Author Publishing Packages | Communications

Home , Proofreading

Self-Publishing Services Directory 2017

WELCOME!

Welcome to the 2017 edition of our self- Our 2017 directory is brought to you through publishing services directory, a compilation of the work of ALLi Resources Director, Philip services offered by Partner Members of the Lynch; Watchdog John Doppler; and leading Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi). book designer (and Partner Member) Jane Dixon Smith. Thanks are also due to When an author sets out to self-publish, he or Helena Halme, ALLi’s Nordic Ambassador, she can very quickly become overwhelmed and Debbie Young, who heads up the self- by the choices on offer. The self-publishing publishing advice blog from which the articles services sector is, on one hand, exciting, are taken. innovative and fast-growing; on the other, idiosyncratic, illogical and incoherent. The Directory is fed by the scouting activities Some services are run by people who are of our Author Members as well as the ALLi knowledgeable, dedicated, helpful and fair; team, including our self-publishing news- others are clueless, greedy, callous hound, Dan Holloway. We also draw on or manipulative. contributions from author activists David Gaughran, Jim Giammatteo, Mick Rooney In an unregulated marketplace, where and Victoria Strauss and all is overseen with the same service can cost $500 against aplomb by John Doppler, who heads up $15,000, for pretty much the same thing, ALLi’s Watchdog Desk and whose judgement, depending on where you shop; where useless logic and savvy reasoning are an invaluable services are sold at inflated prices; where asset to authors. one large operation with many imprints, and controversial practices dominates the ALLi is all about working together for each information stream and where there’s so other, so we’d love to hear your feedback and much to learn and to do, how do you find your suggestions. Do get in touch. way through? How do you know who to trust? And if you’re an author, or an author service, This directory, and ALLi’s Partner and not yet a member of our alliance, isn’t it Membership, is our association’s attempt to time you joined us? offer a trustworthy guide to the global author ORNA ROSS services sector. DIRECTOR Each service listed here has been vetted by ALLIANCE OF INDEPENDENT AUTHORS our Watchdog team, adhering to ALLi’s code of conduct. We have also included a range of articles, from our Self-Publishing Advice Find out more about the Alliance of Independent Centre and blog. Authors at http://allianceindependentauthors.org The aim of the directory is to connect indie authors with the best author services available, so they can select the perfect services for the particular project they’re currently working on.

3 Partnership authors in planning and involve We aspects of the key decision-making for titles and cover from process, publication strategies. design to sales and marketing Service work. our for are accountable We each step authors informed keep We good customer and provide of the way service and follow-up. Communication helpful and timely information provide We to authors at all stages of publication, authors to and facilitate and beyond, necessaryget access to any ancillary information. Community a long-term commitment have We and supportto author-publishing the authors empowerment of self-publishing to the indie author giving back by community. • • • •

Transparency Our price quotations are accurate, and complete. transparent Clarity can and cannot what we it clear make We writer — and the self-publishing do for our servicehow compares to others. Value to each publication add value We charged, with the fee commensurate tasks, publishing authors of key relieving design enhancing readability, or discoverability. Integrity Membership that Partner recognise We of ALLi means our primary aim is to be of service to the writingand reading through follow that end, we To community. on all promised services and fully honour all advertisements and publication spam, never We terms. agreement authors to buy or harass oversell our services.

• • • • We take every care to ensure our author members access services care and every that agree take We to the following: members who become ALLis agree Partner comply with the code. Each service provider listed in this directory is vetted by our Watchdog team in Watchdog our Each service listed in this directory by provider vetted is code of standards. accordance with ALLi’s Explaining the ALLi Partner Member Code Member Partner the ALLi Explaining of ethics and self-publishing. excellence mission is to foster ALLi’s QUALITY OF A MEASURE PARTNER MEMBER CODE MEMBER PARTNER

Welcome 4 EXCLUSIVE INGRAMSPARK DISCOUNT FOR ALLI MEMBERS

Continuing from 2016, IngramSpark is offering exclusive discounts to all Alliance of Independent Authors members. IngramSpark is an award-winning publishing platform that offers print and eBook distribution services through a single source.

Discount Benefits: ALLi members will receive the following discounts by entering the code SPARKALLI17 during the account setup process:

• $37.50 for P + E (when done simultaneously) – 23.5% off the original price

• $37.50 for a print book –23.5% off the original price

• $20 for eBook only – 20% off the original price

• Free revisions – 100% off the original price

• Titles are eligible for automatic free title setup when a print order is placed for 50 copies within 60 days of title setup.

ALLi members will also receive the following Publisher Direct volume discounts on their initial and reprint orders for new titles by entering the SPARKALLI17 discount code each time an order is placed.

US and UK Print-On-Demand Black & White, Australia Print-On-Demand Black & Standard & Premium Colour Discounts: White Discounts: Units Economy Express Units Economy Express 1 – 99 15% 5% 1 – 99 10% 0%

100 – 249 20% 10% 100 – 249 20% 10%

250 – 499 30% 20% 250 – 499 25% 15%

500 – 999 40% 30% 500 – 999 30% 20%

1000 – 1499 45% 35% 1000 – 1499 35% 25%

1500+ 50% 40% 1500+ 40% 30%

The discounts listed are calculated from the print price of a single copy and includes the discount that applies to all volume orders.

These discounts are available until 31st December 2017, and the offer is for ALLi members only.

ingramspark.com Writing Services

WRITING SERVICES Includes: Writing Tools, Support and Advocacy, Creative Guidance

6 AUTHOR ACCELERATOR Jose Ramon Torres Aguila Writing Services Services Provided: Support, Collaboration Services Provided: Translation services We work with authors brainstorming and plotting Cuban Writer and English-Spanish translator / their books, give editorial feedback during the Escritor cubano y traductor inglés-español rough draft stage and subsequent revisions, http://www.joseramontorres.com/ and then help with the development of a plan to [email protected] pitch to agents and publishers. Author Accelerator gives writers professional Moraine’s Edge Books and consistent feedback, unwavering support, and a clear path to get you from idea to rough Services Provided: Writing, Manuscript draft. Along the way, we shut down doubt and Critique, Instructional and Developmental boost confidence – so you actually finish the Editing, Line Editing, Copy Editing, book and can be proud of what you’ve written. Proofreading, Original Cover Art and Illustration, Cover Design http://authoraccelerator.com [email protected] With wide-ranging experience in writing, editing, and teaching writing for over three decades, author Cindy Rinaman Marsch offers Ellie Stevenson, Coach & Author author services at all levels of the publishing enterprise, including Betsy Marsch’s original Services Provided: Writing and motivational artwork and design to enhance a completed coaching, workshops, presentations book. We can help your book become its best.

ALLi members enjoy a 10% discount. I will help you define your goals, make a plan of action, address issues and make regular www.morainesedgebooks.com progress. Writing a book is a great example [email protected] of this. You CAN succeed! Even short-term coaching can make a huge difference. I also SEENAPSE review manuscripts. Services Provided: Inspiration, Collaboration A free consultation on your project is available, Seenapse is the inspiration engine for creative with no obligation. people who are looking for non-obvious, divergent results to spark ideas. Think with other I’m the author of three novels, a member of people’s heads. It’s free! ALLi, the Society of Authors and the Careers Writers Association. http://seenapse.it [email protected] https://elliestevenson.wordpress.com/about/ [email protected] WomanSafeHealth HerStory Inkwell Writers Ltd Services Provided: Feminist Publishing, including writing assistance, coaching, editing, Services Provided: Inkwell is Ireland’s leading and coordination of design, formatting, publishing consultancy offering a full range of marketing materials, copyright and other author services for all writers. From critiquing, reader’s support services. reports, mentoring and manuscript assessment to editing (both structural and copy editing) and www.womansafehealthherstory.com proof reading, we are also Ireland’s leading [email protected] literary scouts and have placed writers who have gone one to become international best Writing.ie sellers and award winners. Services Provided: Writing.ie is the world’s www.inkwellwriters.ie only national writing resources website. An [email protected] online magazine updated daily we have thousands of articles to guide and inspire you, help you write, get published and sell your book whatever the genre. www.writing.ie [email protected] 7 Feature How To Use the Snowflake Technique to Write A Novel

As a a self-published author of historical fiction and historical fantasy, I use the Snowflake Method to help me write novels. It was invented by Randy Ingermanson, the multiple-award- winning US novelist and teacher of writing crafts.

Why Use the Snowflake Method? The idea of the Snowflake Method is that, if it is done well, you can avoid major plot issues requiring major rewrites because you already have done that work. Furthermore you should spend less time staring at a blank page. You wrench the story idea out of your head at the start. Once you have built the snowflake it makes the writing easier. This does not mean you lose creativity. You have to be creative at the start as you make the snowflake. As you go along you often find new ideas pop up – indeed these can often be stimulated more because you already know the direction the novel is “London 1666: a schoolboy and a thief brave going and so your flakes of inspiration can link the perils of the Great Fire to prevent an even in better. more terrible catastrophe!”

How To Use The Snowflake Method STEP 2 ONE I summarise the main steps here, using my YA PARAGRAPH PLOT historical novel The Last Seal as an example: You now need to expand that sentence to a full paragraph describing the background, the major STEP 1 ONE SENTENCE SUMMARY disasters, and the ending of the novel. Write a one-sentence summary of your It is a good idea to think about the a story as novel. This sentence could become the hook “three disasters plus an ending”. Each of the that will sell your book. A good sentence is disasters takes a quarter of the book to develop shorter rather than longer – ideally fewer and the ending takes the final quarter. If you are than 15 words. It should not contain character approaching publishers you can also use this names. It is better to say “a mercenary time paragraph in your proposal. Or alternatively if travelling adventurer” than “Septimus Mason”. you self-publish this could easily become the This sentence should aim to tie together back cover blurb. Ideally, your paragraph will the big picture of the book with the personal have about five sentences: one sentence to give picture of the main character. We should learn me the backdrop and story setup, one sentence which character has the most to lose in this each for your three disasters, then one more story and what he or she wants to gain. Here’s sentence to tell the ending. Here’s my one- a one sentence summary of my YA novel, The paragraph plot for The Last Seal: Last Seal:

8 “In September 1666 a schoolboy playing truant Feature and a local thief blunder into a struggle between rival secret societies. They discover that the Liberati serve a powerful demon which was locked under London by their opponents the Praesidum who created magical seals round the city which now the Liberati aim to destroy when they start the fire at Pudding Lane. As the fire spreads, the two youths and the Praesidum must evade the deadly Liberati as they try to locate the remaining seals. They discover that the location of the final seal is given on a secret key hidden somewhere in the city. A desperate race ensues to find the key, locate the final seal and prevent the demon being freed.”

STEP 3 DEVELOP CHARACTERS Plots are all very good but the book is going to need compelling characters. So you need something similar for the storylines of each of your characters. For each of your major characters, we need this information: • The character’s name • A one-sentence summary of the character’s storyline • The character’s goal (what does he/she • Obstacles: Uneducated, orphan gutter want?) snipe with no prospects • The character’s conflict (what prevents • Epiphany: There are things more him/her from reaching this goal?) important than self, higher purposes which are worth risking self for • The character’s epiphany (what will he/ she learn, how will he/she change? • Synopsis of character story line: Freya A one-paragraph summary of the scrapes a living thieving and pick- character’s storyline pocketing. One day she is caught red handed and shifts the blame on Benjamin I developed this profile for my character Freya a school boy playing truant who runs in The Last Seal: with her to escape capture right into an • Summary: Cheerful, cheeky but, selfish encounter with agents of the Liberati young thief finds a purpose through who threaten them both. Escaping with perilous adventure. Ben they encountering the Praesidum. Initially she refuses to help the Praesidum • Goal: To survive each day and get as unless she gains a reward but gradually much as she can. To gain wealth, avoid comes to realise that the Liberati must responsibility be opposed and in so doing her shallow

ALLi INSIGHT: WRITING The first – and potentially most terrifying – stage in your self-publishing journey is to transform your ideas into words on the page. Every writer’s process is unique; some need psychological and motivational guidance, others will benefit more from being steered towards certain tools or techniques. ALLi Writing Service Partners offer everything from motivation and brainstorming to manuscript evaluation and development.

