Rebecca A. Emrich's Blog, page 25

The Self-Publishing Illusion

Illusion: something that deceives by producing a false or misleading impression of reality.



If you are a self-publisher, you've already read many anarticle which claims that self-publishing your book is the way to go, you've already read other articles which tell you how you can earn more money by self-publishing, and you've already readarticles which dispute these claims as being misleading

Clarity and Publishing a Book

If you plan on publishing a book, you need to be clear. Being clear is not about planning or worse still won't care and put the book down. this results in loss of future profits, as an unhappy reader will tell others not to read your writing and published works. This is the same when writing a book, even when writing a fiction book or non-fiction book.

What makes writing clear to the reader?

Terry Brooks and His Writing

I have, for the most part, enjoyed reading the writing of Terry Brooks. He is one of my favourite fantasy writers, and he is also one of the main reasons I've became a writer. Lately however, I've found myself going back to him and feeling a bit disenchanted by his newer works. I still have fond recollections of the Sword of Shannara, and the other two books which are part of his trilogy, but

Google Ads, and Writers

On the Internet, when we want to look at anything we go online to a search engine, most likely Google, and use keywords- and then go to a website that we believe fits fits our needs based on what we read. This is why people publish what they publish so that people can find information with ease.

This is why as writers we have to think about summaries and how people think about us.

Most

Can Facebook and Twitter Help Authors?

I've written at length about how Facebook and Twitter, and other social media can hurt your bottom line or create a challenge for an author to continue to have book sales. I've also written about how they can lose you your hard earned money if things go wrong.

I've not dug deep into the idea of how these social media giants can help you. I suspect it is because I am by nature a cynical person,

Should You Self-Publish Your Book With CreateSpace?

CreateSpace is part of the ever growing Amazon umbrella of companies. Unlike Xlibris or iUniverse or AuthorHouse, if you simply want to have your book self-published under the ISBN of CreateSpace, or simply don't care to use the services they offer, that is up to you.

There is a lot of opportunity left in the self-publishing world, but the time where there was a lot of growth- or competition

Where Is The Best Place to Promote Your Book?

Not Twitter. Not Facebook. Not on Google Plus. Not with family or friends. No, these aren't places you should promote your book on. These are places, and people, you can have comments and chats with about you and your book, but they aren't the best place to promote your book.

If this is the case, and you self-publish a book, or have several books you've been writing/ self-published, it

Perils of Writers, or, Have I Got a Sale For You

How helpful are Twitter and Facebook in increasing sales of your book?

Unless you are Kiera Cass, Terry Brooks, John Grisham, or George Takei, what you have to offer to readers on Twitter and Facebook will not help the sales of your book. You might have a lot of subscribers or followers or fans, but when push comes to shove, do you have what it takes to get more sales?

If it's twitter or

You, Social Media, and Money

How much money should you spend using social media?

Social media can be a leech in terms of time needed to get "seen" by the people who matter most to you- your readers. Living a Life of writing has been around as a blog or website since 2008, but I've only been active on twitter and Facebook in the past year.

There are a few things I've learned about Twitter and Facebook which have challenged

Guest Blogger Judy Croome: A Rose By Any Other Name (Or Branding Yourself)

A
Rose by Any Other Name

by
Judy Croome



Walking
into a grocery store to buy some butter, we go straight to the aisle
marked ‘Dairy’, choose the brand we prefer and head to the till
to pay for it. Imagine how difficult shopping would be if we couldn’t
name
the item we wanted.




Shop
assistant: ‘Can I
help you?’



Me:
‘I’m looking for that yellow stuff.’



Shop
assistant (looking a
bit