Features | Self-Publishing Review

Ten Issues When Self-Publishing A Children’s eBook

Are you planning to self-publish a children’s ebook? Although it may seem like an easy prospect, there are many pitfalls that have actually seen a glut of unsuitable reading material coming onto the children’s market on Amazon and other book platforms.

1. The content is not the right level of readability for the age group you thought your story was for

You may have had kids, or have been a teacher, but unless you are a pedagogical expert on the age group you are trying to write for, you may end up alienating your audience by not acknowledging reading levels […]

Cate Baum2015-03-15T09:23:43+02:00March 15th, 2015|Categories: Features, Member Blog|Tags: Children's Books|

How To Stop Worrying About Google and SEO And Still Sell Your Book

The Internet is throbbing with “SEO Social Media Marketing Specialists” bursting to tell you how you messed up your author website by adding a link! Google penalties are coming to get you! You’ll be excommunicated from the INTERNET if you DO NOT ADHERE TO SEO GUIDELINES! Oh my god, the FTC are coming for you too? Six-figures fines? And don’t get me started on Amazon. If you don’t do the ten thousand things here listed, you will be PENALIZED by Amazon, and your book will become nothing, NOTHING I tell you! You may also find that you are hounded via […]

Cate Baum2019-02-03T09:35:08+02:00March 9th, 2015|Categories: Features|Tags: Amazon, Book Promotion|

Henry Baum’s “Oscar Caliber Gun” Gets New Release in 2015

First written when SPR founder Henry Baum was only 19 years old, living in LA as a child of Hollywood movie professionals, this novel is now re-released, in time for The Oscars, with a new cover and in Kindle format, and captures the male angst of living in the City of Dreams, faced with oblivion and little hope of “making it.”

“Hollywood celebrity stalker Ray Tompkins prowls the underbelly of Los Angeles, his new target is A-List Actor Tim Griffith, and Ray’s going to see this one through to the star-studded end. This Noir thriller set in pre-Internet 90s LA […]

Cate Baum2015-03-13T04:33:15+02:00February 20th, 2015|Categories: Features|Tags: Thriller|

Six Reasons Why Some Books Will Never Be Bestsellers

Often authors ask, “Why am I not selling any books?” after spending time, and often money, on pushing their books like crazy on self-publishing them. Here, we take a look at why that happens, and what you can do about it if you are in that exact situation.

1. Niche means niche, and if it’s niche…

Issue: A niche subject has a finite market, whatever you do.

Solution: Think of a new angle to market your book to a broader market. But accept that if you wrote a book about a real niche interest, such as coin collecting, corset making, […]

Cate Baum2019-02-03T09:01:26+02:00February 18th, 2015|Categories: Features|Tags: Amazon, Book Marketing, Book Promotion|

Ten More Most Common Editing Mistakes

It’s time for more Common Editing Mistakes from indie book editor Cate Baum!

1. Thru/through used randomly

Although McDonalds (drive-thru) and other leisure and advertising formats as well as US engineering diagrams often use the word “thru,” and though it is not thought of in US English as incorrect exactly, it has its own etiquette of usage and that is not generally in book prose. Use “through” in all cases unless you are using this form to give regional or trashy color to a sentence.

2. “An” and “a” before vowel-beginning nouns

It might seem like “an” needs to go […]

Cate Baum2015-02-16T07:18:24+02:00February 13th, 2015|Categories: Features|

How to Choose Kindle Keywords

One of the more confusing aspects of publishing to KDP is selecting keywords. For many writers, finding that sweet spot for the right keywords has been the difference between sales and obscurity. Like Google SEO, there’s a bit of an art to it and it’s important to experiment if your sales are currently flat.

First, Amazon makes it somewhat easy. They list the keywords that you have to have in order to list in certain categories. For example, take a look at the Young Adult category. Some of the keywords are obvious but the “Angels & Demons” category needs the […]

Henry Baum2019-02-03T09:36:35+02:00February 12th, 2015|Categories: Features, Resources|Tags: Amazon, Book Promotion|

What Are All These Social Networks For? A Quick Guide For Authors

When you want to publicize your website or book, where should you share it? How do you share it? What is the etiquette? How do you get people to buy your book?

Let’s get a quick rundown on each social network and what they are intended for.

Reddit

A listing service that is free to use, and vote up or down on links. Used by a lot of young “native digital kings” for being critical and snarky, but many people are curious and active on the site and it can be a good way to get links out there.

Best […]

Cate Baum2020-02-21T06:49:23+02:00January 31st, 2015|Categories: Features, Resources|Tags: Social Media|

Self-Publishing Starter Kit

We get a lot of questions here from writers just beginning to self-publish who have little to no idea about the process. They’re all asking about the most basic nuts and bolts: how do I self-publish? We’ve gathered together the best services currently running (and have been running for a while) to publish a book quickly and professionally.

There’s still a fair bit of DIY involved with the services listed below, but you’ll have a more professional book and keep a larger share of the royalties.

So here’s a basic starter pack for the novice self-publisher who wants more of […]