9 Feature existence gains meaning. Helps reforms scene throughout the whole books and organise the Praesidum at the end and resolves to them into chapters. Here’s how I did it for The continue its mission. Last Seal: At this point I open up Word and slap in all STEP 4 PLOT SUMMARY those scenes. Then I just sit down and start The snow flake grows. You now expand the one pounding out the real first draft of the novel. If paragraph summary of the plot. Each sentence I follow this process well (and I confess I don’t expands into a full paragraph. All but the last always manage to be quite so elaborate), I am paragraph should end in a disaster. The final often astounded at how fast the story flies out of paragraph should tell how the book ends. So my fingers at this stage. you now have maybe a full sheet with your plot • I KNOW the story on. • I KNOW the characters STEP 5 CHARACTER CHARTS • I KNOW the scenes Take your character synopsis and now expand • I can just get writing! your character descriptions into full-fledged character charts. Detail everything there is to Seat of pants writers may not like this know about each character, such as birthdate, approach but I find I need the framework description, history, motivation, goals, etc. to get me started.

STEP 6 EXPAND THE PLOT SYNOPSIS Randy Ingermanson offers more information By now, you have a solid story and several about his Snowflake Method and much more story-threads, one for each character. Now writing advice at his excellent website, expand the one-page plot synopsis of the novel www.advancedfictionwriting.com. to a four-page synopsis. Basically, you will again be expanding each paragraph from step (4) into Richard Denning writes and publishes historical a full page. Take that four-page synopsis and fiction as well as horror and fantasy for adults make a list of all the scenes that you’ll need to and young adults. www.richarddenning.co.uk turn the story into a novel. Make a list of each

10 Feature

EDITORIAL SERVICES Includes: Copy Editing, Developmental Editing, Proofreading

11 r ttinG ” as of l CustomE l CAtions o GlobA l 01 september 2016 Australia Canada Cayman Islands Czech Republic England Estonia France Germany Grand Cayman Israel Italy Kenya Netherlands Pakistan Sweden Switzerland United Kingdom United States book formA book tion luA –Nan R. Johnson, Author –Nan R. A v E

ript ript nusC A m www.adirondackediting.com www.adirondackediting.com sErviCEs

Certified Copyeditor 30+ years writing and editing books copyedited, 150+ fiction and non-fiction in the last 5 years proofread, and/or evaluated edited 90 genres and sub-genres indie authors Works almost exclusively with Is your book ready for publication? Did you really say what you meant to say? Did you really say what you or verb for the situation? Did you use the best noun

Susan earned my respect with her precision editing and my trust precision Susan earned my respect with her

If you’re looking for an excellent book editor, I hope to hear from you! Get the professional answers to those important questions Get the professional answers to those important questions at a reasonable price in a warm, friendly, engaging manner that will assist you to be the best writer you can be. • • •

Welcome to Adirondack Editing! Welcome to Adirondack Susan Uttendorfsky

Professional–ContactToday! Me Friendly, Dependable, and and Dependable, Friendly,

EditinG

with her spot-on suggestions, always delivered with kindness. suggestions, always with her spot-on “

Welcome 12 Adirondack Editing AVERILL BUCHANAN Editorial Services Services Provided: I have over thirty years of Services Provided: Editorial writing and editing experience. Based in the UK, I offer the following services: During the last five years as a Certified developmental/structural editing; editing; copy- Copyeditor, I have copyedited, proofread, and/ editing; proofreading; rewriting; consultancy or evaluated over 150 fiction and non-fiction (editorial and publishing); manuscript books covering 90 genres for customers around assessment. I also do ebook formatting and the world. I work almost exclusively with indie conversion, and interior layout for print. I authors, along with a few small publishers. If specialise in general, literary and crime fiction. you’re looking for an excellent book editor, I I’m an Advanced Member of the Society hope to hear from you. for Editors and Proofreaders (SfEP), and www.adirondackediting.com a Member of the Association for Freelance [email protected] Editors, Proofreaders and Indexers (AFEPI Ireland). Alison’s Editing Service www.averillbuchanan.com [email protected] Services Provided: I offer a range of editing services, from light copy-edits to robust structural edits, for self-publishing authors. Blank Slate Communications My speciality is fiction, but I have plenty of Services Provided: Award-winning editing experience of editing business books and services (including developmental, line, and memoirs too. If required I will suggest a blurb copy), interior layout, cover design, and help (free of charge) for books I’ve edited, and I setting up CreateSpace and IngramSpark also offer a proof reading service. All new accounts. authors receive a free no-obligation sample edit on request (approx. 3,000 words), and ALLi www.blankslatecommunications.com members receive 10% discount. [email protected] www.alisonjack-editor.co.uk [email protected] Claire Wingfield Services Provided: Editing Services AIA Authors Service The Claire Wingfield Literary Consultancy Services Provided: Editorial, Author-Funded provides professional support to writers Publishing Service, Cover Design, Book who plan to self-publish or are looking for a Accreditation, Reviews traditional publisher and agent. Services include AIA Authors’ Services is dedicated to helping reader reports, mentoring and editing. authors produce quality products on a tight http://www.clairewingfield.co.uk/ budget. We offering comprehensive editing [email protected] services, book cover design and a selective author-funded publishing service. Clio Editing Services www.aiaauthorservices.com [email protected] Services Provided: I offer copyediting, proofreading, line editing, developmental editing, and packages combining the above services. I specialize in editing fiction by indie authors. I edit in both UK and US English, and Americanization is available for UK authors writing for the US market. www.clioediting.com [email protected]

13 Editorial Services Inkslinger Editing LLC Daisy Editorial Services Provided: Author-Publishing Packages, Developmental Editing, Line Editing, Services Provided: Do you need help Web Design to get your writing ready for publication? I am an experienced and recommended Inkslinger Editing acts as editor and mentor freelance proofreader, copy-editor for visionary authors transforming their writing and book/ebook formatter used to lives, offering a unique, integrated approach working with independent authors. I to author mentorship, developmental editing, am professionally trained by the SfEP boutique book design, and the building of web (Society for Editors and Proofreaders) & social media platforms tailored to the specific and PTC (Publishing Training Centre) needs of writers. and have been freelance since 2003. I specialise in non-fiction. Read more about Through developmental and line editing, me and how I can help you on my website Inkslinger mentors authors in the creation of or at http://www.sfep.org.uk/directory/ stunning narratives by charting out revision daisy-editorial. plans that enhance the books’ strengths, and build lasting connections with their readers. www.daisyeditorial.co.uk Through web and other design services, we [email protected] help launch the polished work and the story of you, the author, to the world. www.inkslingerediting.com Daniel Goldsmith Associates [email protected] Services Provided: Manuscript assessment, copy-editing, proofreading, mentoring, book Katharine D’Souza Editorial Services packaging Services Provided: Structural/Developmental Editing, Copy Editing, Proofreading, Manuscript We offer a wide range of editorial services that Appraisal can add value to your manuscript and increase your chances of getting published. If you’re Getting feedback on your writing is an stuck with your work and feel that a professional investment in you as a writer. I’d like to help literary analysis and a constructive critique you improve without charging you a fortune are the only things you need in order to make to do so. My advice will be realistic, practical, progress with your project, you’re in the encouraging and good value. My aim is to help right place. you become a better writer, and your book the best it can be. http://www.danielgoldsmith.co.uk/ [email protected] www.katharinedsouza.co.uk/editorial-services [email protected]

ALLi INSIGHT: EDITORIAL A book’s editorial development is rarely overlooked or handled solely by a successful author, and with good reason. There is a big difference between structural edits, beta-readings and final proofreads, and each of these is crucial for ensuring your book is in the best shape possible. Writers are often too close to the words they have written to be 100% effective at editing and proofreading their own manuscript. This doesn’t mean you can’t play a role in the editing of your book, though, particularly if you are facing budget constraints. The trick is in finding the editor or editorial service that is right for you and then developing the relationship. The ALLi Partner members in this section are trusted and dedicated experts who will work with you to make your book polished and professional, before you send it out into the big wide world, where it will be exposed to industry and reader/reviewer scrutiny.

14 Kolb-Williams Writing and Editing book-length projects. We host literary events Editorial Services for writers at our base, the Free Word Centre in Services Provided: Manuscript assessment London, and an annual overseas writing retreat. and editing services for independent authors and other creative professionals. Now offering http://literaryconsultancy.co.uk/ coaching services for new science fiction writers www.kolbwilliams.com Shakspeare Editorial [email protected] Services Provided: Evaluation, Editing, Designing, eBook Formatting, Publishing, Language+ Literary Websites Translations, LLC It’s a minefield out there and this personal Services Provided: As a co-op made up of service will guide your manuscript into top-notch literary translators, run and owned the wide world (or just to family and by translators, we translate books into French, friends). Readers will enjoy your edited Spanish, German, Italian and Portuguese. words; buyers will love the look of your cover; the insides will look professional; it http://literarytranslations.us will be easily available through all major [email protected] channels (print and ebook); maybe you’d like a matching website? The spend is up to you and the income is all yours. Helen Baggott ~ Author Services www.shakspeareeditorial.org [email protected] Services Provided: I offer a range of services to support the self-publishing author, including manuscript development, copy-editing and proofreading. I can also KT Editing Services prepare a document for uploading as either a paperback or e-book. My clients Services Provided: Manuscript critique, line range from those enjoying the thrill of and copy-editing, interior design for e-book self-publishing their first book, to award- and print winning authors. I work with clients in KT Editing Services specialises in editing fiction the UK, America, Australia and mainland for independent authors and offers a range of Europe. Please quote ALLi17 for a editing services, including manuscript critiquing, discounted quote. line and copy-editing, and e-book formatting. www.helenbaggott.co.uk http://www.ktediting.com/ [email protected]

The Literary Consultancy Library Cat Editing (Catriona Troth) Services Provided: Manuscript Assessment, Services Provided: Structural editing for fiction Copy-editing, Proofreading, Ghostwriting, and non-fiction Mentoring, Literary Events, Workshops, Annual For fiction, my approach is to take a helicopter Conference view of an MS and provide an overall report, The Literary Consultancy is the UK’s first and typically covering story, pace, characterisation, leading editorial and manuscript assessment voice, symbolism, setting and fact checking. service, working nationally and internationally For non-fiction proposals, I help authors to since 1996. TLC provides professional feedback structure their ideas and find the best way of to writers at all levels, covering fiction, non- presenting information. I review manuscripts for fiction, memoir, short stories, poetry and scripts. WWJ, Scriptora publishing service, and have We refer to trusted, qualified copy-editors over twenty year’s experience writing technical and proofreaders on a case by case basis. reports for a non-technical audience. TLC’s mentoring scheme, Chapter and Verse, http://catrionatroth.blogspot.co.uk/ supports writers toward completing ongoing [email protected]

15 Editorial Services Lucy Ridout Editorial Services Opuscule Services Provided: Do you worry that your plot Services Provided: Editorial, Typesetting isn’t pacy enough, your characterisation lacks for Print and Ebook in Adobe InDesign, credibility or your ending fails to deliver? I may Photography, Image-Editing, Author Websites be able to point you in the right direction Opuscule offers a range of services for

authors: Jodie has many years’ experience I edit fiction and travel titles for self-publishing in copy editing, proofreading and typesetting authors and trade publishers. I’m an Advanced for academic texts (humanities and social Professional Member of the Society for Editors sciences) and general non-fiction, while Slink and Proofreaders (SfEP) and I’m also the provides image clean-up and re-touching, as author of many Rough Guide travel books. well as original photography and website design

for authors. Please contact me to find out how I can help you with your book. www.opuscule.info [email protected] www.lucyridout.co.uk [email protected] Patricia L Heinicke Jr. Nikki Busch Editing Services Provided: I provide careful, intelligent, and sensitive copy editing, Services Provided: Full-time independent developmental editing, ghost writing, proposal editor with publishing experience, 70 books preparation, and coaching services for authors under my belt, certificate in editing, and 30 who care about their work. years of editing and writing experience. I work with new, emerging, and experienced Over 20 years’ experience in publishing. self-published authors who seek to enhance Located in Sacramento, California. References the quality of their writing and to publish available upon request. outstanding work https://reedsy.com/patricia-heinicke Co-founder - Association of Independent [email protected] Publishing Professionals (AIPP). Member - Editorial Freelancers Association (EFA) and Pauline Montagna Manuscript Golden Crown Literary Society. Many books Services I’ve edited are best sellers and award winners. I work across multiple genres. Services Provided: Editing www.nikkibuschediting.com We offer editorial services for fiction and non- [email protected] fiction, specialising in historical and literary fiction and narrative non-fiction. Novel Thinking [email protected] Services Provided: Manuscript assessment, substantive editing and professional beta reads Perfect the Word I’m an experienced editor with a proven Services Provided: Line and copyediting, record of success. The journey from idea to developmental editing, manuscript critique finished book isn’t easy, but I can help you at I am a professional member of the SfEP every stage, with practical, professional and and work with both indie authors and large applicable advice. publishing houses. I edit in many genres, but www.novelthinking.co.uk specialise in crime and thriller, sci fi and fantasy, [email protected] and young adult. Please get in touch for a quote, with a sample so I can tailor my fee to your needs. I will also give you a free sample edit of 500 to 1,000 words. www.perfecttheword.co.uk [email protected]

