BelieversPress » Tools

Mind your Ps and Qs: Grammar Girl

admin — Fri, 07 Jan 2011 19:41:51 +0000

There are plenty of resources out there for helping you mind your Ps and Qs as a writer. One of my favorites is Grammar Girl’s podcast. (http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/). A daily podcast that’s generally under 5 minutes, Grammar Girl will give you a grammar reminder (or maybe a new lesson!) every day. You can listen to it while you’re on your treadmill, or walking from your car to your office. It’ll help you write better. How can you go wrong?

Research: a quick tip to help you stay ahead of the curve

admin — Wed, 22 Dec 2010 19:59:57 +0000

With the pace of information today, it can be tough to stay aware of everything going on in your field of interest. This poses risks for writers — after all, your readers expect you to be up to date. If you aren’t yet, you need to start using Google Alerts. A Google Alert is basically an automated web search. Set up an alert, and you’ll receive a list of new material popping up on the web each day. Writing about how to develop a theology of worship? Set up a google alert. Interested in Christian counseling? Set up two google alerts — can’t forget that the Canadians and British spell counseling with two ls. Absolutely love Justin Bieber? You probably need to talk to the person with the Christian counseling alerts. Or, set up a Google alert. It’s a great way to make research easier: let the information come to you.

Keys to a Stand-Out Nonfiction Proposal

barb lilland — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 14:00:59 +0000

The BelieversPress blog features Q & A sessions with the experts we work with, answering questions that you’ve asked. Have a question? Send it to info@believerspress.com and we’ll get you an answer! You asked:

“I’ve written a nonfiction proposal. What can I do to stand out from the crowd?”

A unique benefit of writing nonfiction is that in most cases you need not write the entire manuscript before submitting a proposal to agents and publishers. However, keep in mind that writing the proposal may be just as difficult! A quality nonfiction proposal focuses on selling yourself and your idea. Like a successful advertisement, the nonfiction proposal should highlight your “product” in such as way as to leave a lasting impression on the reader. There are numerous guidelines available that will walk you through the physical proposal (cover letter, summary, table of contents, etc.). If you need help with that step, here are a few links to help you get started: http://pages.prodigy.net/jimcypher/proposal.htm; http://www.ehow.com/how_2085531_write-non-fiction-book-proposal.html. (Editor’s note: Mary DeMuth has a great Nonfiction Book Proposal Tutorial eBook available for $25.) What you may not find on the web are the specific elements an editor and agent are hoping to see when they open up your proposal. In my years as an acquisitions editor, I saw my share of the good, the bad, and the don’t-even-open. Here are some insider tips on how to keep yours in the good—if not excellent—category. First step? Take off your writer’s hat and put on your marketing hat. Second step? Concentrate on including these three keys in your proposal: 1) Subject: You may have a great idea, but if it is not timely and unique, you may not have a book.

a) Your idea needs to be timely. Have there been frequent news articles written on this topic? Have you written a magazine or newspaper article on the subject? Is it a cultural shift, a hot social issue, a current felt-need among a specific age group, or a topic the church is just beginning to address? If so, include one or two news pieces (particularly any you have written) as examples of the timeliness of your topic.

b) Your book needs to be unique. Are there a number of bestselling books on this topic, but yours takes a distinctive approach that will allow it to stand out from the market? Does your personal experience or career give you special insight into this subject? If you were writing the back cover copy of your book, how would you sell this idea as a unique approach with specific take-away value for the reader?

2) Platform: Your qualifications and current audience are often what makes or breaks a book deal.

a) What are your qualifications for tackling this topic? I’m not referring to a degree from an elite college—nice, but it won’t get you a book deal. More crucial is what you are doing now to advance your ideas. Have you written a number of articles on this topic? Do you teach extensively on this (or a similar) subject in your workplace, church, or community? Do you have a website, a popular blog? In today’s market, publishers want an author who comes with a history of successful self-promotion—trust me, those are the writers who get a book deal.

b) What audience have you already gathered? If you maintain a website, how many hits has it received? Do you regularly blog on this topic? How many followers do you have? If you have written articles on the topic, what kind of response did the magazine receive following its publication? How many people typically attend your teaching seminars? Include specific numbers. Remember, if your book proposal entices the acquisitions editor, he or she then has to “sell” it to the editorial board. Make the editor’s job easy by including details about the platform you have already established.

