Getting Self-Publishing Help Free or at Very Low Cost

I hope my precious #SharingwithWriters blog subscribers and visitors aren't bored with my Questions and Answers a la Ann Landers! I use them quite frequently in my SharingwithWriters newsletter because they are quick reading and the ideas/advice in them is more easily absorbed than many other formats--which is why Ann used them and so have many since then!  Here is a recent one that I hope helps authors avoid spending their hard-earned marketing budget on information that is just as easily learned "from the horses' mouths," as the saying goes or from books by reliable, experienced marketers--preferably marketers who are also authors. That's a plus because they'll get the benefit of advice from people with experience in the same industry.

So, tada!  Here are questions posed to my agent who passed her question to me and ...well, you get the idea:

QUESTIONS

I’m the one that wanted to hijack your hair appointment to talk about my book. I am so overwhelmed with all the self-publishing information out there. I would love to meet with you for a consult. What is your fee? I have questions about the following:

    

1.     In MS Word, endnote section split between two sections

2.      2.  Create Space “interior reviewer” keeps telling me my fonts aren’t properly embedded in my PDF. Not sure how to ensure that. 

3.     3. Working with local graphic designer to get title to “pop”—could use professional eye. 

4.     4. dpi of images changes in PDF formation. Want to stabilize. 

 Best,

Anonymous

ANSWER:
I would be happy to counsel you through these questions, but, as you know, I am the Frugal Book Promoter and don’t like to see authors pay for information they can easily get from reliable sources on the web or from my books. Not one of these questions cannot be answered with a google search and/or the help feature (links) on the interior review feature at Createspace—questions like embedded fonts. And the Word help feature...look under help and references tab in ribbon at the top of your Word program. 

Books by experts are the best way to learn what you don’t know—or didn’t know to ask. May I also suggest my newest book in the HowToDoItFrugally series of books,  bit.ly/GreatBkReviews.

These two books can save you hours of headaches and tons of money paying people for what they think they know with very little experience. 😳

You will also benefit from the section on covers in my book, Bit.ly/FrugalBookPromo. The index will help you find lots of tips on covers you haven’t thought about asking about especially 2nd subtitles, blurbs, and making the cover pop on Amazon. I also recommend
 chaz@desimonedesign.com—my cover designer. Local graphic designers often don't have experience with book covers and book covers are best done by artists who have marketing chops as well as experience with designs that "pop," as you say, but especially on Amazon.  Chaz does and so does another friend, Joel Friedlander. 

MORE ABOUT THE BLOGGER


Howard-Johnson is the author of fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry. She is also a marketing consultant, editor, and author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally Series of books for writers including the award-winning second editions of The Frugal Book Promoter (where she talks more about choosing and the advantages of winning contests and how to use those honors)  and The Frugal Editor. Her latest is in the series is  How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically. Learn more on her Amazon profile page, http://bit.ly/CarolynsAmznProfile. Great Little Last Minute Editing Tips for Writers is one of her booklets--perfect for inexpensive gift giving--and, another booklet, The Great First Impression Book Proposal helps writers who want to be traditionally published. She has three FRUGAL books for retailers including one she encourages authors to read because it will help them convince retailers to host their workshops, presentations, and signings. It is A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques. In addition to this blog, she helps writers extend the exposure of their favorite reviews at TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com. She also blogs at all things editing--grammar, formatting and more--at The Frugal, Smart, and Tuned-In Editor (http://TheFrugalEditor.blogspot.com )