16 Reedsy Sundragon Editing Editorial Services Services Provided: Reedsy is a marketplace Services Provided: Copyediting, substantive of top editorial, design, marketing and publicity editing, specializing in personal memoir, history, talent. All Reedsy professionals have been and historical fiction vetted and come from a traditional publishing www.sundragonediting.com background [email protected] Reedsy also offers a free online writing and formatting tool, called the Reedsy Book Editor, Totally Edited which allows to format both for EPUB and POD. Services Provided: Totally Edited offers https://reedsy.com generalised book editing and manuscript [email protected] assessment services Richard Bradburn, Editor These services can be described as developmental. Developmental editing is Services Provided: Editing Services concerned with the structural or “big-picture” aspects of a manuscript; how the writing works A full range of editing services, from short as a whole. This work is guided by respectful critique to residential writer’s retreat in the communications, follows clear steps and award-winning Long Barn. Richard specialises produces critiques whose aim is simply to assist in developmental editing of novels, with a writers to achieve their goals for the project. particular love of YA, historical fiction, thrillers, romance and literary fiction. He also copyedits, www.totallyedited.com proofreads, formats for Kindle, coaches, beta- [email protected] reads and ghostwrites. http://editorial.ie/ Upgrade Your Story [email protected] Services Provided: Editing, Consulting services Sally Vince Editorial Services Upgrade your story with a professional editor Services Provided: Developmental and word maven. Editing, Copy Editing, Proofreading, http://www.upgradeyourstory.com/ Rewriting, Formatting [email protected] I have been providing editorial services for nearly thirty years, working with publishers, Wendy Toole Editorial businesses and direct with authors. My aim is to work with you to produce the best book you Services Provided: Editorial, Critique possibly can, while retaining your voice. Freelance editorial services for authors, I will make suggestions for changes, together publishers and self-publishers of fiction and with giving my reasons, but respect that you non-fiction. Subjects and specialisms include wish to maintain control over your book. I work literary and historical fiction; biography, with fiction and non-fiction, and in a variety autobiography and memoir; English literature of genres. and literary studies; history and art history. I like to work in partnership with authors and www.wendytooleeditorial.com welcome dialogue during the editing process, [email protected] and am happy to provide advice at all stages. www.EditorSal.com [email protected]

17 Feature

HOW TO FIND AND WORK WITH A COPYEDITOR

Sometimes an author needs a lot of hand Factors to Consider When Choosing holding … an Editor How do you choose the right copyeditor for What if you don’t know anyone who can give your book? And which kind of editor do you you a personal recommendation for an editor, need anyway? Indie author and ace copyeditor or the editor they’ve sent you to is just not right herself, CS Lakin, points the way. or way too busy right now? What other avenues Getting a personal recommendation of an editor could you pursue to find that perfect editor? from a trusted author friend is usually the best way to go. But even in those instances, you may Reputation and Testimonials: find one author’s choice in an editor may not • If you have no author friends or writers’ be your best choice. groups you belong to that can give you Personality comes into play, and sometimes the a personal recommendation for a great fit just isn’t right. Sometimes an author needs editor, consider joining a Google or a lot of communication and handholding, and Yahoo group or two, then post a query some editors are all business, so see how the to see who might be able to recommend editor responds to your query and questions. someone. LinkedIn is also a great place to find a good editor. You can post to writing You should be able to tell by her personality groups you join with the same query. Or and responsiveness to you if it feels like a good you can search for editors and look at the fit. An editor that doesn’t answer your e-mail, testimonials on their profile page. ignores your specific questions, or pushes you to pay or to hire her for a service you don’t • You can also look at the testimonials really want should set off red flags. an editor has on her website, but it’s not at all an imposition to ask an editor Don’t expect them to drop everything when you’re considering for a few references. you contact them, though, or push your rush You might do this when hiring a lawyer, job to the front of the line if they have other surgeon, or dentist, so why not an editor? commitments ahead of your project. They may A great editor doesn’t need to have a lot also not want to talk on the phone, for that takes of letters after their name, nor do they up a lot of time that could be spent editing. need to be able to give you a list of NY I avoid phone calls with clients, not primarily Times best-selling authors they’ve edited because it eats up my time but because I like for. Some of the best editors I know having all correspondence in writing. When don’t have a college degree but they juggling a dozen or more clients at a time have learned the Chicago (CMOS) rules who are in various stages of rewriting, it’s inside and out, and that’s what’s needed. not humanly possible for me to remember And most best-selling authors don’t hire everything I’ve talked about with each client. I a personal editor for their books; their often need to refer back to an e-mail to make publisher provides all the editing services sure I’ve answered their questions. required before publication, and that’s usually in-house.

• If you’ve written a novel, you may prefer The flip side to this, of course, is if you are truly Feature choosing an editor who is a published inexperienced and feel your book is a train novelist, and perhaps one who writes in wreck, and an editor is willing to take you on your genre, especially if you are not sure and do massive reworking of your material for your book is really well structured. An a reasonable price. In that case, paying by the editor/author, in this case, may be a better word or page may be a great deal for you. choice than an editor who has never However, you may wonder if an editor faced written anything in her life. with a lot of messy material requiring an • Some literary agents offer a list of exorbitant amount of time to wade through recommended editors, such as this might tend to rush in order to make his hourly list on agent Rachelle Gardner’s site. rate. Surely he’s not going to spend an hour If you know any agents or have the on a page or two when he aims to edit eight opportunity to speak with some at a pages an hour. An editor paid by the hour who writers’ conference, they may refer you has been asked to do his best and give serious to some they’ve worked with or can consideration and help to the writer, which may recommend. And speaking of writers’ also include some instruction on how to improve conferences—what better place to chat her craft, will not feel rushed and will spend just with lots of authors and ask them for an the right amount of time needed without that editor recommendation? Or there may be clock ticking in the back of his head. I may be editors at the conference with whom you generalizing here, but the professional editors I can meet and talk to in person. know charge by the hour. Other Resources: Another way you can find an Tip: If you’ve found someone who might be editor is by going through an established and just the right editor for you, but you’re still reputable editing organization. Editcetera, in hesitant, just hire her to edit a few chapters. Berkeley, CA, is one example of a group of very See how it goes—not just the editing but the proficient and experienced editors that not only overall communication and support as well. If teach online and on-site workshops in editing, the results are favorable, give her the rest of they also have a pool of editors who have gone your manuscript to edit. Clearly tell her your through rigorous testing and application to concerns and needs, and ask questions if you become approved as their editors for hire. Often don’t understand something. Hopefully, this will you have a large choice of editors, including be the beginning of a great friendship as well as some who are authors that write in your genre, a professional relationship. and you can count on getting great editing help this way. Some companies allow you to specifically choose the editor you want to work C.S Lakin is a multi-published novelist and with; others do not. So be sure to read up on writing coach. http://www.livewritethrive.com/ what they offer and how their service works. How Job Cost Is Determined: This may not seem important to some, but I’d like to give you something to think about. Some editors charge by the hour, while others charge either DESIGN & by the page or word. I would opt for editors who charge by the hour, and here’s why. When an editor sets a rate per page or word, they are usually figuring an average regarding the time they will spend editing a page or a certain number of words. That means if you are a proficient writer and self-edit your material well, you are getting charged the same as a sloppy or inexperienced writer who may require a complete rewrite of every sentence. In a sense, you—the experienced writer—are getting penalized instead of rewarded for your hard work and experience.

19 FORMATTING SERVICES Includes: Cover Design, Promotional Materials, Web Design 52 Novels Book Cover Cafe Design & Formatting Services Services Provided: Design and Services Provided: Award-winning book cover Formatting Services design, editing, typesetting, e-book conversion and training Expert ebook formatting & conversion services for authors, publishers, agencies and The publishing ninjas at Book Cover Cafe are companies since 2010. ready when you are. https://www.52novels.com/ www.bookcovercafe.com [email protected] [email protected]

Anthemion Software Ltd BookCreateService Services Provided: Design and Formatting Services Services Provided: Cover design, typesetting, eBook conversion Anthemion Software Ltd. is a small software house based in Edinburgh, UK. We do not A family-run business with over 15 years believe in very prescriptive approaches to of experience in publishing. Knowledge writing, which tend to stifle creativity, and this is of creating layouts for CreateSpace and reflected in our software. The only person who IngramSpark but we can work to any knows how to structure your particular story is printer’s specifications. We can help you YOU, and so we concentrate on giving you the create a professional-looking layout that’s tools that help your ideas to flow. Our users indistinguishable from any mainstream- confirm that this works brilliantly! published book, designing a book that is a pleasure to read and an enjoyable http://www.writerscafe.co.uk/ experience. [email protected] We will guide you through the whole Author Design Studio process answering any questions or queries you have. Services Provided: Author Design Studio Bookcreateservice.com Offers specialist, affordable services, designed [email protected] to provide authors with valuable visibility in today’s busy marketplace. Services include bespoke book and eBook cover design, website design, social media campaigns and training, as Book Design Templates well as book trailer creation. For friendly advice Services Provided: Predesigned, preformatted on any aspect of your book project, get in touch. interior book templates for a wide variety of www.authordesignstudio.com books from fiction to nonfiction, children’s [email protected] books, illustrated and photo books Our templates make it fast and easy to format Berge Design your manuscript into a beautiful, industry- standard book your readers will love. Templates Services Provided: Cover Design, Promotional generate both print book and ebook files, Materials, Formatting Services and are available for Microsoft Word, Adobe Founded in 2005, we are an established InDesign, and Apple Pages, and they are graphic design firm based in Charleston, fully guaranteed. Our templates are in use by South Carolina. We focus on design projects thousands of authors who are successfully for publishers, authorpreneurs, start-ups using them to produce books at CreateSpace, and established businesses. Our creativity, Ingram Spark, and every other leading POD experience and personable demeanor ensure vendor. customer satisfaction from start to finish. www.bookdesigntemplates.com http://bergedesign.com/ [email protected] [email protected]

21 Design & Formatting Services ALLi INSIGHT: DESIGN & FORMATTING Self-publishing critics often point to the gulf of quality between independent and mainstream design. If – as ALLi advocates – you are aiming for your book’s look and feel to be indistinguishable from trade published counterparts, you need to budget for a professional design service. Books are judged by their covers. Your writing may well be top quality, but you will scare away potential readers if the presentation (outside and inside) isn’t of an equally high standard.

