Posts tagged ‘DIY’
Host A DIY Book Signing Event
Since Wordclay is do-it-yourself publishing, it shouldn’t surprise you that we occasionally recommend you try some other things DIY too. Don’t worry, we’re not turning into Martha Stewart here, we just want to encourage you to think outside the box when it comes to marketing your self-published book. After all, it’s your book and you have to be the one to sell it.
Have you considered hosting a DIY book signing event? Sure, it’s going to take some work and planning, but a book signing event, especially one in your community, is a great way to get your book in front of a larger group of people.
Here are five steps to help you plan and host your own book signing:
1. Pick a venue. Bookstores are an obvious place to start, especially independent ones in your community. It’s nice to build a relationship with those stores. However, take your book signing one step further and think about hosting your signing somewhere that relates to your book. Did you write a cookbook? Ask your favorite local restaurant if you can host a signing there. Think about the audience you have for your book and try to go where those people are.
2. Work with your location. No matter where you end up hosting your event, chances are that the business is interested in bringing people in to their establishment almost as much as you are. It’s partially your responsibility to make sure people show up – don’t depend on the venue to provide all the advertising for you. When you have all the terms of the book signing agreed upon (i.e. date, time, who is providing things like tables and chairs, signage, etc.) then go start promoting your event.
3. Talk, talk, talk. The amount of advertising you do for your event will literally make or break it for you. Consider getting some fliers and postcards printed that you can mail to family and friends as well as take to other community organizations like the Chamber of Commerce. Call your local newspaper and tell them about your event. Ask other local businesses if you can hang a flier in their store. The sky is the limit to your advertising.
4. Be confident. When the day of your book signing arrives you may feel nervous and excited. That’s ok! It’s important to remember to be confident and sure of yourself – after all, you are the author. Bring a friend to help you hand out promotional items and to be your encourager if you need that. Make sure you have plenty of books to sell and additional information about where people can buy your book if they aren’t prepared to buy it that day. If you have a blog or e-mail mailing list you may also consider asking people to sign it so you can stay in touch with them.
5. Say thank you. When your book signing is over, take a deep breath, but don’t stop. It’s important to take some time to thank everyone who helped you pull off a great event. Send thank you notes to the venue and anyone there who specifically helped you. Thank people for coming through your blog or even hand written notes. If any media attended your event make sure to thank them as well. You never know where the contacts you make at your book signing event could take you next.
Doing something like hosting a book signing event on your own may seem overwhelming and intimidating. But really, when you stop and think about it, you made it through writing your book so what can be as overwhelming as that?
Keep writing,
- Kate
We’ll Never Forget You, Beta! Wordclay DIY Self-Publishing Site Celebrates First Year With Free ISBN Promotion
It’s hard to believe that one year ago today, that the beta version of Wordclay was launched. It seems like only yesterday we were celebrating the first live chat with an author, the first book published through our DIY platform and first success story from a Wordclay author. Ah … sweet memories …
But I’ll try to focus here, because this truly is a milestone. And Wordclay wants to mark this milestone by giving back to the authors who have become the true essence that Wordclay is today.
To give back to the Wordclay community, now through Sept. 30, Wordclay is giving out a free Wordclay ISBN and Channel Distribution when you preorder 10 or more copies of your book. So, not only can you publish you book for free with Wordclay’s DIY self-publishing wizard, but you can also get a free ISBN and distribution (usually priced at $99 on Wordclay).
In a recent press release, Dave McCauley, Wordclay president had this to say about the current promo: “We are offering this promotion to authors to make it even easier for them to get their books to market and celebrate what has been an eventful and exciting year for Wordclay. With more than 30,000 registered users, we are more than pleased with the growth and popularity of this exciting publishing option.”
Since its beta launch, many writers have reached for the stars and become published authors. And established authors are reaching new heights with the help of professional services, while still remaining in complete control of their book. We at Wordclay are happy to be a part of that.
How can a free ISBN and global channel retail distribution help in marketing your book? Are there any other items you’re interested in as a writer, author or small publisher? Share what you’ve found in your publishing experiences.
-Angie
The Price Is Right: Wordclay Compared to Their Major Self-Publishing Competitors
Greetings, Earthlings,
As a writer looking to self-publish your book, you probably want to know how Wordclay compares to the other major self-publishing companies. Good question. To find the answer to this question, typically you would have to scour the Internet for hours, trying to compare prices and services (if you can find them at all).
But we’ve done the legwork for you. After hours of meticulous research and number crunching, The Wordclay Blog Team welcomes you to our comprehensive guide to the major self-publishing companies currently printing successful titles.
Unfortunately, many potential authors find themselves drowning in cryptic self-publishing Web sites, struggling against vague currents of information and reaching for just a single, solid price estimation that you might not receive until after you sign a contract.
Wordclay, on the other hand, believes our company information should be as straightforward and available as possible. Publishing your book can play a major part in your future as a writer, and it’s only natural you want to be certain you’re choosing the right company.
In this guide, we’ve gathered the pricing, printing and promotional details of the major self-publishing companies today – think of this blog as your own personal fountain of publishing knowledge!
