An Amazon Tale: He Fought for His Royalties, and (Eventually) Won ....

A very dogged author relates his trying experiences with Amazon KDP and organising the payment of royalties. He does arrive at a solution, but only through sheer persistence:

“Amazon is probably the best outlet for Indie authors, but manage your expectations when dealing with their customer service.

Their help/assistance/advice to me was either inconsistent, vague, given in Amazon’s internal technical speak, incomplete, or simply wrong.

I put my latest novel up on Amazon as I did with my previous two, only this time, I put both eBook and paperback on all markets, not just Australia.

When sales started occurring, I followed those on my KDP account site.  I found their reports informative and helpful.  They gave me statistics for each marketplace and the estimated royalties.

When my Australian royalties started arriving in my Australian bank account by EFT, I thought I would find out why my sales in the other markets were not reaching me.

I then discovered those royalties could not be paid by EFT into my Australian bank account, only by cheque or wire.  Then I found that not only could an EFT transfer not happen, but that Amazon had a withdrawal threshold of 100 units for each market, e.g. US$100, CA$100, €100, or £100.

None of my book royalties in any market outside Australia is ever likely to break these thresholds, e.g. Canada royalties were CA$2.88, Eurozone (Germany)  €7.80.  So, I put the question to Amazon – how do I ever get paid these royalties?

Amazon suggested I open an account with Payoneer for each marketplace, which I did.  So, Amazon from each marketplace could now transfer my royalties to those Payoneer accounts.  However, my problem then became twofold:

1. Payoneer does not have a banking arrangement with UK or Canadian banks. So these royalties could not be transferred to my Payoneer accounts.

2. Then I discovered that Payoneer also has a withdrawal threshold of US$50 per transfer.

Finally, a solution:

1.  In your KDP account go to the Getting paid tab.

2. In your non-US/non-Australian accounts, change your payment method to your US$ account and transfer any outstanding royalties in those other non-US accounts to the US$ account.

3. Under your Amazon US account, click and highlight every tag except Amazon.com.au.

4. All royalties from sales in all those other marketplaces will now be currency converted into your US$ account.

5. If or when your US$ account balance reaches above US$100 you can transfer to your Australian bank account.

6. In my case, I have my Amazon US$ account balance transferred to my Payoneer US$ account (lower withdrawal threshold). Amazon’s US$100 withdrawal threshold does not apply here.”

Amazon KDP and payments: an Odyssey

For Amazon KDP authors struggling to figure out how to aggregate their royalties, see the note below from an independent author:

“At last, I found someone at Amazon KDP who knows their job. I have now tagged all Amazon marketplaces to have royalties paid into my US$ Amazon account, e.g. outstanding UK royalties have now been sent to my US$ KDP account, as well as German and Canadian royalties. It is, therefore, now easy to transfer all that money to my Payoneer US$ account so that I can get paid into my Australian account – PHEW!”

For context, and earlier email from the same author:

I am now experiencing a separate crisis with Amazon, who are not paying me my due royalties. They have told me they have only paid Australian royalties by EFT but cannot pay me for all the other markets, which must be paid by cheque until royalties reach 100 in each currency. I have asked them how I will achieve those thresholds when I have, for instance, only sold one in Germany, and I am unlikely to sell anymore there - do they, therefore, keep my money? It’s very frustrating, and the whole exercise with Amazon is proving a nightmare. I have spent A$2035 on Amazon AD’s with a supposed return of A$474.36, of which I have only received A$153.28. I’m still waiting for an answer from them.

and more…

At this stage, I have read every word on both Amazon’s KDP and Payoneer’s websites.  I have determined that Americans set up both sites specifically for Americans – so much for a Global Company.

 Having now signed up for Payoneer, I find they can deal with EFT payments to Amazon USA, UK and Australia but forget Canada and Germany, where I have sold a few.  Those few royalty amounts have gone into the Amazon coffers, given I will never reach the CN$100 and €100 thresholds.

 I’ve written to Payoneer customer service to find out how they will arrange payments of my royalties from different Amazon markets, into my Payoneer account, and then into my bank account here in Australia – 5 days minimum response.  Both websites state that once I have set up a Payoneer account, Payoneer will email Amazon and arrange payments to route through them - Mmm!

and

Payoneer has now advised that I can transfer currencies from one of my Payoneer Receiving accounts to another currency account.  I can directly transfer €8.53 from my Eurozone Receiving account to my US$ Receiving account with a balance of US$44.53, thereby making the US$ account greater than US$50 (US$53.35), meaning I can now withdraw it to my account here in Australia.  Phew!  Getting that solution from them was like pulling teeth.  However, I will leave it all alone until the new year in case any more royalties arrive in those accounts, but since I have canned my Amazon AD campaign there shouldn’t be much of that if anything.

 What remains now is £36.40 sitting in my Amazon.co.uk account, which I cannot transfer to my Payoneer account as Payoneer doesn’t have an arrangement with a UK bank.  So back to Amazon KDP with that one.

Dealing with Amazon KDP can certainly be a very frustrating experience, with Amazon making it extremely difficult to speak to an actual human.

Here’s a very long list of customer service issues with Amazon KDP.

Life With a Psychopath Talk with Franca di Pietro

Franca will be discussing her thought-provoking novel “Life With a Psychopath” at Mornington Library.

Details as follows:

Recommended for adult audiences

Francesca Di Pietro has a passion for storytelling, especially tales which highlight the dark side of human nature, including manipulative and aberrant behaviour.