Coinlea Services Ebooks Covers Design Services Provided: Developmental Advice, Services Provided: Cover, book design and Copy Editing, Proofreading, Design and ebook conversions for authors. Posters, invite, Formatting for Ebook/Print bookmarks, flyer design, company tenders We aim to help you polish your manuscript to Extremely competitive and professional service the best it can be, before you publish. We can for self-published authors. help with every step of the writing process, www.ebookscoversdesign.com but specialise in the final design, layout and [email protected] proofread of your printed book or ebook. www.coinlea.co.uk Elegant Book Design [email protected] Services Provided: Book Cover Design Damonza.com Elegant Book Design offers extensive experience in book cover design. We can Services Provided: Bestseller book cover help you create a professional creative book design and interior formatting design cover. You can choose from our Custom Damonza Book Cover Design has designed Book Design Packages, our Ready-Made well over 2000 covers, built a team of incredibly Cover Designs and our Book Cove Redesign/ talented designers, formatters and support Makeover service. staff and grown our service offering. We have http://www.elegantbookdesign.com/ designed covers for New York Times and USA [email protected] Today Bestselling Authors and helped writers turn their dreams into reality. Books that we have worked on as early drafts have been JD Smith Design picked up by large publishers and are being Services Provided: Book cover design, made into movies. We love what we do! formatting, design of related promotion www.damonza.com materials, photography [email protected] Award-winning book cover design by UK designer JD Smith. Design for Writers Experienced in working with a wide range of Services Provided: Cover design, interior clients including international bestelling authors, formatting, website design and general design debut indie novelists, small and large press. services www.jdsmith-design.com We’ve been providing professional design services to writers and writing organisations worldwide since 2009. We work with clients on book covers, websites and other design projects…and we’d love to work with you, too! www.designforwriters.com [email protected]

22 More Visual Ltd Design & Formatting Services Jessica Bell Book Cover Services Provided: Book cover design, web Designs design and promotional material Services Provided: Book cover design More Visual are looking to provide you for indie authors with great looking artwork which is eye- catching and pulls your reader in. We provide 300 Euro (approx $340 USD, $450 AUD, you with a full digital pdf of your book cover £270 GBP) for a basic package which which you can upload to Createspace or any includes: other print on demand service. We also include stamps of various sizes for your website all at a • Both paperback and eBook competitive price. • An unlimited time to discuss ideas via http://thebookcoverdesigners.com email [email protected] • Up to 2 image downloads via Adobestock.com NY Media Works • Three rounds of revisions Services Provided: Content Design • FREE 3D book cover for the web NY Media Works is a boutique publishing If you are an author member of The company and content provider for new media, Alliance of Independent Authors, you’re film, theater and television. Located in the eligible for 25% off. heart of Tribeca, we collaborate with artists and filmakers from around the world to create Please visit my website for more inspiring and compelling content to entertain information. audiences of all ages. www.jessicabellauthor.com/book- www.nymediaworks.com cover-design-services [email protected]

23 Design & Formatting Services PickFu Book Title & Cover Testing Feature Services Provided: PickFu is the simplest way to get real-world feedback on book titles and The Art of Communication cover designs. PickFu instant polling enables Services Provided: Design and Formatting you to target a specific audience and learn their Services preference The Art of Communication works with With each survey, you’ll receive a vote tally individuals that want to indie-publish their work, to tell you WHAT your audience preferred. In providing a personal service to produce covers addition, each respondent will explain WHY. that reflect the genre and content of the book. And with this insightful, unbiased research, We can also help with marketing material to you’ll know exactly HOW to improve, giving you promote your books and build an author brand. confidence when you publish. http://artofcomms.co.uk/ Join hundreds of self-published authors at [email protected] PickFu.com/books www.pickfu.com/books The Book Makers [email protected] Services Provided: Complete book production for authors and publishers including editing, Robin Ludwig Design Inc. interior design, cover design, ebook conversion, and account management. We use layouts by Services Provided: Book Cover Design, award-winning book designer Joel Friedlander, Graphics, Swag Design and Printing and we are committed to your success. We www.gobookcoverdesign.com specialize in high-quality book production, [email protected] expert guidance throughout the publishing process, and we put you “the author” at the center of everything we do. We also offer complete financing for your project. Lawston Design www.TheBookMakers.com Services Provided: Design services [email protected] I’ve worked with lots of big publishers but I love working with independent authors SelfPubBookCovers too. Services Provided: Design services Everything I produce is custom designed, Offering pre-made, professionally designed tailored to you. I believe that well-crafted book covers. Once a cover is sold it is never design increases the value of your book to sold again. New covers added every day. readers and booksellers. www.selfpubbookcovers.com/index.php I will design your package around you, [email protected] your objectives and your budget. Every time you work with me we’ll build a package dedicated to what you need at The Scarlett Rugers Book the time. Design Agency www.lawstondesign.com Services Provided: Book design [email protected] Award winning book designers for traditional and self-published authors. Our goal is to help you feel like a traditionally published author, to be the best author you can be. We offer cover design, interior layout, blurb writing, and more. www.booksat.scarlettrugers.com [email protected]

24 Feature Feature HOW TO FIND & WORK WITH A COVER ILLUSTRATOR

Two years ago when I started writing The independence as possible, and let the artist do Hounds of Annwn series, I used images by the things I can’t do. a prolific Russian surrealist artist that I found I knew from the start that I would take on stock photo sites. (You can see those responsibility for the design/placement of covers here. Starting a new fantasy series, The the author name (cover & spine), the imprint Affinities of Magic, I knew I wasn’t going to (spine), all back cover text, and the bar code. find what I needed there, so I decided to My cover artist could just use placeholders for commission cover art. It’s been a fun learning those. experience, and I couldn’t be happier with the results. I especially own the branding requirements. I wanted the author name to be consistent Starting Up the Learning Curve across all of my books for all genres. I wanted the series covers to look related. And I wanted Like everyone, I asked for recommendations and the genre to be clear. Author name was already got a lot of them, but almost none of them were established for the first series, so I knew the in my genre (Fantasy), and there’s little that an font, size, and placement (I’ll allow the color to excellent artist who specializes in photorealistic vary). Genre required a clear “Fantasy” signal. Romance shots can do to help me. That left “series” (see below). Genre is the first and most important consideration. A good cover should (1) indicate Refining the Scope the book’s genre at a glance, and (2) make the When I think of book covers, I consider the reader want to find out more. whole series requirement, not just the first book. To learn the rules of covers for your genre, look This allows economies of scale and gives me at similar books. (I added to this sample one of an opportunity to re-use many elements. my older books as a comparison for legibility of In this particular case, the series involves the author name.) resurrection from ruin of a wizard guild house Fantasy as a genre tends towards illustrated and its conversion to a magical academy. covers instead of photo montage, so one way Rather than depict the main character, I chose to scream “Fantasy” is to use an illustration. I the academy. It would be interesting and easy to wanted an illustrator, and I was going to have to depict its physical changes over time, book after go it alone, learning as I went along. And I had book, and the image would be both clear and a budget to consider… recognizable for each new entry in the series. Subsequent covers would cost much less than Who Does What the first one, because only some elements of the cover would need to be repainted rather First, ask yourself how much responsibility than the entire scene. to take. Some people want to spell out a rough concept and leave the rest to a Short works would also need covers, but I didn’t competent partner, others want to do the want to spend as much on them. Each story whole thing themselves. Personally, I wanted and novel includes a sub-plot element of an to do all I could myself, to maintain as much animal or plant being investigated for magical

25 Feature potential, and I decided to manifest that as a vignette. For long works, that vignette would go on the back cover, but for short works (which don’t need a back cover, being too short to print), that back cover would become the front cover, with the vignette in place. This allowed an easy visual cue for the reader to distinguish between long and short works, while clearly basing them both in the same series. I didn’t come up with this concept all at once, but in the course of a couple of conversations with my cover artist. The result was cost components for the entire series: • Initial wraparound background and layout Cover sketch by Jake Bullock for long works • Updated limited painting (improved academy) for each new long work • Each vignette (on back cover of long work, or on front cover of short work) The result is a series of reasonable and predictable prices that allow for maximum reusability. To re-use material like this requires a design partner who understands the purpose. I understand layout requirements for the end product and thumbnail visibility issues, but I can’t draw or create images to those requirements. I was able to advise the artist about the areas I specialized in, and he was Cover sketch by Rich Whyte able to concentrate on his specialty: images. It made for an excellent division of labour. Note: since I was using a wraparound cover I could have worked with either vision, but and would continue to use it over the life of the the two-pager better captured the essence of series, I could not predict exact spine width Fantasy that I had in mind, and more clearly for each book (page count), so made sure we made the decrepit building a “character” instead accounted for that when we talked about overall of a background. size by using a maximum spine width in the The single-pager had more of a Steampunk design. vibe, or perhaps of a Victorian novel. Signalling “Fantasy” was overwhelmingly important to me. Asking for Submissions I started by going straight to Deviant Art where Moving from Audition to Final Product I found tons of great artists and contacted over The key thing in working to the final version is a dozen, but only one replied. I switched to to do it as a series of iterations. Try never to eLance and had much better success. Of the waste your artist’s efforts by moving backwards many who replied, I singled out two individuals (changing your mind). and one commercial art firm for auditions. The commercial firm was slow to respond, and Pay attention the first time you send a series expensive, and ultimately never submitted an of corrections and suggestions back. The artist audition, but both the individuals did, and their should react professionally, not defensively. prices were quite reasonable. I gave as much guidance as I could for the initial design, with crude diagrams (I can’t draw) and schematic layouts to help.

26 Take advantage of accidents, too. The artist Maintaining Good Relations Feature included a straight line in the background I like to get my covers done early in the that hinted (to me) at a river and I asked process, when I’m just starting to write, not at him to make that real. He hinted at an alley the end when the work is done. That allowed and we made that real. I removed logical me to have a two-way collaboration with the inconsistencies in his iterations (window artist, where his iterations helped me drive the treatments, architecture, vines). setting of the story. I didn’t know it would be I also sent him style hints. For example, I set in a river port before we updated the cover suggested this fantasy city could be European, iteration, for example, or just what would be Oriental, or something wholly new and alien in that compound before I had to finalize it to – colorful, exotic, whatever. Both my young give him guidance. I sent him Chapter 1 so he artists were British and apparently “Fantasy” could see how his work influenced the story to them meant European, so I sent strong and promised him a copy of each book as it hints about colourful buildings with links to came out. I made sure I knew how he wanted Baroque eastern European town centres. The his name and link on the copyright page and more images you can include that provide any offered to provide references. When we finished guidance, the better. the cover for the first book, I checked to make sure he was still comfortable with the pricing for The most challenging thing was handling the rest of the series, now that he knew better thumbnail legibility. My artist had designed book what it would be like. covers before but had never focused on the thumbnail issue. I kept moving him until it matched or exceeded other thumbnails in the genre. Karen Myers writes and publishes fantasy Adding Special Touches novels and is the owner of Perkunas Press. www.hollowlands.com/ Don’t forget you can reap other goodies from your artist. In my case, I decided I could include a greyscale version of the vignette inside each work. I also asked for a sigil of the wizard’s guild to use as a series symbol on the title page (Torch & Scroll) and fleurons I could shrink to use as section dividers, chapter ends, and book end markers.

Includes: Includes: Print on Demand, on Print Ebook Conversion Ebook PRODUCTION & & PRODUCTION DISTRIBUTION SERVICES DISTRIBUTION

Welcome 28 Bluebird Works Ltd Production & Distribution Services Authors Republic Services Provided: I work closely with authors to produce a professional product and to Services Provided: The best way to self- demystify the publishing process publish audiobooks (and it’s totally free!) I work with a team of experts in editorial, Author’s Republic is the best new way design, marketing, PR, sales and distribution, for independent authors to sell their as well as using my network within the industry audiobooks to listeners through 20+ to give your book the best possible chance of digital audiobook platforms, including success. We provide a bespoke service playing Audible, Nook Audiobooks, Scribd, to my customers strengths and allowing them Audiobooks.com, libraries, and more. to choose which services they need and which We welcome rights holders from all over they can do themselves. the globe and connect them to more www.bluebird-consulting.com listeners in the easiest way ever. [email protected] Get your free account and learn more at www.authorsrepublic.com Clays Indie Publishing [email protected] Services Provided: Editorial, Design, Publishing Consultancy, Production, Printing, Distribution BB Ebooks Having been an integral part of the print and Services Provided: Production, Interior publishing industry over the last 200 years, Formatting for Ebooks/Print, Epub, Mobi, we recognise that successful independent Smashwords, .doc, PDF Ebook, PoD Interior publishing is about surrounding yourself with a for CreateSpace or Lightning Source group of people that can help you make your book the best that it can be, and that’s why we BB eBooks is committed to providing created Clays Indie Publishing. We provide professional ebook design services for all publishing consultancy on the manuscript to clients, whether they are an independent press market process, collaborating with trusted or a self-publishing author. professionals and providing a comprehensive All ebooks designed by BB eBooks are ready package for independent publishers, from for immediate sale at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, editorial, to design, to distribution. iBooks, Kobo, Smashwords, and all other major www.clays.co.uk/indie-publishing/ eBook platforms. [email protected] bbebooksthailand.com [email protected] Draft2Digital Services Provided: Draft2Digital helps make Blissetts eBook conversion and distribution as simple as Services Provided: As a Royal Warrant possible, so authors can stop worrying and Holder to Her Majesty the Queen we provide a start writing. very competitive and high quality printing and http://draft2digital.com binding service combined with advice and help [email protected] from the start From paperback to fine leather bindings we EBOOK DYNASTY have a reputation for delivering the best and as a 4th generation family business, established in Services Provided: Translation, Design and 1920, we are passionate in what we do. Formatting, Production, Distribution, Marketing and Promotion, Rights and Contracts www.blissetts.com [email protected] Based in Melbourne, Australia, Ebook Dynasty helps all English-language authors, agents and publishers to translate, publish and promote their titles as Chinese (e)books in both Simplified

