R. Frederick Riddle's Blog, page 36

What's the Real Meaning of Christmas?

Welcome to Friday News. Every Friday I share news with you; primarily about writing and sometimes about life in general. This week it is about: What’s the Real Meaning of Christmas?

Today I’m writing about the real meaning of Christmas. I’m thankful that more and more people are forgetting about ‘Happy Holidays’ and turning back to ‘Merry Christmas’. But how many of us know the real meaning and are willing to live it?

The real meaning of Christmas is not to go shopping for Christmas gifts although millions of people have already started shopping. No matter how costly the gift, Christmas means more.

Nor is Christmas all about a beautiful manger scene. It is not about the Baby although He is certainly a major part.

Christmas is not even about loving one another, although we certainly need more of that! Nor is it about a Christmas tree decorated with lights and all the trimmings. All the things I’ve mentioned delight our eyes and excite our children. But Christmas is so much more!

The real meaning of Christmas is found in the Book of John, chapter 3:

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”

Verses 16 through 18 express this truth. It is about God sending His Son to take our place because  of our sin. Jesus loves us so much that He voluntarily was born into our world as a little Babe (a very humbling experience) with the express purpose of shedding His blood on a cross for you and me!

All He asks in return is our love for Him. If we love Him our lives will be lived differently. If we love Him, we will love one another. If we love Him, we will gladly serve Him. But if we reject Him the gift of life is not given to us, but we are condemned.

Because of His love for us the cruel cross was transformed from an instrument of torture and cruelty to a trinket that many women wear around their necks. It is good to see women wearing the cross, it is better if they love the One who shed His blood for her on the cross.

As this Christmas season starts, we need to love the God who gave His Son who died for us!

Imagine if you will the manger with the newborn Babe in it. The star of Bethlehem shines overhead and causes a shadow of a cross to rest across the manger and the Babe. That is a picture of the true meaning of Christmas.

As Christmas approaches we need to focus on the meaning rather that the outward appearances. The tree itself is pagan in nature and is used only for the purpose of celebration of what Christ did. December 25th is not the day He was born into this world, it only represents that birth. All the outward things are only meant to be in worship of him.

Wouldn’t it be nice if the world turned to Him in true adoration? It would, but it is unlikely. Saved and unsaved alike live in sinful flesh; we do what we want and don’t think of him until there’s an emergency.

The world claims they are the children of God but God only claims them as the creation of God. When a person gets saved, he or she becomes a child of God and their sins are forgiven, but they still have a sin nature. We won’t lose the sin nature until we are in heaven, but if we love God more in the here and now, He can do so much more with us.

Love God and celebrate why He came!

For information on TR Writing Services (“we edit, proof, and publish the book within you”)  contact us at marketing@tr-indbkstore.com. We have a Free booklet telling you about our services. And we are upfront on our prices (all are low).

VISIT MY AUTHOR’S PAGE TODAY: amazon.com/author/rfrederickriddle.

ARE YOU A BOOK REVIEWER? I am always looking for book reviews. Whether it is Perished The World That Was (Book One), World of Noah and the Ark (Book Two), World of Shem (Book Three), World of Abraham (Book Four) or Death Ship (Book One), Pauline A New Home (Book Two), Task Force Hunter (Book Three), Black Death (Book Four), or Rise of I.C.E.S. (Book Five), I value your reviews.

If you would like to review any of these books contact me at marketing@tr-indbkstore.com with the subject line indicating that desire. An example of an appropriate subject line would be: ‘Seek to review [book Title].’ In the email make sure to indicate your email address, your name, and the choice of copy (PDF or Epub).

 – – – – – – –

R Frederick Riddle is the Editor of TR Writing Services providing help to struggling and/or new authors to write and publish their books. In addition, he is the author of several books and is best known for Christian Historical and Speculative Fiction. For more information on him or his books visit his Amazon Authors Page. He is also co-founder and Vice President of T&R Independent Books where his books are featured. To reply to any blog you have the option of commenting on a blog and/or sending an email to marketing@tr-indbkstore.com. You may also be interested in his Facebook page at RFrederickRiddlesWorld.

Friday News: Midwest Book Awards

Welcome to Friday News. Every Friday I share news with you; primarily about writing and sometimes about life in general. This week it is about:Midwest Book Awards.

Below are the fees and rules if you want to take advantage of this year’s contest.

Entry Fees Accepted Until December 31, 2019

Click Here for the 2019 Entry Form!

Early Bird Prices (Entries must be postmarked before October 31, 2019): MiPA member: $79 per title (includes first category), $35 for each additional category (maximum of 3 categories) Non-MiPA member: $149 per title (includes first category), $35 for each additional category (maximum of 3 categories) After October 31 (Entries must be postmarked by December 31, 2019): MiPA member: $99 per title (includes first category), $35 for each additional category (maximum of 3 categories) Non-MiPA member: $169 per title (includes first category), $45 for each additional category (maximum of 3 categories)   What to Send

Books: Send four (4) copies of each title (one for each of the three judges and one for display) for the first category in which the title is entered. If the same title is entered in additional categories, send three (3) more copies (for the three judges) for EACH additional category. No books or entries will be returned.Entry Form: Send a copy of the completed entry form for each title. Entry forms may be photocopied or may be printed from the MiPA website, http://www.MiPA.org. Please do not use staples, tape, or glue.Fees: Entry fees must accompany your submission.  Include your check or a copy of your PayPal receipt with your entry. Entry fees are non-refundable.  Make checks payable to MiPA.

Where to Send All books and entry fees must be POSTMARKED by December 31, 2019. You will receive an email confirming receipt of your submissions. Ship books, entry form, and entry fees in the same package to: Midwest Book Awards Attn: Jennifer Baum, 29488 Woodward, Suite 426, Royal Oak, MI 48073/ Questions: email Jennifer Baum at bookawards@mipa.org.

This appears to be an ideal situation for you. If you can afford the fees it is an opportunity to add to your personal resume. But you are running out of time. Print the entry form and fill it out. Submit the title by December 31, 2019 and see what develops. I wish you the very best!

For information on TR Writing Services (“we edit, proof, and publish the book within you”)  contact us at marketing@tr-indbkstore.com. We have a Free booklet telling you about our services. And we are upfront on our prices (all are low).

VISIT MY AUTHOR’S PAGE TODAY: amazon.com/author/rfrederickriddle.

ARE YOU A BOOK REVIEWER? I am always looking for book reviews. Whether it is Perished The World That Was (Book One), World of Noah and the Ark (Book Two), World of Shem (Book Three), World of Abraham (Book Four) or Death Ship (Book One), Pauline A New Home (Book Two), Task Force Hunter (Book Three), Black Death (Book Four), or Rise of I.C.E.S. (Book Five), I value your reviews.

