Showing headlines posted by Andy_Updegrove

Might as well come right out and say it. This is where the going gets tough.

Frank looked hungrily at the establishments on both sides of the main drag of Cedar City, Utah. He’d lost eighteen pounds, and it was payback time.

[I wanted to be sure you saw this, as you've already run the first 8 chapters]

This week we’ll talk about how to come up with the “right” price for your book in each of the formats in which you plan to make it available (eBook, soft, and/or hardcover). By “right” price, I mean a price that will make more, rather than fewer, people actually buy your book. My challenge will be to convince you that the title you see above makes sense.

This week we’ll talk about how to come up with the “right” price for your book in each of the formats in which you plan to make it available (eBook, soft, and/or hardcover).  By “right” price, I mean a price that will make more, rather than fewer, people actually buy your book. My challenge will be to convince you that the title you see above makes sense.

“That’s right, Vicky. Simple as that. So can you guys take it from here?” “Sure thing, Frank. No problem, and great work!”

Last week we talked about how to design covers for books - eBooks, soft cover books and hard cover books. But how about the interior of your magnum opus? 

Frank was puffing his way up the dirt road leading away from the canyon rim, focusing on his breathing. He’d actually lost five pounds in the first week of his new regime, and had also progressed from walking fast to alternating walking with short bursts of labored jogging. He hadn’t been as successful on the technical front. 

If your publishing progress has been keeping step with this series, you’ve now not only got the text of book all ready to go, but you’ve decided on how you’re going to bring it to market (POD, Google eBooks, or whatever) as well. So your next set of tasks revolves around this question: what would you like your masterpiece to look like?

Frank was sitting inside his camper, a bowl of diet popcorn at one elbow and a small dumbbell at the other. The elbow next to the popcorn was getting most of the exercise. On the opposite side of the camper hung a large flat screen TV, and on that set the latest, pre-primary season Republican debate was about to begin.

For the last several weeks we've looked at how the various types of PODs differ in their business models and in the services they offer. We've also looked at the importance of ensuring that your goals align as well as possible with the POD you eventually select. This week we'll use that background to construct a decision tree and question list you can use to find the POD that's best for you. I'll also suggest (from painful experience) how you can avoid some of the problems I've encountered.

My apologies if I gave you the wrong link before. The chapter you have displaying now (chapter six) is linking back to the prior chapter (chapter 5).

Frank was only a couple hundred yards from his camper, but already he was gasping for breath.  He wanted to blame the 8,000 foot elevation of the North Rim, but suspected he couldn’t pin all of his distress on the thin air.  After all, he hadn’t engaged in anything more strenuous than a fast walk since high school.  And he hadn’t been in great shape then, either.

Last week we looked at how Amazon, Apple and Google make money by working with self-published authors, what they do for them in return, and what that means for you. As promised, this week we'll take the same kind of look at the myriad POD outfits that provide a wider range of services.

Frank gazed out over the immeasurably vast canyon that stretched for miles before him, bedazzled by the silent, bright sunlight of an early autumn morning. The enormity of the view was so overwhelming that the infinitely crenellated details of mesa and river, cliff and spire seemed dimensionless and unreal.

Last week I identified the different types of Print on Demand (POD) publishers that are active in the market today and provided tips on how to decide which type would best meet your needs. Before we go on to talk about how to select a specific publisher, it's worth pausing to look more deeply into what each type of POD publisher actually does, and how it makes its money.

It was early afternoon when Frank and Josette rolled slowly into Gerlach, following a 1960’s era VW minibus. Behind them was something that resembled a cross between a Viking long ship and a Mississippi river boat. (“Ah! An Art Car!” Rosette exclaimed.)

Like just about every other step in self-publishing a book, researching and selecting a print on demand (POD) publisher can be a time-consuming and even bewildering experience. 

The sun was once again shining the next morning as Frank drove west on Route 50. The harsh glare made it as hard to see as he was finding it difficult to think.

If you are of a certain age (and I, most regrettably, am definitely of a certain age), a book means a certain thing, and that is this: something that you can hold in your hands, keep on a shelf, pack up and carry in a box in move after move (after move, after move…), and generally treasure for life, if it’s a good read or a valued resource. But if you're of a certain other age - it just may be an eBook.

Ever thought about writing a book? Well, be sure you know what you're getting into first, because by the time you hold the finished product in your hands, you may have a long, strange trip to get through first.