29 Production & Distribution Services Chinese (for readers in China) and Traditional Print and ebook design and formatting, cover Chinese (for readers in Taiwan and Hong Kong). design, copy editing to full developmental editing, help submitting your book to online We provide professional and bilingual services and pretty much every aspect of assistance on Chinese (e)book translation, getting your book published. And our flexible design & formatting, production & distribution, prices mean we can be as involved as much or marketing & promotion resources, as well as as little as you want us to be. rights & contracts. www.gunboss.com We promote our (e)books through social media [email protected] (including Facebook, Twitter, Plurk, Pinterest, Tumblr and Sina Weibo), two blogs, our online (e)bookstore and e-newsletters in Traditional IngramSpark Chinese, Simplified Chinese and English. We Services Provided: Print on demand, e-book also work with distributers in China and Taiwan publishing and distribution to promote our digital and print books. Designed for independent publishers. From print www.ebookdynasty.net on demand to e-book publishing, IngramSpark [email protected] makes getting your content to readers across the planet as easy as 1,2…well, you get it. EBOOK LAUNCH Your creative genius has already done all the Services Provided: Professional Book Cover hard work; let IngramSpark take care of the Design and Book Formatting services rest. We offer the same products and services enjoyed by big-time publishers—superb quality Ebook Launch is a book formatting company and industry connections backed by decades of for both ebooks and print. experience—all made easily accessible to the Our focus is formatting for Smashwords, indie-publishing community from one simple-to- Amazon KDP, Google Play Books and use platform. Createspace. Ebook Launch also designs www.ingramspark.com/ covers for ebooks and POD. [email protected] www.ebooklaunch.com [email protected] ListenUp Audio Services Provided: ListenUp is an award- Formatting Experts winning, full-service audiobook producer Services Provided: eBook Formatting (EPUB, We give authors personalized service, including Kindle, Smashwords), Print-on-Demand Interior them in every step of the process. ALLi Design, Interactive PDF Design, Book Cover members get a 20% discount on production. Design, Audiobook recording & production, ListenUp can also distribute your audiobook Publishing Assistance, Consulting worldwide to all major retail and library outlets Our team is dedicated to taking the stress including Audible, iTunes and OverDrive. And and technical complexity out of eBook, print you earn Royalties of 75%! and audiobook publishing, so you can focus www.listenupindie.pub/ALLi on writing and connecting with your readers. [email protected] We take care of formatting and design while providing you the support, assistance and knowledge you need to publish successfully. PeopleSpeak [email protected] Services Provided: We offer book www.FormattingExperts.com/alli shepherding, editing, and publishing and marketing consulting services for nonfiction books. With an eye for details, we lead authors GunBoss Books through the often-complicated publishing Services Provided: With over 25 years’ process (writing, editing, design, printing, experience in print and digital media, we can marketing, distribution) to help them produce find the best solution for your project. Rest and sell exceptional, award-winning books. assured your book will look and feel its best www.detailsplease.com/peoplespeak [email protected] 30 Peters Fraser & Dunlop PublishDrive Production & Distribution Services Services Provided: Literary Agent Services Provided: Distribution Platform Peters Fraser and Dunlop is one of the longest- Increase ebook sales easily with PublishDrive. established literary and talent agencies in PublishDrive will publish your ebook in more London. than 4oo stores such as Apple iBooks, Google Play Books, Kindle, Scribd, Barnes and Noble We are proud to represent authors, journalists, and 400 more. broadcasters, speakers and estates with specialist expertise in the fields of literature, http://publishdrive.com/ film, television and radio, live events, digital [email protected] platforms and journalism. http://www.petersfraserdunlop.com/ Read Out Loud Publishing LLP [email protected] Services Provided: Read Out Loud is a Book Distribution and Marketing company that aims to help International Self Published authors enter the Indian Market. We also have tie-ups Palatium Books with various Film and Television production Services Provided: We distribute ebooks houses in India to place domestic rights of to subscription services books for either Films or Television or Web Series. Do you want your book present in subscription services world wide? www.readoutloud.in Palatium Books is the indie author’s [email protected] gateway to this. We work with all the best and most important subscription services, Scotforth Books we reach 24 countries and counting more than 6 million readers. It is Non-Exclusive Services Provided: Design, Editorial, Sales and we provide royalty statements and and Marketing Advice, Publishing Packages payments every month. And we offer an The friendly book publishing and production advance against royalty of $50 per title. company with 30 years’ experience of helping We are mainly looking for indie authors authors. Ours is a personal, professional who write fiction. service offering expertise in all aspects of [email protected] publishing. We believe self-publishing should www.palatiumbooks.com be an enjoyable process and one where authors work with people who genuinely care about doing a great job. www.scotforthbooks.com [email protected]

ALLi INSIGHT: PRODUCTION & DISTRIBUTION Distribution can be a tricky issue, mainly because there are so many factors varying from author to author, and even book to book. Depending on the territories you want to target, whether you want to distribute in print or or ebook, or audiobook or all of those and more, there are options ranging from picking one distributor to a combination of many, or even going it alone and working directly with a small group of retailers. Don’t be afraid to shop around and see which services will fit your specific needs. If you are looking for reviews of the major distribution services, you can also look at our regular reviews on selfpublishingadvice.org.

31 Take Control with Independent Publishing With Independent Publishing from Amazon companies and their affiliates, you’ll be able to maintain creative control, own your copyright, publish easily, distribute globally and earn high royalties. What’s more, as the publishing industry evolves and more opportunities arise, we will continue to bring you new services to help further your success.

Publish Digitally with Kindle Direct Publishing Publish to Print with CreateSpace kdp.amazon.com createspace.co.uk • Free and easy to publish your book. • Free and easy tools to create, publish and distribute • Publishing takes just minutes, and your book will appear your book. on Amazon sites within a day. • Comprehensive and affordable book services, • A variety of file types accepted. Learn more at including design, editing and marketing. Email bit.ly/kdp-format. [email protected]. • Wide distribution options on Amazon sites. • Wide distribution options through Amazon.com, • Royalties of up to 70%. Learn more at bit.ly/kdp-royalty. Amazon.co.uk, Amazon’s European websites and more. • • Increased earning potential and additional promotional tools Industry-leading royalties and transparent rates. Learn through the KDP Select programme. Learn more more at bit.ly/csp-royalty. at bit.ly/kdp-select. • Help when you need it with our 24/7 phone and email support. Learn more at bit.ly/csp-contactus. • Wide array of resources and access to the CreateSpace Community. • Find out more about setting up your title using our How To Guide at bit.ly/csp-how-to.

Make Your Book Available in Audio through Take Advantage of Additional Support Services Audiobook Creation Exchange • Author Central Tools: authorcentral.amazon.co.uk acx.com This free service lets you enhance your author page with • Free and easy to use to create and sell audiobooks. biography, images, videos, Twitter feeds and more; and get help from experienced staff. • Choose from thousands of voice actors, studio pros, and audio publishers, or narrate your audiobook yourself. • Amazon Associates: affiliate-program.amazon.co.uk Connect your website to Amazon and earn up to 10% • Work with a professional producer to help manage from referrals. your project from start to finish. • Search Inside the Book: amazon.co.uk/searchinside • Sell your audiobook through Amazon, Audible, and Attract more customers with a preview of your book, iTunes, and their global partners. 1-Click purchasing and improved search results for free. • Earn royalties of 25% for non-exclusive distribution • Amazon Advantage: advantage.amazon.co.uk and 40% for exclusive distribution, plus $50 bonuses Use Amazon to help manage your existing inventory and each time an Audible member chooses your audiobook distribute your books. as a first purchase. • Fulfillment by Amazon: services.amazon.co.uk • Free promotional tools available to help you maximize Let Amazon pick, pack and ship your existing books. your earning potential.

Ver. UK 04.15 12 SELF-PUBLISHING Feature SERVICES AUTHORS SHOULD BEWARE

One way to know hidden under a mountain of fluff. To determine if whether you’re you’re getting a good deal on a package, you’ll in the hands need to separate the fluff from the services of of a reputable real value. publishing service The following twelve services are commonly is to see what used to pad self-publishing packages, either they’re charging as an add-on service or a bundled feature with for. If anyone questionable value to the author. Please note puts a high price that these services are not inherently bad. on any of the However, they deserve extra scrutiny when their following, you price tag is concealed among other bundled know you’re not likely in the hands of an author- services. centric service, says Head of ALLi’s Watchdog Desk, John Doppler. 1. Copyright registration and LCCN Copyright registrations in the US and the UK The value-added service — a bonus or add-on are simple and inexpensive. In the US, where service that complements the primary purchase copyright registration is a prerequisite for filing — is a sales tactic we see every day: suit against infringing parties, the process can be completed online in about 5 minutes at a • “Your hotel stay includes free wifi and a cost of $35.00. continental breakfast.” Similarly, obtaining a Library of Congress • “If you upgrade to the Deluxe package, Control Number (LCCN) is as simple the five-year extended warranty is as opening a free account and submitting your included automatically.” book’s information. There is no cost, and you’ll • “Would you like fries with that for just a receive your LCCN within a few days. dollar more?” There is no credible reason for an author to pay At their best, these offerings provide a welcome $100 or more for these simple procedures. bargain. At their worst, they can be used to deceive and defraud consumers. 2. Press releases Car dealerships are notorious for inflating To be successful, a press release must have the price on a car with high-profit extras. an engaging headline; a unique angle; and They’ll offer floor mats, car alarms, upgraded informative, well-crafted content. It should be upholstery, extended dealer warranties, clear part of an intelligent marketing strategy, and it coat, rustproofing (wait, the car isn’t rustproof must be targeted to the right journalists at the already?), tinted windows, vehicle ID number right venues. There is an art to writing effective etching, cruise control, GPS, the “deluxe” stereo press releases. system…and suddenly, that $30,000 retail price With that in mind, consider these press release has ballooned to $55,000. headlines churned out by one company as part These costs are often bundled into a package of their publishing packages: that makes it hard to determine the value of the • A Breathtaking Thriller that Delves into the individual components. What’s presented as a Mayhem and Enigma of Deceit and Evil. convenience may actually be predatory pricing

33 Feature • A Breathtaking Thriller that Delves into the Before considering a paid publicity campaign — Mayhem and Enigma of Deceit and Love and they’re not cheap — find out exactly what you’re paying for. How, exactly, will they promote • A Breathtaking, Thriller That Delves Into your brand? the Mayhem and Enigma of Deceit and Faith Look for independent evidence of the company’s successful campaigns. Are clients • A Breathtaking, Thriller that Delves into being featured on radio and TV segments? the Mayhem and Enigma of Deceit and Are they being covered by journalists? Or is Murder there no trace of those authors outside of the • A Breathtaking Thriller that Delves into publisher’s website? the Mayhem and Enigma of War and If there’s scant evidence that these campaigns Government are working, you’re not likely to be the exception • A Breathtaking Thriller that Delves into to that rule. the Mayhem and Enigma of Crime, Gangs and Survival 5. Complimentary copies • A Breathtaking Thriller that Delves into the Complimentary copies of your book are nice Mayhem and Enigma of Power and Fame to have, but weigh their value against the price you’re paying for the whole package. A fill-in-the-blanks approach like this ensures that your press release will be ignored. (To add In the continental US, ten copies of a 240- insult to injury, more than a third of each press page book will cost approximately $48 on release above was dedicated to promoting the CreateSpace. That’s a tiny percentage of the publishing service.) cost of some assisted publishing packages, so keep the relative benefit of this perk in If you choose to purchase a press release as perspective. Remember that “complimentary” part of a package, be sure the company is just means the cost of the books has been qualified to handle your publicity. Investigate factored into the price of the package already. their past work, and see how many of their press releases were actually picked up by 6. Retailer previews media outlets. Verify that the press releases are unique and tailored to the individual work. Google Preview, Amazon’s Look Inside the Book feature, and other retailer previews are If the company doesn’t have a solid PR track free benefits available to any author publishing record, then their press release may be a on those platforms. Needless to say, if a service breathtaking waste of money that delves into provider tries to take credit for that feature as the mayhem of deceit and exploitation. a value-added service they are providing, they are not being entirely honest. 3. Inclusion in catalogs Retailer previews are standard features Catalogs from obscure publishers flood the provided free of charge, so scratch this one off market today. When mass-mailed to retailers, any list of supposed benefits a service provider libraries, or journalists, these unsolicited offers. catalogs are destined for the trash heap. Don’t waste good money on Dumpster lining. 7. Closed awards and recognition programs 4. Publicity and PR campaigns These are a common ploy among the shadier An effective PR campaign is carefully targeted vanity presses. By purchasing a package, you and multifaceted. Unfortunately, some assisted become eligible for an award or “recognition self-publishers take a quantity-over-quality program”. It’s essentially a pay-to-play contest approach, blindly spewing out the aforementioned that’s only open to the small subset of authors press releases and catalogs to every agent, who have coughed up several hundred dollars publisher, or media outlet they can find. to that vendor. The award itself carries little Professionals despise this kind of shotgun significance for the average reader, and so the approach and tend to delete them on sight. And contest provides more benefit to the seller than obviously, those communications do no good if to the author. they go directly into a wastebasket or spam folder.