Her debut novel, Life with a Psychopath tells the story of a young Italian woman, who enters into a relationship beset by racism, manipulation, and physical and verbal abuse with the charming and charismatic Shaun. 

Carmella will not be beaten by Shaun’s behaviour and brings female empowerment to a new level. A compelling and gripping story of triumph, highlighting how victims of violence and abuse can overcome adversity by reaching out to those around them.

Join us at Mornington library where we are supporting 16 Days of Activism to end gender-based violence.

Tuesday, 29 November 2022 | 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Location: Mornington Library, Vancouver Street, Mornington, 3931

The talk is free. Bookings here.

Hybrid Publishing

Books + Publishing recently published a fairly lengthy and nuanced discussion on the state of ‘hybrid publishing’ in Australia. The article defines hybrid publishing as “a situation where ‘a writer pays money for publication, and grants the company a licence of rights or the company takes a share of any profits”. Hybrid Publisher Shawline Publishing is mentioned, along with their recent opening of a bookstore in Ballarat focused on promoting indie authors. Their Facebook page is here.

Books + Publishing also posted a useful checklist for authors considering signing on with a hybrid publisher. Reedsy’s take on hybrid publishing is here.

Author Solutions Scams

Author Solutions is a vanity press publisher with a very bad reputation. David Gaughran recently detailed the way their scam works. Author Solutions is behind imprints such iUniverse, AuthorHouse, Trafford, Partridge, Balboa, Westbow and Xlibris. All make unfulfillable promises and charge unconscionable amounts for dubious / pointless services. Self Publishing dot com also goes into even more detail. Author Solutions even games search results so authors who search for “author solutions scams” are directed to more Author Solutions scam pages! Dudley Court Press details some recent lawsuits against Author Solutions.

Anatomy of a Fiverr / Amazon KDP Advertising Campaign

If you are interested in running an Amazon campaign for your title/s on that platform, but would prefer to use a third party to manage the process, here is one author’s results and associated comments:

Fiverr allocated “bestbooks2020” who is managing my Amazon advertisements. They ran the first campaign in the Australian market only. That campaign ended yesterday. At the same time, I went onto Kindle Unlimited for 90 days.

Here are the results as of today:

Since launch;

Sales = 30 – <title 01> = 22 Kindle, 7 paperback. <title 02> = 1 Kindle. Royalties due = $145.75.

KENP READ (Kindle Edition Normalized Pages Read)

<title 01> = 6,988 in Australia, 175 in the USA = 7,163

<title 02> = 138 in Australia, 1 in the UK = 139

Total = 7,302

As I’ve had it explained, KENP READS can be from actual downloads or from reading the first few pages.

I have initiated two more AD Campaigns through bestbooks2020 for the UK and US markets. So it will be interesting to see how that goes.   Two, three-day Ads in each market cost me circa $157 each. I was initially going to run AD campaigns for all three books simultaneously in both markets, but that would cost me $900+ (maybe another time).

Update

KindleUnlimited

KEDP READS = 12,874 (11,522 for <title 01>, 1,352 for <title 02>, 0 for <title 03>). Amazon’s technical team are looking at <title 03’s> results to find out what is going wrong.  Given the nature of the beast, it’s impossible to have 0 results for <title 03>.

 Sales:

A total of 39, being 31 x Kindle and 7 x paperback.

The Amazon AD campaign Fiverr ran in Australia only resulted in 61 clicks for the first three-day blitz and 84 for the second, and a bill today from Amazon for $177.01.

The Amazon AD Campaigns start this Thursday in the UK and USA, Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com.  Given the cost for Australia, I’m now nervous about how much that will cost me, albeit I can pull the plug on it at any time.  I will monitor daily.

Upcoming Author Talk by Francesca Di Pietro

Join author Francesca Di Pietro at two upcoming events in August as she talks about her debut novel Life with a Psychopath. Francesca will outline her journey as an author, the motivation behind writing this novel and the key messages highlighted in her work.

Click the links below to register for upcoming events at Corio and Sunshine libraries:

Corio Library: Thursday August 11

Sunshine Library: Saturday August 27

Disclaimers Explained

An American author and lawyer discusses the importance of disclaimers and gives examples of authors getting a little playful with their legal verbiage. And of course, an article about disclaimers has a disclaimer.

Streamline Publishing presents Events for Authors

Bookings are now open for a series of author-centric events held by Streamline Publishing here in Melbourne. Located above the Eltham bookstore.

• June 19: Jackie French AM, well-loved author for all ages, wombat whisperer, guest TV gardener and conservationist, will talk to us via private Zoom on ‘Writing for Children’. Entry to this Zoom event includes a Jackie French paperback title of your choice and light refreshments.

• June 26: Bookseller Meera Govil: ‘How readers, writers, illustrators, publishers and booksellers can create meaningful books’.

• July 3: Editor Cathy Oliver: ‘What makes the best Non-fiction books for children?’

More events to come in August:

August 7 ‘Publishing options in 2022’.
Traditional, Self, Indie? Open access? What do these terms mean and which is right for you? What costs are typical?

August 14 ‘The publishing process’.
From the final first manuscript to a finished book: what do editors do? Editorial and production schedules and costs. How much control will you have over your work?

August 21 ‘What do publishers want in submissions?’
Tips and some models.

WorkingType Studio Publishing Information Pack updated for 2022

Please click here to download our updated client information pack, containing much practical information and advice from other authors.

