Posts tagged ‘Author Solutions’
How Publishing a Book Could Help You Land Your Next Job
The economy has been stinking up our sweet American dreams for quite a while now. But people find ways to overcome adversity, and this time is no different.
One way that people can overcome the challenges of a tough job market is establishing themselves as experts by publishing books. Mark Tutton explores this topic in an article he posted March 16, 2010, on CNN.com titled, Why just being good at your job is not enough.
In the article, Tutton interviews various experts on the rising competiveness of the job market and growing trends in publishing. Here are a few excerpts:
Keith Ogorek, of self-publishing firm Author Solutions, told CNN that more people are using self-publishing as a way of promoting their personal brand. “We’ve found that a number of people have begun to use books as a way to establish their credibility,” he said.
“As the economy is turning and more and more people are having to get creative in ways to distinguish themselves in the job market, many of them are using books as a way to distinguish themselves among the other people who might be out there.”
Dan Schawbel, author of personal-branding book “Me 2.0,” provided his insight as well:
“In my opinion the economy has forced everyone to be an expert in their field, so if you’re not an expert, you’re in trouble,” he said. “The easiest and fastest way to be positioned as an expert in your field is to publish a book.”
Schawbel said writing a book on your area of professional interest instantly establishes your credibility to potential customers and employers.
“You can self proclaim you’re an expert in your field all day long but the book is almost your calling card. …”
So, could you be an expert? You may not even realize all the fields in which you hold expert knowledge, because the things you do well are second nature. Maybe you’re an expert in grammar. Or perhaps you’ve raised eight children and you’re an expert mom. Or maybe, you could be an expert on the rise of reality television … you never know until you try.
Keep writing.
Angie Kelly Pheifer
Read the full article by Mark Tutton: Why just being good at your job is not enough
Friedman Offers a Balanced Perspective on Author Solutions and Self-Publishing
Jane Friedman published a post on her Writer’s Digest blog , There Are No Rules, about her visit to Author Solutions Inc. headquarters in Bloomington, Ind.
I must admit that with the recent debate surrounding Author Solutions and the self-publishing industry, the title of Friedman’s post alone was enough to bring a tear to my eye: “Author Solutions Is Not Evil: 3 Things I Learned.” As I read through the post, I could hardly believe it: the post is actually a fair and honest outlook on ASI and self-publishing.
You see, as an employee of Author Solutions, I know there is kinder, gentler side to ASI that what has been portrayed online in recent months . Now, I’m not trying to say that ASI is perfect. It’s a company made up of people … so imperfection is inevitable. But, I’m extremely pleased that a respected member of the writing and publishing community has shared a balanced view of ASI and self-publishing by taking the time to talk with our representatives —by giving us a chance.
Here are just a few points that that Jane described well in her post I’d like to call out, because they ring true to me:
On “True” Self-Publishing vs. Self-Publishing Companies:
…The industry is now experiencing a “true self-publishing” movement that argues a “real” self-published author is one who eschews the use of services like Author Solutions.
I find the distinction to be nonsensical and elitist. It’s like saying you should never hire an expert or contractor to do your taxes, fix your car, or repair your plumbing.
On the Self-Publishing Business Model:
In my mind, the people who are angry and indignant about publishing services should be working to provide free or inexpensive consultations to the hundreds of thousands of writers who wonder how to get their work in print—that is, if those people feel that writers can’t readily determine, after researching all options, what their best path forward is.
On ASI:
… That’s all AuthorSolutions talks about: what their authors want. It drives their business, their growth, what they hang on the walls—which makes sense, because it’s the authors who are writing their checks.
… If more people could see AuthorSolutions’ ideas about publishing’s future, I think there’d be a lot less criticism and a lot more idea sharing. If the authentic personalities inside the company could be seen by the public, we’d all have to finally admit: these people are not evil.
At the end of the day, ASI is still a business; you cannot avoid that. But, one of the top things Friedman noticed about our company, is what it’s truly about: authors. I encourage you to read Jane Friedman’s post, Author Solutions Is Not Evil: 3 Things I Learned on her Writer’s Digest blog , There Are No Rules.
—Angie Kelly Pheifer
Authors Who Market: Offering Author Solutions to Promoting and Publishing Books
Recently, Tribune-Review ran a piece in their publication called “Market Savvy Authors Can Take a Nontraditional Way to Audience,” in which Rege Behe explores the emerging benefits of self-publishing (and self-promoting) a book as opposed to blindly submitting your manuscript to publishers who may not even read your potential bestseller.