34 8. Accounting Companies that describe their web traffic in Feature terms of hits may be trying to deceive you, Proper accounting is not a feature, it’s a or they may be genuinely unaware of the requirement for any reputable service. uselessness of that metric. If a company lists accounting as an added Either one is cause for concern. benefit, cast a skeptical eye on that claim. If they charge you a fee to access an accounting 12. Reviews dashboard, turn and walk away. Due to widespread author dissatisfaction, 9. Proofs high cost, and a lack of tangible results, this Watchdog considers editorial reviews in general Does the vendor expect you to accept their to be a poor investment even when purchased work without your review or approval? Not if from a respected source such as Kirkus. When they’re a reputable company. Digital previews purchased from a company which carries no and proof copies are a requirement for any name recognition among readers, they are no service that prepares your books, not a benefit more credible than your Aunt Becky’s glowing that sets them apart. praise. 10. Social media promotion To make matters worse, unscrupulous companies resell Kirkus reviews at astronomical Social media can be an excellent channel for markups, sometimes as much as 700% over promotion, but there’s more to it than simply Kirkus’ already steep pricing. vomiting ads into the aether. Be wary of service providers who promise social media promotion If you do opt to purchase an editorial review, but who lack the audience and engagement to either a la carte or as part of a package, be make it work. sure the reviewer has credibility and name recognition. If the company is reselling a review For example, a company claims they will from a third-party service, comparison shop to increase your exposure by promoting your book see if they are gouging with huge markups. to their Facebook fans. On inspection, their Facebook page has just under 1,000 fans after Conclusion three years of operation — an unimpressive number for a company that provides social Hidden, inflated pricing is everywhere. To media services. Worse, each post is an remove the confusion from comparison advertisement which has at most one or two shopping, seek a la carte services or service likes. packages whose components can be broken down into discrete prices. If that’s not possible, If the company can’t successfully promote approach any of the services above with a their own products and services, how will they healthy measure of caution. promote yours? If they can’t hold the interest of people who have explicitly liked their page, how will they gain the attention of an audience that By day, John Doppler develops web doesn’t know you? applications. By night, he confronts evildoers in the darkened alleys of the internet, including 11. Author page on the service rogue self-publishing services in his role as provider’s website Watchdog for the Alliance of Independent Unless the vendor attracts massive traffic, Authors. a page on their website — even one that’s And in the spaces between, he writes fiction. prominently featured — is not a valuable http://johndopp.com/ offering. Beware of claims of improved exposure without solid numbers to back them up. One word of warning about metrics: don’t be misled by the term “hits” when a company describes its web traffic. A “hit” is simply a request for one element on a page: an image, a video, a script file, a font, etc. A single visit to one page may generate dozens of hits.

Publicity Includes: Includes:

Press, Promotion, MARkETING & & MARkETING PROMOTION SERVICES PROMOTION

Welcome 36 Marketing & Promotion Services ALLi INSIGHT: MARKETING & PROMOTION Many writers say they don’t want to market their own books, because it interferes with their writing time. That split often arises from misunderstanding what marketing a book means. Marketing is not a grubby must-do where we try to manipulate or bludgeon the reader, but an opportunity to more fully engage with what we’re trying to say as writers – and a way to go out and meet our readers and carry forward our message. Viewed this way, your social updates and marketing can become a creative opportunity – which is surely why we write?

Author Connections Author Platform Sidekick Services Provided: Editing & Services Provided: Social Media and Email Marketing Services Marketing Services The Author Connections mission is to help Author Platform Sidekick offers authors the celebrate your book, polish it for perfection, opportunity to outsource the management and promote it to as many readers as possible. of their author platform to Ian Sutherland, Every book is a journey, and the marketing bestselling thriller author and social media portion of that journey can determine success marketing expert. Acting as the author’s vs. obscurity. With Author Connections, your sidekick, Ian applies the techniques first book has a distinct advantage over other titles. disclosed in his book, Advanced Twitter Collaborate with an experienced editor and Strategies for Authors on behalf of subscribing marketing advisor who works with you 1-1 on authors, freeing them up more time to write. your content goals. Author Platform Sidekick increases the author’s engagement on social media and grows their http://www.authorconnections.com/ Twitter following and email lists at rates far [email protected] greater than they achieve themselves. Author Marketing Club www.authorplatformsidekick.com [email protected] Services Provided: Tools & training to help authors sell more books AuthorRise At the Author Marketing Club, you will join a Services Provided: Book Performance robust community of other authors who feel Tracking, Social Media Marketing, Managing your pain and who want to work together to help and Running Paid Ads for Authors each other learn how to promote their books. AuthorRise provides a range of tools for authors www.authormarketingclub.com including a Book Tracker to track real-time [email protected] book performance, and marketing templates to more efficiently use social media. Author Marketing Experts, Inc. We also offer a paid-ad service called Spike Services Provided: Custom book marketing Boost that runs social media ads for our and publicity campaigns members’ books when they experience a ‘spike’ in sales on Amazon. AME is always leading the way in following (and testing!) new strategies for reaching real www.AuthorRise.com readers who buy and recommend books, We [email protected] specialize in turning authors into success stories with innovative, personalized strategies and publicity campaigns. www.amarketingexpert.com [email protected]

37 Marketing & Promotion Services Bakerview Consulting Cameron Publicity and Services Provided: Book consultancy Marketing Ltd I bring 15+ years of teaching and technical Services Provided: Dynamic book publicity, training to the world of authors. As an author promotion and marketing services for of 10 books addressing technical subjects for independent authors including media publicity authors, I can explain any aspect of publishing campaigns (television, radio, newspapers, and marketing a book from the setup of an magazines, online and blogs), social media, author platform to blogging training. For authors press releases, NetGalley listings, author who are overwhelmed by the technical world, I websites, book trailers and more offer a variety of packages of assistance from Every service tailor made to the book and occasional help to dedicated monthly help. author. Find out how we can help you to reach http://bakerviewconsulting.com your audience. [email protected] www.cameronpm.co.uk [email protected] Blue Ink Review Services Provided: Promotional Chanticleer Reviews & Media, LLC Services, Reviews Services Provided: Editorial Book Reviews, BlueInk Review is a fee-based review service Manuscript Overviews, International Novel devoted exclusively to self-published titles. Writing Competitions, Editorial Services, Vetted Trade Show Representation, Annual BlueInk offers honest, objective reviews penned Conference & Awards Ceremony, and by professionals whose bylines have appeared Chanticleer Reviews magazine in prestigious publications or who have edited for major publishing houses. www.ChanticleerReviews.com [email protected] Reviews appear on BlueInk’s website and are widely syndicated to readers and industry professionals. CreateThinkDo www.blueinkreview.com Services Provided: We mentor authors, artists [email protected] and creatives of all kinds, including small creative businesses to build a solid marketing approach that’s based on your specific needs and ambitions BooksGoSocial Instead of an expensive ongoing contract, Services Provided: A long term book we teach a reusable, tested and easy-to- promotion service, which focuses on understand framework that can be applied to increasing your daily book sales. any project in just four hours. You will leave with a customised branding report and marketing We provide advice on improving your plan as developed in your sessions. book presentation on Amazon, and then promoting books to our Twitter followers, we www.createthinkdo.com have over 725,000, and to our Facebook [email protected] groups, where we have over 25,000 members and on email to over 100,000. We also offer a money back guarantee. We provide training for authors online. And we founded the Dublin Writers Conference in 2015. We are not effective for literary fiction, experimental fiction, poetry, YA, memoir or children’s books. www.YourBookPromoter.com [email protected]

38 DeadBirds Book Cover and Trailers iAuthor Marketing & Promotion Services Services Provided: Book covers and trailers Services Provided: The “Pinterest for books”, iAuthor offers a unique range of brand-building Here at Dead Bird Books, we understand tools for authors and publishers that the book cover and trailer is an important marketing tool. Interactive book samples, crowdsourced book themes and real-time analytics are free for all. We are passionate about books and believe in We offer native advertising in an affordable supporting authors and publishers in making premium package. quality marketing collateral. We offer both Pre- Designed as well as Custom Covers starting “Genuine about tailoring the process to suit your at USD35. and also produce Cinematic Book needs and goals.” Trailers. You can choose from a Standard Michael Miller, Author & ALLi member Template and customise it or opt for a 30, 60 or 90 secs Custom Trailer instead starting at www.iauthor.uk.com USD99. [email protected] www.deadbirds.net [email protected] IPR License Services Provided: Marketing, DGT Book Promotions Rights Management Services Provided: Book Marketing IPR License is the platform on which to list and license literary rights. Our focus is specifically on helping the literary community of authors and publishers The platform offers the opportunity to monetise spread the word about their books. Through or find the best new content in a global a comprehensive focus on video marketing marketplace, and acts as a copyright hub, through the production and distribution of making it easier to locate copyright holders for compelling and beautiful book video trailers to permission to use their work. search engine marketing through the use of press releases and banner designs. We are You can also learn more about the rights able to help you get the word out to the masses process and be featured in rights catalogues about your novel so that readers can find you. at leading world book fairs. http://www.dgtbookpromotions.com/ www.iprlicense.com [email protected] [email protected]

Elly Donovan PR Services Provided: Publicity campaigns for Inkflash.com independent authors and publishers Services Provided: 3D Book Preview widget that you can display on your own I offer a range of defined “PR Packages” at website for free fixed prices. I work across the UK & Irish media (including TV, radio, newspapers, magazines Simply upload your book interior PDF and websites) and have a good track record and cover images, and we’ll transform of obtaining interviews, feature articles and them into an interactive 3D rendering reviews for my authors. I also offer a range of with its own page on Inkflash. Display the other PR services including Media Training and same 3D widget on your own website by Event PR. copying & pasting a single line of HTML code. Formerly the PR Manager at two publishing houses, I have also worked as an advertising There’s nothing else quite like it on the copywriter, PR project manager and a web - the perfect way to make your book magazine journalist/editor. stand out. www.ellydonovan.co.uk/services www.inkflash.com [email protected]

