by J. Bruce Jones
I had a question the other day on what were some of my favorite book and web resources for learning about self-publishing, marketing and selling my book. Great question and glad to share. I am a huge supporter of the self-publishing movement and I look to others who are also.
Books
Kindle and even print books are so much more now that just books. They are lead generators for bringing people into your world. Most books don’t sell very many but that is ok because most of the money from selling books is really often from the other products you sell not the book. These include your workshops, programs, consulting, a wide range of products.
Here are several that I have read lately and really liked, all of these books are available on Amazon.com
Steve Scott of https://www.stevescottsite.com/, has an excellent website on marketing your e-products and has written a number of outstanding books on the topic. One of my favorites is his book on how to set up your Kindle book so that it is more than just a book. How to move readers around and into your other services.
61 Ways to Sell More Nonfiction Kindle Books, Steve Scott (Scott, 2013)
Johnny B. Truant and Sean Platt, http://realmandsands.com/, are two authors that have combined forces and write their books together. One of them comes up with the story outline and the other fills in all the details. They wrote an excellent book on how they think and run their business. The first half of the book is on story but it is the second half I really like. They talk about how they link books together so that readers are moved from one book to another.
Write. Publish. Repeat.: The No-Luck-Required, Guide to Self-Publishing Success, Johnny B. Truant and Sean Platt (Realm & Sands, 2013)
Tim Grahl, http://outthinkgroup.com/, is another author/marketer that I follow. He wrote and excellent book on how successful authors are using online marketing tools to build their platform, connect with readers and sell books. He covers Permission, Content, Outreach, Sell, Track and Building your System.
Your First 1000 Copies: The Step-by-Step Guide to Marketing Your Book, Tim Grahl, (Out:think, 2013)
The last book in this list is by Nina Amir, http://ninaamir.com/, http://howtoblogabook.com/, who I have just started to follow and have been very impressed with. She is the founder of HowtoBlogaBook.com. Nina comes from a more traditional publishing background and approaches book writing and publishing with a little more structure. Her approach is from an author/publisher, business plan point of view. I have just started reading her book The Author Training Manual, a lot of great information.
The Author Training Manual, Develop Marketable Ideas, Craft Books that Sell, Become the Author Publishers Want, Self-Publish Effectively, Nina Amir, (Writer’s Digest Books, 2014)
Websites
There are some great web sites to check out and subscribe to on how to make, market and sell your books. Here are just a few that I like
TheCreativePenn.com by Joanna Penn, Joanna is a British, NY Times best selling author who writes thrillers and non-fiction books. She also writes extensively on how to market books, how to write them, public speaking, all sides of the equation. She also does some excellent interviews with different authors and publishing leaders. She is someone to pay attention to.
https://www.thecreativepenn.com/
Another site that I like and is just packed with information is TheFutureofInk.com. TFOI is the efforts of Denise Wakeman and Ellen Britt along with a host of guest writers. TFOI is very much in the trenches for self-publishers. It contains lots of practical, easy to use information on writing and marketing your books. Its aim is to be the authority site for online entrepreneurs looking for information about digital publishing.
http://thefutureofink.com/
We also have Steve Scott’s site mentioned above, SteveScottSite.com. Steve’s site along with his books, are filled with great information on how to live an internet lifestyle. This lifestyle is often funded by your book publishing efforts. Very often Steve will research a topic and then put up a large post on the results. A recent one was an analysis of 17 different Kindle book marketing strategies. He really nailed it down to just one, build your email list. Great stuff.
https://www.stevescottsite.com/
I am also becoming a fan of Kimberley Grabas’s site YourWriterPlatform.com, how to build your following before the book deal. She really goes into some detailed information on all aspects of book marketing. Her current one on building your email list is amazing.
https://www.yourwriterplatform.com
Additional Resources
Most of the print-on-demand book sites also have a lot of information on publishing and marketing. I would subscribe to their blogs and newsletters. It is really in their interest to have your book sell as many as it can. This would include:
https://www.Createspace.com
https://www.Lulu.com
https://www.Blurb.com
https://www.BookBaby.com
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