3) Market: Your book’s category and competition are critical to its success.

a) Into what category will your book be shelved? You may feel your book is unique and better than other books in the marketplace, but the fact is your book will sit on the shelf alongside similar books. Know the specific category, do your homework, and don’t be afraid to address it in your proposal.

b) What competition will your book face? I’ve known authors who hoped that by not mentioning the competition, they could trick the editor into thinking the market was wide open on their topic. Not going to happen. Know the competition, and detail how your book is better. You may want to list the top three books in the category along with their sales numbers or bestseller standing. Remember, the editor may have acquired one of those successful titles: tell him or her why yours is exceptional, why it is a good follow-up in the wake of that other book, and/or why your book will appeal to a broader audience.

Beyond just selling a good idea, your book proposal needs to address the timeliness and uniqueness of the subject, your established platform, and the current temperature of the market. Touch on those three keys in your cover letter, and follow with more specific details on the ensuing pages. The result? A top-notch proposal guaranteed to stand out from the crowd.

Press Ready Specifications for BelieversPress

admin — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 13:54:10 +0000

Download the press-ready guidelines for BelieversPress. (PDF File) Download the PDF/x settings files created for BelieversPress. (Zip File)

10 More Common New Writer Mistakes to Avoid

mary demuth — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 16:48:55 +0000

For those of you who love lists, here’s another list of ten common mistakes I see writers make when they come through The Writing Spa. Check and see if you make these mistakes too. And if you do, choose to make 2010 the year you change the way you write. 1 Starting the story too late. When I wrote my first novel, it took me 90 pages to get to the inciting moment. I believed I needed to tell all the backstory first. Not true. When I rewrote the beginning, I cut the first 90 pages, rewrote the beginning to have the inciting moment first. Then, I shared both beginnings with a critique group and asked which one had more emotional impact. Everyone said the second one. Start your story when it starts. 2 Lack of passion. If you’re not wild about your subject, it shows. Write from your passion and your words will have punch. 3 Overuse of had. When recounting something in the past, use “had” once, then keep the rest in straight past tense. Otherwise, you’ll clutter up your prose, make it gunky. 4 Too many modifiers. Use a better noun instead of a weak one that needs an adjective. Use a stronger verb instead of one that leans on an adverb for help. 5 Misplaced modifier: An adjectival (modifies a noun) or adverbial (modifies a verb) placed in an awkward spot—usually far from the word or phrase it modifies. Misplaced: I learned how to tie-dye t-shirts on the radio. Correct: I heard on the radio how to tie-dye t-shirts. 6 Punctuation and Formatting Errors:

Punctuation within quotes. This is a proper ellipses: . . . (dot space, dot space, dot space)
Use an em dash in a sentence: Bob ran his business to the ground—right after he alienated his wife and children.

To create the elusive, continuous-line, em dash: Type as usual, but when you want to make the em dash, type two hyphens in a row and simply continue typing the next word. As soon as you hit the “space” key after you complete that next word, the computer automatically turns the two hyphens into the correctly formatted “em dash.” (The funny thing is, the computer can’t NOT do this action automatically.) Incorrect (but the “old” method on a manual typewriter): I left my favorite baking dish–a wedding present from Aunt Jackie–at the church potluck dinner yesterday evening. Incorrect (a symbol, actually an “en” dash): I left my favorite baking dish – a wedding present from Aunt Jackie – at the church potluck dinner yesterday evening. Correct: I left my favorite baking dish—a wedding present from Aunt Jackie—at the church potluck dinner yesterday evening.

Don’t use ALL CAPS.
When writing a title, italicize it, don’t underline.
Don’t hit enter twice when you start a new paragraph.
It’s no longer five spaces when you indent; use the Tab key instead.
11 or 12 point font, preferably Times New Roman.
One inch margins all around.
Use exclamation points sparingly. You don’t want to be the writer who cried Wolf!

7 Pronoun/Antecedent Problems. Be sure your pronouns agree with the words they’re replacing. A writer makes a mistake when her pronouns don’t match. 8 No Parallel Structure. When listing things in a series, be sure the structure of the first words in each series are parallel. Example: The cat dodged the ball, ate a mouse, and is sleeping now. Correct: The cat dodged the ball, ate a mouse, then fell asleep. 9 Dangling Participles. When you have a participle (-ing word) followed by a comma as a phrase (dependent clause), the word following the comma should be the one the phrase modifies. Example: Crashing outside, I jumped when I heard the thunder. Crashing outside, the thunder made me jump. 10 Purple Speaker Tags. When you attribute dialog to someone, refrain from using purple speaker tags. Said works best most of the time. Or creating the dialog with beats (sentences of action) works better, too. Example: “Herb, you irritate me!” she exclaimed vehemently. Solved: She stomped her tiny feet. “Herb, you irritate me!”

