Search results for ""self publishing""

Our Maker Life—the beloved knit and crochet collective that has become an engaged movement—presents a much-anticipated volume of patterns and stories to tempt their thousands of followers and makers everywhere The Our Maker Life (OML) community consists of knitters, crocheters, yarn dyers, makers, business owners, pattern designers, bloggers, and social media influencers who are dedicated to creating handmade items. What began as an idea to hop offline and meet up in person has grown into an international community of makers passionate about the fiber arts. Their mission? Join together to network, connect, inspire, and make. There’s a growing desire for more content from the Our Maker Life community, and the group has become a household name in just four years. After self-publishing two story and pattern collections, OML is building on their success and speaking to a wider audience with this first book—drawing attention to the potential that exists among the makers of the world. OML has big ambitions and it’s their motivation that makes them such an exciting and aspirational group. Their book offers, firsthand, the joy and fun of creating work by hand, and it will inspire readers with its empowering message of embracing creativity for a better everyday life—and a better world.

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Get your romance (writing) on! Writing a Romance Novel For Dummies is the only reference aspiring writers need to get their careers off to the right start. Fully updated to reflect the industry's latest trends and secrets, this book helps you understand what makes a great novel, so you can hone your craft and write books people want to read. We break down the romance subgenres, give you expert tips on plotting and pacing, and walk you through the process of finding an agent and getting published in today’s competitive market—or self-publishing like many six-figure authors are doing. For aspiring writers longing to find success in the industry, Writing a Romance Novel For Dummies is easy to read, highly informative, and a must-have! Refine your writing to craft engaging stories readers can’t put down Find a route to publication that works for you—mainstream, or self-published Understand the ins and outs of the romance genre and its subgenres Learn how to get your work noticed in the popular world of romantic fiction This Dummies guide is perfect for beginning writers who want advice on writing and publishing a successful romance novel. It’s also a great reference for accomplished writers looking to level up their romance game.

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When you've written a book you want to see it in print. You want people to read and enjoy it. The only thing standing in your way is the publishing industry which rejects 98 per cent of the manuscripts submitted to it. Why not skip months of collecting rejection slips and simply join them at their own game? Anyone can publish their own book, and the cost can be as little as zero. In this easy-to-use guide, Stewart Ferris explains everything you need to know to be able to convert your manuscript into a printed book and to get that book selling in the shops, or to sell it online as an eBook. Stewart created the UK's first self-publishing agency in 1993 with his business partner Alastair Williams, offering authors all the services and advice they needed to publish and sell their own books.

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Create the next very hungry caterpillar, big red dog, or cat in the hat with a hand from this trusted guide In Writing Children’s Books For Dummies, you’ll learn what to write between “Once upon a time . . .” and “The End” as you dive into chapters about getting started writing, how to build great characters, and how to design a dramatic plot. On top of the technical writing advice, you’ll discover how talented illustrators work and how to find an agent. The newest edition of this popular For Dummies title even shows you how to choose a publisher—or self-publish—and how to use social media and other marketing and PR to get the word out about your new masterpiece. In the book, you’ll learn about: The fundamentals of writing for children, including common book formats and genres, and the structure of the children’s book market Creating a spellbinding story with scene description, engaging dialogue, and a child-friendly tone Polishing your story to a radiant shine with careful editing and rewriting Making the choice between a traditional publisher, a hybrid publisher, or self-publishing Using the most-effective marketing and publicity techniques to get your book noticed Perfect for anyone who’s ever dreamed of creating the next Ferdinand the Bull or Grinch, Writing Children’s Books For Dummies is an essential, easy-to-read guide for budding children’s authors everywhere.

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LEARN HOW TO WRITE WONDERFUL AND VARIED SHORT STORIES AND SHARE THEM WITH THE WORLD.Written by one of the country's leading experts on the short story, this book is ideal if you want to write creatively in a genre that is increasingly attracting attention from publishers, and which offers plenty of competition and festival opportunities for you to showcase your work.This new edition includes uptodate material on web resources and outlets and provides new information on self-publishing. In addition it discusses genres such as micro-fiction, and throughout is fully updated with new resources, events, slams and competitions.It will help unlock your imagination and creativity, and to discover stories you didn't know you had. It will help you to observe the world around you more sharply, as well as to structure, shape and polish your story. It is full of practical exercises that will both inspire imagination and refine skills, and confidence-building suggestions and hints.

