Penguin Random House Merger

With the news that Pearson and Bertelsmann are to merge their publishers in order to become more competitive what does this mean for authors?

One statement says that this will provide the opportunity to invest in the new technologies - essentially ebooks.

The question is what can large publishers offer a new author today? 
Mentoring?
Editing?
Marketing?
Cover design?
Access to major retailers?
Warehouse facilities?

What does the author have to pay for all of these? OK so the publisher has to take a risk and invest in a new author but if books are sold then the publisher keeps a significant proportion of the takings.

If an author decides to self-publish either a physical book or an e-book they get to keep a much higher proportion of the income gererated from sales.

Can an author access these services if they decide to self-publish.  In fact by using a reputable self-publishing service the author can choose which services to purchase including warehousing.

We shouldn't overlook the small publishers who can offer a something between traditional publishing deals and self-publishing.  Maybe this will become a growth area because if large publishers continue to offer little to new authors they will find that authors will continue to look for ways to get their books on the shelves or e-readers.

Make money online

It is the dream on many – working from home and earning a living online.  So what exactly are the opportunities?  To earn money online you need to sell something namely a product, service or information. To increase your earnings significantly you need to sell something that is not directly related to the time you put into each project – create once, sell many.

Often people think they have to come up with an idea that is unique. Not true. If there is a successful product or service with an existing market why not tap into that market. In fact you could even promote and sell someone else’s product yourself for a commission.

Let's look at some of the online businesses you could start today.

Products - everyone expects to find the products they want online. You can sell virtually any physical or digital item through your own online shop or by using eBay or other online services. These products can be new, recycled, or handmade – in fact anything at all.  If you already make items to sell then set up an online shop yourself. You could sell products for others avoiding the need to keep stock.  What about your digital work? Sell you photos and books online to generate a continuous income stream – back to the create once/sell many plan.

Services - think about what you enjoy doing and the skills you have – could any of these be made available online.  Here’s a few to get you thinking – creating eye catching leaflets, garden design, holiday planning (yes some people prefer to hand this task over to others), or providing a house finding service.  You could do all of these without leaving your desk unless you choose to.

Information - people regularly require information tailored to meet their needs – the possible impact of the weather forecast on a specific sport (conditions, will the event be called off, suggested clothing). Feeding a family on a budget – you could provide a collection of quick and easy recipes that are low cost.  A list and descriptions of free attractions and days out such as the local park, churches, walks, and sports fields. Think about your own knowledge, and that of people you have access to, and create information leaflets that you then sell from your website.

The key to success with any online business is attracting potential customers to your website or product listing, promoting the product to maximise sales, and finally making it easy for customer to make that purchase. When a potential customer uses Google to search for a solution to their problem be it a way to display a collection (bookcase), safe places to walk with children in a specific area (information booklet), or needing someone to respond to emails (you could provide such a service). Ensure that when you write descriptions for your products you include all of the keywords a customer might enter into Google when looking for a product such as yours.  Your custom made bookcases could also meet the needs of those looking for display cabinets, shelving, or office furniture.  Make sure you include all of these terms.

And finally – if you truly want to make a living online then you need to start up your online business today.  Decide on products to sell or a service to offer, set up that website and start promoting.  Do this and you could start earning from day one.

Happy earning.

The power of Twitter

Tweet and you could get airtime on national TV! How many times have you watched morning TV or even a news programme and listened to a Tweet being read aloud along with the Tweeter’s name?  It is not only the famous that are receiving this kind of free publicity but ordinary folk who have something interesting to say about current issues are now being heard.

If you are the kind of person that shouts at the TV with a view on a news item or soap’s storyline then why not share it with the world and raise your profile at the same time.

As an author now is the time to start using this opportunity.  It is not really about getting airtime; it is about attracting followers who are interested in what you have to say and want more from you – namely your books.

People are drawn to those who hold similar views to them or voice their concerns. Tweet a view or opinion that shows empathy towards others or, conversely, challenges their thinking and you will build up a sizable group of followers.

