Self-Published Book Gets Movie Deal ... Without an Agent

This is an eye-opening article about a writer who could not get his book published and ended up with a movie deal.

 
Not a single agent was interested in D. Eric Maikranz' debut novel about a young man who is haunted by the total recall of two past lives and then stumbles upon an ancient secret society of other people just like him. So, he self-published his book. But there was a twist. 

On the first page, he encouraged his readers to help by offering a cash reward to anyone who would introduce his novel to a Hollywood producer. And it worked!

Under normal circumstances, I would raise a skeptical eyebrow about this strategy. But, I know from experience that fans will do more for your book than agents or publishers. And if your fans are motivated by the same reward an agent would get, why not give them the opportunity? 

As a case in point, my first book was sold to Random House by a new assistant. The assistant, who had just been hired, loved my book. My agent had not been able to sell my book in two years, but all it took was her young assistant's enthusiasm to get Random House interested. Who is more enthusiastic about your writing than your loyal readers? Give them a chance. You may be surprised. 

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

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Want To See Your Book Become A Movie? It’ll Take Perseverance And Patience.

By D. Eric Maikranz -April 6, 2021: Book Baby Blog

From Hollywood to Nepal, this story of how a self-published novel became a major motion picture started with an author’s crazy idea of turning readers into agents. Crazy… until it worked!

My debut novel, The Reincarnationist Papers, is being re-released in print, eBook, and audiobook by Blackstone Publishing this year, the same year that the movie Infinite, a Paramount Pictures adaptation of my novel starring Mark Wahlberg and Dylan O’Brien, will hit theaters globally. This has been a dream come true for me, but only a few people know what it took to get here. It’s been a long journey of ups and downs, successes and rejections, risks and giant rewards, and it all started with the tiniest of ideas...

Read the rest of this fascinating article HERE.

How to Edit Your Own Manuscript

Writer's Block/Drew Coffman/CC license

You've written the last line of your book, and you have that expansive euphoria that comes with a job well done. An almost uncontrollable urge to share your accomplishment with the world washes over you. You want to show your new book to your friends, agents, publishers - or, God forbid, immediately self-publish.

Don't do it.

The first draft of anything you write needs to be your little secret. Hug it to your breast, murmur sweet nothings to its pages, but don't let anybody read it.

Why? Because it is filled with mistakes. There are errors in grammar, punctuation, spelling, word choice, internal logic, voice, awkward constructions, typos. There are whole scenes you have left out, dramatic high points you have missed. There is a relationship between your characters that you have not fully developed. You may even have used impact as a verb! (AGH!)

If you think none of those things appear in your book, you are wrong. If you think nobody will pay attention to any of those minor blips, you are wrong. If you think your glorious prose will shine through, like the sun breaking through clouds of dangling participles, you are dead wrong. Left uncorrected, those errors will forever mar your work.

At this point, I may have sufficiently scared you into hiring an editor. Don't do it yet. First, give your book a once over. Maybe a twice over. Or a three times over. Take a jolly good crack at it before you send it off to be edited. (You will save yourself some money if the editor doesn't have to fix a multitude of mistakes you could have caught yourself.) Follow these steps:

1) Put your manuscript away for a few months. It will grate on you to simply park your project awhile, but I can guarantee you need a break from it in order to see it with fresh eyes. You can use the break to write something else. Or you can read a book. (Reading a good book can stimulate ideas about how to make your manuscript better. Either take notes, or make some changes on the spot.)

2) When you pick up your manuscript again, read it aloud. Reading aloud slows processing speed, allowing you to spot errors more easily. If you stumble while you are reading, revise that sentence or phrase. Stumbling means you've composed an awkward or ambiguous construction that readers will find difficult to parse.

3) Open your book to a random page to edit. Writers get "manuscript blindness" when they read their work from first to last page. It's a natural consequence of looking at something too many times combined with the inner knowledge of what comes next. To find errors you need to surprise yourself.

4) Read your first page. Pretend that your book will be judged on that page, and that page alone. (Often, readers don't even make it past the first paragraph. I know agents don't.) Polish that page until you can see your face in it.

5) Repeat step 4 for every page in your book.

Now you can show your manuscript to trusted friends or beta readers. After you have gotten enough feedback to hone your book even further, you can begin searching for an editor. At this point, you will have a much better idea of what kind of editor you need (line editor, proofreader, or, if you are still stuck on structural components, a developmental editor). This article will help you find the editor who is right for you: Editing a Self-Published Book

When, at long last, you send your book to an editor, she, or he, will find errors, because there are always errors. But you will have had the chance to take care of plot holes, character motivation, missing scenes, and all those things that only you, the author, can fix.

Editing a Self-Published Book

Maxpixel - CC0 license

If you are thinking of self-publishing your book, you will need to get your manuscript edited before you put it on the market.

Every writer needs a second pair of eyes (and frequently a third), because there are always mistakes. These can range from simple grammar and spelling errors, to internal logic (your character is drinking coffee, and two lines later is sipping tea), to structural problems.

Editing can catch all these errors. But unless you know an editor who is willing to work for free, you will have to pay for this essential service.

(If the thought of shelling out money for an editor makes you squirm, consider the fact that Amazon is now allowing readers to report errors in self-published books, and is penalizing authors accordingly.)

Tip: You will shorten the editing process if you edit your book carefully before you send it to a professional. Here are some editing tips that will help you save time and money: How to Edit Your Own Manuscript
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What kind of editor do you need?

There are basically three types of editors:

Developmental editors look at your manuscript as a whole. They are concerned with plot, pacing, character development, voice, motivation and other large components of your book. If you feel as if your manuscript is still rough around the edges, then you will need a developmental editor.

Copy editors make sure a manuscript is free of errors in the text. They check for grammar, spelling, and internal logic errors, word choice, repetitions, consistency, clarification, ambiguity in sentence structure, dialogue, and other aspects of your manuscript that require a narrow focus. (Note: Some editors make a distinction between copy editing for simple errors and line editing for sense, logic, and style.) If your book is finished, has been soundly critiqued, and you are fully confident that your concept, plot, and character development are tight, then you will need a copy or line edit.

Proof readers do a final check for errors in spelling, punctuation, formatting, typos and other small errors. This is the last step before printing or epublishing. Do not skip this step! There are always typos.

Here is a helpful article that explains the different types of editing in greater depth: What Types of Editing Does a Book Need? (6 Types To Know)

A word to the wise

Before you consider hiring an editor, read his or her site carefully. If sample edits are available, read those as well. I have noticed errors in grammar, punctuation, and spelling (!) on some editing sites. If you spot an error, or even a typo, run away, run away!

Make sure your editor is experienced. What other books has he edited? (Read the testimonials, then look up the authors and their books on Amazon. Use "Look Inside" to read the first few pages. Do you notice any errors?) What credentials does she have? Does the editor have experience in your genre? (This is very important!) Does the editor offer a clear contract? And finally, do you like her (or him)? You are going to be doing some painstaking, often difficult, work together, so it's best if you get along.

