Resources | Self-Publishing Review

In Search of Free Images for Blog Posts and Book Covers

Whatever your budget, chances are you could do with a few free photos for your author blog or even your book’s cover. This article explores several websites offering the use of royalty-free images at no cost to you. You also need to familiarize yourself with different types of licensing when using royalty-free images.

DON’T GET SUED

Before you download an image from anywhere, including the websites discussed in this article, be aware that there are rules, regulations, and laws governing the licensing and use of images found on the Internet. Improperly (translation: illegally) using a photo on your blog […]

Lela Michael2012-07-10T13:19:47+02:00July 10th, 2012|Categories: Lead Story, Resources|

Gee, Thanks! – Ebook Promotion & Giveaways

Media Bistro has put together a list of places where self-published authors can promote their eBook at no charge. The list was culled from Kindle Boards:

We’ve collected more information about the sites in a simple directory below, linking to the submission pages for these eBook sites. If you are an avid eBook reader, these sites are great for finding new books to read as well….

Note that there is a difference between free promotion (regardless of price) and promoting a free eBook, so read carefully. Also check the comments section under the Media Bistro post for possible additional links.[…]

Lela Michael2019-02-03T08:55:55+02:00June 30th, 2012|Categories: Resources|Tags: Book Promotion|

Book Dreams and Schemes: Questionable Promotion Offers

Victoria Strauss of Writer Beware has a warning for self-published authors about a couple of promotion “opportunities,” part of her series of posts on the topic.

The first of the “suite of services,” the Hollywood Book-to-Movie Treatment, costs a cool $3,299. For that, you get a 7-10 page “creative adaptation” of your book written by a screenwriter. Which screenwriter? What are his/her credits? Sorry, that info is not available. …

It hurts my heart, and my brain, to think that authors might actually shell out this kind of money for services that would likely net them zero results even if

[…]

Lela Michael2012-12-20T11:42:50+02:00June 27th, 2012|Categories: Resources|Tags: Book Promotion|

Get 10% off at BookBaby

I was just contacted by a BookBaby rep who offered SPR visitors this code to get 10% off on premium services: Springbk10

It expires March 31, 2012.

About BookBaby:

Upload your eBook and pay as little as $99.

Signing up on BookBaby.com is fast and easy. You set the selling price, supply eBook descriptions, author bio, and even list out keyword search terms so that readers can find your eBooks online. You’re in control from start to finish and retain all publishing and ownership rights. Want to make it even easier? Choose our Premium Publishing Package that offers eBook

[…]

Henry Baum2020-02-21T03:48:13+02:00March 9th, 2012|Categories: Resources|Tags: Book Formatting|

Creating a DIY Book Cover with GIMP

Doing your own artwork

Although I signed with a great publisher for my e-book, I opted out of print, deciding to self-publish a paperback edition of my novel. Doing my interior and cover design would allow me artistic control, for better or worse, of the product.

Having more time than cash, I wanted to see how much I could accomplish without spending any money. That meant doing everything myself.

What’s the goal?

One of the first things that struck me, while browsing book covers online, was how many were unreadable when displayed as icons. Not surprising, really, […]

Lianne Simon2020-02-21T03:23:01+02:00March 9th, 2012|Categories: Lead Story, Resources|Tags: Book Cover Design|

Formatting your book with OpenOffice – Part 2

In Part 1 I started with a book in the standard format we all send to agents and formatted it in preparation for print. This article continues with formatting the manuscript for a particular book size.

Choosing a book size

Since I’m self-publishing, it isn’t likely my paperback will be stocked in Barnes and Noble. Potential buyers will probably see an image of the front cover online. When they receive my book, I want them to be pleasantly surprised by the quality.

Most of the books I examined that were similar to mine were 5.25″ x 8″. I also found […]

Lianne Simon2012-03-03T10:22:18+02:00March 3rd, 2012|Categories: Resources|

Formatting your book with OpenOffice – Part 1

Although I’ve got a great publisher for the e-book edition of Confessions of a Teenage Hermaphrodite, I decided to self-publish the paperback. Since I was already familiar with OpenOffice and unable to afford Adobe InDesign, I decided to invest some time to see if using OpenOffice was feasible.

The first step, always, is make a backup and put it somewhere you can’t mess it up.

Preliminary Cleanup

Editing always seems to inject typographic and formatting errors. So my first step was to insure that I didn’t have any tabs, double spaces, extra hard returns, or other debris in […]

Lianne Simon2020-02-21T03:25:02+02:00February 28th, 2012|Categories: Resources|Tags: Book Formatting|

20 Economical Book Marketing Techniques

Summary: Learn how to get your book publicity campaign moving despite the current economic recession by trying these practically economical methods of book marketing.

Whether you are an upstart author or a self published author, an efficient book marketing plan in these times of economic recession need not be expensive if you just know your target market, find the most economical means to inform this market of your works, and establish a lasting, trustworthy relationship with your new-found markets.

Study carefully your expected demographic market’s spending behavior and changing lifestyle habits, given these trying times, and then find effective ways […]

Bookwhirl2012-01-10T15:12:29+02:00January 10th, 2012|Categories: Resources|