Marketing Your Book with Social Media — it's a conversation

j a heinlein — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 17:28:56 +0000

William Barrett, Professor of Philosophy, wrote back in 1979:

“…our modes of communication and expression take place within the framework (of an increasingly complex technology) and are increasingly shaped by it … the task … in this situation becomes neither the meaningless rejection of technology nor the equally meaningless affirmation of technology, but to try to see where technical and technological thinking, with no other principle but itself, must lead us; and whether some countervailing mode of thought may not be called for.” —Barrett, William, The Illusion of Technique, (Anchor Books: Garden City, New York, 1979) p. 230″

I was just going through my email — clearing the box — while having coffee at one my favorite local community coffee shops (as is my morning ritual). As I read the message (excerpted below) from a new client, it occurred to me that his request contained something that I have been pondering all last week… how do you really “use” social media? Well, first of all, to “correct myself”, one doesn’t “use it”… one participates… it is simply a conversation. Use beyond that, can quickly just become annoying noise. Recently, I have been more than impressed and humbled by being able to participate in personal and direct messages and conversations with the likes of Chris Brogan and Danny Brown. These guys (”guys”… they are figurative “giants” really! -personable, nice, “gentle giants”, but giants nonetheless) …find a way to organize their daily lifestyle, moments… precious time to directly answer and converse on a personal level with many, many people… constantly… every day…. It is after all “Social Media”. They literally have 100′s of thousands of “followers”…but, somehow they find a way to “have the conversation…” And, this is what I find to be most impressive and confounding… and, am observing to be the “Secret” to theirs and others like themselves’ success. I like many, am still learning and trying to figure it out? I suspect and am also learning… that part of it is just to relaxing into the practice…. that is… one must “just be”… and become a willing and calmly active participant in the happening… In other words, don’t “try” so hard… One thing that is certain and very obvious… The example and model is there — being personal is not optional! My email conversation:

“Hi Jay, I apologize for my confusion….I’m not the “brightest bulb in the box” when it comes to Facebook…or computers!! Can you give me an idea of exactly what to do with each of the names and addresses you gave me? Once I understand it I will never forget..it’s just….understanding it?? Maybe just take one of the addresses like ______and tell me step by step how to get them on my Facebook? Sorry for the request… but computers and I have not been very close friends….arrrggghhh!!! Thanks Jay – For Everything!! ======================================== “J, -no worries… and, I strongly disagree! You are refreshingly one of the “brightest bulbs” that I have met in a long time… I am thankful to be in the company of the likes of you, L, and “Dr. Pat”! re Facebook You are naturally very social, so once you get “it”…the learning curve will be short… Think of “it” as just talking…having a conversation… -that is the true heart of “social media”… -there is a lot of “noise” out there as “marketers” try to flatten the learning curve… -and, many are mistakenly just applying old practices to the new medium (including me…I have been guilty…) …but, this one… “Social Media” is different… …and, alas, I blab… one step at a time… step 1: simply “join”…ask for a “friendship“, become a “fan”, or join the “group” -whichever applies… step 2: introduce yourself step 3: join the conversation…or start one… step 4: post “helpful links”… items of “mutual interest” and incl your own… step 5: coming soon…. “Earning the right to ask a favor…” HAVE FUN!!! : ) Jay

Some other tips for using Facebook

Of course variations of these can be done on other social media platforms… please comment below and I will respond with more suggested ideas… Add to your page

Your bio
Description of your book
Include your contact information (website, blog, twitter, MySpace, LinkedIn, Biznik information)
Join one of the many groups for writers and authors and be active!
Include a graphic of your book cover
Invite friends to review your book and post comments
Add a Shelfari widget and showcase all of your books or books by other authors you support
Create a virtual bookshelf with your books
Post updates about your book to the blogs and comments sections
Invite other authors to be your friends, build your network

Elements of a Successful Publishing Project

j a heinlein — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 17:47:48 +0000

1. You need to know Why You Want to be Published

You must ask yourself and answer the question, “…why do you want to be published?” Some feel called to educate and inspire, while some want to “entertain” and tell a story, either fiction or non-fiction. And, the different callings and writer desires can combine to accomplish both. What is the objective of your writing? Who will benefit? I work with a lot of very successful professional speakers/authors, and over the years, the most common mistake has been for them to want to “rush too quickly to write and get published”… and, without having asked and answered those most fundamental of questions: What is the reason and purpose for me to be a published author?

it is my ministry and calling?
to help expand my brand?
to provide lasting value and impression?
to create an additional income?
to increase my speaker’s fee value?