If you would like to review any of these books contact me at marketing@tr-indbkstore.com with the subject line indicating that desire. An example of an appropriate subject line would be: ‘Seek to review [book Title].’ In the email make sure to indicate your email address, your name, and the choice of copy (PDF or Epub).

 – – – – – – –

R Frederick Riddle is the Editor of TR Writing Services providing help to struggling and/or new authors to write and publish their books. In addition, he is the author of several books and is best known for Christian Historical and Speculative Fiction. For more information on him or his books visit his Amazon Authors Page. He is also co-founder and Vice President of T&R Independent Books where his books are featured. To reply to any blog you have the option of commenting on a blog and/or sending an email to marketing@tr-indbkstore.com. You may also be interested in his Facebook page at RFrederickRiddlesWorld.

Ron’s Tuesday Tip: Give Thanks!

Welcome to Ron’s Tuesday’s Tip. Every Tuesday I will share a tip with you. This week is about: Give Thanks!

I’m pausing
today to give thanks to God for all His many blessings. Being able to create
websites, to write books, to edit and publish books, and all the things I do is
simply something to thank God for!

I invite all my followers
to take time this week and express your thanks to Him! Whatever your pedigree
may be don’t forget He created you and that creation was perfect. You may have
disabilities, hardships, and troublesome times, but the real you He created
perfect!

If you are able
to read this blog, He blessed you with that ability. If you can write, He
blessed you with that ability. I could go on and on, but you get the drift.

This past year
has been a time of reflection and renewal, a time of change in direction, and a
time of new opportunities.

One of those opportunities for us has been His leading into starting TR Writing Services. Over the years I often thought about helping others in their writing careers. I even set about working on an academy that would have trained people but life (i.e. health issues in our family) intervened. But now I can still help people without such an elaborate setup!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

For information on TR Writing Services (“we edit, proof, and publish the book within you”)  contact us at marketing@tr-indbkstore.com. We have a Free booklet telling you about our services. And we are upfront on our prices (all are low). You can visit us at TR Writing Services.

VISIT MY AUTHOR’S PAGE TODAY: amazon.com/author/rfrederickriddle.

ARE YOU A BOOK REVIEWER? I am
always looking for book reviews. Whether it is Perished The World That Was
(Book One), World of Noah and the Ark (Book Two), World of Shem
(Book Three), World of Abraham (Book Four) or Death Ship (Book One), Pauline A New Home (Book Two), Task
Force Hunter (Book Three), Black Death (Book Four), or Rise of
I.C.E.S. (Book Five), I value your reviews.

If you would like to review any of these books contact me at marketing@tr-indbkstore.com with the subject line indicating that desire. An example of an
appropriate subject line would be: ‘Seek to review [book Title].’ In the email
make sure to indicate your email address, your name, and the choice of copy
(PDF or Epub).

 – – – – – – –

R Frederick
Riddle is the Editor of TR Writing
Services providing help to struggling and/or new
authors to write and publish their books. In addition, he is the author of
several books and is best known for Christian Historical and Speculative
Fiction. For more information on him or his books visit his Amazon Authors Page. He is also
co-founder and Vice President of T&R Independent Books where his books are featured. To reply to any blog you have the
option of commenting on a blog and/or sending an email to marketing@tr-indbkstore.com. You may also be interested in his Facebook page at RFrederickRiddlesWorld.

Ron’s Tuesday’s Tip: Choosing a Publisher

Welcome to Ron’s Tuesday’s Tip. Every Tuesday I will share a tip with you. This week is about: Choosing a Publisher.

The following is based on the Guide to Writing book. In that book I wrote about Self-Publishing, Traditional, and Indie Publishing. My primary focus today is on Indie focusing, but I will also cover the other types, so you get a more complete picture.

Traditional Publishing

Unless you are an established author
it is very difficult to get with a traditional publisher. That is because the
houses are well established, have a reputation, and, probably, don’t want to
take a risk on an unproven novice.

Even so, it is not impossible.

Many of these Traditional Publishing Houses will not even consider a manuscript unless the author is represented by an agent. This is good because when dealing with them you need to have the expertise and knowledge of the agent on your side.

It is also important to remember that
some traditional publishers specialize in genre. Some only want established
authors. Some may temporarily suspend new acquisitions because they already
have a boatload.

But there are some traditional publishers looking for new authors. If you write Christian fiction you may be interested in Christian Publishers. Do an Internet search for ‘Christian Publishers’ and you should find extensive lists, but I have included a few in a list further down in this blog.

Additionally, you can access a list of
publishers at http://www.everywritersresource. This is a list of publishers
taking submissions.

If you are willing to take a chance on
publishers that accept unsolicited manuscripts (and may not require an agent),
try this list.

Finally, if you are looking for a
traditional publisher that accepts new authors try Karen Fox.

Tip: Traditional Publishers are well established, have a reputation, and, probably, don’t want to take a risk on an unproven novice.              



Tip #2: There are lists of publishers taking submissions, accepting new authors, and Christian publishers.              

Never having been published by a
Traditional Publisher, I can’t give you a personal example. But you can access
their websites and discover their guidelines, list of clients (authors), and
success stories.

Traditional Publishing has a long success
story. They aren’t going away soon. If you feel that you have written a quality
story that will sell and you are willing to wait, then traditional publishing
may be for you.

Make use of the lists provided here
and study them. You just might strike it rich!

But don’t forget, some of these
publishers will require you have an agent. So if your heart is fixed on one of
the top publishing houses, get yourself an agent!

Self-Publishing

Self-Publishing has in many respects come into its own with resulting improvements
in quality and acceptance. One of the criticisms of Self-Publishers is they
rarely reject a manuscript. While this is true, some do reject if the
manuscript is deemed of poor quality.

You rarely get rejected if you are willing to pay the fee (usually $400-$800, or more). They are willing to publish but you should still practice thorough editing before submitting the work.

This is an alphabetical listing of some of the better known houses:

America Star *AuthorHouse ***BookbabyDiggyPODiUniverse***Lightning Source Kindle Direct Publishing
(KDP)LuLuOutskirts Press Smashwords**Tate Publishing Trafford Publishing***XilbrisZulon Press****

* Between
self-publishing and traditional. Recently opted out of publishing and is only
interested in marketing.

** Publishes eBooks only. It is free.

*** Owned by Author Solutions.

**** Christian Self-Publishing.

When I started writing I made use of AuthorHouse and America Star. In
both cases I was pleased with their work. In fact, any of the houses mentioned
above probably provide excellent quality and service.

Tip: Self-Publishing has been around for a while now with resulting improvements in quality and acceptance.                Tip #2: Self-Publishers rarely reject a manuscript.              Tip #3: There are many self-publishers out there.                