39 Marketing & Promotion Services NetGalley Services Provided: NetGalley is a service P.J. Boox Bookstore designed to connect authors with readers Services Provided: We are an of influence. 320,000+ reviewers, bloggers, independent bookstore in Florida USA librarians, booksellers, educators, and media that sells only indie & small press use NetGalley to discover and recommend new published books books. We work directly with the authors or www.netgalley.com publishers. [email protected] www.pjboox.NET (for authors) Offbeat Websites www.pjboox.COM (for readers) [email protected] Services Provided: Website design You only get one chance to make a first impression. Your website should tell your story Readers in the Know in a quick glance through modern, creative design that reflects your brand. As storytellers, Services Provided: For authors, the site we understand just how important every word provides a unique way to reach an international and image is to sharing your story with the audience of readers whose preferences more world. We won’t settle for mediocre for the sake closely match your books of getting the job done; we’ll work as long and In addition, you’ll benefit from permanent, hard as you! linkable web pages for you and for each http://offbeatwebsites.com/ edition of each of your books, with the ability [email protected] to schedule promos and events in just a few clicks. What’s more, you have a full 60 days Oodlebooks Ltd to evaluate whether you think it’s worth the small annual membership fee to remain listed Services Provided: The Oodlebooks online indefinitely. author and book marketing platform have www.readersintheknow.com been created to guide and support writers [email protected] through the most feared part of being an author, i.e. promoting themselves. Simple to use and packed full of marketing tips and tools, Self Publishing Formula Oodlebooks offers a guided approach to book Services Provided: We provide courses to help and author marketing. authors starting out, and those farther along Oodlebooks enables authors to attract new fans with their careers and to learn how to get themselves in front of a wider audience and sell more books. www.selfpublishingformula.com [email protected] www.oodlebooks-author.com [email protected] Sweek Payhip Services Provided: Sweek is a free platform (web, iOS and Android) for reading, writing and Services Provided: Payhip is an e-commerce sharing stories platform that enables authors to sell directly to their fans and followers using just a link Publishers can use Sweek to expand their author’s online fanbase and to promote their You can simply upload your ebook, enter the new books, to scout upcoming talent and for price and start selling on Twitter, Facebook data on reading behavior. Verified accounts are or your own website. Payhip takes care of available for authors: giving them an exclusive file storage, payment processing and ebook place on the platform to get discovered by delivery to your customers. readers. Both traditionally published and self- https://payhip.com published authors are invited to join Sweek. [email protected] https://sweek.com/#/ [email protected] 40 Write|Publish|Sell Written Word Media Feature Services Provided: Author & publishing Services Provided: Marketing and Promotion coaching, Author support services to Services include publishing packages, social media Written Word Media has served over 30,000 management, book launches, ebook authors many of whom are self-published, conversion, interior layout & design, & more and works with 3 of the big 5 major publishers http://writepublishsell.co as well as a long list of smaller publishers [email protected] and publicists on book promotions. Written Word Media has a combined audience of over 800,000 readers of which over 600,000 receive email book recommendations based on their genre and device preferences. https://www.writtenwordmedia.com/ [email protected]

FACEBOOK ADS: ONE AUTHOR’S EXPERIENCE

There’s a saying bestseller overnight. He didn’t even promise his only 50% of approach would work, which was refreshing. marketing works— but nobody knows My Self-Publishing Journey which 50%. Having spent many years When I started the course in October 2015 in business I can I wasn’t an ideal subject. I don’t have many vouch for this— books in a series, although I do have a series, even to the extent and I don’t have a box set. What I did have was of experiencing two books which have garnered a few good the entire 50% reviews, but those books were bumping along that doesn’t work! around the 150,000 sales rank in both the UK and US. That’s on a good day. On bad days it’s So when it comes to my writing I’ve grown closer to 250,000. cautious. My initial concern was whether I was too late Doubly cautious when it means spending into the game. There were so many success money, and what I earn from my books is stories around I feared the market might be meagre at best. I warn you, I’m no bestseller. saturated. But no, it appears that’s not the case. Sometimes I’m barely a seller at all. I started by listening to the course introduction, So when I saw recommendations for Mark then skipped the second module and dived Dawson’s Facebook advertising course I straight into the Sales section. I was impatient. I approached it like a mongoose creeping up on wanted results and I wanted them now. a cobra. Except Mark didn’t bite – I did. So—what has my experience been? I should say there are many other courses out there, as well as free training resources, but Well, like I said, my UK ranking before I started something about Mark’s approach resonated was in the hundred thousands for The Red Hill, with me. He didn’t promise I would become a a little lower for Breaker of Bones. After running ads for a month The Red Hill currently stands

41 Feature

at position 18,080—just outside the top 200 What Worked in Mystery, Crime and Thrillers > Historical > Mystery. Well… this did. I tried several things, but the ad below appears to catch people’s attention. Along the way I’ve made some mistakes, but I’ve also done a few things right.

My Mistakes • Not understanding the way people buy. I tried to be clever, thinking like a writer. People make up their minds whether to click on your ad in milliseconds. Clever doesn’t cut it in that time period. • Being too British—my first ads were far too polite, and I didn’t push myself enough. Only when I broke through that reserved mindset did my ads begin to resonate with the public.

Good Discoveries • Keep it simple. Don’t complicate your image. Don’t add more than one point of focus. Interestingly, when I added the word FABULOUS and 5 yellow stars, my click • Don’t try to explain your book. Instead, through rate fell. This version gets social proof sell it. As I said before, people make a with likes and comments, and it sells books. decision in an instant. If an image grabs Not millions, not even hundreds, but it sells them and the words don’t put them off, enough books to pay for the advertising and a they might click on your ad. Too many bit more. And notice the lack of British humility words and they’ve already moved on. in the strapline of “An accomplished new voice”. • Targeting specific times of day helps. It took me ages and two whiskies to get up the Currently I only show my ads between courage to write that line! 6pm to 10pm, with some extra slots Saturday/Sunday morning, and I start earlier in the evening on those days too. DISCLAIMER: I have no direct connection with I base this on my own habits. I surf over Mark Dawson, and paid full price for his course. breakfast at the weekends, and can often be found swiping and pinching in the evening in front of the TV. David Penny wrote well-received science-fiction novels in the 1970s and returned to writing after a break of 30 years with the advent of self-publishing. He now writes and publishes historical crime. www.davidpennywriting.com/

42 ASSISTED SERVICES Includes: Author Publishing Packages, Rights & Contracts BookBaby self- makes BookBaby Services Provided: book printing, eBooks, From easy: publishing design and more cover editing, distribution, printed your creates and distributes BookBaby network, and eBooks to the largest distribution and Barnes iBooks, & Noble, including Amazon, 100% keep You’ll other popular retailers. many and retain all rights net sales, book’s of your control. and creative can call us at 1-877-961-6878 Best of all - you writer and talk through the process with a fellow book. the success of your in invested who’s www.bookbaby.com [email protected] Services Provided: Manuscript assessment, Services Provided: writing mentoring, coaching and editing, proofreading more Scribe at Better have The professionals a upon built experience than a decade of storytelling, and education. literacy passion for assist writers in becoming authors by We Picture services: the following providing Book Manuscript Assessment, Short Story and Novel Manuscript Assessment, Novella Manuscript Assessment, Proofreading Services, WritingEditing Services Coaching. and http://www.betterscribe.com/ [email protected] Blackheath Dawn Publishing Assisted publishing Services Provided: services, from concept to finished product proof read, line edit, full Quote Appraisal, Free through to production, etc. cover edit, format, authors. servicesand including marketing for Send sample manuscript in strictest confidence and free quotation. appraisal for and proofread 1000 Manuscript evaluation against further @£15.00 refundable words whole or part quotation for assisted Free work. edit/Full edit/ Proof read/Line publishing. and Press releases & ePub, hard copy publish authors supportMarketing for programmes www.blackheathdawn.co.uk [email protected] Better Scribe Better

Areobooks is a platform for authors to for Areobooks is a platform We sell ebooks and connect with readers. and supportencourage the most important the one relationship in the book industry: author and reader. between https://areobooks.com/ [email protected] All authors are welcome to sell their All authors are welcome Uploading to the ebooks with Areobooks. Every author also Areobooks store is easy. can they which Page, Author gets their own their online footprint. hub for use as a central Ebook Retail Services Provided: Areobooks http://www.amiemccracken.com/ http://www.amiemccracken.com/ [email protected] With self-publishing you will also need to will also need you With self-publishing and consider typesetting, ebook formatting, I can the job. for woman I am your design. cover ready to an all-around finished product, you give help (and I can even distributors upload to your I am are totally lost). with that process if you html coding, proficient in InDesign, Photoshop, can If you knowledge. and indie publishing it happen. I can make dream up a funky layout, Amie McCracken Editing, proofreading, Services Provided: design, cover typesetting, ebook formatting, help self-publishing www.amolibros.com [email protected] Amolibros Services to assist self- Services Provided: editorial, production, design, publishers, and marketing distribution http://aeluruspublishing.com/ [email protected] In addition we offer we offer quality services to offer we offer In addition we the self-publisher. Here at Aelurus Publisher we publish really high really publish we AelurusHere at Publisher about. can get excited we quality fiction – books we books for ($500) advance a small offer We loads of potential. think have Aelurus Publishing Aelurus Formatting, Publishing Services Provided: lmter editing, and copy design, content cover marketing

WelcomeAssisted Services 44 Bookollective eBookPartnership.com Assisted Services Services Provided: Book cover design, Services Provided: eBook conversion, ebook Social Media Campaigns, Book PR, Book distribution, specialists in complex formatting, Trailer Creation, Book Blog Tours, Editing, POD formatting and distribution Media Training EBook Partnership offers ebook conversion Our passion for books and decades of and worldwide distribution of ebook files. We publishing know-how means that authors and specialise in complex projects and fixed layout publishers now have access to some of the best formats. Operating since 2010, we have worked literary experts in the industry, all in one team, hard to establish a friendly and professional working together to build buzz around their team. books. www.ebookpartnership.com www.bookollective.com [email protected] [email protected]

The Book Reality Experience Girl Friday Productions Services Provided: Editing, Book Cover Services Provided: A helpful, friendly and design, Formatting, Marketing, Manuscript client-orientated range of services from basic Development and more editing to all-in internal & external formatting, structural edits and social media assistance Publishing your book isn’t just a checkbox on your to-do list—it’s your dream, and with Girl www.bookreality.com Friday you can make it happen. GFP is the [email protected] only firm to provide the comprehensive quality of traditional publishing within the self-pub BookWright industry. We don’t charge royalties, but we do Services Provided: Author Publishing provide essential indie strategies and services Packages for publishing success, including author websites and custom logos. BookWright was founded on the premise that everyone should be able to publish, market and http://www.girlfridayproductions.com distribute beautifully created books. [email protected] Our indie-publishing platform provides a full toolkit: free book design tools, various book Heddon Publishing formats, print and distribution options, plus Services Provided: Editing, Proofreading, online selling and social sharing tools. Formatting, Publishing and Managed Services More than 320,000 books, ebooks, and We consider quality books in most genres, magazines have been completed with fiction and non-fiction. The aim is to get the BookWright. content right, spot and address inconsistencies, and to get your book in the best possible shape CompletelyNovel before it is released into the world. Services Provided: CompletelyNovel is a www.heddonpublishing.com friendly publishing service and advice centre, [email protected] specialising in high quality print-on-demand Authors can create, publish and sell print books worldwide and keep 100% of their royalties. Our unique subscription model enables authors to price their books very competitively and earn great royalties without large upfront fees. Since 2008 we’ve been helping thousands of people on their publishing journeys - visit our website to find out how we can help you. Publishing plans start at £7.99/$11.99 per month. www.completelynovel.com [email protected] 45 Assisted Services I_AM Self-Publishing Indie Authors World Services Provided: Quality production: Services Provided: Imagine your book as a editing (including a 1-to-1 with your editor), beautiful paperback and eBook on sale around proofreading, award-winning cover design and the world with no techie headaches to manage typesetting, printing, eBook conversion and and you keeping 100% of your royalties. We do global distribution (you keep 100% royalties) that for you. Our customers say we make self- publishing an enjoyable, pain free experience Comprehensive marketing: author websites, by offering a complete service including editing, video trailers, social media branding, bookmarks, cover and interior design, marketing solutions press releases and an online author marketing and so much more course that teaches you how to create and execute a successful marketing plan. If you want a friendly, professional, responsive service that truly cares about publishing your All projects are different, so we tailor our book call Kim now. services for you. Book a free 1-to-1 consultation and we will help you work out what is best for http://indieauthorsworld.com/ your book. [email protected] www.iamselfpublishing.com [email protected] IndieBookLauncher.com Services Provided: Complete “build-your-own Independent Ink package” publishing services: developmental and final editing, cover design, interior layout Services Provided: editing, proofreading, and formatting, distribution, marketing, cover design, internal design and formatting for promotional graphics, and author coaching. print and digital and online distribution. IndieBookLauncher helps independent Independent Ink is a one-stop shop for authors polish, publish, and promote their fiction self-publishing authors. Based in Brisbane, and non-fiction books. Our advice and services Australia, our team of specialist editors and are tailored to your unique situation. We don’t designers work with you to produce a book just work for you—we work with you to help you will be proud of, that is both beautiful and your book reach its full potential. professional. Our services are tailor-made to suit your needs. www.indiebooklauncher.com [email protected] www.independentink.com.au [email protected] IndieReader Author Services Services Provided: Books Reviews, Publishing Services (Editing, Formatting, Distribution), SilverWood Books Marketing Services (social media set-up, Services Provided: SilverWood exclusive ad opportunities), Books offers the high standard of trade IndieReader provides unparalleled professional publishing, individually tailored to an services—from editing and formatting to cover author’s needs. Our friendly, expert design and distribution—so that you can bring team works closely with authors at each your words to life and create the book you’ve stage of the publication process, and always imagined. Further, we guarantee that SilverWood is now recognised as one of someone on our staff will be available to answer the UK’s most professional and supportive any questions that should arise during the author services companies course of your project Our submissions process is selective, www.indiereader.com which means we give honest manuscript [email protected] feedback. We produce print and ebooks to the highest standards, and our list features traditionally-published, hybrid, and self-published writers. http://www.silverwoodbooks.co.uk [email protected] 46 Assisted Services DEALS & DISCOUNTS Throughout the directory, any exclusive offers of the complimentary services on offer. Some and discounts for ALLi members will be listed emerging platforms will offer free trials and we in the service provider’s overview. encourage you to explore new possibilities at no risk or cost. Similarly, ALLi members can find selected discounts from our Partners by accessing the As indie authors, we are always experimenting, members area on the ALLi site. Offers range adding and subtracting from our existing across the spectrum of author services, helping knowledge of what works for our books and our you to make your budget go further. readers. That means selecting services you feel comfortable with, and you believe fit with the Although it goes without saying “you get what you overarching goals for your book. pay for”, don’t be afraid to experiment with some

