Self-publishing

5 Tips for Launching an EBook (or ANY book)

October 3, 2011

When I launched my first eguide on social media consulting, I didn’t have a plan. I knew enough to let my network know about the product and encourage them to tell their networks about it. I knew enough to pitch guest posts at blogs with good-sized audiences. And I knew enough to offer an affiliate […]

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Why I’m Not Calling My EGuides Books

September 28, 2011

When I launched my first eguide on social-media consulting, I explained one of the reasons I called it a guide: Because one of my favorite bloggers, Chris Guillebeau, says “ebook” creates the expectation of a full-length book and low value (and, I say, a paperback price). He suggested calling any digital product a guide or […]

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Where Informational EBooks Fit Into Self-Publishing

September 15, 2011

I have a confession to make. After my recent post about how I’m considering releasing my next project — a how-to- guide on taking a career break to travel — on my own rather than aiming for traditional publishing, a few of you wrote me notes about bookstores where the book might fit, how I’ll […]

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It’s Not How You Publish, It’s How Much You Sell

August 18, 2011

This week my agent Rachelle Gardner answered a question that pops up again and again: If you self-publish, will that ruin your chances of ever getting published traditionally? Yet while we all hem and haw over whether to shoot for traditional publishing or use our platform to self-publish — and which is better for our […]

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Planning for Book 2 & Weighing the Self-Publish Option

August 15, 2011

Even as my awesome agent and I prepare to pitch my first book to publishers — that’s my travel memoir about backpacking solo through Africa — we’re already coming up with a plan for Book No. 2. It’s a practical guide to taking a career break to travel, a kind of how-to version of my […]

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How to Create an Informational E-Book

August 10, 2011

I've had a blast writing and now promoting my first e-guide, How to Build a Part-Time Social Media Business. So much fun, in fact, that I’m already scheming to writing another. While most of the time I spent on this project related to writing and editing, I put in a good number of hours figuring […]

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How My E-Guide is Selling & How Much I’m Making

August 9, 2011

More than a handful of you have asked how my new informational e-book is selling, and how much I’m making off the project. Since my transparency could help some of you succeed at similar ventures, here’s the breakdown three weeks after launch: Product: How to Build a Part-Time Social Media Business Launch post: Social Media […]

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The Beauty of Self-Publishing

July 27, 2011

My dad pulls out his new iPad so I can help him figure out how to use it… and CHECK OUT HOW COOL MY SOCIAL MEDIA BIZ GUIDE LOOKS! Until then, I’d seen my guide on my computer, my smartphone and in good old hard copy. (I printed it to check for typos.) But the […]

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Self-publishing’s bottom line (pun intended)

March 30, 2011

My RSS feed has been awash lately with blog posts on self-publishing. Author Amanda Hocking makes a ton of money self-publishing but then signs a book deal. Another author, Joe Konrath, writes again and again about how self-publishing is the way to go. Yet another author, Barry Eisler, turns down a mega book deal to […]

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Q&A with Indie author Stephanie Lee: solo travel & e-books

August 2, 2010

Not only do we have an awesome Q&A today with a traveler and writer, we also have my first-ever giveaway! A copy of The Art of Solo Travel. I’ll explain how to enter after the interview. The author of that book, Stephanie Lee, is here to share advice on traveling solo and tell us about […]

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