Kathryn Gauci's books soon to be available on Audible

Talented local author Kathryn Gauci has news for her readers:

I have some WONDERFUL news to share with you! I am over the moon because seven of my books have been picked up by Blackstone Audio, a division of Blackstone Publishing, US, and will be published as audiobooks in the new year.❤💖 They include: The Embroiderer The Carpet Weaver of Usak Seraphina's song… See more

Kathryn’s persistence in gradually building up a solid readership for her well-written and plotted novels has been extremely impressive, and is now paying off on several fronts.

Naturally Supporting Cancer Treatment by Jenny Graves

Author Jenny Graves has just released a very well written and meticulously researched book (Naturally Supporting Cancer Treatment, available here) on supplementing cancer treatments with “evidence-based ways to help prevent cancer formation and and recurrence, and assist treatment”. Jenny plans to promote her book in various cost-effective ways, and emailed us with the following specifics:

“Because of the subject matter, I’m targeting other naturopaths, some of whom don’t have much knowledge about treating cancer patients, and also for them to stock in their dispensaries to sell to their patients. I’m contacting the universities offering naturopathic degrees to see whether they would suggest it to their students as associated reading or even as text books.My local health food store has told me that they will stock it in their two stores locally, but the manager is also on the board of the company (Go Vita) and I’m hoping that they will stock it nationally and publish an article in their magazine to promote it. I have a Business Facebook page at www.facebook.com/NaturallySupportingCancerTreatment and my website, www.naturallysupportingcancertreatment.com.au is due to go live shortly, with plans to produce blog articles regularly on it and a regular newsletter containing those articles to be sent to those who sign up on the website. I have an author page on Books2Read, https://books2read.com/b/3LwPzN?edit=maybe-later and their Universal Book Link, https://books2read.com/NaturallySupportingCancerTreatment. I’m toying with the idea of using a media publicist if I can get over my terror of speaking in public. 😊 I’ve also got plans to submit articles to various websites for them to publish as a Guest Author. I may put my toe in the water with Facebook and Google ads, but I believe that they can be something of a money pit unless you get them right, so I’ve been doing training courses on those.”

— Quote Source

Recommended texts for Independent authors:

Independent authors are faced with a bewildering new world when they attempt to promote their books on snd offline. The following authors and sources do an excellent job of making sense of the contemporary publishing and promotional landscape, and all are worth reading.

Euan Mitchell's Your Book Publishing Options

How to Be an Author from Fremantle Press

Let's Get Digital by David Gaughran

Ricardo Fayet's How to Market an ebook

Amazon Ads Unleashed by Robert J. Ryan

Amazon Selling Services from Helium 10

Author 2.0 Blueprint by Joanna Penn

Online Resources and Advice for Independent Authors

If you are a veteran writer who has been in the industry before the internet boom, you may already have known what it was like when writers had to struggle with writing and even more so trying to find a good publisher. This could be why the market stayed relatively small. At least for the talented ones with limited resources and had geographical challenges.

Fortunately, nowadays, with some knowledge and the willingness to labor for your niche and craft, you finally get the opportunity. That is the chance to be able to reach an audience base that would otherwise have taken you forever to find.

 Let's look into some of our recommendations of the best sources on resources for Independent Authors.

Let's Get Digital: How to Self-Publish, And Why You Should (Fourth Edition) (Let's Get Publishing Book 1) by David Gaughran

About the author:
Apart from being an author of a practical guide such as "Let's Get Digital," David writes historical fiction and science-fiction books under a pen name. This particular book has undergone revisions to meet the needs of the self-publishing writer of today, And it includes bonus resources as well. His engaging writing style is simple enough to understand but not to the point of being too simplistic. He covers the essential basics such as:

• Using tried and tested marketing strategies that work to increase sales of your book

• Getting the best editors without spending a ton.

• Attracting more readers by improving how your brand is presented.

• Making your eBooks easy to find, and so much more.

Our Take:

This book will help the new writer who wants to do it right the first time. That is, getting discovered and earning well in the process. Remarkably, it doesn't only cater to newbies but will also be a helpful resource for the more experienced writer who needs updates to this ever-changing landscape of internet publishing.

Overall, this resource is as comprehensive and as informative as you can get. It is a complete go-to reference for both the new and veteran writers alike.

How to Market a Book: Overperform in a Crowded Market (Reedsy Marketing Guides Book 1) by Ricardo Fayet

Ricardo Fayet is an author/consultant and co-founder of Reedsy, an online marketplace that connects authors with editors, cover designers, translators, and publishers. The platform has been successfully helping hundreds in marketing, online ads, growing their mailing lists, and establishing news streams of income.

About the Book

The book itself is a comprehensive distillation of years of coaching and teaching writers to become full-time authors and eventually make a good living out of their writing skills. Just be aware that some points of view of this author are not of an independent publishing writer since he works as a marketer and concentrates on the publishing business.

Nevertheless, you will find everything you need in this book on how to maximize the tools of the internet to snag better revenue and increase readership. He even includes essential tips on logo design to make your book appear even more attractive.

Our take:

This book is all about finding your market and growing it-a practical way of looking at things to help you keep your passion by being profitable too.

Amazon Ads Unleashed: Advanced Publishing and Marketing Strategies for Indie Authors (Self-publishing Guide.) by Robert J Ryan

This book goes into reaching in and tapping into a buying audience and converting clicks into sales. It also talks about what types of ads to avoid and the best practices for optimization. It does a no-nonsense look at how Amazon Ads works. Most of the time, it challenges the effectiveness of Amazon ads and offers methods on how to maximize them and make them work for you.