How much does editing cost?

The cost of editing depends on the length of your book, the editor, and the type of edit. This cost can vary quite a bit from editor to editor. To get an initial idea of how much a professional edit should cost, as well as how to find an editor,  the Editorial Freelance Association is the best place to start.

The Association's member directory includes bios of the members. You can look up a member by name, or you can search by skills (such as proofreading, line editing, etc.), nonfiction specialty or fiction genre, and by language. Click on the names in search results to read details about the editor, including years of experience and background.

You can post a job for free on this site. Interested freelancers will then contact you with their credentials and pay rate. There is a handy table of editing rates on the site that should give you a good idea of what editors normally charge. (One of the questions on the job listing form concerns how much you can pay, so consult this table before you post your job.)

More resources for finding an editor

Here are more resources for finding editors. (These are not personal recommendations, as I have not used any of these services):

Professional Editors To Help With Your Book - Joanna Penn's list is extensive. She includes prices, interviews (when available), types of services offered, and editors she has personally worked with.

The Northwest Independent Editors Guild connects clients with professional editors of the written word in the Pacific Northwest. You search for an editor on this site, or post a job. Their "For Clients" section has good information on how to choose an editor, different types of editing, how to work with an editor, sample contract, and more. Even if you do not live in the Northwest, this site is worth checking out.

New York Book Editors actually match you to an editor. First you tell them about your book, and then they find an editor for you. You get a chance to evaluate your working relationship through a trial edit. (This is important!) The editors in this outfit are former editors who have worked for major publishing houses, so they know what they're doing. (My editor at St. Martin's was one of them.)

Why You Need an Author Profile - And Where to Post It

One of my hugely informative author profiles. Don't do this.

Author profiles are an essential part of book marketing and promotion. An author profile is a mini-biography. It tells something about the author that will interest the reader, includes a headshot, and links to the author's books. Depending on where you post your profile, you can also include a link to your website or blog, events, videos, and answers to questions posed by readers.

Profiles are useful for several reasons. First, anyone who has enjoyed your book will want to find out more about you. And second, your fans will want to read other books by you. Third, profiles provide an avenue for engagement with readers.

Your profile isn't just who you are, it's who your readers think you should be.

The two foundations of a profile are:

Headshot - Readers, first and foremost, want to know what authors look like. How many times have you read a book and then hunted around on the back for a photo? Maybe, you've even done that before you read the book. Make sure your photo is professional. Depending on what you write your portrait can be serious (literary fiction), friendly (children's fiction), brooding (horror), congenial (general fiction), authoritative (non-fiction) - whatever you write, your personality should reflect your genre. A good photographer can make a world of difference, so work with a professional.

Bio - Bios are written in third person. As with the headshot, your bio should match your genre or topic. If you are writing non-fiction, your credentials are most important. What gives you the authority to write your book? If you write humor, make it clever. If you write for children, you can include your family, your pets. If you are writing general fiction for adults, write about your background, your professional career, where you live. (Do not write about your first writing project when you were in grade school!) Do you have any awards? Make sure to include them. Pretend that your publicist is writing about you - not your mother.

Where to post your profile

It goes without saying that your profile needs to be the central pillar of your website, but the two other places you absolutely must post your profile are Amazon and Goodreads. These two sites get an enormous amount of traffic. If you are self-publishing, make sure to post your profile on the platform you are using. Post a shortened profile on social media and networking platforms (Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook). If you keep a blog (and you should), post a profile on your blog, and wherever you re-post (Medium, etc). Post your profile on groups you are a member of (alumni associations, professional guilds, etc). And post it where you promote your book. In other words, post your profile everywhere you can. People who read your book will want to find you, so make it easy for them.

Helpful articles:

Penny Sansevieri has written an excellent step-by-step set of instructions for making best use of your Author Central Page here: How to Optimize Your Amazon Author Central Page

You can find additional homes for your author profile here: 12 Author Profile Sites to Boost Your Discoverability 

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Amazon Author Central

Amazon is the largest Internet retailer in the world, so chances are good your book is for sale on Amazon. Author Central offers a wide array of features, including bio, photos, links to your books on Amazon, videos, events, blog feed, and your own URL.

Bio - of at least 100 characters. Amazon does not support HTML in their author bios, so it needs to be straight text - no italics, bold, etc. You should periodically update your bio, but before you do make sure to make a copy and save it to your computer first. (Amazon will not save your old bio.)

Photo - between 300 and 8000 pixels in width and height. Only JPEG (or JPG), GIF, or PNG photos, no other formats. You can add up to eight images.

Blog - Amazon allows you to link your blog feed to Author Central. Anyone visiting your Author page will see extracts of your latest posts along with a link to read more.

Events - This is where you place all upcoming events, whether they are physical (e.g. book signings) or virtual. After you've created an event, it is displayed in the Scheduled Events section. People can see the venue, location, time, a short description of the event, and the book you're touring with.

Videos - You can share video interviews, book signing videos, and other videos with readers. Your videos should focus on specific features of your books or your experience as an author. You can add up to eight videos to your page. Videos should be a maximum of 10 minutes and in one of the following formats: avi, wmv, flv, mov, or mpg. Videos should be your own (not from Youtube).

Author Page URL - If you wish, you can create your own URL for your author page to post to your Facebook page and/or blogs, tweet to your followers, or add it to your email signature. A URL that includes your name is important for Google searches. When people search your name, they will be directed to your Amazon Author Central page.

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GoodReads

GoodReads is a social discovery book site with over 50 million user reviews. It is currently owned by Amazon. The site is very active, providing a venue where readers can engage freely with authors, ask questions, follow authors, sign up for giveaways. In addition to rating and reviewing books, readers can see what is on their friends' bookshelves, get recommendations, and join groups. Like all social media, GoodReads allows you to have followers. Like Amazon's Author Central, you can post an RSS feed to blog, links to your website and Twitter account.

Tips: Upload a professional photo. Make sure your face can be seen. Your photo should reflect your writing image, that is, if you write children's fiction, you should smile and look trustworthy. If you write serious literary fiction, a serious black and white photo is fine. Humor - go ahead with a quirky photo.

A solid bio consists of a paragraph or two, and should convey some interesting personal information that can’t be found elsewhere

Enable Ask the Author from your author dashboard to allow readers to contact you easily. You can’t predict when a reader might want to ask you a question, so turning this tool on gives readers the immediate ability to connect with you. Even if the person hasn’t read your book, something in your bio might spark a question.

Curate your virtual bookshelf. Readers will be curious about what kind of reader you are. Find at least 20 books to add to your bookshelf on Goodreads. You don’t need to rate them if you don’t want to. You can also create custom shelves relevant to your work, for example “Books About Maine” if your novel was set there.