Matador Publishing PageMaster Services Provided: Matador is perhaps the Services Provided: Publishing packages UK’s most widely known supplier of high quality and a-la-cart offerings from manuscript review self-publishing services (production, marketing through distribution and retail distribution) in the UK. We have been Based in Edmonton, Canada, PageMaster was offering bespoke quality self-publishing services founded in 1996 to improve quality and control to authors in all genres since 1999, through costs for small publishers. A personal approach both print on demand, short run and longer run to independent publishing lets you choose printing, and ebooks the help you need, get feedback and care We are selective in what we take on for ...and you control your rights. Our small batch publishing so that we can maintain quality of paperback model (20-300) is excellent for direct content, and as a result, our reputation with UK author sales. retailers is impeccable. Full information on our PageMaster is a complete Canadian publishing website. service championing works of life, diversity www.troubador.co.uk/matador and hope. [email protected] www.pagemasterpublishing.ca [email protected] Octavo Services Provided: Editing, Book Cover The Pen Factor Design, Sales and Distribution Marketing, Services Provided: Assisted Services Rights A state-of-the-art feedback and discovery Octavo offers a professional publishing service engine. Every story you submit receives that includes global sales and distribution three independent reviews. Our algorithm, options so your book can reach readers around affectionately known as Ophelia, detects the the world. As part of a successful publishing best 25% and places them in the spotlight. group it offers unique access to all the creativity, Twice per year we select a winner and energy, and ethos of a multi award-winning and introduce them to a leading UK literary agency, internationally respected publishing company, Cornerstones, who scout for a wide number of but allows you – as an independent author – to agents. stay in control. http://www.penfactor.com/ http://octavopublishing.com/ [email protected]

47 Assisted Services Pronoun Services Provided: Ebook conversion, S&H Publishing, Inc. distribution, analytics, metadata optimization, Services Provided: High quality fiction daily sales tracking for the contemporary woman Pronoun is a free publishing platform where We provide one final edit and professional authors can create, sell, and promote their cover design. books. Our mission: to build a new model for publishing that puts authors first. Marketing support available. https://pronoun.com/ Join our select international authors. [email protected] Short & Helpful online writer workshops Rancho Park Publishing www.sandhbooks.com [email protected] Services Provided: Editing, Translating &Typesetting Since 1988, Rancho Park Publishing has been translating, editing and expertly typesetting Standout Books publications in all major languages. Our Services Provided: Author Publishing primary focus is in the creation of world-class Packages, Editorial, Comms, Distribution, publications for international distribution. We Website Design, Social Media, Conversion prepare books, magazines, brochures, sales Standoutbooks is an author services agency sheets, user manuals, website content, and serving independent authors and publishers other materials for publication. We also provide across the world. We take pride in helping lists of publishers and distributors as well as authors make the most of the tidal wave of creative agencies who specialize in Spanish technological change currently sweeping over and other foreign language publications. the publishing industry. http://www.ranchopark.com/ www.standoutbooks.com [email protected] [email protected]

Rethink Press Voyage Media Services Provided: Author Publishing Services Provided: Film Services Packages, Classes and Courses, Design Distribution, Editorial, Production Our programs have helped over 4000 screenplays, books, concepts, reality shows, Rethink Press offers high quality, professional documentaries, and branded entertainment author services (writing coaching, manuscript projects get set up with producers, sold, made review & edit, cover design, typeset) and or distributed. And the coolest part about it, is a range of publishing packages. that when you invest in the development of your We specialise in business and self- projects, you’re more likely to retain a higher development non-fiction, and niche fiction, but degree of ownership and influence over how have also published cooking, travel, inspiration they turn out! and poetry books. https://voyagemedia.com/ We run workshops and courses on getting your [email protected] book (whatever genre) written and published. www.rethinkpress.com [email protected]

48 Assisted Services

Whitefox Publishing Services York Publishing Services Services Provided: Services Provided: project Services Provided: Author management, consultancy, content creation, Publishing Packages editing, translation, digital services, marketing We provide all the services to help authors and PR, sales and distribution, internal and publish books and ebooks, from proofreading, cover design, printing and production book covers, book design and ebook files, to Whitefox provide publishing services printing, book distribution and book marketing. for writers, publishers and brands. Whether If you want book distribution, a blog set up, a press release, an app or just specialist hand- you’re after full project management of your binding for your memoir, we can do that, too. publishing project, or you need a specific, vetted service tailored to your needs, we will use our www.yps-publishing.co.uk network of over 1500 publishing professionals to provide support of the highest standard. We can assist with everything from strategic direction at the earliest stage through to editorial, design, copywriting, typesetting, ebook formatting, marketing, publicity and distribution. www.wearewhitefox.com [email protected]

49 Feature AMAZON SALES RANK: TAMING THE ALGORITHM

Confused by the behavior of Amazon’s sales points are added to half of Monday’s total (32 / rank? John Doppler takes the mystery out of 2 = 16 points), for a total of 52 points. this frequently misunderstood feature. Wednesday, the book sells 16 copies. Those 16 points are added to half of Tuesday’s total (52 / 2 = 26 points), for a total of 42 points. We’re all familiar with Amazon’s sales rank, those tantalizing numbers that have driven …but the devil is in the details. authors to obsessively revisit their pages over and over in hopes of seeing their book climb The underlying process is simple, but there are through the ranks. aspects of the process that contribute to the “strange” behavior of the algorithm. Yet, as a closely guarded secret, Amazon’s sales rank remains a perpetual source of confusion and myth. Sales rank is relative to other books. A book does not exist in a vacuum. As your “Why did my sales rank go down when I sold book rises in sales rank, it will displace other more books this week?” books. As other books rise through the ranks, “Why did my sales rank go up when I didn’t sell your book may be pushed downwards. anything?!” “How did the sales rank of this book leapfrog This counterintuitive feature of the algorithm is over mine when I’ve sold ten times as many responsible for more confusion than any other. books?” Amazon won’t disclose their proprietary The more recent the sale, the more algorithms, but thanks to some clever analysis weight it has. by indie authors, that formula has been reverse Because the formula weights sales by recency, engineered. And once you understand that the effect of a sales spike quickly fades. The formula, the quirks of sales rank make much algorithm favors steady sales over a dramatic more sense, and you can use them to your surge. advantage. Consider the two books below (Figure 1). Book Amazon’s sales rank algorithm is A experiences slow, constant growth for the first surprisingly simple… two weeks. Book B offers a promotion which results in an explosion of sales, but those sales 1. Each sale or download of a product quickly settle back to normal levels once the counts as one point toward a hypothetical promotion ends. “rank score”. At the end of the second week, Book A holds a 2. Each day, the preceding day’s score higher sales rank — and has better visibility — decreases by half, and is added to today’s even though Book B sold over three times as points. many copies. 3. For each category on Amazon, books are In the long run, steady, organic growth ranked based on their current scores. outperforms sudden bursts of activity. Example: And this underscores a point we’ve made in the Monday, a book sells 32 copies. That’s 32 points past: publishing success is a marathon, not a towards its ranking. sprint, so authors should be focused on long- Tuesday, the book sells 36 copies. Those 36 term success.

50 Reviews, ratings, and price do not affect release. This explains how books that have not Feature sales rank. yet been released may have a high sales rank, a common source of confusion. Sales rank is governed by sales and downloads, with a little adjustment by Amazon’s Sales momentum is a key factor in the algorithms. Sales rank is unaffected by the algorithm. The early boost from pre-orders have number of reviews, ratings, or any aspect of a the potential to propel a title onto the Amazon book other than its sales performance. charts faster and for a longer period of time than a launch day blitz alone would. Enrollment in KDP Select/Kindle Unlimited does not confer any direct Taming the Algorithm advantage to sales rank. Now that we understand how the system works, Titles in KDP Select do not receive higher we can leverage it. placement just for enrolling in the program. • Sales rank is relative, and changes in However, downloads of books through Kindle rank may be due to the performance of Unlimited and Kindle Online Lending Library other books are treated as sales, and they are credited immediately. • Higher sales rank does not mean higher overalls sales A download is immediately recorded as a sale in the sales rank algorithm, regardless of what • It takes half as many sales to sustain a percentage of the book is read. rank as it does to initially hit it • A launch day blitz may briefly attain a high High sales rank does not guarantee high sales rank, but steady, organic growth will placement in search results. sustain it Sales rank plays a very minor role in • Pre-orders increase visiblity and jump- determining the order of Amazon search start your book’s sales rank results. Other factors such as relevance, keywords, sales history, product listing quality, • Kindle Unlimited downloads immediately and available inventory may influence Amazon’s affect your sales rank, regardless of algorithms. Therefore, a book with high sales whether they are read rank may appear later in search results than Remember that sales rank changes daily: it’s lower-ranked books. never too late to hit the Best Sellers list!

It takes twice as many sales to hit a rank Acknowledgements than it does to maintain it. In addition to my own experiments, this article Because each day’s sales rank builds on draws heavily on the work of German indie previous sales, twice as many sales are needed author Matthias Matting of Die Self-Publisher- to initially achieve a rank as compared to Bibel, as well as Author Earnings’ excellent maintaining that rank. In other words, an author analysis which confirms Matting’s findings on may need 40 sales to initially hit a given rank, a much larger scale. (The AE presentation by but once that momentum is established, they Data Guy is well worth exploring.) will only need 20 sales per day to maintain that score. (Sales rank may still fluctuate due to the Their outstanding contributions to the author performance of other titles around it.) community are gratefully acknowledged. Similarly, if no sales are made, the book’s score is cut in half on the following day. By day, John Doppler develops web Twice as many sales are needed to hit a rank applications. By night, he confronts evildoers initially; each day without sales halves a book’s in the darkened alleys of the internet, including score. rogue self-publishing services in his role as Watchdog for the Alliance of Independent Pre-orders are counted immediately. Authors. Pre-orders are counted on the day the book is And in the spaces between, he writes fiction. ordered, rather than on the date of the book’s http://johndopp.com/

51 ABOUT ALLi CREDITS AND LINKS ALLi (The Alliance of Independent Authors) © Alliance of Independent Authors, 2017 is a non-profit professional association for Design by JD Smith Design author-publishers. Printed by Ingram Spark A global organisation, we are organised across nine territories, offering connection and collaboration, advice and education, advocacy For all enquiries related to the and representation to self-publishing writers Self-Publishing Services Directory, please around the world. contact Resources Director Philip Lynch at [email protected] We have four member levels, three for authors (from student to professional) and a partner For membership enquiries, please contact membership facility for author-services who [email protected] are willing to be vetted and approved. All members, both authors and partners, sign up to our code of excellence and ethics Alliance Of Independent Authors c/o The in self-publishing. Free Word Centre, 60 Farringdon Rd, London EC1R 3GA, United Kingdom People self-publish for many reasons and all who want to do it well are invited to join our www.allianceindependentauthors.org diverse, supportive and friendly community. www.selfpublishingadvice.org @indieauthoralli Visit our website for more information on joining ALLi.