It would be wise
to remember that self-publishing can be expensive. Here are some of the costs
you may have to deal with:

Professional editing and
proofing can cost from $1500 to $2,000Professional cover design
ranges from $300 to $400Book conversion and
layout ranges from free to $100

That’s not
including the ISBN (free to $125), Distribution (percentage of sales), and
marketing (skies the limit).

As mentioned earlier, I have used two of the houses listed. Their
cover quality was very good (very important to me) as was the overall print
quality.

Since I was on a budget, I did my own marketing. America Star provided
me a little more help although AuthorHouse may have caught up since I last
published with them.

If you are choosing between Traditional and Self-Publishing,
Self-Publishing is the better in my opinion. That said, there is yet a better
way.

Indie
Publishing

These days the author has more responsibility than ever before and
more opportunities!

In days gone by the author wrote a novel, submitted it to a publisher,
and once accepted, relaxed. But that is no longer true!

There are all kinds of publishers out there. But here I want to
present you with a different perspective. I mentioned that there is a better
way than self-publishing. You are about to see what I was talking about.

First a brief history. I published my first novel in 2003. Since then
I have written a number of books. The first four books were all published by
self-publishers. But in 2013 I discovered Smashwords.com and published my first
eBook. (My other books are also in the eBook format, but the publisher did this
because I paid for it.)

This discovery has changed my life and now I am about to reveal to you
what I believe is a better way to publish.

That better way is simply: You are the publisher! Or Indie Publisher!

At the time there was almost no information on the subject but today
there’s considerable. It is called Indie Publishing which tells you right off
the bat that as a publisher you are independent. This is an important
distinction.

Indie Publishing is the author taking ultimate charge of all elements
of writing. Basically, it means selecting a printer or publisher to print our
books. And there are publishers out there willing to be our printer and even
our marketer.

The one I am most familiar with is Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP). CreateSpace
whom I was with merged with KDP so now all my print books are with KDP. Plus, I
have eBooks with KDP and a few with Smashwords.

I will discuss KDP more in the example. I have also located at least
one other printer called Best Value Copy. They are an online printing service
that provides quality work at reasonable prices. However, I have not used them
or any other publishing platform because KDP has proven to me that they are
very capable and affordable.

In looking for a quality printer you can try your own neighborhood.
For example, there is a Staples store not far from us that gives business
discounts to authors using their printing services. That suggests the possibility
that other office supply stores may offer the same services.

But assuming the role of publisher is more than just getting a
printer. You literally take on the responsibilities of a publisher. You may
have to seek your own ISBN, copyright, and other important items.

In our case, we listed ourselves with the State of Florida with a DBA
(Doing Business As) name of T&R Independent Books. Because we use KDP we
are able to use their ISBNs which are free, although they also sell other ISBNs
for a modest price. Copyrights are free.

It is both exciting and scary. But the rewards can be awesome. For
example, a self-publisher may give us anywhere from 8% to 40% royalty depending
on volume of books sold. But as our own publisher the percentage jumps up to 60%
and more (before costs and taxes) from the first book sold.

In addition to that, we have virtual control over every aspect. It is
true that with Kindle Direct some control lies with them, but it is also true
that such controls are limited.

In establishing our own publishing business, we also took on the
marketing of the books.  We are now be
able to use the marketing tools that we used to buy from the publisher. Now we will
have the authority to market the books as we see fit without incurring
exorbitant costs.

Tip: As a publisher you pay the ISBN, the copyright, and other legal fees.                  Tip #2: Indie Publishers can get gross royalties of 60% or more. Even after taxes the profit is excellent.                  

I promised to discuss Kindle Direct Publishing and here we go.

When my wife first expressed the desire to start writing her own
novels it fitted right in with the idea of T&R Independent Books. So, we
immediately began researching what the costs would be to publish.

We searched the internet for both local and online printers.
Eventually we settled on KDP because of three primary factors:

We would retain
ownership of all rights.Costs were
reasonable.KDP would provide
us worldwide marketing (distribution).

(At this time, we were dealing with CreateSpace but in 2018 they
merged with KDP. KDP is virtually the same as CreateSpace and both owned by
Amazon.)

These are career changing factors. Although we have and will do our
own marketing, being in the KDP loop will expand our marketing a thousand times
over!

While their imprint will be on our books, there will be no question of
the identity of the real publisher which is T&R Independent Books.

In establishing T&R Independent Books we also took over what was
formerly known as RFrederickRiddle’s Bookstore. But instead of marketing our
books from our own website (an excellent marketing option) we closed down the
store and opted to direct all potential buyers to Amazon and Kindle. We still
have control over the marketing, including the tracking of sales but the
customer has the familiarity of buying on Amazon. Plus KDP has powerful
tracking tools!

KDP enables us to exercise several marketing options, some being free.
Does this guarantee sales? Of course not. But it does give us maximum control
and flexibility.

When we started out in 2014 Indie Publishing was rather new and
unknown, at least to us. But now becoming your own publisher is no longer a new
idea. It has the potential to change the publishing landscape in years to come.

Not only the publishing landscape, but your future. You should
seriously consider this avenue. I can almost guarantee you that your book will
be published sooner than traditionally, and it will cost you dramatically less.
Quality is another story as it will be up to you to either do the editing or
hire a professional.

Getting published doesn’t guarantee sales. But once again being an
Indie Marketer involves great responsibility and great rewards. Being an In
Marketer has great potential!

A note about TR Writing Services

Our costs to you are very low compared to the averages stated above. We provide editing, proofing, and publishing services under affordable plans. In addition we give each client who publishes through us their own webpage. This webpage includes the author’s picture, brief biography, book cover, and book description with links to their Amazon page. You can use this page for your own marketing efforts!

These links give you the opportunity to work on your next book rather
than being over-burdened with collecting payments and shipping of the books,
which also means you don’t have to maintain a stockpile of books in your living
room.

For information on TR Writing Services (“we edit, proof, and publish
the book within you”)  contact us at marketing@tr-indbkstore.com.
We have a Free booklet telling you about our services. And we are upfront on
our prices (all are low).

VISIT MY AUTHOR’S PAGE TODAY: amazon.com/author/rfrederickriddle.

ARE YOU A BOOK REVIEWER? I am
always looking for book reviews. Whether it is Perished The World That Was
(Book One), World of Noah and the Ark (Book Two), World of Shem
(Book Three), World of Abraham (Book Four) or Death Ship (Book One), Pauline A New Home (Book Two), Task
Force Hunter (Book Three), Black Death (Book Four), or Rise of
I.C.E.S. (Book Five), I value your reviews.

If you would like to review any of these books contact me at marketing@tr-indbkstore.com with the subject line indicating that desire. An example of an
appropriate subject line would be: ‘Seek to review [book Title].’ In the email
make sure to indicate your email address, your name, and the choice of copy
(PDF or ePub).

