Whenever people ask me what the most difficult part of writing a book is — the beginning, middle, or end — I usually say, “All of it.” Each section of a novel comes with its own set of challenges: Middles are hard to plot, ends need to be satisfying (and in my novels, they … [Read more...]
Self-Publishing Tips
Looking for publishing tips? Self-publishing a book can be a complex process — from finalizing edits to designing a cover to deciding what distributors to use. Here are a few of our top posts offering information on the self-publishing process:
5 Ways a Professional Cover Design Can Boost Book Sales
One of the biggest fallacies still held by some in the publishing world is that cover design doesn’t really matter. In other words, a great book will still thrive even if it has a terrible cover. But in the absence of overwhelming word of mouth or a gangbusters publicity … [Read more...]
5 Ways a Book Cover Could Hurt Sales — And How to Fix It
Before launching Sterling & Stone in 2011, we were a trio of indie authors, and our early years were filled with missteps. We wrote furiously, churning out more than 2 million words per year. All those drafts needed to be made into books, but at the start we only had so … [Read more...]
Should You Make a Book Available for Preorder? 14 Authors Weigh In.
Preorders are a significant part of many authors’ and publishers’ new release marketing plans, but there are several different strategies for using preorders to boost sales for a new book. We talked to 14 self-published authors to learn how they approach preorders for their … [Read more...]
48+ Publishing Resources You Should Know About
We know authors and publishers are always on the lookout for useful publishing resources, whether it’s a valuable industry site, distributor, content management platform, or any other service provider. So we decided to update our list of resources worth considering. Note … [Read more...]
How Hiring an Author Assistant Can Boost Book Sales
An author is the CEO of their own business. However, they’re also creating the product, performing quality control, marketing, doing accounting — the list goes on and on. It can be overwhelming to wear so many hats, which is where hiring an author assistant can help — … [Read more...]
68 Holiday-Themed Book Covers We Love
’Tis the season to cozy up with a good book! If you’re promoting a holiday-themed book, a festive book cover can help attract your target audience. In general, holiday-themed covers include a lot of wreaths, decorated trees, festive lights, snow-covered landscapes, and … [Read more...]
Self-Publishing Your NaNoWriMo Book? Don’t Miss These Steps!
If you finished National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) with a 50K-word draft, congratulations! Only 12% of NaNoWriMo participants finished last year, so getting this far is a huge accomplishment. If you decide to self-publish your work rather than seek traditional … [Read more...]
19 Fantastic Book Cover Design Resources
Most authors and book marketers know that covers are important — and that it can be worth spending money for a professionally designed cover. After all, a book’s cover design has a proven impact on sales. But where can you go for help with your cover? We’re always on the … [Read more...]
12 Common Writing Errors Even Bestselling Authors Make
Have you ever bought a New York Times bestseller and found a typo or a glaring error? It’s happened to most of us. Errors can detract from the overall impression of quality readers expect of a published book. This can lead to negative reviews and low ratings, which can have … [Read more...]
