P.D.R.’s Comments (group member since Mar 06, 2017)

P.D.R.’s comments from the Navigating Indieworld Discussing All Things Indie group.

About to follow Aislinn's instructions and send you all grateful thanks. Doubtless I will coming howling back for help when I do something stupid so please don't give up on me. I work best - being old and hating computers - with a real person standing next to me and talking me through. I have never grown used to those darned call centres or those automated voices!

Cheers! Have a great weekend everyone.

No FB, tweeted and blogged. Will join in more next time.

True, Carole, and in the hope of learning more here's an advanced notice for the next Indie Fringe. Will put your suggestion forward Sandy. They might be able to do a PDF which you can download.

BOOKEXPO INDIE AUTHOR FRINGE. ONLINE EVENT, GLOBAL
• Cost: Free
• Date: Saturday June 3rd
Our next Indie Author Fringe event will focus on providing the kind of author education that will be lacking at BookExpo. Our focus will be Selling Your Book & Reaching Readers (book marketing and promotion).

The information was just so mind blowing for me as I knew about various things to do but did not know how to do them all, find the time to do them all or frame my writer's only mind to stop saying "Ug! Yukky pushy sales stuff." Once I could understand how simple the tasks are and how they helped put my books in a better position for sales I realised that the time spent was valuable not pushy!

Oops! Sorry Anna.

Listen to 'How To Position Your Book For Success Right From The Start' Kathy Meis at the blog Self publishing advice. I think it's moved to page two now, maybe three but her very long talk is full of stuff you want to use. You'll need to listen and take lots of notes several times before you take on board what she's said.

I thought I was doing well with my book design and presentation then I was hit by really good articles at Indiesunlimited.com - now there's a place full of useful indie information for all Indies. Excellent stock of resources and kind people. - The articles were about what to put at the front and back of our books.

Ah ha! I thought.

Then last weekend I 'attended', via computer, the London Book Fair's Indie Fringe festival:
http://selfpublishingadvice.org/alli-...
and realised how much I was failing to do with the presentation and the back of my books.
Listen to 'How To Position Your Book For Success Right From The Start' Kathy Meis and 'Improve Your Book Descriptions and Audience Targeting' Jane Friedman

Do go and check out all the details at both sources but have a think. Do ebook readers need a blank title page? Could the contents become hooks with lively headings like Chapter One. Whose body is it? Could we get a different blurb and a few review snippets up there instead of blank space and hook more readers to buy?

What about the back pages? How about adding reading groups questions? What about a thank for reading this novel and would you write a review request? Is your About the Author snappy and yet personal? Do you have all the links to your other books?

And take note of those ten things to do to present your novel successfully. The analysis of the best sellers in your genre really opened my eyes as did the cover analysis.

Have a think and see if the ideas presented make sense. They have made me take a good look at my book presentation and hopefully improve it.

Well bless you! How kind. No rush. I am putting all three novels out the Italian site: https://www.streetlib.com/home and it isn't urgent yet. Just another string to my sales bow!

Aislin that looks most helpful. Thank you so much!

I cannot try it out right now as I have a deadline to meet for an editor which will keep my busy for a few days! BUT I think I understand what you've said which is a start. I am helpless without someone to talk me through things when it comes to computers.

Thank you, Bernard I will have a look at your user manual but the one I've just read which came with my download only talks about how to organise your bought ebooks and how to convert their formats.There is nothing said about converting doc files!

Are there perhaps two versions or is just that I hate computers and am having a helluva time getting round this new programme?

Argh! Your link isn't working, Bernard.

Technophobe Grandma here can't even see how to get a file into Calibre. It seems to only want to deal in ebooks.

I can't even find how to open a file!!!!

I HATE computers

Having installed Calibre I now find that it only seems to convert actual ebooks from one format to another.

I need a programme to convert my .doc files to e-pub.

Thank you, Alex, but I have a hard time convincing Amazon that.

It's okay on my print versions but not for my e-books!

Oh wonderful. Will go and hunt Calibre down. Thank you both.

Anyone got a recommendation for a programme which can save your doc files into epub?

I know there are some. Atlantis I believe one is called.
Anyone use one?
Anyone know a free one?
Anyone use one and have problems uploading their file?

Amazon does not pay me 70% because I am not using the Select progamme. I'm part of the UK Commonwealth and have other markets, bookshops and distributors. I find limiting myself to the KDP Select is limiting as far as sales go.

I am looking to get my books into a lot of the English language book sites/shops in many different countries. StreetLib does that. They also offer translation possibilities which should be better than looking for non-native speakers claiming to be translators on Ffivr!

At the Amazon 30% rate I do better elsewhere.

Just noticed you are talking dollars. Sorry I am talking euros can't see dollars on the site!

Thank you R.L.

http://selfpublishingadvice.org/impro... Superb one
Bublish talk:
http://selfpublishingadvice.org/how-t...

So much to learn. Teaches me not to think I was doing well!!!

Did you all look at Streetlib's distribution and its possible translation aspect? I am certainly going to publish there!

The Bublish list of ten things and all the analysis involved were a revelation! I thought I was doing quite well now I know how much more to do to increase sales!

Wish I could shout it in all the groups' ears/ I've been nagging my writing students about it for weeks.

http://selfpublishingadvice.org/how-t...

This is the Indie Fringe Festival at the London Book Fair. There are some fabulous talks. I've been listening all day. The Bublish woman was fantastically helpful re marketing, did you know to analyse all the best selling books in your genre re covers, format, what else the buyers bought etc? and there are some nice giveaways.

Honestly, please do get listening you will learn a lot!