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Librarything

Librarything is a community of 2,100,000 book lovers. Like GoodReads, Librarything a social cataloging website for storing and sharing book catalogs and various types of book metadata. It is used by readers, authors, and librarians. There are currently 17,554 authors on Librarything. An author profile is automatically created when you become an Author Member. Simply upload a photo, add links to your website, and write a short bio.

Then do the following:

Catalog your books. Your readers want to know what books they have in common with you. Rate and review books to let your fans know what you think.

Add your readings and other events to LibraryThing Local. Events will then show up on your author page as well, so your readers can learn about your public appearances.

Join the Hobnob with Authors group and discuss your work with interested members.

Sign up for one of their Author Chats. It's not "real-time", but takes place in one of Librarything's forums, the Author Chat group, over a two-week period. Members ask questions, and the author checks in about once a day and responds. Librarything promotes author chats by sending profile comments to every member who has listed one of the author's books. 

Authors can host book giveaways on Librarything for ebooks, which is enormously helpful if you are self-published and are trying to get reviews.

Book Fairs: Are They Worth It for Self-Published Authors?

Frankfurt Book Fair

Updated 619/25

Large international book fairs, such as Frankfurt and Bologna, are where industry professionals meet to buy and sell rights, arrange for subsidiary rights, such as film and games, and scope out what's hot in the literary market.

Can self-published authors set up a table at international book fairs? Technically, no. But in 2013, Tina Seskis formed a shell publishing company (hers was the only published book on the list), and exhibited at Frankfurt. She ended up nabbing a $500,000 deal with HarperCollins.

In general, setting up a shell company is frowned upon, and venues are tightening up their restrictions. But you can still exhibit if you have self-published. Combined Book Exhibit offers self-publishers the opportunity to showcase their books (print or ebook) and/or advertise it for a few hundred, rather than a few thousand dollars. There is an annual membership fee of $150.

The question is: Should self-publishers invest a few hundred dollars? Showing your book at a book fair can be an advantage, provided you (the author) intend to make an appearance and know how to make a sale. Tina Seskis actually attended the Frankfurt Book Fair and set up a booth, so she was able to negotiate a deal. If you aren't there to represent yourself, and your book is merely displayed, it won't attract anyone's attention.

The other thing to consider is whether your book already has a track record. Most publishers are reluctant to make a deal with an author who has no fans, and whose books have not garnered significant sales. (Selling over 10,000 books in the first year is considered significant.)

The bottom line for first-time self-publishers is not to waste your money on an international book fair. However, if you happen to live near one of these events, it is worth attending as a member of the public, if only to get a taste of what is available to publishers.

While international book fairs may not be the best option for self-published authors, local and regional book fairs are another matter entirely. These present many opportunities for local authors to read, sell and sign books, and lead workshops. Local fairs are an excellent means of building a fan base, as well as making contact with other authors. If you would like to exhibit, costs are much lower than for international fairs, and the logistics are easier to manage. You can find out if there is a fair in your region by contacting your local chamber of commerce, or by googling "book fair" and your city.

Recommended reading

Read Jane Friedman's article on BEA before investing your time and money: Authors: Think Twice Before Paying to Exhibit at Book Expo (BEA)

Indie Author Fringe advises against international book fairs: Authors, Don’t Waste your Money: Book Fair Bewares: David Gaughran

Debbie Young points out that even if you don't exhibit your book, fairs are a good opportunity for meeting people in the industry, attending talks, and learning about publishing: Publishing Conferences & Book Fairs – What’s In Them for Self-published Authors?

For a complete list of all international fairs (there are over a hundred) see: 2 Seas International Book Fair Calendar

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International Book Fairs

New Delhi World Book Fair

New Delhi, India

The New Delhi World Book Fair is India's second oldest book fair after the Kolkata Book Fair. India is the third biggest market for English publications with almost 12,000 publishers that publish around 90,000 titles a year in more than 18 languages. Visitors come from India as well as the USA, Bangladesh, France, Iran, Israel, Italy, Japan, Canada, Malaysia, Mauritius, Nepal, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Germany.

Bologna Children's Book Fair

Bologna, Italy

The Bologna Children's Book Fair is the world's leading event for children's book authors and publishers. This is where all industry professionals involved with creating and publishing children's books buy and sell rights for books, translations, and for derived products like movies or animated series. Major awards are also given at the fair, the Bologna Ragazzi Awards, in four categories: Fiction, Non-fiction, New Horizons (for the non-Western world) and Opera Prima (for first works).

London Book Fair

Olympia, London, UK

The London Book Fair is the second largest international book fair, after Frankfurt. Over 1700 exhibitors participate in The London Book Fair, representing a wide range of interests and markets within the publishing industry.

American Library Association Annual Conference
New Orleans, LA

The American Library Association (ALA) is the oldest and largest library association in the world with more than 62,000 members. The ALA annual conference is one of the largest professional conferences in existence, typically drawing over 25,000 attendees.

Beijing International Book Fair

Beijing, China

The Chinese market is one of the largest and fastest growing in the world. With over 2 billion people, education is a high priority for the government. Every Chinese child is required to learn English when they enter school which puts English language content in high demand. The Beijing Book Fair is attended by over 30,000 people each year. In attendance are publishers, distributors, literary agents, consumers, digital media companies, film and production companies and bookstores.

Frankfurt Book Fair

Frankfurt am Main, Germany

The Frankfurt Book Fair is the world's largest trade fair for books. With 7,000 exhibitors from over 100 countries representing book publishing, multimedia and technology companies, it is considered the most important book fair for international deals and trading.  Publishers, agents, booksellers, librarians, academics, illustrators, service providers, film producers, translators, professional and trade associations, institutions, artists, authors, antiquarians, software and multimedia suppliers all participate in the events.

Tickets for individuals range from 19 Euros for one day to 30 euros for two days. Exhibition space costs 372 - 450 euros per square meter. Custom-designed stands can be over 40 square meters. There are additional charges to set up early. In addition there are lighting fees, furniture rentals, surcharges, which bring costs up to the thousands.

Major Book Fairs in the US

Brooklyn Book Festival

The Brooklyn Book Festival is the largest free literary event in New York City, presenting an array of national and international literary stars and emerging authors. One of America’s premier book festivals, this diverse gathering attracts thousands of book lovers of all ages to enjoy authors and the festival’s lively literary marketplace. If you live in New York, the publishing hub of the US, plan on attending this event.

National Book Festival

This yearly festival is held in Washington, DC and is sponsored by the Library of Congress. Tens of thousands of visitors from all over the country attend. The Library live-streamed the entire Main Stage event on its Facebook page, where it was watched by thousands of viewers. The Festival is free and open to the public.