Essentially, your potential to spread the word about your book (and earn higher royalties per copy sold) with self-publishing is only limited by your enthusiasm to personally market your book and tap into any valuable connections you may already have.
For example, Ray Goss could use his experience in radio to market his self-published book, while others such as Lisa Genova (author of Still Alice, originally through iUniverse) or Barbara Burstin (author of Steel City Jews: A History of Pittsburgh and its Jewish Community, 1840-1915) have self-published only to receive rave review from some of the best magazines in the world, leading to traditional publishers scrammbling to sign them for another book.
Reporter Behe does mention the stigma of self-publishing, too, as its method is shunned by the hyper-literary-minded and even some bookstores; but given the lack of editorial and design control imposed by traditional publishers, not to mention the significant cut in royalites you earn with traditional publishing houses, may overwhelmingly overturn this negative sentiment toward companies like Author Solutions, Inc. (and Wordclay) in the very near future.
Because bookstores are perhaps slower to adapt to the changing publishing industry, self-published books may have a harder time reaching their shelves. That said, Behe also offers some tricks of the trade when marketing your book online. For example, creating an author Web site with your book details and order information will not only act as a base of operations for the writer, but also allow Internet surfers to stumble upon their book naturally when searching on different keywords. Combine your Web site with social networking and perhaps some book giveaway promotions, and BOOM! your chances for success just skyrocketed in the publishing industry!
The Point: Self-publishing with companies like Wordclay, iUniverse or AuthorHouse (all Author Solutions brands) can indeed be more beneficial to authors, especially emerging authors, than endlessly (and sometimes fruitlessly) seeking a traditional publisher to back you, even if your book has great potential!
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Market savvy authors can take a nontraditional way to audience
Self-Publishing: The Indie Book Publishing Revolution
Here at the Writing, Self-Publishing and Book Marketing blog, it’s no secret that news regarding the publishing industry is always front of mind. So, I must say, we’re pretty thrilled whenever Wordclay’s parent company, Author Solutions, is part of the story. Here’s a recent press release from ASI. Let us know your thoughts …
Author Solutions Video: First Film, Then Music, Now Publishing
New Video Features Interviews with Authors Who Chose Indie Book Publishing
(Original on PRWEB)
Bloomington, Ind. March 18, 2009 — Author Solutions (ASI), the world leader in indie book publishing – the fastest-growing segment of book publishing, has released a new video featuring interviews with authors who’ve achieved their publishing goals through indie book publishing.
“The authors interviewed in this video represent the successes and dreams of the tens of thousands of authors who are choosing to reject the rejection letters and finally publish their manuscripts. Each had a dream of publishing their book, and indie book publishing made those dreams reality,” said Keith Ogorek, ASI vice president of marketing.
The interviews featured on the video illustrate how indie book publishing, also commonly referred to as self publishing, has become the popular alternative for authors from all walks of life. The common thread with each author is that they wanted to get a professionally published book out to the public quickly, while maintaining the integrity of their content.
“We have the freedom to try all kinds of experiments, and you couldn’t do this with the mainstream houses for sure … We control and own our content, and it gives us leverage in case we want to do things,” said Andy Tate, who along with his wife Bernice have published four children’s books through ASI imprint AuthorHouse.
The Tates are just two of the more than 19,000 authors who chose to publish a book with ASI, through its leading self publishing imprints AuthorHouse, iUniverse, Xlibris, and Wordclay in 2008. Overall, ASI brands brought to market about one out of every 20 new U.S. book titles in 2008 – approximately six times the number published by leading consumer publisher Random House.
For more information about Author Solutions, log on to authorsolutions.com, or call 877-655-1722.
About Author Solutions, Inc.
Author Solutions, Inc., (ASI), owned by Bertram Capital Management LLC, is the world leader in indie book publishing – the fastest-growing segment of publishing. ASI’s self publishing brands, AuthorHouse, AuthorHouse UK, iUniverse, Xlibris, Wordclay, and Inkubook, have helped more than 70,000 authors self publish, promote, and bring to market more than 100,000 new titles. In 2008, one out of every 20 new U.S. titles was published by an ASI brand–more than any publisher in the world. Headquartered in Bloomington, Indiana, ASI also operates offices in New York City; Indianapolis; Milton Keynes, England; and Cebu, Philippines. Visit www.authorsolutions.com or call 1-877-655-1722 for more information.