It takes on a more rigid stance compared to the softer views of other books. Nevertheless, being on top in sales rank and being one of the best sellers in this category does make it a credible source. This is especially if the friend who recommends it to you has already doubled their revenue.

Our Take:

If this book is recommended and in itself has sold more than the others of the same category, then it should be a must-have. Never mind that it is hard to read, provided that it is rich in reference and is an expert in the subject matter at hand, it will profit the author both in the short and long term.

Amazon Selling Services from Helium 10

Helium 10 is an all-in-one Amazon software that will help you sell your self-published book. Assembly recently acquired this software in 2019, which was aimed at helping small businesses increase their revenue through the use of content, education, and community. This software makes use of state-of-the-art resources that contain optimization tools that are intuitive and useful to help you grow your business.

It focuses on research and boosting the visibility of your product in the Amazon search engine.

Our Take:

Helium 10 doesn't claim to produce great listings directly, nor does it promise to increase your revenue for you automatically. But with its advanced management tools puts you in a position that will give you all the opportunities to promote your product on the world's bestselling platform. Not to mention that, currently, Helium 10 is an industry leader in its category today.

With over 1+ million users and 4 billion+ in monthly Amazon GMV, it lets its numbers speak for themselves. And for writers who like real-time marketing leverage using technology, this software is precisely what you need.

The Creative Penn with Joanna Penn

A bestselling author of New York Times and USA Today, Joanna Penn is also a podcaster, speaker, and an awarded entrepreneur. Enough said about her credibility. Ms. Penn has authored over 30 books and sold more than 600,000 copies in 162 countries, translated into 5 languages.

She is offering her book for aspiring writers entitled: "Author 2.0 Blueprint".

She has her website "The Creative Penn."m where she aims to help writers learn the basics of building a "platform" to market a book. She shares her personal experience over the past few years, detailing how she effectively marketed her book and generated and still generates sales as a best-selling author.

Our Take:

Her book "Author 2.0" is now available for free of which can be downloaded directly from her site after you sign up. The book itself is not about writing your best but how to market after writing your masterwork. Learning the pros and cons of publishing with necessary apparatuses like advances, contacts, and royalties, all these coming from the pro herself, is definitely worth the read.

Conclusion

Today, the book publishing landscape for authors has been turned on its head, as it carries both opportunities and some risks. Even minute details like logo design may make or break your masterpiece Self-publishing has finally arrived. And investing in your education on how to do it ultimately pays well in the long run.

Writer: Kieran Fallon is the owner of Logo Design company Éire Graphic Design. We are here to help your organization become more memorable through designing striking logos, eye-grabbing flyers, posters that pop, exciting animated emails and dynamic lightweight digital advertising campaigns – always backed by flexible and insightful support.

10 Useful Photo Sites for Book Cover Images (Paid + Free)

Guest post by  Ivy Attie

Although you are not supposed to, judging a book by its cover is a skill we all employ from time to time. Whether standing in a queue at a bustling bookstore or reviewing thumbnails on our favorite digital platform — the cover is often the only element we have time to peruse.

If you are a writer, you will agree that you usually don’t have the time or the resources to carry on a customized photoshoot for your book covers. Especially if you are an independent publisher, you may not boast the budget to hire a professional illustrator to do the artwork for your book. In that case, stock photographs come to the rescue and provide you with readily available material for book covers.

What Are Stock Photographs?

Stock photos are a repository of pictures or illustrations taken by photographers. They are available in numerous categories, are high quality, and boast similar attributes as a professional shoot.

Most of the stock photo sites offer images for free. However, various reliable stock agencies charge a nominal amount for the license they provide. These agencies have professionals working for them who ensure the images they receive are from the copyright holders. The images are also more competent and less overused than the ones available on free photo sites.

But of course, the final choice of agency depends on your budget. To help you make the selection, here is a list of stock photo sites, both - paid and free, for your print and design needs.

Best Paid Stock Photo Sites

Let’s start with some of the best sites where you can get high-quality stock images.

1.    iStock

iStock by Getty Images offers an exclusive and extensive collection of photos, vectors, illustrations, videos, and music clips. They have over 20 years of presence in the stock photo industry and curate some of the most outstanding genre images for your publishing needs.

When it comes to pricing, iStock is not the cheapest. However, they have some flexible payment plans that let you choose between monthly and yearly plans along with single image purchases, on-demand packs, and bulk purchases. You can also take advantage of an iStock discount and save money on your purchase.

2.    The Stock Alchemist

The Stock Alchemist is a boutique-style stock photography site that specializes in book covers and album sleeves. The exclusive collection is hosted by Regina Wamba, a renowned personality popular for her creative brains.

Here, you will find a range of book cover options for different genres, including romance, science fiction, and dystopian. You can download a low-resolution file for free. However, a substantial fee applies to each image for license and high-quality versions.

3.    Shutterstock

Shutterstock offers one of the largest collections of stock photos and vectors. They also regularly update their database, so you will be no short of choices on this platform. One of the best features of Shutterstock is that it allows online editing directly from the browser, besides integration with Adobe Creative Cloud apps.

The pricing plans of Shutterstock are pretty manageable. Besides on-demand packs, the company offers subscription plans for teams and enterprises. You can also receive a free trial of 10 images for a month. All you need to do is sign up with their services and receive your free credits.