Wordclay
Wordclay provides free book self-publishing services for writers who want to take advantage of the DIY authorship approach. The printing cost for copies of your book is built into the selling price of your book, so the amount of royalties you earn is based on the price you select within the wizard.
For example, should you select a price of $16.00 for your standard 6”x9” paperback of 250 pages (costing $9.47 for printing materials per copy) each book sold would earn you $6.53 in royalties. Check out our pricing calculator located on the Wordclay Hompage to test other page counts and prices.
Wordclay is a DIY self-publisher who is focused on providing a simple and independent Internet publishing experience for authors. The Wordclay DIY self-publishing wizard formats manuscripts with astute precision. Almost instantly, a galley is rendered for approval. Full-color cover creation is included in this free DIY self-publishing tool.
Services like book distribution and marketing support are also available for purchase. Visit the Wordclay Self-Publishing Services Store for more details.
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LuLu.com
Like Wordclay, LuLu Publishing is a free Web-based self-publisher that allows you to upload your manuscript or albums for free and then generate a book (which you can purchase at your own convenience). While LuLu and Wordclay price their books fairly, allocating royalties that can range up to 80 percent of the retail price of your book, the major difference between the two are the range of professional services available.
LuLu has only recently (more…)
The Wordclay Contest Winner’s Circle: Meet the Writers Who Wowed Our Judges
If you’re as curious as this blogger, then the announcement of the Single Short Story contest winners may have piqued your interest enough to visit Wordclay’s Contest Connection page and read excerpts from their stories.
But a simple read doesn’t always cut it – sometimes we want to know the writers behind the story. That said, I contacted them personally and asked for some background information to share with our readers.
So without further ado, meet Samantha Weiss (Grand Prize Winner) and Benjamin Solomon (Runner-up):
Samantha Weiss just graduated from MIT with a Bachelor’s degree in creative writing and chemical engineering. She completed Odyssey in the summer of 2007, one of the most highly respected workshops for writers of speculative fiction. She participates in Codex, a professional-level writers group, and is editing a book about professional athletes written by an author who coaches Olympic, all-pro NFL and NCAA athletes. This story, “Simulated in Black and White,” was part of the thesis work for her writing degree. At the moment, she is working as a chemical engineer in India.
What does Weiss have to say about Wordclay?
“I was introduced to Wordclay at a writers’ convention in New York, and was drawn to its reputation for being an unusually easy and affordable self-publishing option, and for having a capable and knowledgeable staff.”
Benjamin Solomon Lives in Atlanta, where he edits The Open Face Sandwich.
What does Solomon have to say about Wordclay?
“I have found Wordclay to be an excellent resource for DIY writers eager to take publication into their own hands.”
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Have a question for the winners about their writing process or inspiration? Submit your comment below, and I’m happy to forward your query onto them.
This is Justin, blogcasting from Wordclay, signing off.
Introducing Wordclay’s New Cover Service: DIY Cover Conversion
Greetings, Earthlings,
Wordbot here, and today Wordclay has authorized this publishing robot to announce our new cover service.
Wordclay and its professional publishing staff have done it again. Since beginning the development and adaptation of our free online publishing software, we have always remembered the author’s desire for control. Now, you can control your cover down to the last detail with Wordclay’s DIY Cover Conversion Service.
But what exactly is the DIY Cover Conversion service?
Good question. Where before your publishing options were limited to the free template cover you could easily design using the publishing wizard, now you can e-mail us the print-ready PDF of your cover, which we’ll promptly submit to our printers. This way, you can control every detail about your new book’s cover. From the back cover text to the images on your front cover to the placement of your author photograph, you choose the best representation for your publication.
What’s the catch?
No catch. Honestly. Would a robot like me lie? If you have the design experience and you can design your own cover using InDesign or another comparable program, simply follow our cover dimension guidelines, leave room for your barcode (should you purchase the Wordclay ISBN and Channel Distribution) and e-mail us your final copy in a PDF form – it’s that easy.
So what does it cost?
Base cost is only $25.00, which guarantees that your personalized cover is linked to your book and title. As you’ll read in the service description, there may be an added fee should your file need tweaking. Say the spine is slightly off because of the page count, or perhaps your trim lines need to be nudged a certain direction – our designers are happy to help. But we have to cover their time, so you may experience an extremely small markup. Or you can always make the adjustments yourself. Contact a costumer representative with your file and the tentative page count of your publication in order to ensure your cover is picture perfect.
What will you need for the Cover Conversion service?
All you need are your images and your design expertise. Of course, your images have to be original, or you have to possess the permission to use them for the cover of your book. Wordclay may ask about these permissions, so we can avoid claims of plagiarism. But if you’re submitting your own artwork, artwork you have express permission to use or artwork that you’ve bought, you’re in the clear. Simply lay out your cover per our guidelines, PDF that sucker and send your finished cover our way.
Are there other options?
Sure. You can always upgrade to a custom cover design and contract one of our illustrators to design a specific cover to your preference. Or you can purchase Stock Cover Art, submit a jpeg or tiff file that contains original artwork (for which you have the permission) and have our experienced designers incorporate the image into your elegant cover design for you. That’s what Wordclay is about: Options!