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Creating & Promoting Audio Books: Voices.com & Voice123
It’s no secret that audio books are a thriving business for authors, and if you’re already publishing a book, why not look into having a voice over talent record your manuscript for audio publication?
Think about it. Millions of people listen to podcasts and books on their morning commutes and even in their offices as they peck away at the keyboard. Making your audio book available can really get a great buzz going about your book. Even if one person purchases an audio copy of your title, you can bet that others will overhear, inquire about your book and perhaps even add your audio book to their online shopping cart for a listen.
Plus, with iTunes coupled with the iPod hardware so available as the modern listening technology of choice, recouping your investment can be easy with the right marketing plan.
Since Author Solutions, Inc. has yet to offer audio books, our marketing gang found two superb and trusted organizations that handles voice over talents, namely Voices.com and Voice123.
VOICE OVER TALENT AGENCIES FOR AUDIO BOOKS
Voices.com
Voices.com is a unique web service that helps you complete your voice over recording, music production and language translation projects online. It’s simple, fast, and web-based. You don’t need to download or install anything — everything happens in your web browser.
Helping more than 58,000 people, some of their clients include ABC, NBC, CBS, Dreamworks, Disney, McDonald’s, Coca-Cola, AT&T, Bell South, Nortel Networks, Apple, Microsoft, IBM, Xerox, Ford, GM, BMW, Shell, Texaco, NASA, the US Army and many more.
In addition to being fast and diplomatic, ensuring you get the best deal while connecting to the best voice over talents, their clients have said they have reduced their costs by as much as 60 percent by using their service. By working directly with professional voice talent you don’t need to book recording studios, hire an audio engineer or casting director to complete your project.
With their free Client Account you can:
- Post a job or search the database
- View voice talent profiles and listen to audio demos online
- Compare qualifications, quotes and availability of professionals
- Pay the voice talent using SurePay™ Escrow service
- Download finished work securely from Voices.com
- Satisfaction Guaranteed when you use SurePay™ Escrow!
Voice123
Voice123 is one of the biggest and most technologically advanced group of voice over talents and voice producers in the world. Whether you want a local voice talent for your next national TV commercial or a fully-produced piece of audio in Japanese for your book promotions in Japan, Voice123 can help. Voice123 allows you to hire thousands of voice over talent and voice producers from all over the world within your budge. Language, accent and geographical borders are now things of the past!
Post a project and let talents or producers submit auditions or proposals. No time for auditions? Easy: get in contact with the talent or producer right away. Use Voice123′s SmartSearch feature to find the professionals you like, or simply allow SmartCast find the best voice for you.
The entire process may take a couple of hours. Most of their talents and voice producers have their own recording studio facilities, saving you time and money.
Manage all your castings quickly and free! Talents submit their audition using their state-of-the-art online auditioning system. You manage the auditions as you wish grading them, sharing them, downloading them, storing them and much more!
The Point: An investment in audio books can not only earn you money, but also become a lucrative strategy to promote your book worldwide and even break into yet another marketplace.
ASI’s Christian Publishing Program: Free ISBNs & Global Distribution
Are you a Christian writer? Have a manuscript you want to self-publish for free? ASI’s new Christian Publishing Program may just be your ticket…
Equipped with a publishing wizard that allows registered members to design their own covers and select their own royalty rate, Words of Belief allows authors to turn their manuscripts into perfect bound, professional quality books in less than an hour, from the comfort of their own home.
Best of all, all WOB authors receive free, unlimited channel distribution, which means your book will be available for order at Amazon.com, Borders.com and Barnes & Noble, free of charge. Once you complete the process, your publication will automatically be assigned an ISBN, and the Author Solutions, Inc, team will make certain your title is distributed within the retail book marketplace.
About Words of Belief:
Words of Belief is a Christian self-publishing company that employs a free online publishing wizard to help both emerging and established authors spread the word of God. [read more]
Read their announcements as well as the full press release here>>
This is Justin, blogcasting from Wordclay, signing off.
First a Free Poetry Contest, Now Short Stories: Are Wordclay’s Contests Scams?
The short answer, NO!
