Archive for May, 2009
Branding: Do you matter? Does your message matter?
May 29th, 2009 by Torrey SharpIn its essence, your brand is your story. To the extent that your story is unique, compelling, memorable and ultimately fulfills a need or want, you will solidify a position of value and goodwill in the minds of those you encounter. Why is this important? When your story inspires those around you, opportunities arise. Opportunities to influence, to lead others and to change the world. If you have little interest in connecting with and impacting the lives of others in profound ways, your chances to leave your mark on this world are greatly diminished.
When you write a book, you are delivering a message . . . a story. The potential for influence is enormous. Book covers help sell a message as good as a nametag sells the individual wearing it. The ultimate value is what’s inside. The content. The words on the page or the person behind the name.
How do we evaluate content?
How do we evaluate our personal brand?
And how do we cultivate both?
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Author Profile – Tom Shetler
May 21st, 2009 by Sara RosenbergName: Tom Shetler
Title: Can We Know?
Why I wrote my book: I wrote my book out of a deep concern for the growing secularism in our society and its impact, particularly on young people. With the loss of Christian influence in our society we are experiencing a number of serious personal and social problems. Can We Know? was written to convince an open minded reader that God exists and that the Christian gospel is true.
Much of the unbelief in the modern world is based on the view that agnosticism is the only option to a rational person. Agnosticism says that no one knows or can know the answers to the biggest questions of life such as the existence of God, life after death, or even what is ultimately right and wrong. This moral and spiritual uncertainty has done a great deal of damage and must be confronted. Can We Know? shows the reader how they can truly know the God who loves them so deeply that He gave His Son so that they could be restored to a real relationship with Him.
About me and my book: My sophomore year in college I attended a Campus Crusade retreat and the speaker presented the historical evidence for the resurrection. It was the message I needed to convince me that the gospel was true, and I immediately gave my life to Jesus. After college and a number of years working as an engineer, God led me to prepare for full-time ministry.
I came to what is now Bethany College of Missions in 1979, met my wife Susan, and we set off on the adventure of serving Jesus. Almost from the time I became a Christian in college, I have wanted to write a book on apologetics. Primarily because I believe there are a lot of young men and women just like me, who would like to believe, but who need to be shown that Christianity is really true. I joined the Bethany faculty in 1991 and have had the privilege of teaching apologetics to several generations of Bethany students. Teaching the subject only increased my desire to write a book, particularly because I didn’t see anyone dealing with the agnostic problem and the subsequent growth of postmodernism.
Favorite part of working with BelieversPress/Bethany Press: I have been around Bethany Press for many years. The emphasis on excellence and quality has never wavered, and there was no one else that I would want to print and bind my book. What I appreciated the most about working with BelieversPress was the way they helped me navigate through the process. I had a pretty good cover design for the book, but they suggested we do the cover in MatteKote. That suggestion alone made a big difference in the look of my cover. It went from being a nice cover to an outstanding cover. In addition, Sara and the staff of BelieversPress helped in paper selection, font choice and typesetting. I felt that BelieversPress really cared about me and my book.
Tip to share with others: For anyone considering self-publishing, I would encourage you to, right at the beginning of the process, develop a plan for how you will market your book. You will save yourself many days, weeks, or months of no or few sales. There are several good books available to help you plan a marketing strategy, so create a plan as soon as you can.
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Three Things Every Self-Published Author Should Know
May 18th, 2009 by Tina Jacobson1) It is a mistake to leave marketing/ publicity out of the budget for the publishing processes of your book.
Several authors have discovered this the hard way. They’ve sunk every last dime into getting the book published but have failed to budget for publicity.
Result: the long-awaited books are just sitting there in a warehouse (or the dining room), and because they don’t have the means to advertise, there is little hope of getting those books into the hands of paying customers. Even offering a book for sale on Amazon requires some publicity. Potential buyers won’t be ordering a book online that they’ve never heard of.
2) Publicity is better left to the professionals.
Publicity isn’t as easy to do as it looks from the outside looking in. It takes longer than you think, and without specialized knowledge, you may waste time and money on fruitless strategies. A publicist will help you craft your message into sound bites that quickly and clearly deliver your message. A good publicist has spent years building relationships with the media. Because good publicists have invested so much time in learning different audience demographics, these media contacts trust them and often think of them when putting together expertise on a subject for a show.
The preferences of the media vary from region to region and from program to program within a specific region. Good publicists understand those nuances. They will not expect to pitch an author/service/book to conservative Tyler, Texas the same way they would to liberal Oregon and Washington stations. Few people have invested as much time learning about the qualities of the tastes of different audiences.
Good publicists are also aware of coming trends long before the rest of the general public, and they draw on their research and instincts to position authors for exposure at just the right time–when the media is ready for it. Experience has taught them to recognize the hidden historical or internal political ramifications that may affect each author’s book campaign. Good publicists take all of these factors into account, and this allows them to present the possible public face of you, the up-and-coming author.