 – – – – – – –

R Frederick
Riddle is the Editor of TR Writing
Services providing help to struggling and/or new
authors to write and publish their books. In addition he is the author of
several books and is best known for Christian Historical and Speculative
Fiction. For more information on him or his books visit his Amazon Authors Page. He is also
co-founder and Vice President of T&R Independent Books where his books are featured. To reply to any blog you have the
option of commenting on a blog and/or sending an email to marketing@tr-indbkstore.com. You may also be interested in his Facebook page at RFrederickRiddlesWorld.

Ron’s Tuesday’s Tip: What is a USP?

Welcome to Ron’s Tuesday’s Tip. Every Tuesday I will share a tip with you. This week is about: What is a USP?

A USP is a Unique
Selling Proposition.

Today we are
taking a quick look at a USP. In a future blog we may revisit this and go
deeper.

In some ways the
USP resembles your Elevator Speech, but it is different. The Elevator Speech
has its own criteria and is usually longer. But both share the following:

Memorable (something your prospect should remember) Repeatable (something your prospect can repeat to others)

For example,
when I am talking to anyone, prospect or not, I can insert the USP into the conversation.
The idea is to give them a concept of my business that will stick with them,
which is the memorable part. The repeatable aspect would be repeating back to
me, telling someone else what I do, or telling someone why they are using our
service.

The USP should
be:

True representation of the business Brief Catchy On point

True Representation

This
is your reputation. Don’t promise what you won’t or can’t do. So make sure it
is accurate.

Brief

The
USP should be very brief. Why? Because you will want to include it on all your
website pages, Business Cards, and other marketing material.

Catchy

It can be a jingle, but I’m not talking about that. By
catchy I simply mean that it can be easily memorized and inserted into your
everyday conversation.

On Point

This is related to true representation but relates to what
you want your prospect to know. It must be true but it is very important
that it conveys what you do. Perhaps it meets a need or provides something rare
or embraces a ‘value’.

Below you see our USP which says, “we
edit, proof, and publish the book within you”. This may change, but it imparts
what we do and its benefit to you. It is also brief, easily memorized, and
repeatable.

For information on TR Writing Services (“we edit, proof, and publish
the book within you”)  contact us at marketing@tr-indbkstore.com.
We have a Free booklet telling you about our services. And we are upfront on
our prices (all are low).

VISIT MY AUTHOR’S PAGE TODAY: amazon.com/author/rfrederickriddle.

ARE YOU A BOOK REVIEWER? I am
always looking for book reviews. Whether it is Perished The World That Was
(Book One), World of Noah and the Ark (Book Two), World of Shem
(Book Three), World of Abraham (Book Four) or Death Ship (Book One), Pauline A New Home (Book Two), Task
Force Hunter (Book Three), Black Death (Book Four), or Rise of
I.C.E.S. (Book Five), I value your reviews.

If you would like to review any of these books contact me at marketing@tr-indbkstore.com with the subject line indicating that desire. An example of an
appropriate subject line would be: ‘Seek to review [book Title].’ In the email
make sure to indicate your email address, your name, and the choice of copy
(PDF or ePub).

 – – – – – – –

R Frederick
Riddle is the Editor of TR Writing
Services providing help to struggling and/or new
authors to write and publish their books. In addition he is the author of
several books and is best known for Christian Historical and Speculative
Fiction. For more information on him or his books visit his Amazon Authors Page. He is also
co-founder and Vice President of T&R Independent Books where his books are featured. To reply to any blog you have the
option of commenting on a blog and/or sending an email to marketing@tr-indbkstore.com. You may also be interested in his Facebook page at RFrederickRiddlesWorld.

Ron’s Tuesday’s Tip: Local Marketing

Welcome to Ron’s Tuesday’s Tip. Every Tuesday I will share a tip with you. This week is about: Local Marketing.

Last week we
looked at Indie Publishing, but today we’re looking at Local Marketing. You
could also call it Indie Marketing.

The truth is you’re a marketer from the moment you decide to write your book. You need to think like a marketer even as you select your genre and your book. As you get near to your publishing date there are marketing actions you or your publisher can take (reviews, preorders, and more). But over 16 years in the writing business has taught me that marketing locally is a must. Here are some ideas.

Website

Having a website these days is a must
whether it is internal marketing, national marketing, state-wide marketing, or
local marketing. That doesn’t mean you have to have a website with a 100-pages
or more.

I once had such a site because I was
selling items right on the sight itself. It was a store. And it was growing. But
when we moved down here time, energy, and money were constrained due to the
care of my mother-in-law (one of the finest ladies I’ve ever known). So we had
to close it down, but I’ve always maintained a website.

Our current website provides a place
where people can find and/or purchase any books by me or my wife (you are taken
directly to the appropriate book page where you can purchase the paperback or
digital).

No matter what type of marketing you
do, a website is a must!

Book signing at local bookstores

Think out of the box. Nowadays many of
your bigger stores require you to contact their corporate office which you
should consider doing. But smaller bookstores, retail stores, and more might be
open to you doing a book signing.

They may require you to provide the
books, with them getting a percentage of the price, but the key is to get
noticed. Sales are always great to have but getting known locally is an asset.

I’ve done book signings where 20 or
more books were autographed and sold. That is not a lot when compared to
nationally known authors. But you have to start somewhere. Here’s a tip: don’t
let bad weather stop you. When people can’t be outside, they tend to enter
stores and that creates more opportunities!

Speaking engagements

Depending on your genre you may be
able to find businesses, nonprofits, and clubs where you can speak (don’t
forget to take copies of your book with you).

Newspaper interviews

In your community you may have several
newspapers big and small. It’s a good way to get your name out there.

Radio/TV interviews

These are harder to get. There are
radio stations that want authors. You won’t get paid, but you may get
substantial airtime and that can be profitable.

USP

A USP is the anagram for Unique
Selling Proposition. You can also think of this as your motto. Ours is “We
edit, proof, and publish the book within you” and appears on most, if not all,
our marketing materials.

Your USP should be short, memorable,
and repeatable.

Elevator Speech

This is a short message that is longer
than the USP but can be delivered in a time span no longer than an elevator
ride. It could be an expanded version of your USP.

These are just a few ideas that may work for you. The key
is to think of your local area as your marketing zone. It’s not the big markets
on the internet and around the globe, but some writers do quite well
emphasizing the local market.

Speaking personally, I am reevaluating my marketing. With
my wife’s health and my health not what they used to be there is a need to stay
local. Staying local is not only more convenient health-wise,  but it is less expensive and less stressful.

For information on TR Writing Services (“we edit, proof, and publish
the book within you”)  contact us at marketing@tr-indbkstore.com.
We have a Free booklet telling you about our services. And we are upfront on
our prices (all are low).