The Miami Book Fair International

The Miami Book Fair International describes itself as an "eight-day literary party." The highlight of the event is the Festival of Authors, with more than 450 authors reading and discussing their work, including the Latin American and Spanish authors who participate in the IberoAmerican Authors Program. More than 250 publishers and booksellers exhibit and sell books, with special features like the antiquarians, who showcase signed first editions, original manuscripts and other collectibles. There are programs for children, workshops, presentations, and every kind of literary event you can think of.

Baltimore Book Festival

The Baltimore Book Festival is sponsored by the Baltimore Office of Promotion & The Arts (BOPA) is a non-profit organization that serves as Baltimore City’s official arts council, events agency and film office. 

Virginia Festival of the Book

The Virginia Festival of the Book is the largest community-based book event in the Mid-Atlantic region and has attracted audiences of more than 20,000 for each of the past thirteen years. Authors have ranged from international bestsellers to debut authors. Past participants include Rick Atkinson, Edward Ayers, David Baldacci, Maureen Corrigan, Edwidge Danticat, Kate DiCamillo, Rita Dove, Alan Furst, John Grisham, Jan Karon, Jim Lehrer, Frances Mayes, Colum McCann, David McCullough, Alice McDermott, Yewande Omotoso, Katherine Paterson, Jon Scieszka, Lisa Scottoline, Pete Seeger, Karin Slaughter, Alexander McCall Smith, Lee Smith, Bryan Stevenson, Joseph Stiglitz, Elizabeth Strout, Judith Viorst, and Charles Wright. The headliner for the 2018 Festival is Khizr Khan, author of An American Family and This Is Our Constitution.

Texas Book Festival

The Texas Book Festival features 250 nationally and critically recognized authors, more than 20 venues including the State Capitol, 80 exhibitors, live music, local food trucks, family activities, and  opportunities to meet authors. Founded in 1995 by First Lady Laura Bush, the Festival has hosted thousands of notable and award-winning authors over the years, including Margaret Atwood, Robert Caro, Sandra Cisneros, Salman Rushdie, Cheryl Strayed, Walter Mosley, Molly Shannon, Frank McCourt, Ziggy Marley, Liz Carpenter, Doris Kearns Goodwin, and many others.

Los Angeles Times Festival of Books

The LA Times Festival is held every year on the University of Southern California campus. Over 150,000 people typically attend the Festival, which features writers, poets, artists, filmmakers and musicians. Past participants have included Margaret Atwood, T.C. Boyle, Bryan Cranston, Cory Doctorow, and more writers and performers than I can count. Don't miss this event if you live in LA.

Louisiana Book Festival

This one-day annual festival held in Baton Rouge attracts tens of thousands of visitors. The event is sponsored by the State Library of Louisiana, the Louisiana Center for the Book, the Louisiana Library Foundation and local businesses.The festival features author signings and readings, workshops, exhibits, food, activities for children, and (of course) live music.

Chicago Tribune Printer's Row Lit Fest

The Printers Row Lit Fest was founded in 1985 by the Near South Planning Board to attract visitors to the Printers Row neighborhood (once the city's bookmaking hub). By 2002, it had grown to five city blocks (South Dearborn Street from Harrison to Polk, Harold Washington Library Center and Jones College Prep High School), attracting more than 100 booksellers from across the country displaying new, used and antiquarian books and featuring more than 200 authors participating in panels, discussions and a variety of other programs. It is now the largest literary festival in the Mid-West.

Jewish Book Festivals

There are more Jewish book festivals than I can name. You can find a list of them HERE. (If you type "Jewish Book Festivals" into a Google search, you will find dozens more.) Jewish culture places a high value on literacy and on literature. If you are a Jewish author, these are great events to participate in. 

Translating Your Self-Published Book

Updated 5/18/25

One of the advantages of self-publishing is that you don't have to wait for your publisher to translate your book. You can do it yourself!

Translation can help open your book up to more markets, but keep in mind that your translated book will need to be promoted - just like the original. It helps to do some research into magazines, news services, and/or organizations that might be interested in reviewing or advertising your book abroad.

Authors have several translation options: 1) Translation services that charge nothing, but take a percentage of your sales, 2) Translation services that will translate your book into several languages simultaneously, 3) Freelance translators, who you can find on boards and freelance hubs. Most freelancers and services will give you a free quote, which will depend on the length of your work, and the degree of specialization required.

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TRANSLATION SERVICES WITH NO UP-FRONT COSTS

Babelcube

Babelcube bills itself as the easiest way for authors to team up with translators to sell their books in multiple languages globally. The way it works is quite simple: You upload ten pages of your book, along with a description. Translators then offer to translate your book and translate your ten pages. You can either accept or decline the translation, based on your assessment of the translation.

There is no charge to the author. The incentive for the translator is that for the first $2,000 of sales, the translator receives 55% of revenue generated from sales. The author receives 30%, and Babelcube receives 15% of net receipts. Babelcube distributes translated ebooks to multiple outlets, including Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple, Overdrive, Tolino, and many more. Over ten languages are offered. Their system is easy to use, and once the translation, translated cover, blurb, and author bio are uploaded, publication is immediate.

So far, I have used Babelcube to translate my book into Portuguese, Italian, Spanish, German, and French. All of my translators were excellent, and I was quite pleased with the results. But the problem with a no-risk arrangement is that your translators can simply not follow through. They can miss their deadlines, and fail to respond to your messages. In that case, Babelcube will cancel that translation, and your book then becomes available for another translator in that language. (This has happened to me on more than one occasion.) The administrators at Babelcube are very responsive, and are always willing to answer questions. Nevertheless, waiting for a completed manuscript that never arrives can be frustrating, especially if the topic is timely.

Fiberead 

Fiberead offers translations into simplified and traditional Chinese. Translators will translate your book into Chinese at a rate of nine months for 80,000 words with one additional month per 10,000 words. Authors get their own project team that includes editors, translators, illustrators and proofreaders. For digital e-book versions: 30% goes to authors, 30% to professional translators, 5-10% to editors and the rest is re-invested into the Fiberead platform. Authors also have the option of allowing Fiberead to be their agent for printed versions as well, which pays 90% royalties.

I have not tried this service, so I can't offer feedback.

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FREELANCE TRANSLATOR BOARDS AND HUBS 

TranslatorsCafé.com

TranslatorsCafé.com is a hub where translators can post their specialties. The site includes a directory of translation agencies and translators, a forum, and a Q&A section. Writers can post a job, or simply browse translators. The site also has a good article on how to choose a translator, as well as the pros and cons of choosing a freelancer as opposed to an agency.

Proz

The Proz site features over 300,000 professional translators and translation companies. Freelance translators working in Spanish, German, Italian, Chinese, Arabic, Japanese and other languages, and specializing in legal, medical, technical and other fields, can be contacted directly through the site. You can also post a job. Proz does not charge a fee, but you do have to pay the translator.