Wordclay’s contests are completely legit.
Now, I know what you’re thinking: “Of course a Wordclay employee would say that the contest isn’t a scam … why should we believe you?!”
Well, I’d like to present some evidence that proves Wordclay’s Writing Contests are not scams.
Exhibit A: Look at our first contests, the Poetry Contests, as an example. The Single Poem and Book of Poetry contests were both completely free to enter, and the results are readily available. We’ve made massive amounts of information available to you on the winners at Wordclay’s Contest Connection as well was the this blog. Extensive follow-up rarely occurs with scams.
Exhibit B: Our very own blog contributor, Justin, posted interviews he conducted with both Grand Prize winners Brenda Mirsky and Jamie Crawford. As you read the interviews, you can even see comments from Mirsky’s family members. You’ll see that we never tried to “pull a fast one” on the participants. The prizes were given (more…)
Modern DIY Explosion: Online Communities Where the DIY and MIY Mentality Thrives
DIY what? MIY who?
Companies and organizations have been reputed for casually throwing around these acronyms like snowballs in winter, never knowing exactly for what DIY or MIY actually stand.
So let’s set the record straight now, get to the bottom of these terms and detail some Internet corners where the DIY and MIY are legitimately supported as well as encouraged.
DEFINING TERMS:
DIY (or “Do-it-yourself”): A term coined from the ‘50s that commonly refers to the process of making or building something for oneself without the aid of paid professions. The goal of DIY pursuits is as much about making a useful product as it is about self-empowerment.
MIY (or “Make-it-yourself”): Like DIY, MIY endeavors are primarily about creating a good that is functional and decorative, with a personal touch. MIY is a relatively recent term, focusing on crafting, clothing and household projects. The goal of most MIY pursuits is to encourage individuality in products and life, instead of cookie-cutter corporate standards.
Zine: Short for magazine, zines are smaller magazine that are usually hand written (or typed) as well as hand bound. Circulation is generally lower for zines, and distribution occurs either through distros or alternative publishing companies like Microcosm Publishing whose primary goal is to encourage self-empowerment and creativity.
Graphic Novel: A type of comic book that usually contains a higher page count, higher-quality illustrations and a more in depth storyline. Graphic novels are typically perfect bound and geared toward a more mature audience.
Craft: Either a skill (as in crafting a short story or repairing a car) or a term used to describe the decorative arts (as in Arts and Crafts). Some common handmade crafts associate with the DIY/MIY mentality include: pottery, ceramics, metal work, weaving, knitting, sewing, jewelry making, wood working, glass blowing.
DIY subculture: A group within the majority that feels a distinct lack of satisfaction and aesthetic in the industrial process of making goods for distribution. This subculture is often associated with music, revolution and activism.
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COMMON CONFUSIONS:
To DIY, To Sleep Perchance to Dream
One common confusion about the term DIY is the extent of yourself in the projects. Obviously, calling a plumber to fix a sink you never installed is not DIY. While knitting your own scarf with your own pattern is a great example of the DIY work ethic.
But what about the middle? What about companies like Wordclay who are using a publishing wizard to design books as well as professionals to bind, print and sell books? (more…)
Wordclay Launch 1.0: T Minus Three, Two, One, and Liftoff: The Future of Self-Publishing and Beyond
We have liftoff indeed!
Wordclay is declaring its beta phase a success and has officially launched version 1.0 this morning. Now we’re all pretty excited here at mission control: I’m deep in a space-blog; Angie’s batting her fists; Jenn’s jumping in her seat; and Kelli’s dancing something that resembles a jig. We’re walking on our own personal moon, and we’re slightly lightheaded with the feeling of accomplishment if you haven’t noticed.
Fortunately, today’s operation has run with relative smoothness. Between the mayhem of last minute fixes and the sheer amount of new users we’re working diligently to support, we’ve remained relatively calm and steady. Of course we’ve endured our fair share of snafus in the past few weeks, but we’ve managed to avert the most disastrous of the crises thus far – knock on wood. But it’s only morning, the day is still young after all, and we haven’t run out of coffee yet.
The official launch has been a long time coming. Our staff has burned a significant amount midnight oil, and although I wouldn’t exactly say we’ve bled, the months spent sweating over the publishing wizard and the Wordclay Web site have definitely paid off.
Free, easy, online DIY publishing: Mission Accomplished!