VISIT MY AUTHOR’S PAGE TODAY: amazon.com/author/rfrederickriddle.

ARE YOU A BOOK REVIEWER? I am
always looking for book reviews. Whether it is Perished The World That Was
(Book One), World of Noah and the Ark (Book Two), World of Shem
(Book Three), World of Abraham (Book Four) or Death Ship (Book One), Pauline A New Home (Book Two), Task
Force Hunter (Book Three), Black Death (Book Four), or Rise of
I.C.E.S. (Book Five), I value your reviews.

If you would like to review any of these books contact me at marketing@tr-indbkstore.com with the subject line indicating that desire. An example of an
appropriate subject line would be: ‘Seek to review [book Title].’ In the email
make sure to indicate your email address, your name, and the choice of copy
(PDF or ePub).

 – – – – – – –

R Frederick
Riddle is the Editor of TR Writing
Services providing help to struggling and/or new
authors to write and publish their books. In addition he is the author of several
books and is best known for Christian Historical and Speculative Fiction. For
more information on him or his books visit his Amazon Authors Page. He is also
co-founder and Vice President of T&R Independent Books where his books are featured. To reply to any blog you have the
option of commenting on a blog and/or sending an email to marketing@tr-indbkstore.com. You may also be interested in his Facebook page at RFrederickRiddlesWorld.

Friday News : Impeachment

Welcome to Friday News. Every Friday I share news with you; primarily
about writing and sometimes about life in general. This week it is about:Impeachment.

The news media is all excited about the recent vote by the House of
Representatives to formalize the Impeachment Inquiry, but is it worth all the
print? Well, anytime you have any action regarding a public official,
especially the President of the United States, it is important. But the real
question is its validity.

What is impeachment?

According to Wikipedia it is “Articles
of impeachment are the set of charges drafted against a public official to
initiate the impeachment process. The articles of impeachment do not result in
the removal of the official, but instead require the enacting body to take
further action, such as bringing the articles to a vote before the full body.

In the United States, the articles of
impeachment are drafted by the House of Representatives for cases involving
federal officials. Once drafted, a supermajority of the United States Senate is
required to convict based on the articles.”

Although
the media knows better their reporting tends to make people think that
impeachment means conviction. It is only a set of charges. The way the House is
doing it is more like a Grand Jury, although I don’t believe that was our
founders intent. So far, it has been innuendo, third party, and unknown people
making charges.

When
you read the statements of people involved you don’t get much in the way of
facts, but statements that are generalized and lacking in substance.

Why
is the President being Impeached?

That
is the question of the century. When you look at recent history you see that
presidents have done similar things such as the President is accused of doing.
Basically the charge narrows down to he used economic power to try to get a
foreign government to accede to a goal or action he desired.

The
Democrats charge, with no proof, that the President did this out of fear of Joe
Biden’s candidacy for President. While no proof has been found to bolster this
opinion, the truth is that this whole episode hurts Biden more than the
President. There are serious questions about Biden and his son. While the media
claims that there is no proof of any misdeeds, the fact remains that the reason
nothing was found was that Biden used the U.S. economic power to get rid of a
prosecuting attorney who was investigating Hunter Biden and the company he was
part of. Joe Biden even publicly bragged about his successful effort.

And
then the investigation and its documentation seemingly disappeared and is now
said not to have taken place. I couldn’t write a better whodunit.

Hunter
may be innocent of any wrongdoing, but the investigation should be pursued.

Why
aren’t the Republican’s involved in the inquiry?

Because
the Democrats don’t want the Republicans messing up their plans. It is the only
explanation that makes any sense.

What
happens if the House Impeaches Trump?

That
is a good question. The Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has options. He
could dismiss the impeachment, set rules for the trial and/or have a full-scale
trial.

If
there is a trial, what will be the outcome?

I
don’t have a crystal ball, but I doubt that you could get enough Senators to
vote for Impeachment. Not all Democrats and certainly not many Republicans
would vote guilty, especially since there is no evidence of wrongdoing. Which
brings up why the vote for Impeachment Inquiry.

The
Democrats have nothing more than a he said/he said portfolio. Although they
passed the Impeachment Inquiry, passing Impeachment is not necessarily a given.
Many Democrats don’t believe an impeachable offense has been committed. This
means they need facts, so the inquiry is nothing but a fishing expedition.

Will
They Succeed?

Doubtful.
As said earlier, President Trump used his power the same way Democratic and
Republican Presidents have used it in the past. You may not like that display
of power, but it is acceptable in today’s world.

What
Impact will this have on the Election?

Whether
the President is impeached or not by the House I believe it will blow up in the
faces of the Democrats (much like it did for Republicans trying to impeach
Clinton). The American public is tired of the constant turmoil stirred up by
Democrats unhappy over Trump’s election. Despite the news media’s cooperation
with the Democrats, the American people have resources for getting the truth
and they don’t like the smell coming out of the House.

It’s
just my opinion, but I think the Republicans will retake the House.

For information on TR Writing Services (“we
edit, proof, and publish the book within you”)  contact us at marketing@tr-indbkstore.com.
We have a Free booklet telling you about our services. And we are upfront on
our prices (all are low).

VISIT MY AUTHOR’S PAGE TODAY: amazon.com/author/rfrederickriddle.

ARE YOU A BOOK REVIEWER? I am
always looking for book reviews. Whether it is Perished The World That Was
(Book One), World of Noah and the Ark (Book Two), World of Shem
(Book Three), World of Abraham (Book Four) or Death Ship (Book One), Pauline A New Home (Book Two), Task
Force Hunter (Book Three), Black Death (Book Four), or Rise of
I.C.E.S. (Book Five), I value your reviews.

If you would like to review any of these books contact me at marketing@tr-indbkstore.com with the subject line indicating that desire. An example of an
appropriate subject line would be: ‘Seek to review [book Title].’ In the email
make sure to indicate your email address, your name, and the choice of copy
(PDF or Epub).

 – – – – – – –

R Frederick
Riddle is the Editor of TR Writing
Services providing help to struggling and/or new
authors to write and publish their books. In addition, he is the author of
several books and is best known for Christian Historical and Speculative
Fiction. For more information on him or his books visit his Amazon Authors Page. He is also
co-founder and Vice President of T&R Independent Books where his books are
featured. To reply to any blog you have the option of commenting on a blog
and/or sending an email to marketing@tr-indbkstore.com. You may
also be interested in his Facebook page at RFrederickRiddlesWorld.

Ron’s Tuesday’s Tip: Successful Writing is not a Hobby

Welcome to Ron’s Tuesday’s Tip. Every Tuesday I will share a tip with you. This week is about: Successful Writing is not a Hobby.