3) There are some things you can do to start attracting a following and make yourself more appealing to media outlets.
- Participate in local and regional book clubs.
- Seek out speaking engagements close to home in place like rotary clubs.
- Use the internet to share your message: Start a blog, get a Twitter account, and post videos on YouTube. These venues are some of the most effective ways to get your name in the public arena.
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Relevant Writing for Today’s World
May 18th, 2009 by Barb LillandAnyone remember Y2K? The doom-and-gloom, the warnings, and the survivalist mentality swept the nation in the prelude to January 1, 2000. My husband and I were given several books on the subject and told the books could “save our lives.” I’ve kept them on our shelves for the sole purpose of showing my kids a slice of our nation’s history. (For the sake of complete disclosure, I will admit that we added a few more bottles of water to our stash and the pantry was well stocked on New Year’s Eve.) By January 2nd of that year, a lot of authors, radio show hosts, pastors, publishers, and teachers must have felt just a wee bit of disappointment that their labor was for naught. And the embarrassment? Well, that had to have been painful, too.
David Kinnaman and Greg Lyons, authors of UnChristian: What New Generation Really Believes, state that young intellectuals view Christians as judgmental, uninformed, and out-of-touch with reality.
How can we, as a publishing community, begin to change that perception? As believers, how do we communicate important issues of the day without losing our relevance or our credibility?
- Know the facts before you rush to write about the latest scare. Global warming is a perfect example: half the experts say the earth is warming; the other half note a cooling trend. If this is a topic you are passionate about, be prepared for the possibility that time and weather render your book obsolete.
- Avoid a critical, judgmental attitude in your writing. We face a world of broken, wounded souls who need a sensitive, compassionate approach. Too often we write from our heads instead of our hearts, and fail to offer God’s grace to those in need.
- Be cautious about making predictions. Here’s a quote from one of my Y2K gems: “I predict that y2k will not be moderate by any definition…a percentage of people will die from cold, another percentage from hunger, and a larger percentage will die from crime and disease…fleeing anarchical conditions in the cities.” Predictions, particularly those that incite fear, often do little to enhance the credibility of the author.
- Make sure your premise is grounded in Biblical principles. “But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure and full of quiet gentleness…it is wholehearted and straightforward and sincere.” (James 3:17, TLB) Are the truths you have written communicated in a way that is straightforward and sincere? Can readers find those same truths echoed in the pages of the Bible?
The printed word is a powerful vehicle for communicating the Gospel in a way that is relevant, trustworthy, and effective. Let’s use it to be a voice for truth in a society desperate for a new way to live.
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Author Profile – Ray Kelly
May 12th, 2009 by Sara Rosenberg
Title: The Hourglass Principle
Why I wrote my book: I have been quoting the use of an hourglass for many years as a means to describe my work ethic and sales methodology. I always said I needed to put this in writing someday. When my Dad passed a few years ago those who were close to me kept saying that I really needed to write a book about some of my Dad’s favorite sayings. I took this opportunity with The Hourglass Principle to bring both of these ambitions to life. The really cool part is that I was able to blend traditional sales process with Christian principles.
About me and my book: I am married with two wonderful children. I have been in sales my entire life and plan to use the book as a ministry and a consulting practice.
The theme of The Hourglass Principle is to focus the reader on selling with integrity. It provides an alternative approach to selling that reminds the reader that what they say or do today will mold and shape them into the sales professional they choose to become. Too many times sales people get themselves into desperate situations that place a strain on their ethical core. The Hourglass Principle is unique in that it blends traditional sales process with Christian principles. This book provides the sales person with tools and character traits that can be utilized to become successful in sales and life without selling out their morals or ethics. The goal is to demonstrate by practical example and Biblical Scripture that sales people can go further in their career by maintaining strong moral standards and a high level of integrity. Whether embarking in a new career in sales or a seasoned professional, The Hourglass Principle is the perfect addition to their reference library.
Favorite part of working with BelieversPress/Bethany Press: When I started this project I knew absolutely nothing about the book business. Sara was wonderful and very patient with all my questions. She really helped me to focus on the right aspects of bringing my book to life.
Tip to share with others: Start developing your marketing plan now. The publishing and printing is the easy part. Determining your target market and how you are going to access that market is how you are going to sell books.
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Is the end (of book trade shows) near?
May 8th, 2009 by Nick CiskePublishers are cutting their trade show budgets way back, as evidenced by these announcements at Making Information Pay, a BISG conference.