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In this practical, witty, and no-nonsense book, Bill O’Hanlon provides all the essential information for readers interested in writing their own books. He discusses all the big issues: writer’s block; getting an idea; how to keep motivated; developing a platform; how to think about self-publishing; how to find a traditional publisher and what to do once you have one. Best of all, every piece of information in the book is written with the psychotherapy writer in mind. O’Hanlon helps readers learn how to leverage their own strengths as mental health professionals, providing worksheets and advice about finding a topic and making it your own. He gives suggestions about how to use your own clinical skills to stay on target for writing deadlines, and he cuts through the excessive information about social media to explain exactly what is relevant to your writing project. Any therapist who has given more than a passing thought to writing a book owes it to themselves to pick up this one.

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David Grossman (Author) David Grossman is the bestselling author of numerous books, which have been translated into thirty-six languages. His most recent novel, A Horse Walks into a Bar, was awarded the International Man Booker Prize 2017, and shortlisted for the TLS-Risa Domb/Porjes Prize 2019. Grossman is also the recipient of the French Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres and the 2010 Frankfurt Peace Prize. Grossman lives in Jerusalem with his wife.Ninamasina (Illustrator) Ninamasina (aka Anna Masini) has degrees in Cultural Anthropology and Cinematography. By day, she worked for a video production company, while taking drawing and printing techniques classes by night. Now, she works as a freelance illustrator. Her books have been published around the world. When she's not illustrating, she's busy running her own self-publishing label called Red Boots, and collaborating with theatre companies in scenography, puppetry and live painting. She lives and works in Milan, Italy

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Are you considering a career in the world of publishing, or simply want to understand more about the industry? If so, The Publishing Business will take you through the essential publishing activities performed in editorial, rights, design, production, sales and marketing departments. International examples from across the industry, from children's books to academic monographs, demonstrate key responsibilities at each stage of the publishing process and how the industry is adapting to digital culture. This 3rd edition has been updated with more on the role of self-publishing, independent publishers, audio books, the rise of poetry and non-fiction and how the industry is facing up to challenges of sustainability, inclusivity and diversity. Beautifully designed and full of insight and advice from practitioner interviews, this is an essential introduction to a dynamic industry. Interviewees include: Anne Meadows, Commissioning Editor at Granta and Portobello Books Zaahida Nabagereka, Head of Social Impact at Penguin Books UK Ashleigh Gardner, Senior Vice President, Managing Director Global Publishing, Wattpad Caroline Walsh, Literary Agent, David Higham Associates Peter Blackstock, VP, Deputy Publisher, Grove Atlantic/Publisher, Grove Press UK Amy Ellis, Head of Rights and Permissions, Publishers' Licensing Services Victoria Lawrance, Rights Manager, Bloomsbury Publishing Plc Shaun Hodgkinson, COO, Dorling Kindersley Thomas Truong, Publishing Director, Little Tiger Group Jenny Blenk, Associate Editor, Dark Horse Comics Jeanette Morton, Digital Publisher, Oxford University Press Maria Vassilopoulos, Publishing Sales, Uni of Wales Press and Calon Books Ian Lamb, Head Of Children's Marketing and Publicity, Simon and Schuster

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‘A definitive guide, in here you’ll find everything you need’ S. J. Watson With over 4,000 industry contacts and over eighty articles from a wide range of leading authors and publishing industry professionals, the latest edition of this bestselling Yearbook is packed with all of the practical information, inspiration and guidance you need at every stage of your writing and publishing journey. Designed for authors and illustrators across all genres and markets, it is relevant for those looking for a traditional, hybrid or self-publishing route to publication; writers of fiction and non-fiction, poets and playwrights, writers for TV, radio and videogames. If you want to find a literary or illustration agent or publisher, would like to self-publish or crowdfund your creative idea then this Yearbook will help you. As well as sections on publishers and agents, newspapers and magazines, illustration and photography, theatre and screen, there is a wealth of detail on the legal and financial aspects of being a writer or illustrator. Includes advice from writers such as Peter James, Cathy Rentzenbrink, S.J. Watson, Kerry Hudson, and Samantha Shannon. Additional articles, free advice, events information and editorial services at www.writersandartists.co.uk

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Take your shot at becoming the next Tolkien, Asimov, or King with this simple roadmap to transforming your fiction into works of art Writing Sci-Fi, Fantasy, & Horror For Dummies is your skeleton key to creating the kind of fiction that grips readers and compels them to keep turning pages (even if it's well past their bedtime!) You'll start with the basics of creative writing—including character, plot, and scene—and strategies for creating engaging stories in different forms, such as novels, short stories, scripts, and video games. After that, get beginner-friendly and straightforward advice on worldbuilding, before diving headfirst into genre-specific guidance for science fiction, horror, and fantasy writing. This book also offers: Strategies for editing and revising your next work to get it into tip-top shape for your audience Ways to seek out second opinions from editors, experts, and even sensitivity readers Techniques for marketing and publication, working with agents, and advice for writers going the self-publishing route The perfect beginner's guide for aspiring writers with an interest in horror, fantasy, or science fiction, Writing Sci-Fi, Fantasy, & Horror For Dummies is the first and last resource you need before you start building your next story about faraway lands, aliens, and fantastic adventures.