Traduguide
Germany
Website: https://www.traduguide.com/index-secure.asp

This is an international online job board. You post your job to receive quotes from freelance translators. You can also simply search by source language, target language, and specialty.
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TRANSLATORS' ASSOCIATIONS

American Literary Translators Association
Richardson, TX
Phone: 972-883-2092
Email: altacentral2014@gmail.com
Website: https://literarytranslators.org/

Association for translators specializing in literary works. Site includes a directory of member profiles listing their language proficiencies.


American Translators Association
Alexandria, VA
Phone: 703-683-6100 M-F 9AM-5PM EST
Email: ata@atanet.org
Website: http://www.atanet.org

Association of professional translators and interpreters, including search tools and directories to help you find the right person for your needs.

2017 Smashwords Survey - Best Price for Your Ebook, Preorders & More

Smashwords is a popular  ebook distribution platform for self-publishers. Despite the dominance of Amazon, the company has enjoyed considerable success. Since 2008, Smashwords has published over 450,000 titles by 130,000 authors and small publishers.

In addition to its own platform, Smashwords distributes to multiple retailers and libraries. The largest Smashwords retailer is iBooks, followed by Barnes & Noble, Kobo, the Smashwords Store, Scribd, Amazon and several smaller outlets including public library aggregators such as OverDrive.

Every year, Smashwords analyzes trends in their ebook publishing platform — what works, what doesn’t work, which prices do best, etc. After nearly a decade of ebook publishing, and over the course of many surveys, the CEO of Smashwords, Mark Coker, has insights that are invaluable for writers launching into self-publishing. 

Below are some of the findings from the 2017 Smashwords survey. You can see an informative slide show of the survey HERE.

Top-Selling Categories

The vast majority of Smashwords books are fiction. The top-selling category is romance, which accounts for nearly 50% of books published by Smashwords. The top ten fiction categories are as follows:

1. Romance (73% of the top 200 best-selling titles)
2. Erotica
3. Fantasy
4. Young Adult
5. Science Fiction
6. LGBT Fiction
7. Thriller
8. Historical Fiction
9. Adventure
10. Horror

In the nonfiction category, the ten top-ranked books are: Self-Help, Health, Business, Religion, Relationships, Sports, Education, History, Home and Garden, and New Age.

Why Does Romance Perform So Well?

Romance has more dedicated readers than any other genre, but more significantly, those readers are voracious. Romance novels tend to be quick reads, and these readers will consume a book a day, which means there is endless demand. 

From an industry perspective, romance writers have the advantage of a strong national association, as well as regional organizations and publication-focused writing conferences. Because romance writers are prolific, they tend to adopt innovative marketing strategies (pre-orders, free series starters, and frequent releases of new books).

Best Price for Self-Published Novels

Free still draws the most downloads - 33 times more than paid books. (Interestingly, this is down from previous years.) Free promotions work best for series, and for authors with a substantial backlist. 

The most popular price is still $2.99. But, $3.99, $4.99 and $5.99 earn more. (The price that generates the most earnings is $3.99. The price that gets the most downloads is 99 cents.) How does this work? Authors who are just starting out should price their books at $2.99 in order to gain readers. But once they are established, they should increase the price of their books. Popular authors can charge more for their books than those who are relatively unknown.

Length Matters

Longer books tend to sell more than shorter. The average length of books in the top 100 selling bracket was 111,000 words. Words counts decline from that point, down to 90,000 words, which is still a substantial book. The average word count for the top 70 romance books is 113,000. 

What this means is that romance readers really like to immerse themselves in a book. 

Title Length Matters Too

Readers who like long books, apparently don't like long titles. The top 100 bestsellers featured titles with roughly 25 characters, rising up to 30 characters as the bestselling rank decreased. Coincidence? Probably not. Covers sell books, and romance covers sell a LOT of books. Romance readers don't need to be distracted by a lot of words on the cover. Just the semi-naked man/men or woman/women plus the author's name will do.

Pre-orders

Smashwords launched its pre-order program in 2013 with the promise that it would yield significant gains for authors. Surprisingly, very few authors took advantage of this feature - only 12% of books were launched as pre-orders. But, over 60% of the highest earning authors utilized a pre-order for at least one of their books. Roughly 45% of bestsellers were born with pre-orders. 

The spread of fiction categories utilizing pre-orders was fairly even. About a quarter of romance, YA, and historical fiction books were launched with pre-orders. Fantasy, mystery, and thrillers each amounted to 20%, with the rest of the categories declining. What is interesting is the percentage of sales gleaned from pre-orders. Those categories which utilized pre-orders the most, also generated the highest number of total sales. In sum, pre-orders work.

Series 

Series still rate as the top means for finding readers. Of the top ten series, seven started with a free book (all seven were romance titles). And of the top 100 series, 67 began with a free book. What is important to note is that series that started with a free book eventually made three to five times more than series that did not.

There was an average of between seven and eight titles per series. Three-quarters of Smashwords bestsellers come from a series. Series titles sell significantly more than stand-alone books. On average, series books sell nearly four times more than stand-alones. 

Bottom Line(s)

1) Always start with a pre-order

2) Write a series, and start with a perma-free first book

3) Price your book at $2.99, but then increase as your books gain readers

4) Don't base your publishing strategy on a single metric - experiment to find what works for you!

Free Guides

Smashwords provides a number of incredibly useful free guides. Take advantage of these!

The Secrets to Ebook Publishing Success

Smashwords Book Marketing Guide

Smashwords Style Guide

(Also available in Spanish, German, Italian, Dutch, Hindi and more.)

Getting Your Self-Published Book Into Libraries

Updated 5/8/25

According to the American Library Association there are nearly 117,000 libraries in the United States. If you are considering self-publishing, that number should make you salivate.

Libraries are not only a huge market, they are frequently an untapped one for self-publishers. Unfortunately, libraries usually order books from their own distributors, which means approaching them directly to purchase your self-published book may be an uphill battle.

Don't despair.  Self-published authors have several options for getting their books into libraries.

1) Smashwords - If you publish through Draft2Digital (formerly Smashwords), your book will be available to libraries through OverDrive (world's largest library ebook platform serving 20,000+ libraries), Baker & Taylor Axis 360, Tolino, Gardners (Askews & Holts and Browns Books for Students), and Odilo (2,100 public libraries in North America, South America and Europe).

2) Indie Author Project - The Indie Author Project (IAP) is a publishing community that includes public libraries, authors, curators, and readers working together to connect library patrons with great indie-published books. IAP has helped hundreds of libraries engage their local creative community and assisted in getting more than 12,000 indie authors into their local libraries. Most importantly, the project has worked with top curation partners and librarians to identify hundreds of these as the best indie eBooks available to readers—so they can be sustainably circulated to library patrons with confidence.

Through this publishing community, authors are able to submit eBooks directly to their local public library to then be vetted by industry editorial partners and regional library editorial boards. Being selected by these curators can lead to expanded discovery, distribution, and networking opportunities.

3) Book Reviews - Librarians order books largely based on reviews. Getting a review into one of these magazines will provide you with maximum exposure.