Trade Shows Targeted in Cost Cutting, Along with Catalogs and More
Speaking at yesterday’s Making Information Pay conference, Sterling ceo Marcus Leaver declared, “I’m not going to Frankfurt. I’m going to send a very reduced team to Frankfurt. The trade show is over.” Though he enjoyed visiting relatives while in London for the recent book fair, “I’m not sure what I achieved.” Overall he reported that the company has “taken about $1 million out of our trade show, exhibition and sales conference budget” and in turn has “increased our title-by-title marketing spend 33% in a year.”
In the preceding speech Sourcebooks ceo Dominique Raccah indicated that she, too, has reduced her trade-show budget by $250,000 and eliminated in-person sales conferences entirely as part of a larger revamping to “create the next iteration of business as usual.”
In an earnings interview yesterday, Simon & Schuster ceo Carolyn Reidy expressed similar sentiments, saying that “we have definitely looked at our participation in trade shows” and are “cutting back dramatically our booth and participation at Frankfurt.” She says their presence at this year’s London Book Fair was already curtailed and, though “our booth at BEA was already paid for” this year, participation there is being scrutinized as well.
Source: Publishers Lunch Email
What is the takeaway for independent publishers?
- Big trade shows and aren’t working for mainstream publishers anymore, so they are even less likely to work for independent publishers (if they ever really did).
- Paying for placement at a trade show is a an even bigger gamble than it was previously.
- Paper catalogs and Advance Review Copies (ARCs) will start disappearing and will be replaced with digital catalogs and PDF ARCs at a faster rate.
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Protecting your book through copyright
May 5th, 2009 by Sara RosenbergAs I interact with independent publishers each day, the issue of copyright often arises.
Is my work safe?
How do I protect my manuscript from being stolen?
What many don’t realize is that their work is already under copyright protection. Both published and unpublished “original works of authorship fixed in a tangible medium of expression” are covered under U.S. copyright law. From the moment you pen (or type!) your manuscript, it is protected.
So, why go through the work and the expense of copyright registration if it’s already protected?
You should officially register your work for the legal protection it provides.
Without registration, you will be unable to bring a lawsuit for copyright infringement, since registration establishes you as the copyright owner.
For more information, fees and registration forms, visit www.copyright.gov
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Are Books Obsolete?
May 5th, 2009 by Nick CiskeSome highlights with commentary in italics.
A rough economy, changing reading habits, and a planet in peril are forcing book publishers to retool the way they do business.
And self-publishers as well — how has the economy changed your publishing strategy?
…
Although you may have watched your house value decline and your rainy-day fund dry up, there is still the sweet experience of crawling into the pages of a really good book. Reading is one of the best—and cheapest—sources of comfort, entertainment, and escape around.
But the industry that produced that book carries a story of its own. As with every business in these recession-challenged times, economic, environmental, and technological forces are requiring publishers to come up with new ways of packaging ideas and launching them into the world.
Generally, the book publishing industry is affected after the music and movie industries… and changes more slowly than other industries. During times of rapid change, those that change too early or too late are often left out.
…
“Up until very recently, we would ask, ‘What does a publishing company look like in 10 years?’” says Mark Tauber, senior vice president and publisher of HarperOne, which publishes titles on religion, self-help, and spirituality. “That’s still a good question, but it’s more like, ‘What does it look like next year?’”
Or next month? The rate of change seems to be increasing rapidly!
…
MANY PUBLISHERS—and readers—hope that it looks much greener. The environmental impact of each step of the mass book-making process packs a wallop—from the harvesting of trees to the production of pulp and paper, printing, and then schlepping those books to stores and mailboxes across the country. Consider also that a huge number of books eventually end up in landfills, where they decompose and help produce a troublesome greenhouse gas called methane. Overall, the entire industry emits 12.4 million metric tons of carbon each year, according to the Green Press Initiative (GPI), a nonprofit that helps publishers develop more environmentally responsible practices. That’s 8.85 pounds per book.
Bethany Press, the printer behind BelieversPress, was one of the first to sign the Green Press Initiative.
…
But a green-focused cadre of book industry leaders hopes to change many of those practices—and save about 5 million trees every year in the process. Roughly 220 of them have developed and signed the “Book Industry Treatise on Responsible Paper,” a GPI initiative, whose goals include protecting endangered forests, preventing illegal logging, increasing the industry’s use of recycled paper, and supporting human rights—including fair wages and working conditions for laborers involved in producing books overseas. They also want to see an increase in the use of paper that is certified by groups such as the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), which works to create forestry practices that are responsible and sustainable. And this seal of approval isn’t just for industry insiders—President Barack Obama’s 1 million inaugural invitations were printed on FSC-certified paper.
But the most environmentally friendly step publishers can take is to use more recycled paper in their books. Dwight Baker, president of Baker Publishing Group, a Christian publishing house in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and an early member of the GPI, had been looking for recycled paper to use in Baker’s books for years. He credits John DePree, president and CEO of Bethany Press International—Baker’s printer—with ultimately finding a paper that worked.