4.    StockPhotos.com

Stockphotos.com is probably one of the newest additions in the stock photo industry. Created by a team of stock photo experts, the site completes all the requirements you have for a photo site and more. New pictures are also added daily to the site.

One of the best things about stockphotos.com is the resource page. Here, the team covers everything you need to know about stock photos, licenses, and editing limitations. So, if you are still discovering the industry, this is the website you should visit.

5.    DepositPhotos

DepositPhotos is one of the most affordable options on this list. It boasts an exquisite collection of pictures, vectors, illustrations, and videos with a royalty-free license. The license allows you to use stock assets in any way you want without giving attribution to the original owner or the agency.

The pricing plans for DepositPhotos start at $9/month. You can choose to go with either bundle subscription packs or on-demand packs. An app for iOS and Android is also available for members to pick pictures on the go.

Best Free Stock Photo Sites

Now that we've covered some paid options let’s look at the free stock photo sites for budget-conscious authors. Before using images from these sites, you must check out their license details & terms and conditions to remain legally safe.

6.    Pixabay

Pixabay is a go-to solution for designers and marketers looking for a quick and free option to fill the visual gap in their projects. It contains a massive database of more than 2.4 million photos, vectors, and illustrations.

Pixabay operates under its own license that allows anyone to use the pictures wherever they want. You also don’t have to give credits to the original author (even though it’s a good idea to do so).

7.    Pexels

Pexels is another free photo site you would definitely enjoy. And just like Pexels, you can use the images found here any way you want without giving credit to the original photographer. The collection is extensive as well, with new photos added daily.

One of the best features of Pexels is its search filters. You can quickly vet down your choices through the easy-to-use interface according to the niche, subcategory, orientation, and even trending topics. You can also modify the size of the picture you download - saving you tons of time in post-processing.

8.    New Old Stock

As the name implies, New Old Stock is slightly different from the others present in the stock photo game. This site features pictures from the past era - primarily black and white for the history buffs out there. So, if you are writing about history or nonfiction, this site is for you!

Images presented here are available under the public domain license. This means that all pictures are available by the public and for the public - without any cost.

9.    StockSnap

Another freebie stock photo site is StockSnap. The pictures offered here are free from copyright restrictions and can be used in any way you want.

One of the best collections at StockSnap is their landscape and scenery collection. If you are curating pictures for a travel-inspired novel, this site is a must-check. You can also choose the images you find here and integrate them with other artworks to create a unique yet beautiful book cover picture.

10. Unsplash

Last but not least is Unsplash. In fact, a list of stock photo sites will be incomplete without the mention of Unsplash, as it has one of the largest free stock photo libraries with over 1.5 million assets. And just like others mentioned in this list, Unsplash boasts a well-curated collection of professional photographs.

All the photos found here are entirely free to use. They can be used in any project, including personal and commercial, without giving attribution to the owner.

Final Words

Hopefully, the above 10 sites will give you a good start at designing your book cover. Do your research before making the final choice to ensure you are using the pictures legally and ethically. And if you are looking for professional help, feel free to contact us at Working Type to let us handle your book. Happy publishing!

Email marketing your book — some practical advice

Some advice to authors planning to market their books via email, from experienced editor and author Dr. Euan Mitchell:

Email programs are getting better at detecting advertising material.

Especially if the salutation is not to a specific person's name.

Including an attachment also increases the chances of it being filtered out.

I suggest the best way is to first send an enquiry email to the organisation concerned without an attachment or any advertising copy in the email itself.

Simply ask who the editor of the organisation's newsletter is. This only takes a sentence or two. In that first email, do not explain why you are asking.

Let them ask. And even if you are starting by emailing the organisation's general email address, you should soon have a reply and a person's name to start with. Importantly, the current person, not someone from years past.

The pitch should not be: "Here's my fascinating book, please buy it." People get similar emails all the time and block the sender.

Start a dialogue with an enquiry email, not an ad. If the organisation has a newsletter then it has space to fill on a regular basis. The author might be able to help out : )

Depending on the organisation's main interest, the author might be able to contribute a few quotes or anecdotes to an article.

These contributions need to be customised to the organisation's interests according to the person who answers the emails.

Funnily enough the contributions can include a plug for your book, even if just a footnote at the end of the article. This subtle way of advertising the book should be more effective than a straight-out ad because the author has first been introduced to the reader by the organisation the reader subscribes to.

In summary, the approach shifts from generic inbox drops to personalised email enquiries (or phone calls) about organisations' newsletters without initially mentioning the title.

Don't lead with your chin. Get a dialogue going first. It takes time but the success rate is much higher.

Euan’s excellent practical guide Your Book Publishing Options is available from Amazon.

Amazon KDP now printing in Australia

After years of printing in the US and shipping all the way to Oz, Amazon has finally opened a printery in Australia to service print on demand customers. This is very good news for independent authors, especially that subset who want to concentrate on Amazon. IngramSpark’s service has many pluses, but it interposes a layer between the author and Amazon, and costs a good deal more, particularly when authors wish to upload updated book files. With the new printing facility, Australian authors will finally be able to order author proofs and copies.

With the new printery, postage costs will be reduced and turnaround times improved. Here is the Amazon page addressing the topic.