What will the reader take away as the value from my book? How will that help my ministry and/or business? How does this book reflect my personal mission and objectives? And, once answered, how do I get this done? See Also: How do you write a book or novel

2. You need to be informed

Do your homework – “flatten” the learning curve as quickly as possible.
Do the advance work to understand the “basics”– outline your plan for writing, marketing

Basic publishing elements

Editing/Formatting
Packaging: Creative Design: Cover, Layout, Illustration
Production: print options – POD/Digital, offset, ebooks, ebook platforms
Registrations
Considerations of Setting-up Small Business
Pricing, Distribution, Fulfillment
Promotion, Sales, Market Placement
Social Media Marketing – Online Network Management
Online Presence, Search Engine Visibility Development
Experience: Do’s & Don’ts

Related Links:

3. You need a platform

“Platform is a big word in publishing. Seriously, it’s a critical component of getting a book sold. It’s so important, in fact, that many experts recommend that you start to build your platform long before you’re ready to submit your book for publication. What is an author’s platform? It’s what helps sell your book. An author’s platform is the way you reach readers. It’s a network, and it’s notoriety. It’s exposure.” - Lolaness, Build an Author’s Platform: It’s How to Sell Your Book “10 simple steps that will take your visibility from zero to standout in a short time, while also giving you ample opportunities to flex your expertise, carve out your niche topic and connect with your audience.” Christina Katz, Writer’s Digest – How to Build a Marketing Platform

4. You need a plan

The strategic plan is tailored and built upon the idea of developing a niche strategy focus, from the author’s identified platform and intended audience. Its goal is to direct focused efforts toward the right audience for initial sales and ongoing sell-through.

“…the publishing business is all about marketing, and it’s certainly true that books don’t sell themselves. However, there’s a caveat to the idea that anybody who can market books can start their own publishing house, and it’s that you need a business plan in place that will allow you to make a profit on the books you sell.” -Morris Rosenthal, Self Publishing: Starting Your Own Publishing House

5. You need help

Fortunately, there is now a “one-stop resource” that you can enlist help from! – The BelieversPress Community. “BelieversPress is a gathering of Christian authors and an elite team of Christian publishing professionals collaborating to bring the message God has placed in authors’ hearts to touch the lives of millions.”

If you’re serious about your book, hire a book mentor to coach you and to help in coordination of the publishing process.
Educate yourself, by engaging and asking a lot of questions, and sharing your own experiences with the group.
Engage with and enlist help by hiring from the variety of related services of the community.

6. You need to execute your plan

The plan should identify:

industry professionals and interest “affinity” groups
spheres of influence, building “word of mouth” viral campaigns
special sales markets – beyond traditional bookselling/bookseller strategies
emerging markets to develop new market channel opportunities
select bookstore markets and current bookseller relationships

The developed plan will detail:

Focused Research of Audience Demographics & Psychographics,
Indentified Branding Objectives,
Writing Schedule,
Production Deadlines
Package Planning ,
Tactics for Promotion & Marketing,
Sales, Market Placement, and Distribution.

Summary

For independently published authors, there is a lot of advance work that must be done by the author and, their “team” can be of immeasurable value, if they are fortunate to have one as in “the BelieversPress Community. It is the “same” work and objectives that both traditionally published authors or independently published authors must accomplish. The traditionally published authors would seem to have an edge as a result of having a “bigger machine” backing them. -but, based on current sales results, the real effort and scaled back resources of brand name companies are being used to mainly push the “A list” level authors. Bottom line, whether traditionally published or independently published, authors must take a very active role in promotions of themselves and their work. Those who expect to “just write” and let others “carry the load” will likely not be successful going forward.