For more information, feel free to contact a customer service representative via Live Chat or e-mail. Or simply leave a question in the comments box below. After all, as our newest video states, we’re not out to get you. We just want to provide the best online publishing service out there today!
Wordbot upload completed. Transmission ended.
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…)
Serial Publications: What’s an ISSN? And Can Wordclay Accommodate Your Journal Publishing Goals?
First and foremost, let’s define the ISSN and the ISBN to avoid confusion.
An ISSN (International Standard Serial Number) is a simple eight-digit number that identifies periodical publications like literary journals, trade magazines and other serial publications.
But an ISBN is a 13-digit number used to identify monographs (or books) that are expected to have an individual life apart from a periodic appearance. The author, subject and genre could all be the same, but a divergence in primary or secondary title will call for an ISBN.
Now check out this definition of serial publication:
“A publication, in any medium, issued in successive parts, usually having numerical or chronological designations and intended to be continued with no predetermined end. But this definition excludes works intended to be published in a finite number of parts. The ISSN is applicable to the entire population of serials, whether past, present or to be published in the foreseeable future. Serials include periodicals, newspapers, annuals (reports, yearbooks, directories, etc.), the journals, series, memoirs, proceedings, transactions, etc. of societies.”
Essentially, if you want a standardized identifier of a trade or literary series that universities and libraries around the world can reference, then an ISSN might be useful. The flip side of the ISSN, though, is that if any change occurs within the title or the general management of the serial publications, then a new ISSN would be required for coming (altered) issues.
If you’re confused with all this book identification mumbo-jumbo, we recommend visiting http://www.issn.org/ where you can drop a line to the ISSN International Centre.
That said – here’s what I would do.
Author Networking: The Top 24 Online Reading and Writing Communities You Need To Know
Greetings and salutations from Wordclay, Internet surfers.
Last week, drafting the text for the Memoir Genre Spot, imploring authors to join online writing and book communities, it suddenly occurred to me that authors may already be too exhausted at the end of the day, tired from writing, publishing, marketing, day jobs, families, dogs and whatever number of other worldly pursuits you’ve got, to actually pour what little, precious energy they have remaining into tedious searches for online communities.
Not when there’s so much quality late-night television, and with the writer’s strike over, it’s only going to get better. Or worse, depending on your viewpoint – worse in the sense that shows will be more likely to keep your attention.
So I opened my laptop and, over the course of a few weeks, compiled a list of The Top 24 Online Reading and Writing Communities.
Breaking News: PC Magazine Reviews Wordclay
Thursday, March, 6th, PC Magazine posted their review of the Wordclay Web site and publishing service. In the article, Errol Pierre-Louis, Reviews Producer, compares Wordclay to other self-publishing companies.
“I checked out other print-on-demand type self-publishing sites for this review, and none of them offered the ease, quality, and diversity of premium services without having you pay an up-front fee. Lulu.com comes the closest to matching Wordclay’s features: It offers more printing options (hardcover, brochures, e-books), but Wordclay still provides more extensive premium services and cover templates.”
In order to adequately review Wordclay, Pierre-Louis actually published a manuscript using Wordclay’s publishing wizard. A slideshow that accompanies the article displays how easy Wordclay has made the publishing process.
“The other self-publishing sites I visited (Arbor Books, Mimeo, Xlibris, and more) didn’t compare to Wordclay in terms of ease and usability. Perhaps more important for the struggling author, they charge you $199 or more for the privilege of using their service, whereas Wordclay doesn’t cost you anything to use, though of course you’ll have to pay (or your readers will) for each copy printed.”
What’s Happening with Wordclay? A Behind the Scenes Exposé of the Newest Online Self-Publishing Company
For those of you who haven’t been able to keep up with the seemingly organized chaos happening at Wordclay, you’re not alone. So, I thought that I would play devil’s advocate this afternoon, give our readers some casual notes and frank advice about the new Wordclay features and, hopefully, clear up any short circuits from which you may be suffering.
Up Next, This Sunday on Another 60 Minutes: What’s happening with Wordclay?
Investigative Wordclay reporter Justin Dimos give details:
Last Thursday, our judges chose the 100 Finalist and Winners of both the Single Poem and the Book of Poetry contests. Luckily, Angie and I were prepared to launch the Wordclay Writing Contest Connection, which is a place where visitors can read poetry by the winners, see the list of Finalists and (eventually) read about our new contest. Angie and I are still tweaking the Web site, but for the most part, it’s running smoothly. In the next few weeks, you should expect to see biographical information (and collection covers) from the winners as well as details on the upcoming Single Short Story and the Short Story Collection contests.
Our team also managed to launch the new Genre Lounge. “Genre what?” you may ask, and I may answer: The Genre Lounge is a place where writers and authors can frequent for genre-specific templates, marketing advice and publishing articles. We currently have Poetry, Christian and Short Stories available, but don’t worry, we constantly adding new genres. In fact, I’m currently writing Memoir for the next Genre Spot. You can make a suggestion for a new genre by e-mailing Wordclay’s customer support or by posting a comment on this blog.