Being an author
is both a journey and an adventure. Plus, it is always a challenge.

When reviewing your taxes the IRS views your business as a hobby if it doesn’t make a profit within 3 years. That strict rule should be regarded as simply wrong!

Writing is a
business whether you profit or not. I’m going to look at 3 very important
attributes of a successful writer. These are Writing is a Journey, Writing is
an Adventure, and Writing is a Challenge.

Writing is a
Journey.

When I first
started writing I was a teenager. Nobody in my family or elsewhere knew of my
secret desire to be a writer. I was afraid they would mock me. But that is when
my journey began.

I knew nothing
about writing other than I wanted to write books, novels in particular. My
first step in my journey actually took place as a child. I liked to daydream
and I had a good imagination. I would adopt characters from television and I
would become that character, then I would fight the bad guys. I was a hero both
on Earth and in outer space. But transitioning to a teenager I started writing
my stories. The problem was that to continue as a hero, I had to write First
Person. But that made me uncomfortable, so I changed to Third Person. This was
the second step of my journey. This was an important step that has influence me
ever since.

Over the years
my writing was interrupted by service in the Navy, but I resumed after I got
out. It was as a young man that I came across an ad for the Famous Writers
School. I applied and was accepted (the school accepted just about anyone). I
then paid for the course which I believe was a three-year course. I’ve sense
learned that there was much dishonesty on the school’s part and that their fee
was excessive. But I didn’t know that and started taking the course.

In any case, I
did well in the course and was getting more confident. Then in 1974 I was laid
off from work. I ended up dropping out and after resuming work I never reapplied.
But my journey continued. Whether my grades were honest or not, I believed them
to be and I pressed forward. This was my third step.

In 1973 I’d asked
Jesus to forgive me my sins and come into my heart. Over time this proved not
only life changing, but much of the trash (sin) in my life was not only
forgiven but purged from my life. This was my fourth step in my journey as a
writer, but more importantly it was an eternal step in my life. The influence
of this new life would become far greater than a mere step!

 From 1973 to 2001 I pressed forward trying to
write. After dropping out of the Famous Writers School I continued trying to
write without any guidance. Time after time I would start writing. Sometimes I managed
to write several chapters, but inevitably I would run into a wall. That would
stop me cold!

Writing is an
Adventure.

My journey
continues to this day, but becoming a Christian turned it into an adventure. At
first, I tried writing poems. I had one notable success with that in that in
won my future wife’s heart. But writing poems was not my desire and I
eventually stopped.

I then took up
computer programming. I taught myself how to write Visual Basic programming and
was able to write short programs for work and for myself. But as the computer
programming got progressively more complicated and expensive. Being
self-trained I couldn’t make the transition to the more complicated codes coming
on scene. Thus, ended my brief career as a computer programmer. That had been
an adventure, but I was soon to begin what I consider the adventure of a
lifetime!

In 2001 I had been a Christian for 28 years. By this time I developed a morning devotions routine that included morning prayer and Bible study. One morning I was reading the Book of Genesis and the story of Noah and the Ark. Unlike the myth of Gilgamesh which was written after the fall of the Tower of Babel, the Bible story is a firsthand account probably written by Shem, the son of Noah, about 100 years or more before Gilgamesh . While often treated as a myth it is not.

As I read the account it suddenly came to me that here is a skeletal account of the events. God wasn’t interested in entertaining us but  explain history in such a way as to point to the coming of Jesus. But I, being interested in writing a novel and a lover of history, realized that here was a plot filled with characters and that I had the opportunity to clothe the facts with fictionalized skin to bring the people and events alive! It changed my writing career.

The next phase
of my adventure involved research. Outside of the Bible there is no evidence
telling us how people lived before the Flood. But both the Bible and secular history
tells us a lot about after the Flood.

Using the Bible
as the primary source of information (it’s the only reliable source) I began digging.
It didn’t take long to realize that evolutionary theory has so corrupted our
understanding of history that secular history varies, is often contradictory,
and confusing. But when I focused on the 100 to 300 years after the Flood, I
began noticing facts, such as the fact that a highly developed civilization
existed shortly after the Flood. How do you explain that?

Doing the
research proved to be hard, tiring, and eventually rewarding. It was an
adventure. Researching for your story is not always so rewarding, but it is
always necessary.

Writing is a
Challenge.

The story of my
researching the pre-Flood and post-Flood history could easily be placed here.
Research is a challenge. But my focus here is on getting published.

In 2003 I
submitted my first novel to AuthorHouse. As I recall it cost me about $400.
AuthorHouse belongs in the category of a self-publisher. As I have blogged in
the past there are three distinct types of publishers; Traditional, Self, and
Indie.

At the time I
was unaware of Indie publishing (I believe it came along later). The term
Self-publishers suggests that you the author have control. You don’t. What it
means is you pay upfront for the publishing of your book. Basically, that is
the ‘self’ part. They control almost all of the power levers. Fortunately, I
did know this and opted out of their Editing resource. I used quotations from
the King James Version and feared they would opt for the unreliable newer
versions. Aside from that I had very little control over the publishing
process. Still my first novel got published and I was able to celebrate my
becoming an author!

In the summer of
2014 my wife, Teresa, and I founded T&R Independent Books and we became
Indie Publishers! This was the beginning of a new adventure and a lot of new
challenges. Since then I’ve republished all of my previous books and published
newer books. Soon we hope to start publishing Teresa’s books (under the name
Tess).

Now, we are
embarking on another venture under the T&R Independent Books business. This
year we have opened our new service called TR Writing Services. I have
discussed this in my last Tuesday Tip: Indie Publishing. In short, we guide any
writer who wants our service through the various steps of getting published.
This involves editing spelling and grammar, proofing, setting up their account
with KDP, and getting the book published.

We are also
thinking about providing their own web page on our website. It would include
their photo, bio, book cover, and description with a link to their Amazon page.
This would provide them a first step in their marketing.

What is a Successful Writer?

There are many
answers to that question. The most common one is that a successful writer is
one who makes money. The IRS would certainly agree with that idea, but is
that really what success is all about?

That, in my opinion, is a short-sighted idea. Rather than money being the determinant factor why not the reading pleasure your book(s) bring to people who read your books?

A hobby suggests
something you do in your spare time and maybe only a couple of hours a week.
But a serious writer does far more than that!

No, I believe a
successful writer is an author who works the craft of writing virtually every
day. He/she invests time, energy, and money into their craft. And they write
compelling stories. Money is a desirable byproduct or outcome, not the sole
determinant of success.

For information on TR Writing Services (“we edit, proof, and publish
the book within you”)  contact us at marketing@tr-indbkstore.com.
We have a Free booklet telling you about our services. And we are upfront on
our prices (all are low).