Tweet an opinion on the impact, or potential impact, of public spending cuts on the terminally ill, add a new angle, perhaps how more children will be forced to care for their parents, link this to the argument for/against voluntary euthanasia and you could ignite a debate that has the potential to receive that airtime.

If you are new to Twitter spend a little time understanding how it works; there is an excellent help centre online. A few key points: 
-          you have a 140 characters available for each Tweet – use them well
-          use the #hash tag effectively to enable your Tweet to be found when the topic is searched for
-          aim to build up followers – say something interesting
-          remember, a Tweet is permanent, even if you delete it someone may have a copy – read your words carefully and avoid tweeting when angry.

How does this actually help you as an author? If your followers are waiting for your next Tweet then they will certainly be interested enough to find out what else you have written. Never directly promote your book within a Tweet that expresses an opinion on a topic unrelated to your book, instead direct followers to your website or blog.  If the topic has a direct impact on you as an author or you have written about the topic in your book then refer to this in your Tweet. You can Tweet personal conversational pieces in between your opinions and views e.g. “thought I’d let you know my new book is being published today,” or “I’m doing a signing today, would love to meet you.”

What’s stopping you, sign up and start attracting followers.

Looking to write your first book or just need some new tools to help you find the time to satrt writing then have a look at Write it! - how to write your book in 30 hours or less.

Happy tweeting.

Selling your short stories online

So you want to earn a living writing short stories. You enjoy writing them and believe people will enjoy reading them if only you could get them published.  This might seem challenging when everyone is saying that the market for short stories is shrinking.  This may be true for the traditional magazine short stories, though even here there are still opportunities, however have you thought about selling and making your money online?  There are a growing number of online/electronic magazines that will pay for well written short stories that meet their requirements.

There are ezines in many different genres though I have noticed that horror, fantasy and science fiction seems particularly strong at the moment. As with all writing you need to produce work that is of a high quality; do this and you should be able to sell you work somewhere in the world. 

So how much will you earn? Some ezines will pay per word, typically in the region of 1p – 5p.  Some will pay a flat fee for a story.  Always check what rights you are selling as you may want to offer your work for sale elsewhere at a later date.

A real alternative to selling to a magazine or ezine is to produce a book of short stories and then publish this on Amazon Kindle or another ereader.  This way you can earn royalties for every copy sold and potentially increase your income. It would be reasonable to price a collection of ten short stories at between £1.99 and £2.99 (though certainly try a higher figure if you believe your work will sell at a higher price) and, with some promotional activity, achieve sales that will enable you to surpass the £100 - £750 you might earn by selling to a traditional magazine or ezine.

Of course you will have to do your own editing and produce a cover, you could used paid for services for these, but the rewards for your work will be in line with your efforts.

A collection of ten short stories in likely to be in the region of 15,000 - 20,000 words.  My latest book provides techniques for generating ideas for fiction and non-fiction books; it also shows you how to write a 20,000 word book in 30 hours. Have a look and see if the techniques covered could help you write your own collection of short stories and have a book ready for publication. Write it! - how to write your book in 30 hours or less.

Happy writing.

Selling your book on Amazon

Very few things compare to checking your KDP account to see if you have made another sale.  Having recently published an ebook on Amazon as a Kindle edition I have resisted the temptation to check sales every hour.  In fact after making no sales for the first few days I did think I would need to rethink my whole marketing strategy.  Now with sales slowly creeping up I feel that maybe this method of publishing has real potential for me and other writers.

I did read that the percentage of the population that actually own a Kindle is still very low, though it is rising.  What this did not take into account was the number of people who have the Kindle App; free to download to your phone, computer or iPad.

I don't own a Kindle but do have Apps everywhere, if fact much of my reading now takes place on my mobile phone.  It can be useful to have access to your book collection wherever you are and just dip in as needed.

If you have written a book then consider publishing as an ebook and selling through Amazon - it is free and easy to do.  You never know, you may start making those sales sooner than you think.

If you would like to know more on how to create writing time or how to write fast then have a look at my latest book Write it! - how to write your book in 30 hours or less.