Writing.skserver.org

By Deanna Mascle

Self publishing your own book is one of the publishing industry’s dirty little secrets. Mainstream publishers, editors, and authors easily dismiss self publishing and print on demand publishing as a rip-off for both the writer and reader. After all, if the writer was a real writer then they could find a real publisher, right? That has been the conventional wisdom for a long time but in today’s modern, technological society that conventional wisdom does not always hold true. So who should consider self publishing?
Read the article »

By Kevin Rockwell

There has been much written and discussed about how you can distinguish yourself and generate traffic to your website through article writing and submission. However I wanted to make some comments and give you an insight into my story and that of several of my web friends who have successfully used this strategy.

The first thing I would tell you is that this is one method of generating buzz, traffic, and thus income for you and your web site that is not a hype that is only for the top level marketers. Don’t make this mistake of underestimating the power of getting your name out on the web and letting visitors find you through as many possible channels as you can. When I was first told that I needed to write articles (300-500 words, not too much work really) about my niche and submit them to the article directories on the internet I was skeptical and to be honest overwhelmed at the thought of actually doing it.
Read the article »

By Jean Fritz

Self-publishing is not for the faint of heart. The publication process is lengthy, involves a considerable number of detailed, administrative tasks and can be expensive. This is the easy part; the real challenge involves “S & M” – sales and marketing.

For an author to become a successful self-publisher, he or she must make a paradigm shift in consciousness from author to entrepreneur, and view their book in the same way that Madison Avenue gurus view the newest shampoo. An author has to be able to do a dispassionate analysis of the market the book was meant to reach. Is its greatest appeal to young people? Senior citizens? Men? Women? Members of a minority group? The definition of a market – or markets – will help to determine and focus the ensuing marketing campaign.
Read the article »

By Scott Lindsay

You’ve weighed all your options and have determined that self-publishing makes the most sense for your foray into publishing. You understand that there is an increase in the need to self-market your title, but there is also a correlating increase in profit margin. Other risks have been assessed and you’re comfortable moving forward in the direction you’ve chosen.

Have you applied for an ISBN number?

“What’s that?” You might be asking yourself. Well, an ISBN (International Standard BookNumber) is a specific number that helps identify your book and has provided the standard of book identification since 1970.
Read the article »

By Terence
Developing a Marketing Plan for your Book

A marketing plan is a business development document designed to help you identify and plan out the actual activities that will promote and sell a product or service. It is a crucial planning tool that provides focus and check-list type clarity. Marketing programmes attempted without the backup of a proper plan, often fall victim to an unstructured, ad-hoc approach and money down the drain.

Why should you develop a marketing plan for your book?
A book may not seem like the kind of item relevant for the development of a marketing plan. This is definitely wrong. Your book is ultimately a product. It is a commercial item that must be promoted and distributed to a pre- targeted marketplace. Approaching the sale of your book in this professional and business-like manner is the best platform to realise any kind of commercial success.
Read the article »

By Chris Tolamalu

Typically, authors write their books, send them to agents or publishers, and then hope for the best. However, some authors opt to not leave anything to chance; they take matters into their own hands and make sure that the book is published. Welcome to the world of self-publishing, wherein books or other media are published by those who have written them.

Self-publishing enables the author to not only ensure that the book is published, but also gives the author complete control over content (traditionally, the publisher does maintain some editorial control over the matter). Other aspects that the publisher traditionally controls - design of the book, the layout of the text, the appearance of the cover, the bookbinding, the quality of the paper, and so on can also be controlled by the writer when self-publishing.
Read the article »

By Charmaine Joy Caro

The worldwide web has paved the way for several reforms in the field of publishing and printing. It has resulted in more improved means of communication for everyone as well. Today, the Internet has become a part of day-to-day life of most people. It is a technology that was just once a fad but now a fact embraced by millions of people from all walks of life. What does the Internet have to do with publishing? Well, just read this article in detail for you to find out.
Publishing before used to be a task that is easier said than done. But now it has become a trouble-free process that you can do it in just a click of your fingertips. Thanks to the Internet for there is a vast selection of online publishing services that you can count on.
But what is really the importance of online publishing? Is it really that beneficial? Why should you choose it over the traditional publishing and printing processes? Online publishing is great innovation for authors who are into self-publishing. If you’re a self-publishing author, your work is guaranteed to get noticed when you publish it online.
Read the article »

By Michael Harris

Is writing an ezine or newsletter still worth your time and
effort, or is it a fading means of marketing?

With all the spam filters being automatically included in
email clients these days it’s definitely harder to get your
messages through.

But that’s exactly why you need to start and maintain your
own ezine or newsletter. By building the trust factor with
your readers they’ll always be willing to accept your
emails.
Read the article »

By Michael Norfolk

So you’ve made the decision to publish your own community magazine, but what now? Where do you go for advice, information and above all, inspiration?

Despite its growing popularity, the business of publishing local community magazines is not covered to any great extent on the internet and there are very few web sites where you can get informal advice and communicate with like-minded people. Unlike normal publishing, the business of publishing local community magazines is very often the domain of individuals working alone for much of the time, and it can become a solitary existence.
Read the article »

By Michael LaRocca

A major “character” in Mark Salzman’s first autobiography is his father. Sometimes his father paints. But his father hates painting. He likes it when his painting is done. He likes having painted. But the act of painting itself is, in his opinion, a big pain in the backside.

Nobody reading this approaches writing like that, do they? I know I don’t. Of all my experiences as an author, whacking those words down onto the paper is the best of the best. Always has been, always will be. Even though I cut most of them. I like creating.
Read the article »