Now virtually all the company’s nonfiction books are printed on post-consumer waste paper. Making the switch costs more, but only because more publishers and paper buyers—and readers—haven’t increased the demand for it.
Did you know that BelieversPress is one of the few self-publishing options that allows you to use recycled paper in your book? We also recycle the waste left over after producing your book.
Limiting your print runs (and reprinting more often to meet demand) is another way to cut down on waste.
…
But what if publishers produced more books that didn’t require paper at all? Wouldn’t it solve a bundle of environmental problems if we did away with printed books altogether? With increasing Internet access and a number of electronic readers on the market, such as Amazon’s Kindle and Sony’s Reader, plus the ability to read books online and—coming soon—via cell phones, Blackberrys, or iPhones, it’s a logical question. As the prices come down and the perks of digital reading grow—download extra material in seconds, get confusing words defined in a heartbeat, and read anywhere, anytime—publishers are having to retool the ways they conceptualize, produce, market, sell, and distribute their material to meet a small but growing demand.
We’ll be announcing e-book conversion services soon. Have a book to convert today? Contact us to discuss your options
…
Still, it’s easy to overestimate the difference technology will make in the publishing industry, and easy to underestimate the time it will take for these transitions to occur on a big scale. “We’re adding our content to Kindle as aggressively as any publisher,” says Baker. “But last month Kindle sales amounted to less than 1 percent of our total revenue. Is it going to grow? Yes. Is it going to displace some print somewhere? Yes, by all means. Is this going to solve the problem on resource management? No. It would be hopelessly naïve to wait for that to occur. E-books will grow but they’re not going to displace massive quantities of print. It’s usually a both/and, not an either/or.”
Kindle is one of the larger eBook markets. Though the cost to convert is small, the profits can be smaller yet if your market has not yet embraced eBooks. Amazon’s recent announcement of a Kindle App for iPhone has greatly increased the market.
And although paperless books are much less harmful to the environment, the components of electronic readers, cell phones, iPhones, and other reading gadgets still carry social, economic, and environmental impacts of their own. Kindle’s $359 price tag may come down, but that’s still a steep price for most people, and it’s not hard to imagine broken or outdated e-readers lying alongside cell phones in landfills all over the world.
eWaste tends to end up in poorer third world countries (Africa and China) where workers are exposed to unsafe working conditions. eReaders require disassembly to recycle certain parts, versus books which are more easily more completely recycled.
For now, the printed book is far from obsolete, though its story will continue to evolve—hopefully in physical forms and processes that are far greener. The digital revolution brings a host of new ways to enjoy a book, and at the end of the day, that’s what it’s about: good, fresh ideas and new ways of looking at the world. Whether it’s on paper or onscreen, good books will always comfort, delight, and sustain us—especially during the bad times.
Source: Are Books Obsolete? from Sojourners Magazine
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Focusing on writing by eliminating distractions
May 1st, 2009 by Nick CiskeWe all struggle with focus in our increasingly busy and “always on” lives, which can make it hard to write a paragraph–much less a book! With so many of us writing at our computers, the distractions increase: email, IM, blogs, FaceBook, Twitter… the list goes on and on. Sometimes, we need to remove the distractions so we can focus on our task.
Here are some free tools to help you focus on your writing by eliminating distractions and in one case, punish you for not meeting your writing goals!
Dark Room is a full screen, distraction free, writing environment. Unlike standard word processors that focus on features, Dark Room is just about you and your text. Requires Windows XP / 2000 / 2003 & .NET Framework 2.0 (free)
jDarkRoom is a popular, simple full-screen text file editor with none of the usual bells and whistles that might distract you from the job in hand. If you are writing a speech, novel, essay, thesis or just need to be able to concentrate on your writing, then JDarkRoom may help you. Works on Windows/Mac/Linux, requires Java 1.4 or greater (free)
Write or Die is a web application that encourages writing by punishing the tendency to avoid writing. Start typing in the box. As long as you keep typing, you’re fine, but once you stop typing, you have a grace period of a certain number of seconds and then there are consequences (from a polite reminder to a ear splitting noise). Online – works with any modern web browser
WriteMonkey is zenware for full screen distraction free creative writing. No whistles and bells, just empty screen, you and your words. WriteMonkey is light, fast, and perfectly handy for those who enjoy the simplicity of a typewriter but live in modern times. Requires Windows XP / 2000 / 2003 & .NET Framework 2.0 (free)
If you have a favorite way to focus on writing, please share!
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The unique, one-of-a-kind canvas of our existence is meant to be an inspiration to others—a true joy to behold and a heaven-sent blessing to those we meet and to the world around us. Paint your own life’s painting with the radiant colors of joy, peace, and the caring of your heavenly Father.
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