8 Steps to Self-Publish Your Book Like a Bestseller

Guest post contributed by Chloe Harris

If you have an idea under your belt that you genuinely believe should reach a wider audience, consider publishing your own book. Historically, authors need an agent who can convince a publisher to take a look at their manuscript. In fact, many publishing companies work only through established agents, which makes it difficult, especially for first-time authors.

Self-publishing may sound outlandish, considering all the work needed to be even noticed by readers. But with meticulous planning, creativity, resourcefulness, and proper implementation, your book can be the next bestseller.

1. Edit Thoroughly

Even you’re self-publishing, the book will go through the hands of people who will judge it. Minor errors can hinder its success. If you’ve never edited a book before, here’s a guide on how to edit a book.

Do the following to get you started.

• Wait at least a week before editing so that you can look at the book with fresh eyes.

• Review the plot and characters. Take note of significant structures. For example, do the characters have dynamic personalities? Is the conflict sensible? How is the audience going to feel about the ending?

• If you’re not ready to edit the significant elements, start with line edits. Are you using the right voice?

2. Ask for Feedback

Feedback is invaluable. The book may sound perfect to you, but are you sure that’s how readers would feel? Share your manuscript with trusted individuals and ask for feedback.

To help them make more candid feedback, create an online form to share opinions on specific elements. Also, ask them how you can improve.

Feedback may be obtained from friends, family, book critics, and writing communities.

3. Format Your Book Properly

“A professionally-formatted book sends a good impression. This part can be a bit more complicated for self-publishing authors because your book must be 100% ready for publication after this. Many authors are anxious about formatting; after all, it’s an entirely different skill from writing.”, explains Direct Appliance Rentals CEO Karina Wolfin.

Here are some formatting options.

Free formatting software: Apple Pages and Kindle Create provide free templates. However, they also cater to their own platform, which means all or some formatting options will be discard when you upload to other retailers.

Paid formatting software: Vellum ($200) and Scrivener ($45) creates beautifully formatted print versions and E-books. Plus, you can format as many files as you want with a licensed account.

Professional typesetters: For print on demand, authors usually hire a typesetter to ensure immaculate formatting. This is the most viable option, especially for printed editions, because you don’t want unevenly spaced text and images.

4. Choose a cover that converts

The cover creates the first impression to the readers. A strong cover is attractive and lets those who see it know that the book was made for them.

Consider these tips for the book design.

Striking yet sophisticated. Whether it’s a photo, an illustration, or typography, the cover should look professional.

Indicative of the genre. Some design elements are associated with specific genres. Your book cover must conform to these principles to reach the right audience.

Spine and back cover. This is only for printed versions.

Unlike formatting, the cover should be made by a professional. This is your most crucial marketing tool, and you shouldn’t take risks.

5. Maximize Your Book Description

The book description is another element that can attract readers. Here are the basics of writing a good description.

Hook the readers. Use a dramatic headline, such as a quote from a book or a strong review from a known critique. The point is to intrigue the readers.

Introduce the storyline. Don’t give away everything, though! Instead, give readers a sneak peek of what they’re going to find inside.

Create a cliff-hanger. End the description with a hint of a shocking twist or an intriguing question.

Read the descriptions of some bestsellers of the same genre, and you’ll definitely see a pattern.

6. Prepare the launching

The launch will raise awareness and jumpstart the hype about your book—just like a movie trailer.

Consider including the following in your launch plan.

Build a website. A large fraction of modern-day consumers rely on the internet for information; therefore, your book should be there. Hire a web designer to build a dedicated website for your book and follow the pointers we gave for the cover design.

Ask for the support of family and friends. People will be looking for social proof, so it would be beneficial if your family and friends promote your book on their social media accounts.

Ask for book reviews. Contact known book reviewers and politely ask them if they can review your book.

Organise a virtual launch party. Partner with influencers and send them party packages. Give a speech and ask attendees to share their thoughts about your book.

7. Publish

You’ll be glad to know that self-publishing can be fast on Amazon and other platforms.

For printed editions, the process is a bit longer. But you should have no trouble if all the materials are ready.

8. Market Your Book

The work doesn’t end after publication. The marketing campaign has started during the launch, but you still have more legwork to do.

• Reach out to relevant blogs and ask if you could write a guest post to promote your book.

• Organise events at bookstores. This can a signing, reading or Q&A.

• Work with a third-party advertising agency. Self-marketing can be exhausting, especially if your fan base is still in its early stages stage. Instead, consider hiring the services of an ad agency that specialises in reading materials.

 With so many titles being released each year in Australia, it can be hard for your manuscript to find its way to the publisher’s desk. If you think self-publishing is the best method for you, contact WorkingType for design and print solutions.

Thoughts on a Year as a Self-Published Author

Independent author Gail Meath writes well-researched historical romances. She has summarised her first year as a self-published author in some detail, with plenty of practical tips and advice, and has kindly allowed us to post her thoughts below.

My First Year Self-Publishing:

 All or most of these sites are probably familiar to authors, but my purpose is to share my experiences and, in part, to give great credit to some sites that have either been good promotional sites or simply because their customer service was so outstanding, I wanted to pay tribute to them for helping me in my self-publishing endeavor this past year.  

 (I compiled the following list from my own experiences during my first year of self-publishing.  Everything listed should not in any way be misconstrued as advice, suggestions or any type of guidance to other authors.  I am a new author, not a best-seller or veteran, and these are my opinions only.) 