• Booklist - Circulation: 80,000 print; 160,000 online
• Library Journal - Circulation: 100,000
• Publishers Weekly -  Self-published books can be submitted for review through Book Life.
• School Library Journal - Youth titles only. 

5) Direct marketing - This works for print books. Walk into your local library and ask them to order your book. While you're at it, offer to do a reading.

Helpful resources (Read these articles!):

The Library Market: What Indie Authors Need to Know

Getting Indie Authors Into Libraries - An Interview with Mitchell Davis of BiblioBoard

Top 25 Librarian Bloggers (By the Numbers)

9 Steps to Getting Your Self-Published Books into Libraries

10 Scifi and Fantasy Review Sites for Self-Published Authors

Endless Dream by Santijar - Deviant Art

Updated 5/8/25

If you write science fiction or fantasy, there are many ways you can promote your books. There are hundreds of individual bloggers who are more than happy to review self-published books. (See "Additional Resources" below.) There are also many platforms that specialize in advertising and promoting those genres.

This list includes sites that publish reviews of self-published books. (There are more sites for traditionally published books.) They all offer reviews for free. Some accept books for review, while others accept freelance reviews, in which case someone - not the author - would have to submit a review.

The advantage of a book review site, as opposed to a blog, is traffic. Most blogs can't compete with well trafficked review sites for the simple reason that most review sites rely on more than one reviewer. (Even blogs with two or three reviewers can't compete.) This allows review sites to cover more books, which, in turn, attracts more traffic.

Additional Resources:

Fantasy and Sci-fi Reviewers Accepting Self-Published Authors
A list of 269 online book reviewers who accept self-published work in speculative fiction (scifi, fantasy, horror, paranormal).

Top 5 Sites for Science Fiction Writers

If you write scifi, these are your go-to sites.

Top 20 Sites for Finding Reviewers

These are the best sites for finding reviewers in any genre.

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Strange Horizons

Strange Horizons publishes in-depth reviews of speculative art and entertainment, especially books, films, and television, three times a week. Reviews normally cover new works, they will not reject a review because its subject has been available for a while. "We're especially interested in reviews of worthy material that might not otherwise get the exposure it deserves; similarly, we are interested in reviews of works that push traditional genre boundaries." They pay $40 for a review.

SF Reader

SFReader offers reviews on any book, anthology or magazine that has a speculative element (all flavors of science fiction, fantasy, and horror). They prefer traditionally published print books, but will accept Kindle format.

Fantasy Book Review

This popular site reviews fantasy books only. They get a large amount of submissions per month, so a review is not guaranteed. (They review 1 in 50 submissions.) All books are read, reviewed, categorized and awarded a rating between 0 and 10. These ratings then determine who and what appears in the list of the Top 100 Fantasy Books. At time of writing the number of books that have been read and reviewed stands at well over 1,000.

Fantasy Book Critic

Fantasy Book Critic is a group of individuals devoted to covering Fantasy, Science Fiction, Horror, YA/Children’s Books and other Speculative Fiction. They accept review queries from publishers large, small and independent as well as self-published authors. Both print and electronic formats are accepted.

Lightspeed Magazine

Lightspeed is a well known science fiction and fantasy magazine. If you have a book you’d like them to consider for review, or you’d like to send a press release, use this address: reviewbooks@lightspeedmagazine.com All of their reviews are in-house.

Science Fiction and Fantasy World

Authors and publishers can fill out a request for a review on their contact form. Authors can also promote their books on the Promotion Zone. This site gets quite a bit of traffic. Their list of interviews, reviews, articles, and guest posts is extensive. They also publish anthologies.

SFcrowsnest

Everything on this site is contributed by readers. The areas they cover are scifi, fantasy, horror, steampunk, computers, anime, manga, games, RPGs, toys, models, science, futurism, films, TV. Electronic format press releases and articles/reviews can be sent to the editor, Geoff, via gfwillmetts-2 (at) hotmail.co.uk.

Fantasy Faction

This site has something for everyone: forums, author interviews, news, reviews. There are numerous helpful writing articles on the site, including quite a few on self-publishing. They also have a monthly short story prize, events, a convention, yearly fantasy awards, and they have even published a short story collection, The Fantasy-Faction Anthology (US, UK). The forum topics cover everything from upcoming events, to writing discussions, to read alongs. Authors who have a self-published fantasy novel can promote their book in the forum, as well as request reviews.

Tor.com

Tor accepts pitches for essays, think pieces, list posts, reaction pieces, and reviews in the 1000-2000 word range. If possible, please include 2-3 writing samples and links to your published work on other sites.

Mega-List of Free Promotional Sites for Self-Published Books

Updated 5/8/25

The hardest task faced by self-published authors is promotion. Self-published authors don't have the resources of large, or even small, publishers. Nor do they have the marketing networks that every publisher relies on to create "buzz" for upcoming books. If you are self-publishing, you are going to have to do all that work yourself.

Fortunately, there are plenty of places for you to promote your book for free. Hundreds of online reviewers are happy to receive a book in exchange for an honest review, and many post their reviews on multiple platforms. There are also numerous sites that publish interviews with authors, as well as places to post your cover reveal and excerpts.

The resources below will help you on your way to effective marketing and promotion. I suggest that before you begin promoting your book, you look at these lists and sites and make a list of your own of the various types of promotion you'd like to do, and then find the sites that provide what you are looking for. Keep careful track of where you have promoted your book, and don't forget to evaluate the results!

Note: For all of my articles on self-publishing, including resources for promoting your book, marketing, getting reviews, setting up your author website and more see: Self-Publishing

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List of lists

Indies Unlimited has the longest, most comprehensive list of places to promote your book that I have ever seen.

Digital Pubbing's list of 110 tools to find readers and reviewers is conveniently broken down into categories (reviews, advertising, interviews, etc.) to help writers hone in to the type of promotion they are looking for.

Kindlepreneur lists 127 places to promote your book, free and paid.

Build Book Buzz's handout is a substantial collection of resources that will help you find media outlets, reader review sites, and online review sites for your book.

Angie's Diary lists the top ten free promotion sites for self-published books.

Savvy Writers has a list of 46 free promotional sites for self-published books.

Individual promotional sites

Authors Den allows self-publishers to download sample chapters which readers can review. You must have a book cover before you can upload a chapter. Detailed instructions are on the site.

YA Books Central offers book reviews, cover reveals, author profiles and interviews, sponsors giveaways and contests, and accepts advertising for YA books.

Book Buzzr  offers paid promotion, but you can try it for free for 14 days

Books on the Knob offers free reviews, will post your giveaway, discounted books,

Indie Books Blog is a blog that promotes self-published books. Fill out the form to have your book posted, and tweeted.

Book Life, run by Publishers Weekly, lets you submit your book for review, register your book, and post an author profile,  Don't forget to connect your social media accounts to your profile! 