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This set includes two essential resources for writers and editors: The Copyeditor’s Handbook, now in its fourth edition, and The Copyeditor’s Workbook, the new companion to the bestselling Handbook. Unstuffy, hip, and often funny, The Copyeditor’s Handbook: A Guide for Book Publishing and Corporate Communications has become an indispensable resource both for new editors and for experienced hands who want to refresh their skills and broaden their understanding of the craft of copyediting. This fourth edition incorporates the latest advice from language authorities, usage guides, and new editions of major style manuals, including The Chicago Manual of Style. It registers the tectonic shifts in twenty-first-century copyediting: preparing text for digital formats, using new technologies, addressing global audiences, complying with plain language mandates, ensuring accessibility, and serving self-publishing authors and authors writing in English as a second language. The new edition also adds an extensive annotated list of editorial tools and references and includes a bit of light entertainment for language lovers, such as a brief history of punctuation marks that didn’t make the grade, the strange case of razbliuto, and a few Easter eggs awaiting discovery by keen-eyed readers.The Copyeditor’s Workbook: Exercises and Tips for Honing Your Editorial Judgment—a new companion to the Handbook—offers comprehensive and practical training in the art of copyediting for both aspiring and experienced editors. More than forty exercises of increasing difficulty and length, covering a range of subject matter, enable you to advance in skill and confidence. Detailed answer keys and explanations offer a grounding in editorial basics, appropriate usage choices for different contexts and audiences, and advice on communicating effectively and professionally with authors and clients. Whether the exercises are undertaken alone or alongside the new edition of The Copyeditor’s Handbook, they provide a thorough workout in the essential knowledge and skills required of contemporary editors.

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Are you considering a career in the world of publishing, or simply want to understand more about the industry? If so, The Publishing Business will take you through the essential publishing activities performed in editorial, rights, design, production, sales and marketing departments. International examples from across the industry, from children's books to academic monographs, demonstrate key responsibilities at each stage of the publishing process and how the industry is adapting to digital culture. This 3rd edition has been updated with more on the role of self-publishing, independent publishers, audio books, the rise of poetry and non-fiction and how the industry is facing up to challenges of sustainability, inclusivity and diversity. Beautifully designed and full of insight and advice from practitioner interviews, this is an essential introduction to a dynamic industry. Interviewees include: Anne Meadows, Commissioning Editor at Granta and Portobello Books Zaahida Nabagereka, Head of Social Impact at Penguin Books UK Ashleigh Gardner, Senior Vice President, Managing Director Global Publishing, Wattpad Caroline Walsh, Literary Agent, David Higham Associates Peter Blackstock, VP, Deputy Publisher, Grove Atlantic/Publisher, Grove Press UK Amy Ellis, Head of Rights and Permissions, Publishers' Licensing Services Victoria Lawrance, Rights Manager, Bloomsbury Publishing Plc Shaun Hodgkinson, COO, Dorling Kindersley Thomas Truong, Publishing Director, Little Tiger Group Jenny Blenk, Associate Editor, Dark Horse Comics Jeanette Morton, Digital Publisher, Oxford University Press Maria Vassilopoulos, Publishing Sales, Uni of Wales Press and Calon Books Ian Lamb, Head Of Children's Marketing and Publicity, Simon and Schuster

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The new, updated edition of the handbook that should be on every copyeditor’s desk. Unstuffy, hip, and often funny, The Copyeditor’s Handbook has become an indispensable resource both for new editors and for experienced hands who want to refresh their skills and broaden their understanding of the craft of copyediting. This fourth edition incorporates the latest advice from language authorities, usage guides, and new editions of major style manuals, including The Chicago Manual of Style. It registers the tectonic shifts in twenty-first-century copyediting: preparing text for digital formats, using new technologies, addressing global audiences, complying with plain language mandates, ensuring accessibility, and serving self-publishing authors and authors writing in English as a second language. The new edition also adds an extensive annotated list of editorial tools and references and includes a bit of light entertainment for language lovers, such as a brief history of punctuation marks that didn’t make the grade, the strange case of razbliuto, and a few Easter eggs awaiting discovery by keen-eyed readers.The fourth edition features updates on the transformation of editorial roles in today’s publishing environment new applications, processes, and protocols for on-screen editing major changes in editorial resources, such as online dictionaries and language corpora, new grammar and usage authorities, online editorial communities, and web-based research tools When you’re ready to test your mettle, pick up The Copyeditor’s Workbook: Exercises and Tips for Honing Your Editorial Judgment, the essential new companion to the handbook.