Yes, advance planning, and taking part in marketing and promotions can be quite an investment of personal resources…difficult, time consuming… exhausting even… but, the rewards are being able to share your unique message with others, building and enjoying enduring reader relationships, seeing your dreams and passionate objectives become a reality…

…and of course, it is nice to be able to buy groceries…

“… authors who survive will be the ones who find ways to authentically grow their platform and meaningfully reach their readership.” “Communities will decide what books are worthwhile, and communities won’t have ego-filled judgments. Publishers will always be giving their authors one thing that is hard to come by: a measure of instant credibility. (That is: Someone thought this was good enough to take a financial risk on.) In good scenarios, there is also collaboration: to make a good book a great book. But soon, communities will have as much power as publishers to decide what books deserve attention.“ - Jane Freidman, My Big Rant on Self-Publishing, Writer’s Digest

Bethany Press Launches BelieversPress to Give Author’s Faith a Voice

nick ciske — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 16:27:56 +0000

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE New Publishing Model for Authors: Bethany Press Launches BelieversPress to Give Author’s Faith a Voice Bloomington, MN – Authors face an enormous challenge; a one in thousands chance of getting their manuscript published by major Christian publishers. Until now, the industry has only offered authors royalty and self-publishing models. Rejected authors are often left to fend for themselves. Some talented authors will give up. Others will try to solo-navigate the shifting currents of self/subsidy publishing and find themselves limited by the one-size-fits-all approach of these services. BelieversPress, a new venture just launched by Bethany Press, offers multiple publishing tracks for authors where they control the process. 1. Royalty Publishing In collaboration with ECPA, BelieversPress critiques and edits author proposals prior to posting on the ChristianManuscriptSubmissions.com website enabling agents and publishers to sort and filter for high quality submissions. Each of these proposals features a BelieversPress badge. 2. Independent Publishing At BelieversPress, professional authors who pursue independent publishing can now access

Coaching and editorial services from Jeff Gerke, (longtime editor for the CBA industry, former editor at NavPress) and Barb Lilland Editorial Services (former senior editor, Bethany House Publishing)
Cover design from The DesignWorks Group and Dugan Design Group
Publicity services from B&B Media (clients include Charles Stanley, John C. Maxwell, Chuck Swindoll, Tim LaHaye, Melody Carlson, Bruce Wilkinson)
Marketing tools from Heinlein Publishing Services (Publishing Professional, 20+ Years: including executive positions with United Methodist Publishing House, Thomas Nelson, and Word Publishing)
Printing from Bethany Press (producer of almost 30% of the best-selling Christian paperbacks)
Sales and distribution through STL Distribution (the largest exclusively Christian distributor in North America).

Authors interested in submitting to agents and small publishers can receive mentoring, editorial, and proposal evaluation from D.C. Jacobson (Don Jacobson’s group, former President of Multnomah Publishers) and The Writing Spa (Mary DeMuth) at BelieversPress. BelieversPress counsels authors that if they cannot sell their books via platforms such as speaking, established ministries, or direct to readers through venues such as blogging, the internet, articles, etc. then they should not self-publish. Agents and publishers can offer their authors a trustworthy team to help them to publish both their out-of-print books and unpublished manuscripts, further building their readership with the ability to sell directly through the author’s website, the BelieversPress E-store, and to the trade through STL Distribution. Or, they can refer authors needing mentoring and further development to trusted professionals who can help them hone their skill and platform before re-submitting. BelieversPress authors can:

Engage an elite team of the best talent in Christian publishing to take their manuscript from good to great!
Benefit from experienced professionals in marketing, publicity, and sales who help them get their message heard
Connect with authors who have traveled the path before them
Take control of your publishing future – there are no packages and no royalty schemes
Bring unpublished titles and out-of-print books to their readers
Print with the company that produces 30% of Christian best-sellers
Make a difference – a portion of their dollars are used to fund ministry

Contact BelieversPress: 6820 West 115th Street • Bloomington, MN 55438 (800) 341-4192 • www.believerspress.com • info@believerspress.com

Interpreting the "Response Speak" Agents Use

nick ciske — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 16:29:18 +0000

Agent Kristin Nelson helps you interpret the letters you get from agents in response to your query/submission. Valuable advice on how to read between the lines!

Form response: Don’t interpret anything. It could mean just about anything under the sun. Form response with personal comment Submission was interesting enough for the agent to make a comment. Don’t interpret too much. It’s the nature of the comment that is important here. If it’s “I just didn’t fall in love” that could mean anything from concept isn’t right or writing isn’t quite there yet. If comment is something along the lines of “see talent here but not right for me”, well that’s encouraging.