• Get your book featured in BookLife's monthly Indie Spotlight. Each month they focus on a different topic.
• Submit your book for Publishers Weekly review consideration. It's free, and every year hundreds of BookLife submissions are selected for review. 
• Read the digital edition of the BookLife section of Publishers Weekly. Twice a month, BookLife samples the best books and ideas from indie authors all over the world. If you don't yet receive email notifications about each new issue, you can sign up here

Indies Unlimited offers an array of free features includes Thrifty Thursdays, Print Book Paradise, Kindle Unlimited Hump Days, and a weekly flash fiction challenge. The submissions guidelines are explained in detail on the features’ respective pages.

Kidswrd is a promotional site just for children's books (younger age groups). Authors can post their book by creating a KIDSWRD account. Your books are recommended to parents and kids through their email subscribers list. Your books are also promoted through related social media pages.

Snick's List will promote your book for one week for free. 

Robin Reads is a community of over 194,000 members looking for free and deeply discounted ebooks that align with their literary tastes. To submit your book for review fill our their online submission form outlining the details of the price promotion for your book. Use their booking calendar to select the day of your promo- each order is for one day of promotion. Books must either be free or cost 99 cents.

Book Goodies advertises free and bargain books. They also interview authors.

Best Book Monkey offers free and paid promotion. Best Book Monkey Package promotions are designed for books that are FREE, discounted to $4.99 or less, or have a regular price of $4.99 or less.

Book Basset offers two promotions: 1) They feature one author’s works. Featured authors will will get a dedicated post in the morning (usually between 9:30am – 10:30am Pacific Time) containing up to five of their books. Their post will be Tweeted and posted to our Facebook Wall and will also be featured in our daily “Today’s Deals From Book Basset” email. 2) Each day, Book Basset features a hand-selected batch of freebies.

Book Cave has 130,870 daily email subscribers, divided by genre and content rating. In addition, their website gets thousands a views, and they keep your book on the site during your entire sale, so you receive more views even after the day of your promotion.

Forums

Book Talk hosts free forums where authors and publishers can post their books. Book Talk also offers paid promotion.

Online Book Club is a forum for readers and authors. Reviews are also offered - both free and paid.

Kindle Boards

Mobile Read

Additional resources

For more free publicity sites see: Free Publicity for Your KDP Select Free Days

Self-Publishing: The Perils of Instant Gratification

Updated 4/6/25

One of the appeals of self-publishing is that there is no waiting time. In traditional publishing, there is a lag, sometimes of a year or more, between the publisher's receipt of a manuscript and its publication.

Historically, authors have railed against this lag for two reasons: 1) They are impatient to see their books on the shelf, and 2) They are worried that in some cases, the book may never be published at all.

The second of these reasons for objecting to a delay in publication is legitimate. If the publication date is not specified in the contract (e.g. manuscript will be published within one year of acceptance), there is always the chance that due to various unforeseen events affecting the publishing house, your book may never make it into print.

The first reason, impatience, is not a good reason to object to a delay, but it is the main reason many writers opt to self-publish. Once they finish a novel, they want to see it in print as soon as possible.

Why immediate publication is a bad idea

One of the reasons traditional publishers delay publication is that in addition to the months required to edit a book, it takes between four and six months to market a book. ARCs must be sent to reviewers, pre-orders must be set up, outlets must be notified. If these steps are not taken in advance, there will be no pre-release buzz. And without pre-release buzz, the proverbial tree will fall in the forest, and it will not make a sound.

This is not to say you can't promote a book after it has been released. You can, and you should. But if you don't create a demand for your book ahead of its release, chances are very few people will buy it. Demand is the fundamental basis of selling anything - be it a new car, a new shoe style, a new book, or a new president. Create a demand, and there will be a market for your product.

If you publish immediately after you finish editing, you will have no demand and no market, which means you are virtually guaranteed a lack of sales.

What to do before publication

1) First, make a list of book reviewers for your genre. Also make a list of bloggers who do interviews, and make a list of those who do cover reveals. (Many book bloggers do all three.) You should have several hundred reviewers when you are finished. This will take some time, so start now.

2) While you are making those lists, research popular publications - online magazines and general interest sites - relating to your genre or to the subject of your book. Make a list of those that accept advertising, or which will post your book as a new release. Start making the list now. (You can use Alexa to measure the traffic to a publication's website.)

3) Build your twitter following. Do not use a service. You need real followers, not a bunch of people who don't care about what you are tweeting. Do this at least a year before the launch of your book.

4) Make sure you have a Facebook page, a blog, and a website up and running at least a year before you launch your book.

5) As soon as you have a cover, make a banner. Write your back page blurb, and ask for endorsements.

6) Six months before your launch send review requests to every reviewer on your list. At the same time, send review requests to your list of popular publications and websites, especially those which charge a fee, (Those tend to get booked up quickly.)

7) Three months before your release upload your book for pre-ordering on Amazon. (If you are using Smashwords, they also provide a pre-order service.) Sign up for blog tours.

8) As soon as you have an ARC, submit your book to every self-publishing book contest.

9) Schedule talks, book signings, and author events to coincide with your release date.

10) Plan a book release party, and advertise it. Have fun! (And make sure everyone at the party gets on your mailing list.)

Do all of the above - patiently, methodically -  and your book will be a success.


Useful articles:

Everything I did wrong: Self-Publishing

Arranging Your Own Book Tour

10 Tips for How to Throw a Successful Book Launch Party

10 Ways to Find Your Ideal Audience on Twitter (For Writers)

The Skinny on Virtual Book Tours

You can find many more useful articles on self-publishing and book marketing here.

5 Tips for Promoting Your Author Event on Social Media

Me, signing books at my local library

If you are self-publishing, or even if you are being published traditionally, public events such as talks, book signings, and readings are a must. Nothing creates more fans than your physical presence. People want to sit in an audience and hear you speak. They want to crowd around you afterwards, asking you to sign copies of your book. They want to shake your hand, ask you questions, give you their first born child. (Okay, maybe that's taking it a bit too far. But you get the picture.)

Simply scheduling a talk or a signing is not enough. Like everything else you do to promote your book, your author event will have to be advertised. You will, of course, send out a press release to the local papers.

But what about all the people who only know you virtually? That group is important as well.

1) Twitter. (Yes, I'm still calling it Twitter.) Before you do anything else, create a hashtag and use it on every tweet that concerns your book - including author events. Keep your hashtag short and memorable. Make sure you look up your hashtag to make sure it hasn’t already been used.

2) Facebook event page. Event pages are easy to set up on Facebook. (Read how to do it HERE.) Your event page should include information about the event (when and where). You can post photos, invite guests, and (best of all) keep track of who is interested. Make sure people can leave comments and post on your page. Remember to put links to your home page on Facebook, as well as sales links, in the details section.