 Goodreads: 

A great place for both readers and authors.  Actually, it is an excellent place for authors!!!  My definition of this site, “The best place ever where Indy authors come together to help one another.”...through endless groups and discussions.  There are also some great author blogs that help you promote your books even more.  And, of course, a lot of fantastic readers!!

 Thank goodness I found Goodreads even before I started publishing.  I won’t go on as most/all authors know about the site, but I can’t believe how everyone has been so wonderfully helpful and I’m so grateful to all!

 A couple things to remember:

Groups have Rules!  Yes, I shamefully admit that I’m guilty of posting a link where I wasn’t supposed to (oops).     

Don’t contact readers directly to promote your book.

 Try not to change your book covers too much....you cannot get rid of the old ones!!

 Sometimes, scammers infiltrate Goodreads, so beware.  There is a ‘flag’ option for inappropriate posts (needed that once the past year).

 I’m sure their giveaway promotions are great.  The cost has been out of my reach.

 AllAuthor.com:  Free to upload books

I cannot say enough nice things about AllAuthor.com.  First, it is an extremely professional promotional website for authors that includes creating your own marketing mockups of your books: even GIFs, if you’re premium, which is about $40, I think, for four months.  Uploading and updating a book is a breeze, the author page is great with tabs for awards, reviews, etc.  And free.  They have several different promotional packages that are very reasonably priced and worth the cost.

 While the site is run by a ‘Team AllAuthor’, I have only had contact with Mady Joshi, Business Development Head.  He is fantastic to work with, answers all your questions, sends unique book mockups every week for premium and they have instagram and Facebook accounts that you can join for additional promotion opportunities.  He is exceptional.  If I were rating these sites, AllAuthor would by far surpass all others.

 VoraciousReadersOnly.com:  Free Intro/$20 Evergreen Program

This is a great site if you’re looking for an inexpensive way to reach new readers and gather some reviews...if you’re willing to give away books.  For me, I limited my book giveaways and received more reviews from their FREE intro offer rather than their $20/month Evergreen program.  They send review reminders to readers who receive your book, but during the six-week program, I received very few.  Much more during their intro.

 But Larry is wonderful to work with.  He’s the man behind-the-scenes and he will answer all your questions quickly and personally.  I was involved in this when I first started publishing and I was able to compile a nice start-up mailing list.  I grew tired of giving books away, but it was a nice place to start   

 ReaderFavorite.com:  Free to upload books and request reviews

I do love this site, too, although I believe that their ‘free’ reviews come few and far between.  For $59 you can receive a professional editorial review, which is what I believe they hold out for.  They do offer paid promos and contests...one of my books won their 2020 western, so that may explain why I’m partial to them. 

 But, despite that, I had a book that I worried wasn’t as good as my others and contacted them to see if I could pay for a review and write a message to the reviewer beforehand asking them for a brutally honest review so I could determine whether to publish the book or not.  One of their reps instantly contacted me.  He understood my dilemma and was willing to ask their top reviewer to look at it, knowing the person would be, well, brutally honest. 

 To me, he went above and beyond my expectations, so I highly recommend this site to anyone interested in what they have to offer.  I don’t believe there is anything better than having internal people/reps who are willing to help authors in any way they can.

 Bookbub.com:  Free to upload books

Another very professional site and very easy to upload books with a nice author page.  They also offer different promotion opportunities, from reasonable to costly.  I have two complaints. 

 To change a book cover, description, etc., you need to send them a note then wait until the change takes place.  At least a few days – AllAuthor, it is instant.

 Also, I set up a five-day-promotion for one of my books and used their ad template, rather than uploading my own.  My promotion began and within less than 6 hours, I received an email from them saying that I should halt my ad and change it as there hadn’t been any ‘clicks’ to it.  Huh.  I tried uploading my own ad template, but it kept getting rejected.  I gave up.

 I do know that Bookbub is supposedly a great place to market books.  Unfortunately, I am one of the few where it was not.

 Amazon KDP/AuthorCentral:

Like Goodreads and Facebook, all/most authors are already using these sites so there isn’t a whole lot more for me to add.  I use Kindle Create to upload books to Amazon Kindle and it’s a breeze, including paperback.  I had changed some book covers and a month later, I ordered author paperback copies so I could have a copy of the new cover and I received the old cover copy.  I contacted them and their rep was so very helpful.  They tossed the leftover old cover paperbacks and assured me that only the new ones would be sent in the future.  They were great.

 I do like Author Central’s new ‘author page’ setup.  They’ve been very helpful to me a couple of times.  Lately, I keep trying to bold the first line of my book descriptions and once that’s done, their fine for a while, then bold disappears again.  I need to contact them about that, but otherwise, I have enjoyed working with them.

 Draft2Digital.com/Books2Read.com:  Free marketplace for books

Only recently I discovered these sites.  They go hand-in-hand...Draft2Digital to upload books, Books2Read to connect to different retailers.  It was extremely easy to upload my books and kind of fun to watch all the retailers accumulating. 

 I did have a little trouble (surprise!) after customizing my UBL (universal link that gives buyers a snapshot of all retailers/costs for your books), I ended up with 2 UBLs each.  Their rep was super helpful, corrected the problem, walked me through each step and sent me a cool easy reference page of instructions.  I love great customer service people. 

 I haven’t been on this long enough to say much else, but I was so very impressed by them.