Read the rest of Response Speak at PubRants.

CIP, PCIP, PCN, EPCN, and LCCN — What are they and do I need them?

nick ciske — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 14:54:16 +0000

CIP

A Cataloging in Publication record (aka CIP data) is a bibliographic record prepared by the Library of Congress for a book that has not yet been published. When the book is published, the publisher includes the CIP data on the copyright page thereby facilitating book processing for libraries and book dealers. Publishers who have published the works of fewer than three different authors are ineligible. Self-publishers (i.e. authors and editors who pay for or subsidize publication of their own works; who often do not publish the works of more than three different authors; and whose works are rarely widely acquired by the nation’s libraries) are ineligible. Publishers ineligible for the CIP program may be eligible for the Preassigned Control Number Program (PCN). Source: http://cip.loc.gov/

PCIP

Publishers Cataloging In Publication data is a CIP block prepared by the publisher. It contains the same information as one created by the Library of Congress, but is created by a friendly librarian or paid CIP creation service. It is not recommended that you try to create this data yourself by looking at similar titles. You’ll need a PCN in order to get a complete PCIP block. Examples of a PCIP block

PCN (aka EPCN)

A Library of Congress catalog card number (LCCN) is a unique identification number that the Library of Congress assigns to the catalog record created for each book in its cataloged collections. Librarians use it to locate a specific Library of Congress catalog record in the national databases and to order catalog cards from the Library of Congress or from commercial suppliers. The Library of Congress assigns this number while the book is being cataloged. Under certain circumstances, however, a card number can be assigned before the book is published through the Preassigned Card Number Program. Only U.S. book publishers are eligible to participate in the PCN program. These publishers must list a U.S. place of publication on the title page or copyright page of their books and maintain an editorial office in the U.S. capable of answering substantive bibliographic questions.

Source: http://pcn.loc.gov/

The Gist

The Library of Congress (LOC) has two programs it uses to catalog forthcoming books most likely to be widely acquired by U.S. libraries. Widely is the operative word there–if your book is of limited interest to most libraries, aquiring a PCN is of limited value. The CIP program is for large publishers. The LOC assigns an LCCN and generates a CIP block which is printed on the copyright page. (It’s that big block of numbers and short sentences that looks like a card catalog from your grade school days.) A PCIP costs money but will make it more likely that a library order your book (as books lacking any CIP data require the library to create it in order to shelve the book). The EPCN program was created to serve self/independent publishers by pre-assigning them a LCCN (or Pre-Assinged Control Number: PCN). This number is printed on the copyright page (to enable Libraries to look the book up), but the CIP data is not. Both the CIP and EPCN programs require the publisher to submit free copies of the book for the LOC collection.

The Bottom Line

Most self-published books don’t qualify for the CIP program.
Whether you apply for a PCN or not is up to you as the self-publisher/author.
There’s little cost (a few books and shipping) to apply for a PCN.
Paying to have a PCIP created will cost around $50-$100.
Even without a PCN or PCIP, libraries may still order your book if they really want it, but it’s unlikely.
Most libraries will gladly accept a book donation regardless of whether it has a CIP or PCN. Whether they shelve it or sell it is another matter entirely.

CIP

A Cataloging in Publication record (aka CIP data) is a bibliographic record prepared by the Library of Congress for a book that has not yet been published. When the book is published, the publisher includes the CIP data on the copyright page thereby facilitating book processing for libraries and book dealers.

Publishers who have published the works of fewer than three different authors are ineligible. Self-publishers (i.e. authors and editors who pay for or subsidize publication of their own works; who often do not publish the works of more than three different authors; and whose works are rarely widely acquired by the nation’s libraries) are ineligible. Publishers ineligible for the CIP program may be eligible for the Preassigned Control Number Program.

http://cip.loc.gov/

You generally have to pay a librarian to create this (unless you know one who will do it for free).

http://www.cipblock.com/cip.htm

EPCN and PCN

These are the self-pub equivalent of an LCCN (Library of Congress Catalog Number). E stands for electronic.

http://pcn.loc.gov/

Most of our customers forgo a CIP or PCN number as they are ineligible, not expecting libraries to order their book, or out of ignorance of their existence