5 Lessons learned from the USPS postal rate increase
Yesterday I went to mail an autographed book to Australia. I was shocked to find out that the Priority Mail International postal rates increased over 40% (from $16.95 to $23.95), making the postage to Europe and Australia more than the cost of the book. My immediate thought was that this postage hike would adversely affect…
10 ways to deal with a negative book review
Last night, I got a negative 2-star review. It was titled Have read cook-books written with more elan and aliveness than this travel report/book … . This reader was unhappy with the book. Have you ever had a bad review? Did you get upset? Did you laugh? Even though I know that a book may…
Making your author dreams come true
What are your dreams as an author? Prior to releasing my first book, I dreamed about topping the charts in sales, of sipping a fancy drink on a beach while the money poured into my accounts, and of the glory of being, Jane V. Blanchard, the author. In reality, seven months after release, the book…
Why Writing and Editing Services Help the Indie Writer
It took me seven months to write my first book. After making corrections suggested by several beta readers and reviewers, I felt that the book was ready. I was anxious to publish, especially since I was going on tour to talk about the Camino de Santiago. I ordered 100 copies, and then sent one to…
Expanded Distribution—the way to get your indie book in stores and libraries
This morning I received an email from a reader who wanted to carry my book in her store and did not know how to go about placing an order for books for resale. She is in the process of developing an online catalog as well as expanding her store to include books. My first thought…
Establishing the genre – getting off on the right foot
Have you ever wanted to know if you picked the correct genre for your book? Is there a better way to categorize your book? The following article, reprinted from Arthur Crandon’s Writing Matters may help you in defining your genre. I want to start with the bleedin’ obvious. You MUST consider the genre of your…
Things to consider when setting up a blog
Have you just written your book and wonder what to know next? I was at that point just six months ago. I had read about how successful bloggers are in driving readers to the website, and I wanted to do the same. Since I had experience with the Internet and even had a personal blog,…
Nine helpful tweeting tips for authors
Do you tweet? I’ve been tweeting for about six months. I have two accounts, one for me as author (@janevblanchard) and one for the book (@womenoftheway). For the most part, the author account tweets are about writing and publishing whereas the book tweets are about the Camino and the book itself, although there is an…
Positive influencers in the indie writing community
One of the lessons I learned while hiking the Camino de Santiago was the importance of community and camaraderie. As I walked over 500 miles in northern Spain, many people crossed my path. Through their kindness and generosity, I learned that what is important in life is giving. Returning home, I joined a new community,…