SPA Girls Podcast – EP75 – Writing A Kick-Butt Book Blurb with Glenna Mageau
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This week we have a very special guest – Glenna Mageau, book blurb coach and writer extraordinaire – who takes us through how to write a blurb that sells more books. Glenna has a proven system she uses to improve her own book blurbs and she’s been teaching other authors how to do the same thing as well. This is a fantastic episode – we really enjoyed chatting to Glenna, she’s a lovely lady with a wealth of knowledge. We all picked up loads of useful blurb writing tips and we’re sure you will too!
Glenna is an award-winning suspense/thriller author, speaker, and coach who works with women to find their confidence and voice through writing. She offers workshops and resources on writing – from getting over the hurdles holding you back, to writing and publishing a novel. She is the founder of the Women Writes Movement. She also works with Indie/Self Published authors to create attention grabbing fiction book blurbs. Her first attempts at writing book descriptions were dismal, time-consuming and very stressful. Finally, figuring out how to tell what her story was about in an enticing and compelling way, she created a course – Mastering the Art of Writing the Catchy Fiction Book Blurb – to help all Indie/Self-published authors do the same. To learn more: 
www.glennamageau.com
SPA Girls Podcast – EP74 – Formatting Tips and Tricks
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This week we tackle the topic of formatting your ebooks. We talk about the difference between outsourcing the formatting and doing it yourself, and the pros and cons of each option. Then we talk about what we’ve done in the past and how we do it now, what we think are the best practices, the programs that we recommend, and why we like them. If you’re about to start formatting, or even considering a change to the way you’re currently doing it, this is a great episode to listen to!
There are two ways of getting your e-book formatted. You can do it yourself, or you can outsource to a formatting company.
Doing it yourself
Pros of doing it yourself:
Can save you time by not waiting for someone to fit you into their schedule
A price is a one off for the software and use over and over again
Offers flexibility in time and re doing changes, covers, spelling corrections updating links
Cons of doing it yourself:
Time involved learning another piece of technology.
Restriction in what you can add to your formatting. Limited or harder to learn.
There is a learning period, so you have to be prepared to spend time on it.
Outsourcing
Pros of outsourcing:
Time saved
Emotion/ stress saved
The product will usually be better – not always
Usually a good outcome
A great way to start.
Cons of outsourcing:
Another additional cost.
Possible inflexibility time wise.
Harder to make changes – and more costs to do so.
Here are some programs you can use
Legendmaker
For Mac only.
Not a word document. You need to use a text file. Trudi tried this first,
The program is good – and cheap at $23. A one-off fee and unlimited updates.
A little complicated, but works well.
Jutoh
For Mac and Windows.
Owned by Julian Smart.
Cheryl and Wendy are Jutoh girls.
$39 USD to download. Updates are no extra.
Easy to use. Click through screens which have all the info you need.
A great way to ease into doing it yourself.
Try : India Drummond for Jutoh. A clear, precise tutorial on u-tube.
Vellum
For Mac Only
You can pay per book, 10 books, or unlimited.
NZD$41.99 per book, $39.99 for 10 Books or $279.99 for unlimited.
USD will be cheaper.
If you decide to upgrade later they will deduct your earlier payment.
Very simple program. Not hard to learn.
Intuitive.
A lot of styles to choose from which can be set to the whole book. Very structured.
Scrivener
A one stop program for writing, plotting and formatting.
We use it for writing and plotting, but not formatting, although, we know others who do.
Calibre
Free.
Simple to use and will do the main 3 files as listed below.
Adobe and Design
Not something that we know a lot about, but it would be amazing! (Probably very expensive)
These are the 3 most used types of files you will need:
mobi – for Kindle – Amazon Only
e-pub – for most other platforms
PDF – for promos, reviewers etc
There are a lot of different aides to help you learn – U-Tube, tutorials etc.
Shout-outs to these formatters:
Polgarus Studio – http://www.polgarusstudio.com/
Amy Atwell – http://www.authorems.com/
Zaptek.com – http://www.zapptek.com/legendmaker/
A print book is done using other programs, which we will discuss at a later date.
SPA Girls Podcast – EP73 – Zhushing Up Your Amazon Author Page
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Publishing your book to Amazon KDP is the first step … then the second step is setting up your Amazon Author Central account and optimizing your Amazon Author Page. Too many new self-publishers miss the second step and it’s costing them sales! It’s easy and it’s free, so listen up and we’ll share how to ZHUSH up your Amazon Author Page to make it sparkle!
