club open forum. SLS Book Club Center Community>>>
