I am creating a new resource for independent and self publishers. If you have an RSS feed on your site, send me a link in the Comments section to this post.
What qualifies: book publishing, book marketing, book design, and so on. It's a good opportunity for you to increase traffic to your site.
Questions? Post them in the Comments section on this post as well.
| | | |
| |
I have recently had the pleasure of writing an article for Bob Martin's brand-new Web Earner website. Not surprisingly for people who follow what I write, you will discover that I talk about books, but the greater emphasis is on how to have a successful, web-based business. It is very difficult to subsist on one or two books.
However, if it is a non-fiction book, there is likely a website in there somewhere. For me, it was about online high schools. For you, it is likely something else. Whatever it may be, find that connection and you are much closer to having a viable business publishing books.
Also, I would encourage you to go over to the article, Internet Business for the Masses, and have a read.
| | | |
| |
And, of course, as soon as I told folks that I wouldn't be posting here very much, I need to post here. I have just created a new website for Degree Press. Folks who know such things will realize that it is a Wordpress blog.
Why use that format? Simple. It's easy to use and, in my case, it's free because I have an account that offers unlimited blogs. It's functional and that is enough. The goal in my case is not to spend money unnecessarily. That seems to be a winning proposition in this (or any) economy.
| | | |
| |
Do you have a blog (and in this day and age it is hard to imagine a writer or publisher without one)? In addition to my publishing blog, I have one over at BestOnlineHighSchools.com called Online High. Most of you know about both of those.
However, did you know I have a third blog? I also have an AmazonConnect blog. In its need to produce greater content, Amazon offered blogs to published authors. As I recall, people needed to prove that they were the author. Yes, some self-published authors have the blogs.
Something interesting I just discovered is that you can send content to your AmazonConnect blog using an RSS feed from another blog. It's not really all that complicated; you just need to know where your feed is on your blog, copy that, and paste it inside a box in your AmazonConnect account. I did that yesterday and now I am publishing the same content in two places. I write the Online High blog and it gets magically sent to the AmazonConnect blog.
It has already started:
Here is my blog post over at Online High.
Here is the syndicated version over at my AmazonConnect blog.
Notice that AmazonConnect says that it is syndicated and provides a link to that place. Even better.
Of course the big question is why I would want to duplicate my blog. There are a few reasons:
Will this work? I do not know, but I thought I would have a little experiment. I have started this and I will analyze the results in a month. Even better, I will post about what I think has happened.
| | | |
| |
In addition to this blog, I have another one over at my Best Online High Schools website. I added the blog and the forum to that website a few months after it got going in order to increase traffic.
Let me assure you of one thing: When I have more traffic on that site, I sell more copies of my book. When I have less traffic on that site, I sell less copies of my book. This teaches me that driving traffic is a good thing because I make more money that way.
Here's my question, though. Should a blogger select topics specifically because they want to drive traffic in their direction and they know certain terms will work better in Google?
My answer is absolutely. However, the posts have to be of interest to your readers. It has to be information that they want to read.
For example, I have been blogging over there about free online high schools. I know over the next several weeks there will be many posts related to that topic. I know that the Google gods will appreciate the effort and reward me.
Here's the catch: The most common question that I get asked is about whether there are free online high schools. I know that my readers are very interested in that topic. That is what makes the choice acceptable.
There are people who use all sorts of pornographic terms, some you can see and some you cannot see (but which are there nonetheless), in order to get Google traffic. I think that is wrong for any number of reasons, not the least of which is that you should be able to trust that what you are searching for is what you will find.
| | | |
| |
I wanted to announce the official demise of Self Pub News. It never took off like I had hoped. This was due to at least two reasons:
Lack of time on my part.
and
Lack of interest on your part.
And that's okay. Really. In business, you try some things out to see if they work. This one didn't. Do I believe that it would be possible to make it work? Yes. Am I willing to put in the time to make it happen? See above reference to demise.
What will replace it will be an off-shoot of my ThomasNixon.com website henceforth to be called Cheap College Degrees. It's a topic that I have written about extensively and know that there is interest. It will be a similar blog format and I will post a couple of times a week.
On to things that work.
| | | |
| |
I would like to announce the creation of a sister website for the SmallPress Blog. As of today, Self Pub News is online.
Self Pub News provides a place for publishers, publishing organizations, and others to announce events, to mention new books, and to offer other activities related to the independent publishing community. It is my hope that it becomes a one-stop announcement shop that provides useful and necessary information..
We absolutely reserve the right to shorten/delete/neglect to mention announcements.
If you have something you would like to announce, please send it to info @ selfpubnews.com (being sure to move all those parts together to create an email address).
| | | |
| |
As part of my anti-dilution strategy, I have stopped the Typepad College Stuff blog and am now only using the Blogger blog. It is free and I am working at not paying for anything that I can get for free. I think it is a part of how to be/become a successful micro-publisher. Cost containment is key.
Also and importantly, it's not helpful to have two blogs with the same content.
I would like to clarify that the SmallPress Blog will stay right here on Typepad. While moving six months worth of posts was one thing (and, yes, I did move all of those post over to the Blogger version), it's another thing entirely to do that with 2 years worth of posts.
Would you be interested in that other blog? I don't know. I can tell you that it is about college -- admissions, financial aid, going cheaply, distance learning -- and if that floats your boat, then I would encourage you to come on over.
| | | |
| |
I read blogs. All sorts of blogs. One of my favorites is the POD-dy Mouth blog whereby the author discusses all sorts of "interesting" books that are published by subsidy publishers (iUniverse, AuthorHouse, and the like). She regularly finds some that are quite readable.
And many, many more that are not. Her recent post is a collection of random notes to the authors of books that recently have been sent to her. Fun stuff and worth a read for both writers and publishers.
| | | |
| |
To celebrate Small Press Month, Sheila over at Wands and Worlds offers the following:
To celebrate Small Press Month, throughout the month of March I'll [Sheila] be blogging about some excellent kids' and teen's books from the small and independent publishers. I hope that I can help you discover some new books that you otherwise may never have heard of.
I hope that you will all wander over there and see what she has to offer. You should also take a look at the great books she sells.
| | | |
| |
