Features | Self-Publishing Review

5 Reasons Why It Matters What Your Website Is Called

When you pick a domain name for your author or book website, does it matter what you call it? The simple answer is: Yes, it does. Here are five reasons why.

1. Google gives more props to .com branded sites for businesses and exact match brand names

You can’t just go with any . suffix because suffixes, while some may be cheaper than others, do have a meaning in search terms on Google etc. with .com being the overriding brand site taken into consideration by Google.

.com, .net, .org and other website suffixes such as .co.uk are known as […]

Cate Baum2014-09-27T02:32:35+02:00September 26th, 2014|Categories: Features|

Authors Must Be Marketers

Authors don’t like to promote their own works. Here are actual quotes from some of the authors we published:

“I’m a writer, not a marketer.”

“I’m uncomfortable asking people to buy my book.”

“I don’t really understand social media.”

“I’ve put a ton of effort into writing my book. Why do I have to sell it?”

On the one hand, I sympathize with these comments. It makes sense. You’ve written a book and it’s somebody else’s job to sell the books. Isn’t that the way the book business works? Plus, won’t your beautiful writing sell itself on its own merits?[…]

Neil Raphel2020-02-21T03:54:10+02:00September 16th, 2014|Categories: Features|Tags: Book Marketing Advice and Tips|

One Size Does Not Fit All for Self-Publishing

John Steinbeck famously said “In America…the poor see themselves not as an exploited proletariat but as temporarily embarrassed millionaires.”

I would substitute “The poor” with “Self-Publishers.” As if every author self-publishing is automatically a Hugh Howey in the making. Self-publishing isn’t a get rich quick scheme. For some it is, for most it isn’t.

Which means what worked for Hugh Howey will not necessarily work for every single writer. Recently on iO9 there was a post Why This Bestselling Author Decided To Start Self-Publishing. Often these kinds of posts are rallying cries for self-publishing – see, even the big […]

Henry Baum2020-02-21T06:34:33+02:00August 31st, 2014|Categories: Features|

Ten Tips For Entering Writing Contests Online (With Links)

Have a look at our tips for entering writing contests online from SPR editor Cate Baum, with links to some of the best websites offering information on competitions.

Make sure you follow the rules carefully. When we run competitions, there is a 5% hit rate of entrants who are disqualified because they haven’t read the conditions of entry properly. Rules such as ” do not send a hard copy” and writing length, “unpublished/published only” have to be adhered to.
Is your book ready to compete? Be honest with yourself about your writing, and ensure you have

[…]

Cate Baum2014-08-31T01:15:35+02:00August 31st, 2014|Categories: Features|Tags: Competitions|

Most Common Self-Publishing Mistakes (And How To Fix Them)

When it comes to self-publishing your book, avoid the most common pitfalls to make the most of your opportunity to become a bestselling indie author!

Scrimping on the Book Cover

It may seem very easy to take a snap and use it as a cover, slotting it into one of the simple templates available on many of the book publishing platforms such as Createspace at Amazon. However, these templates should be used only as a very last resort. Why? Because these templates are truly only there for the most design illiterate of us all, and for those who don’t much […]

Cate Baum2014-08-26T07:13:06+02:00August 26th, 2014|Categories: Features, Resources|

Top 5 Paid Indie Book Review Services Compared

It’s difficult to know exactly what you’re getting when you shop for a professional review, so Self-Publishing Review decided to commission a study to look at eleven factors that have been brought to our attention by SPR clients most often, and compared our services to the competition.

Here at SPR, we consider that we are one of five review service big-hitters, and therefore we compared ourselves to each of those: BlueInk Review, Foreword Clarion, Kirkus Reviews, and Indie Reader. We chose these because they use professional writers, have good quality websites and a sizeable brand presence in the indie book […]

Cate Baum2020-02-21T05:35:29+02:00August 25th, 2014|Categories: Features, Resources|Tags: Book Reviews|

Why Self-Publishing Still Has Its Stigma

I don’t want to hold my tongue any longer. There’s a vibe in self-publishing that if it makes money, it’s OK. There’s also a desire on behalf of authors for self-publishing to lose its stigma. Unfortunately, point a is detracting from point b. Just because something is making money doesn’t mean it’s well-valued.

While many want to hold up self-publishing successes and declare “self-publishing has arrived” it is not entirely heartening to see the types of books that are becoming successful – any more than it is to see yet another Kim Kardashian story on my news homepage.

I’m well […]

Henry Baum2014-08-14T16:01:39+02:00August 14th, 2014|Categories: Features|

Self-Publishing Success Story: Barbara Freethy

Barbara Freethy is the author of such romantic novels as the Callaways series (On a Night Like This, So This Is Love) and the Wish series (A Secret Wish, Just a Wish Away, When Wishes Collide). Initially, her career flourished in a traditional publishing format, but in 2011, recognizing the potential for new development in electronic publishing, she began self-publishing with digital formats as a cornerstone as Fog City Publishing, and has continued to produce successful titles since.