Amazon Author Central Account
Amazon’s author central instructions: click here
First publish your book through KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) account. Many authors stop there. DON’T! Next, set up your account on Amazon Author Central. (NB: Your book must be available for purchase on Amazon in order to setup an Author Central Amazon Account.)
Author Central is the platform that allows you to setup your Author Page on Amazon, as well as:
• Add the Editorial Reviews section for your book
• Track your Book Sales
• See Reviews
• Fix Issues with Your Book Listings (can also be done through KDP)
• Have all your books listed on your author page (“claimed”)
• Follow button for readers
• Feed to your blog posts
• Book Trailers and other promo videos
• Social Media links
Author Bio
• Same “voice” as you write – third person or first person? Show humor, authenticity
• Author pic – fits your brand; professional or if want to stay incognito, get square grapic with logo – keep consistent across all social media
Pen Names
Each Author Central account can have up to THREE pennames (select “Do you have a pen name” heading. Amazon asks what your pen name is, then they contact the book publisher to verify you as author.) You can have as many Author Central Accounts as you like (using different emails) BUT only one KDP account.
Once you’re verified, you can access your pen name through the link in the upper right corner of Author Central. You can have up to three Author Pages with different pen names, and they will not be associated with one another on Amazon in any way.
Co-Author?
We’ll be facing this ourselves soon (our Author Overwhelm book is with our editors now!) Each person CLAIMS the book and it’s listed on their individual author central page.
How to Customize Your Author Page URL
On the Profile tab, click add link next to “Author Page URL.”
A recommended URL will appear, but you can choose your own
If the URL you typed is available, click Save.
Editorial Review Section
- You can list up to five reviews, comments, or testimonials that others have said about you, your book, or your previous books. This is a great marketing tool and easily overlooked (by all of us!)
- Can be added later once you’ve garnered some reviews (eg blogged review quotes)
- Can also add your top 5 Amazon reviews
HTML for book description and Editorial Review section:
Amazon allows some limited HTML in your book description & editorial review section (here’s their explanation). Don’t be overwhelmed by having to write the HTML coding yourself – there’s a nifty tool to help here: http://authortools.kasmit.com/home/book-blurb
Create International Amazon Author Pages/Author Central Accounts
Don’t forget to setup and optimize your page for international markets. There are 13 Amazon markets worldwide currently: Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, Spain, United Kingdom
Not all of them have Author Central yet, but there are at least four, in addition to the U.S. Amazon site. Helps to use Chrome and translate option when you’re filling them in. Some authors have their bios translated; others post in English.
UK – https://authorcentral.amazon.co.uk
German – https://authorcentral.amazon.de/
France – https://authorcentral.amazon.fr/
Japan – https://authorcentral.amazon.co.jp/
SPA Girls Recommended Resources
Books:
Let’s Get Visible by David Gaughran
Six Figure Author by Chris Fox
SPA Girls Podcast – EP72 – Author Overwhelm
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This week we talk about a subject dear to our hearts – author overwhelm.
It’s so easy to become overwhelmed in this digital age, with everything that we are bombarded with and told we “have to” do to succeed as a self published author.
This episode we talk you through the tips and tricks we use to help us work through the overwhelm and keep writing. It’s another fun episode, the SPA Girls were together in person this week, so we had a laugh as usual…
We believe that there are Three types of triggers
Internal – Self-doubt. That internal voice that is telling you that you are not good enough.
Physical – If health is poor your work will suffer. Sitting and writing will affect you so you need to look after yourself.
External – Anything outside our control that puts pressure on us, and limits our achievements in all sorts of ways.
How do we deal with them?
Internal
Wendy suffers from major self-doubt which, considering her success, the rest of us find rather ironic. As a people pleaser, she is constantly worrying about which project to work on next so as not to disappoint her readers.
Wendy’s answer to this was to develop an action plan for her days, weeks and the year ahead. With this in place she can see when she can schedule in any other new work or that she can’t.
Shar struggles with procrastination, no doubt an issue with her perfectionism. She has a wardrobe full of self-help books!
Instead of writing large to do lists which were too daunting she started noting what she actually did achieve, which is always more than she’d initially thought.
Physical
Cheryl suffers with her back. Knowing what affects her has made her take precautions to minimize the risks.
She bought a standing desk and finds this ideal, as alternating with sitting and standing makes a big difference.
Trudi does Karate and finds that even if she doesn’t feel like going, by forcing herself she will always feel better physically and her head will clear of all the troubles real or imaginary.
Take small steps to address things and just to ensure you stay well.
Any exercise will not only help your physical health but also your mental health.