 Smashwords.com:  Free marketplace for books

I have a few books on this site.  Uploading books is easy, until it comes to being approved for the premium version.  This was pretty time-consuming and confusing, at least for me.  I struggled a ton with the Table of Contents.  You can download a huge file of instructions, but I finally contacted them.  One of their reps responded and was very helpful...apparently, there were hidden bookmarks in the Table of Contents and I finally, after a great deal of time, was able to fix that.

 They have a nice reporting system.  And promotional opportunities at a reasonable cost.

 Facebook:

Well, this one is universally known, so I cannot add much about it.  They do offer reasonable promotions where you determine the cost and choose targe audience.  I also belong to several other FB groups that focus on my genre of books and those are great to meet other authors and promote your books to readers.

 Pinterest.com:  Free to join and post

I use Pinterest for book specials/promos only.  You can set the amount you’re willing to spend and choose your target audience.  I usually do a $10-20 ad for a few days.  I don’t have a huge following there, but I know I have sold several books every time I advertise there.

 Alignable.com:  Free to join - Local business contacts

I believe this is available nationally, I’m not sure.  It is a sort of local business yellow-pages, although you have your own ‘page’ and can earn other business’ recommendations.  I’ve been using to connect with people in my area.  I’ve made a lot of friends there and I post my book promotions for free under ‘events’.  They also offer a paid promo through their weekly newsletter.  It’s an additional site that doesn’t consume a lot of time.

 RWA.com:  Contests & Membership - For Romance Authors Only

I was first introduced to RWA through entering one of my books into their 2020 contest.  I was not a member and the cost for me was $35 to enter.  After I won for the historical genre, I joined the group.  The cost was $124/year (I hated to spend the money, but...I was so thrilled to have won!  I received a really cool plaque and supposedly, I will be invited to an awards ceremony in FL next spring.) 

 This is a huge group and for a more social romance author, it’s probably worth the cost.  They do send out a booklet with a lot of great writing information, but it does seem to me as though they spend way more time deciding upon/voting for new admin people, than anything else.  And all their conferences, contests, etc., cost additional money rather than being included in the membership fee.  Which I kind of resent.

 BookSirens.com:

In this site, you request approval of your book before any cost passes to them.  All I can say is, they have quickly rejected all my books without any reason or explanation or even an email informing of the rejection.  I needed to go back onto the sight to find out, so I gave up on them.  Honestly, I would have thought at least one of my books deserved inclusion.  But that’s me and obviously not.  I would not rule them out until you try! 

 There are sites like Netgalley ($$ over my budget) and Bookviral (over $200), and several others, that are too expensive for me to even consider their promotions.  They are probably super sites for authors, but I cannot afford the cost.

 Several ‘smaller’ sites that offer Twitter-only to promote: 

I have not had any luck with these, but perhaps other authors have.  I didn’t want to post specific sites here, but I have been, shall I say, suckered into paying $20-50 for a few of these in the past with zero return.  Again, other authors may have had better luck.

How to Promote Your Book—5 Strategies for Authors

Guest article from Chloe Harris

Books with compelling content are often passed over due to ineffective promotion. Convincing people to read a book is quite different from convincing them to buy clothes, cars, and houses.

We’ve gathered a few useful strategies to promote your book:

Choose a Professional Book Cover

The old saw runs “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” But people do judge a book by its cover. A 2017 study revealed that a whopping 52% base their decision on the jacket artwork.

Work with professional book cover designer in conveying the right message, attracting the right audience. Your ideas will be the basis of the design, while the artist manipulates the elements to arrive at a professional, attention-getting result.

Author-designed covers run the risk of potential readers identifying the work as self-published, and therefore passing over it.

Use Social Media Effectively

“As of January 2020, over 3.8 billion people are using social media. This means that by simply introducing your book through Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, you could stir the interest of many. However, you will have to optimise social media use for this happen.”, said Alistaire Clare, Credit Capital’s business consultant.

Social proof is vital in earning recognition. With an official page, it will be easier for potential readers to find your book. Make sure to include the following:

• A high-resolution photo of the book

• A photo of yourself with a short biography

• A snippet about the book

• Some testimonials from those who’ve read your book already

Facebook ads are also useful in reaching specific targets in terms of location, gender, age, and preferences.

Organise an Event in Local Bookstores

Avid book buyers visit local bookstores to hunt for old and new masterpieces. So, make sure not to miss this fanbase. Here are 21 charming bookshops in Australia.

Many local bookstores regularly feature new authors. Often, they also have a relationship with local book clubs that could review your book. 

• Prepare a good pitch, explaining how the bookstore can benefit from your book.

• Ask if you could display promotional banners and posters.

• Plan an entertaining presentation

• Hold a live Q&A

• Sign books for free or hold small contests

If things go well with local bookstores, you might contemplate further events in larger venues.

Reach out to Book Reviewers

It’s essential to gather as many reviews possible, mainly if you’re selling online. Books with more reviews get more visibility. They also create an impression that the content is promising.

Search for book reviewers who are interested in your genre. Ask them to leave an honest review. You might have to send a free copy, but that’s totally worth it, especially if the reviewer has a large following. Here are some great choices:

• Aussie Reviews

• Booktopia

• Ragamuffin Books

• Readability Australia

• Lost in a Good Book

• Goodreads

Also. try sending a letter to Australian Book Review. ABR is an independent, non-profit magazine that publishes book reviews.

Are you an independent author who wants to have a professionally-designed book? Working Type offers design, layout, and print solutions that can transform your manuscript into a best-seller. We also assist in e-book publishing and digital and print promotions. Contact us now for more information!