VISIT MY AUTHOR’S PAGE TODAY: amazon.com/author/rfrederickriddle.

ARE YOU A BOOK REVIEWER? I am
always looking for book reviews. Whether it is Perished The World That Was
(Book One), World of Noah and the Ark (Book Two), World of Shem
(Book Three), World of Abraham (Book Four) or Death Ship (Book One), Pauline A New Home (Book Two), Task
Force Hunter (Book Three), Black Death (Book Four), or Rise of
I.C.E.S. (Book Five), I value your reviews.

If you would like to review any of these books contact me at marketing@tr-indbkstore.com with the subject line indicating that desire. An example of an
appropriate subject line would be: ‘Seek to review [book Title].’ In the email
make sure to indicate your email address, your name, and the choice of copy
(PDF or ePub).

 – – – – – – –

R Frederick
Riddle is the Editor of TR Writing
Services providing help to struggling and/or new
authors to write and publish their books. In addition he is the author of
several books and is best known for Christian Historical and Speculative
Fiction. For more information on him or his books visit his Amazon Authors Page. He is also
co-founder and Vice President of T&R Independent Books where his books are featured. To reply to any blog you have the
option of commenting on a blog and/or sending an email to marketing@tr-indbkstore.com. You may also be interested in his Facebook page at RFrederickRiddlesWorld.

Friday News : Candidate Follow Up

Welcome to Friday News. Every Friday I share news with you; primarily
about writing and sometimes about life in general. This week it is about:Candidate
Follow Up.

In my book 2020
Election Candidates & Issues I not only listed the candidates and their
stands on the issues, I made predictions on their candidacy.

Let’s take a
look: (an “X” means correct as of now; ! means wrong)

Candidate

Prediction

Result

OK

Michael Bennet

Drops out after Super Tuesday

 

 

Joe Biden

Drops out after Super Tuesday

Slipping;

X

Bill de Blasio

Drops out before Super Tuesday

Out Sep. 20, 2019

X

Cory Booker

Drops out before Super Tuesday

 

 

Steve Bullock

Drops out before Super Tuesday

 

 

Pete Buttigieg

Drops out after Super Tuesday

Emerging

 

Julian Castro

Drops out after Super Tuesday

 

 

Hillary Clinton

Maybe enters race*

Thinking about it

X

Hillary Clinton

Drops out after Super Tuesday

 

 

John Delaney

Drops out before Super Tuesday

 

 

Tulsi Gabbard

Drops out after Super Tuesday

 

 

Kirsten Gillibrand

Drops out before Super Tuesday

Out Aug. 28, 2019

X

Al Gore

Maybe enters race

 

X

Al Gore

Drops out after Super Tuesday

 

 

Mike Gravel

Drops out before Super Tuesday

Out Aug. 6, 2019

X

Kamala Harris

Winning nomination

Slipping

 

John Hickenlooper

Drops out before Super Tuesday

Out Aug. 19, 2019

X

Jay Inslee

Drops out before Super Tuesday

Out Aug. 21, 2019

X

Amy Klobuchar

Drops out after Super Tuesday

 

!

Wayne Messam

Drops out before Super Tuesday

 

 

Seth Moulton

Drops out before Super Tuesday

Out Aug. 2019

X

Beto O’Rourke

Drops out after Super Tuesday

 

 

Tim Ryan

Drops out before/after Super
Tuesday
  Out Oct. 23, 2019 ! 
Bernie Sanders

Drops out after Super Tuesday

Slipping;

X

Tom
Stever

Drops out before Super Tuesday

 

 

Eric Swalwell

Drops out before Super Tuesday

Out July 8, 2019

X

Elizabeth Warren

Winning nomination

At top

X

Bill Weld

Drops out before Super Tuesday

 

 

Marianne Williamson

Drops out before/after Super
Tuesday

 

 

Andrew Yang

Might win nomination

 

 

Donald Trump

Wins nomination & election

Ahead

X

* My most interesting prediction
concerned Hillary Clinton entering the race. While she has not done so, she is
increasingly acting like a candidate. In my prediction I gave reasons for ‘not entering’
the race. My opinion hasn’t changed nor am I surprised by her interest (see
2020 Election Candidates & Issues, pg.46).

In the chart above you can see that every dropout was predicted by me. Further, I have consistently placed Warren as a possible winner. I predicted Harris to be a possible winner, but she’s been slipping lately. Too early to tell. Biden is at the top but his percentages keep slipping and I think my prediction about him dropping after Super Tuesday is still valid. Sanders has continued to slip and I still think he drops out after Super Tuesday.

Tim Ryan dropped out just this week. I had predicted him dropping out after Super Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Trump
remains solid. Head to head polls mean nothing, but overall job performance is
in low 40’s, which is fine this early in the race. It is hard to discern given
the overall bias of the media, but as we get closer to the conventions I expect
his numbers to rise.

I am pleased
that my predictions have been right on course. Time will tell just how accurate
I’ve been.

For information on TR Writing Services (“we
edit, proof, and publish the book within you”)  contact us at marketing@tr-indbkstore.com.
We have a Free booklet telling you about our services. And we are upfront on
our prices (all are low).

VISIT MY AUTHOR’S PAGE TODAY: amazon.com/author/rfrederickriddle.

ARE YOU A BOOK REVIEWER? I am
always looking for book reviews. Whether it is Perished The World That Was
(Book One), World of Noah and the Ark (Book Two), World of Shem (Book
Three), World of Abraham (Book Four) or Death Ship (Book One), Pauline A New Home (Book Two), Task
Force Hunter (Book Three), Black Death (Book Four), or Rise of
I.C.E.S. (Book Five), I value your reviews.

If you would like to review any of these books contact me at marketing@tr-indbkstore.com with the subject line indicating that desire. An example of an
appropriate subject line would be: ‘Seek to review [book Title].’ In the email
make sure to indicate your email address, your name, and the choice of copy
(PDF or Epub).

 – – – – – – –

R Frederick
Riddle is the Editor of TR Writing
Services providing help to struggling and/or new
authors to write and publish their books. In addition, he is the author of
several books and is best known for Christian Historical and Speculative
Fiction. For more information on him or his books visit his Amazon Authors Page. He is also
co-founder and Vice President of T&R Independent Books where his books are
featured. To reply to any blog you have the option of commenting on a blog
and/or sending an email to marketing@tr-indbkstore.com. You may
also be interested in his Facebook page at RFrederickRiddlesWorld.

Ron’s Tuesday’s Tip: Indie Publishing

Welcome to Ron’s Tuesday’s Tip. Every Tuesday I will share a tip with you. This weeks blog is a followup to last Friday’s blog Do You Desire to be an Independent Author? This week it’s about:Indie Publishing.