Walking by yourself is always good, but with a friend you can often share a burden or use them as a sounding board for family or work issues.
Water can help in so many ways. It soothes and invigorates.
External
Trudi decided to move out of our city. Big slam of overwhelm right there! This is life getting in the way majorly. With getting the house more saleable and packing writing took a back seat.
Accepting this would happen was a big help. By using this tactic, when she came back to writing she had more enthusiasm because she’d missed it and had so many new ideas.
Cheryl also has a part-time job outside the home. It is time spent away from her writing which is a pain but it’s also nice to have outside contact, and she’s turned the lack of time into a positive by utilizing what time she does have at home by being more organized.
Nobody goes through this business without having self-doubts but being aware of them is a major step in dealing with them.
Ensure your family/friends understand what you are doing, why you are doing it and what it means to you. I you are proving to them that you are serious and you are producing something then they will be more inclined to support you.
Find your own triggers. How and when do they manifest themselves? What would help you deal with them?
We’ll have more to offer on this topic in our book due out next month.
SPA Girls Podcast – EP71 – 10 Marketing Tips for Beginners
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This week we talk through the basic marketing principles that you need to make sure you’ve got in place for promoting your books. Think of it as a 101 class in marketing, just for you. 🙂
We talk through tips like ensuring consistency of brand, having the right kind of bio and blurb, and being professional.
We talk about Author Central, which is your Author page on Amazon, in this podcast. But don’t worry, we will cover this more in the next episode!
Consistency of Brand
Keeping things the same across all the books. Making it as easy as possible for people to recognize you, and not confusing them.
-make sure you use the same name and font unless you are writing a different genre.
-make your book covers look similar. The fonts, and over all look.
-Use the same name on your author website, amazon author page, Facebook etc.
-keep it simple and consistent.
Try and become established in one genre first up. Get your brand consistent with this one before starting another.
FYI, you did good, in finishing!!!
Know your genre, what brands suit it. Don’t just load a book and stand back and expect the money to roll in. Put some effort into researching what others in your genre are doing. NO YOUR BRAND! Are you going to use specific colors and fonts? Will these suit your genre?
In self-publishing you can fix mistakes! Don’t freak out, but take the first step.
Pricing- check out the consist pricing in your genre. If you go to high, chances are it may not sell, if the other 1,000 books are priced lower. Why would they pick your book?
Get the basic, FREE, things right first. There are plenty of things you can do and do well to start with if you do not have a lot of money to chuck at your book. Beware of throwing money at something that is not edited well, or covered correctly. GET THE BASICS RIGHT!
If you want to produce a book that sells, then be mindful of what readers expect.
Packaging your product properly – once your book is edited and looking its best, then stand back and realize that it is now a product, and placement is important. Your book is special to you but at this stage not anyone else. Now it’s about exposure, and ensuring your product can get that in the best way you can.
Don’t be precious! We understand this is your baby, but you have to let it go.
Where is the best fit for your book?
Get the basics right from the beginning. Metadata – is information about something else. In your case, about your book and you. Most of the info is pretty standard. ISBN, Title, blurb etc. But make sure its right. Check out what other authors have in their books, and copy it!!
Author Bio’s are important! – Get it edited. Again read others to see what they are putting in there’s.
Get your blurb edited.
Author photo – make sure your author picture is of you not a stock image, unless you are writing a genre that suggests otherwise, i.e, erotica, then you could use a pair of legs or… Some people use a logo, but again, make sure its across the board and consistent.
Social media platforms – again you are looking for consistency, for example, (look, color, pictures).
Author central page – this is on Amazon and is a page with your details on. The SPA girls will talk about this next week.
Social Media – Claim your name on FB or Twitter (handle) at the very least, so no one else can use it. This will again ensure consistency. If someone already has your name, add author to the front or back. Or add wendyvellabooks, wendyvellawrites etc.
Research where you readers are. For example, if you are writing YA, then of course have a FB page, but often those readers are not on that platform, but will likely be on Instagram.
If possible also claim your domain name for your website. For example, spagirls.com
Get the basics right!
Don’t be overwhelmed. There is a lot of information out there, so take it on board, but use what is relevant to you. Remember we always talk about your tribe. These are the people who support you, and you respect and trust.
Remember small steps. Learn one thing, then move on, don’t learn five at once!
Enjoy this wonderful, crazy journey. It’s a blast, and worth every minute.
LINKS
Author Central – https://authorcentral.amazon.com/gp/help?topicID=200620850
Udemy Courses – https://www.udemy.com/
The Creative Penn – http://www.thecreativepenn.com/mindset/