Here is a helpful article: 13 Ways to Use Facebook Events for Your Brand

3) Live coverage. Live coverage of events is exciting! If your friends are attending the event, ask them tweet during the event using your event hashtag. Enlist a friend to photograph the event and post images. Let Facebook friends and twitter followers know in advance when live coverage is taking place.

4) Join groups. There are all kinds of groups for writers: Facebook groups, Google Plus communities, even LinkedIn. Promotions are allowed in many of these groups, not just for book releases but for events. The advantage to promoting your events on groups is reach (especially Facebook).

Helpful article: 47 Facebook Groups for Authors

5) Make a video. If you have a smartphone you can make a short clip (a teaser) to promote your event. For example, you can do some "man on the street" interviews with people who are going (friends, family). Have them answer the question, "Why are you going to ___?" Make it fun, or better yet, funny. (You can even use a free animation maker like PowToon to make a cartoon!) Post these videos on Twitter, Facebook, and anywhere else you have an account.

Here is the Video for Phillip Pullman's book event 

Remember:

Bring a sign-up sheet to your event. Everyone who shows up is a potential fan!

Bring extra books. Even if the event is hosted by a bookstore, they may run out. If the event is hosted by a restaurant (I've had restaurant venues), a sporting goods store, a library, or anyplace else not likely to have a stack of your books on hand - bring lots!

Have a good time. I love talking to people who've read my books. The best part is that they love talking to me, too!

For more info on book tours see: Arranging Your Own Book Tour

Indie Author Day - Coming Soon to a Library Near You!

There are more than 20,000 libraries in the U.S., providing not just books to their patrons, but a solid boost for authors. Libraries often feature sections for local authors, and host many literary events.

On October 8, 2016, libraries all over the country will be celebrating indie authors. If you have self-published, this is a golden opportunity for you to connect with readers, local resources, and other writers!

Find out more on the Indie Author Day website.

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From the website:

During the Inaugural Indie Author Day on October 8, 2016, libraries from all across North America will host their own local author events with the support of the Indie Author Day team. In addition to these local programs, each library’s indie community will come together for an hour-long digital gathering at 2 pm Eastern featuring Q&A with writers, agents and other industry leaders. Don’t miss out on this fantastic opportunity for libraries and authors to connect on both local and global levels!

Libraries across the US will be holding:

• Presentations from local indie authors about writing, marketing and more
• Book readings and / or signings from local authors
• Presentations from local industry leaders
• Writing workshops
• Presentations and workshops to inform the writing community about tools available for them to use through the library

Is your library participating? Find your library here: http://indieauthorday.com/where/

Diary of an Oxygen Thief: How a Self-Published Cult Novel Became a Mainstream Bestseller

Self-publishing success stories serve as lessons for us all. Even if you have taken the traditional route, they teach us what it takes to make a success of your novel.

The case of Diary of an Oxygen Thief is highly reminiscent of The Cruelty, a YA novel by Scott Bergstrom that landed a six-figure advance and movie rights after being self-published. (YA Debut Gets Six-Figure Deal: How did Scott Bergstrom Do It?)

Both authors had a background in advertising and understood marketing. Both positioned themselves as independent publishers. (In Scott's case he formed a LLC.) But in important ways, their stories diverge. Unlike Scott, the author of Diary (Anonymous) peddled his book directly to bookstores. He started small, but eventually got his book into Barnes & Noble. He then focused heavily on advertising.

Living in New York City meant that Anonymous had an advantage when it came to posters and bookstores, but considering the wide reach of the Internet, almost anyone with an understanding of their potential readers could do what Anonymous did.

_____________________________


How 'Diary Of an Oxygen Thief' Went from Self-Published Obscurity to Bestsellerdom

By Rachel Deahl, Publisher's Weekly

You may not know what Diary of an Oxygen Thief is about, but you might have heard the title. Or maybe you saw a picture of the book on Instagram, or read a discussion of it—positive or negative—on Twitter. And that’s by design: a design carried out by the book’s anonymous author over 10 years.

The slim novel, which details the travails of a broken-hearted, alcoholic, and bitter misogynist (who is also an unreliable narrator), was self-published in 2006. After selling nearly 100,000 copies—predominantly in trade paperback and e-book—the book was acquired by Simon & Schuster’s Gallery Books imprint in May, and re-released by the Simon & Schuster imprint on June 14. In its first three weeks on sale, the title has gotten off to a respectable start, selling roughly 14,000 copies, according to Nielsen BookScan. The book’s unlikely rise, from underground hit to Big Five-published novel, is due predominantly to the marketing efforts of its anonymous author. He pulled off a savvy publicity campaign that prioritized, above all else, getting the book’s title shared on social media.

The author, who asked that his name be kept out of print, spoke to PW from his apartment in New York’s East Village about the long, strange trip of publishing —and promoting—Diary.

A Brit who honed his advertising craft at some of the major agencies in London, then New York, the author self-published the novel in Amsterdam in 2006. At that time he was working for an ad agency in the Netherlands and, after having the book rejected by a number of U.S.-based literary agents, a friend of a friend offered to print him 1,000 hardcover copies for free. Although the author hadn’t intended to self-publish, he decided to make use of the copies he suddenly had. After taking one into a bookstore in Amsterdam, he was pleasantly surprised by the fact that he got the title on the shelf. “[The bookseller] held [the book] up and shook it,” the author said. “I think he had this fear, because it was self-published, that it was poorly made and would fall apart. He never looked at the text. He then said he’d take three copies.”

Soon the author was taking requests for bigger orders from the Amsterdam bookshop. He also started getting copies into bookshops in other cities, such as Paris’s Shakespeare & Co.; the stores, he noted, all catered to young hipsters, whom he considered his target market. After moving back to New York City, the author, who was then working freelance advertising gigs, felt emboldened by the success he had selling, and distributing, the book in Europe. He decided to do a 5,000-copy print run of a new trade paperback edition, and to focus almost entirely on selling it. “I was getting just about enough orders that, if I lived a simple life, I could pull it off,” the author said.

Amping up his promotional efforts, the author hit several indie bookstores in N.Y.C., gaining particular traction at Spoonbill & Sugartown in Williamsburg, Brooklyn; the East Village’s former St. Mark’s Bookshop; and Nolita’s McNally Jackson. To get copies into Barnes & Noble, the author posed as an independent publisher and pushed the title through the retailer’s small-press program. (No meetings were required with B&N; everything was done via email. The author, calling himself V Publishing, told the retailer that his house was targeting the “hipster market, the most elusive of all segments” and would rely on guerilla marketing. He also showed the retailer some YouTube clips he’d made promoting the book. B&N placed an initial order of 100 copies.)

Intent on building underground buzz for the book, the author focused on promotional efforts that would make people google the book’s title. From his limited sales in bookshops he felt confident that he could land readers by getting the book’s cover (which features a picture of a snowman whose carrot nose has been repositioned to look like a penis) seen, and its title shared.

Read the rest of this success story HERE.