Principle

These days the author has more responsibility than ever before – and
more opportunities!

In days gone by the author wrote a novel, submitted it to a publisher,
and once accepted, relaxed. But that is no longer true!

There are all kinds of publishers out there. But here I want to
present you with a different perspective. There are three kinds of publishing:
Traditional, Self, and Indie. You are about to see what I was talking about.

Traditional Publishing

This is basically represented by the big publishing houses. It is a
far cry from the publishers your mom and pop knew, although some have the same
name. These publishers are in almost total control.

Nowadays many of them require you to have an agent before they’ll look at your manuscript. That’s a red flag to me. Nothing against agents, but the whole experience of searching for an agent, finding the right agent, being rejected or accepted by the agent, and then submitting my work to a publisher is time consuming, can be expensive, and does not guarantee being published.

As for the publishers themselves, they control just about everything
from submission, to editing, and to publishing. They’ll help you with marketing,
but you are ultimately responsible for that. Unless you already are well-known.

Traditional publishers do pay royalties which are usually based on reaching
certain predetermined book sales goals.

Self-Publishing

Although the name suggests you are in charge it really means you pay
up front to have your book published. Thus, some people refer to it as vanity
publishing. It has come a long way, but they still have control over the most
important aspects of the publishing experience.

And you still are responsible for the marketing.

Indie Publishing

This is the subject of today’s blog.

But first a brief history. I self-published my first novel in 2003.
Since then I have written a number of books. The first four books were all
published by self-publishers. But in 2013 I discovered Smashwords.com and
published my first eBook. (My other books were also in eBook format, but the publisher
did this because I paid for it.)

This discovery has changed my life and now I am about to reveal to you
what I believe is a better way to publish.

That better way is simply: You as an Indie publisher!

At the time there was almost no information on the subject but today there’s considerable. It is called Indie Publishing which tells you right off the bat that as a publisher you are independent! This is an important distinction.

Indie Publishing is the author taking ultimate charge. Basically, it means selecting a printer or publisher to print your books. And there are publishers out there willing to be your printer and even your marketer.

The one I am most familiar with is Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP). CreateSpace
whom I was with previously merged with KDP, so now all my print books are with
KDP. Plus, I have eBooks with KDP. I also have used Smashwords for e-Books, but
they are not my primary.

I will discuss KDP more in the example. I have also located at least
one other printer called Best Value Copy. They are an online printing service
that provides quality work at reasonable prices. However, I have not used them
or any other publishing platform because KDP has proven to me that they are very
capable and affordable.

In looking for a quality printer you can try your own neighborhood.
For example, there is a Staples store not far from us that gives business
discounts to authors using their printing services. That suggests the
possibility that other office supply stores may offer the same services.

But assuming the role of publisher is more than just getting a
printer. You literally take on the responsibilities of a publisher! You
may have to seek your own ISBN, copyright, and other important items.

In our case, we listed ourselves with the State of Florida with a DBA
(Doing Business As) name of T&R Independent Books. Because we use KDP we
are able to use their ISBNs which are free, although they also sell other ISBNs
for a modest price. Copyrights are free.

It is both exciting and scary. But the rewards can be awesome. For example, a self-publisher may give us anywhere from 8% to 40% royalty depending on volume of books sold. But as our own publisher the percentage jumps up to 60% and more (before costs and taxes). And no predetermined sales goals; you get the royalties from the start.

In addition to that, we have virtual control over every aspect. It is
true that with Kindle Direct some control lies with them, but it is also true
that such controls are limited.

In establishing our own publishing business we also took on the marketing of the books, which is another subject.  But in short, we are now able to use the marketing tools that we used to buy from the publisher. Now we have the authority to market the books as we see fit without incurring exorbitant costs.

Tip #1: As an Indie publisher you pay for the ISBN (if necessary), the copyright, and other legal fees.

Tip #2: Indie publishers can get gross royalties of 60% and more. Even after taxes the profits are excellent.

Example

I promised to discuss Kindle Direct Publishing and here we go.

When my wife first expressed the desire to start writing her own
novels it fitted right in with the idea of T&R Independent Books. So, we
immediately began researching what the costs would be to publish.

We searched the internet for both local and online printers.
Eventually we settled on KDP because of three primary factors:

We would retain
ownership of all rights.Costs were
reasonable.KDP would provide
us worldwide marketing.

(At this time we were dealing with CreateSpace but in 2018 they merged
with KDP. KDP is virtually the same as CreateSpace and both are owned by
Amazon.)

These are career changing factors. Although we have and will do our
own marketing, being in the KDP loop will expand our marketing a thousand times
over!

While their imprint will be on our books, there will be no question of
the identity of the real publisher which is T&R Independent Books.

Application

In establishing T&R Independent Books we also took over what was
formerly known as RFrederickRiddle’s Bookstore. But instead of marketing our
books from our own website (an excellent marketing option) we closed down the
store and opted to direct all potential buyers to Amazon and Kindle. We still
have control over the marketing, including the tracking of sales but the
customer has the familiarity of buying on Amazon. Plus, KDP has powerful
tracking tools!

KDP enables us to exercise several marketing options, some being free.
Does this guarantee sales? Of course not. But it does give us maximum control
and flexibility.

Becoming your own publisher is no longer a new idea. And it has the
potential to change the publishing landscape in years to come. You should
seriously consider this avenue.

For information on TR Writing Services contact us at marketing@tr-indbkstore.com.
We have a Free booklet telling you about our services. And we are upfront on
our prices (all are low).

VISIT MY AUTHOR’S PAGE TODAY: amazon.com/author/rfrederickriddle.

ARE YOU A BOOK REVIEWER? I am
always looking for book reviews. Whether it is Perished The World That Was
(Book One), World of Noah and the Ark (Book Two), World of Shem
(Book Three), World of Abraham (Book Four) or Death Ship (Book One), Pauline A New Home (Book Two), Task
Force Hunter (Book Three), Black Death (Book Four), or Rise of
I.C.E.S. (Book Five), I value your reviews.

If you would like to review any of these books contact me at marketing@tr-indbkstore.com with the subject line indicating that desire. An example of an
appropriate subject line would be: ‘Seek to review [book Title].’ In the email
make sure to indicate your email address, your name, and the choice of copy
(PDF or ePub).

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R Frederick
Riddle is the Editor of TR Writing
Services providing help to struggling and/or new
authors to write and publish their books. In addition he is the author of
several books and is best known for Christian Historical and Speculative
Fiction. For more information on him or his books visit his Amazon Authors Page. He is also
co-founder and Vice President of T&R Independent Books where his books are featured. To reply to any blog you have the
option of commenting on a blog and/or sending an email to marketing@tr-indbkstore.com. You may also be interested in his Facebook page at RFrederickRiddlesWorld.