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How digital technology is upending the traditional creative industries—and why that might be a good thingThe digital revolution poses a mortal threat to the major creative industries—music, publishing, television, and the movies. The ease with which digital files can be copied and distributed has unleashed a wave of piracy with disastrous effects on revenue. Cheap, easy self-publishing is eroding the position of these gatekeepers and guardians of culture. Does this revolution herald the collapse of culture, as some commentators claim? Far from it. In Digital Renaissance, Joel Waldfogel argues that digital technology is enabling a new golden age of popular culture, a veritable digital renaissance.By reducing the costs of production, distribution, and promotion, digital technology is democratizing access to the cultural marketplace. More books, songs, television shows, and movies are being produced than ever before. Nor does this mean a tidal wave of derivative, poorly produced kitsch; analyzing decades of production and sales data, as well as bestseller and best-of lists, Waldfogel finds that the new digital model is just as successful at producing high-quality, successful work as the old industry model, and in many cases more so. The vaunted gatekeeper role of the creative industries proves to have been largely mythical. The high costs of production have stifled creativity in industries that require ever-bigger blockbusters to cover the losses on ever-more-expensive failures.Are we drowning in a tide of cultural silt, or living in a golden age for culture? The answers in Digital Renaissance may surprise you.

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This book tells the story of the turbulent decades when the book publishing industry collided with the great technological revolution of our time. From the surge of ebooks to the self-publishing explosion and the growing popularity of audiobooks, Book Wars provides a comprehensive and fine-grained account of technological disruption in one of our most important and successful creative industries. Like other sectors, publishing has been thrown into disarray by the digital revolution. The foundation on which this industry had been based for 500 years – the packaging and sale of words and images in the form of printed books – was called into question by a technological revolution that enabled symbolic content to be stored, manipulated and transmitted quickly and cheaply. Publishers and retailers found themselves facing a proliferation of new players who were offering new products and services and challenging some of their most deeply held principles and beliefs. The old industry was suddenly thrust into the limelight as bitter conflicts erupted between publishers and new entrants, including powerful new tech giants who saw the world in very different ways. The book wars had begun. While ebooks were at the heart of many of these conflicts, Thompson argues that the most fundamental consequences lie elsewhere. The print-on-paper book has proven to be a remarkably resilient cultural form, but the digital revolution has transformed the industry in other ways, spawning new players which now wield unprecedented power and giving rise to an array of new publishing forms. Most important of all, it has transformed the broader information and communication environment, creating new challenges and new opportunities for publishers as they seek to redefine their role in the digital age. This unrivalled account of the book publishing industry as it faces its greatest challenge since Gutenberg will be essential reading for anyone interested in books and their future.

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This book tells the story of the turbulent decades when the book publishing industry collided with the great technological revolution of our time. From the surge of ebooks to the self-publishing explosion and the growing popularity of audiobooks, Book Wars provides a comprehensive and fine-grained account of technological disruption in one of our most important and successful creative industries. Like other sectors, publishing has been thrown into disarray by the digital revolution. The foundation on which this industry had been based for 500 years – the packaging and sale of words and images in the form of printed books – was called into question by a technological revolution that enabled symbolic content to be stored, manipulated and transmitted quickly and cheaply. Publishers and retailers found themselves facing a proliferation of new players who were offering new products and services and challenging some of their most deeply held principles and beliefs. The old industry was suddenly thrust into the limelight as bitter conflicts erupted between publishers and new entrants, including powerful new tech giants who saw the world in very different ways. The book wars had begun. While ebooks were at the heart of many of these conflicts, Thompson argues that the most fundamental consequences lie elsewhere. The print-on-paper book has proven to be a remarkably resilient cultural form, but the digital revolution has transformed the industry in other ways, spawning new players which now wield unprecedented power and giving rise to an array of new publishing forms. Most important of all, it has transformed the broader information and communication environment, creating new challenges and new opportunities for publishers as they seek to redefine their role in the digital age. This unrivalled account of the book publishing industry as it faces its greatest challenge since Gutenberg will be essential reading for anyone interested in books and their future.

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Technologies may change, but the need for clear and accurate communication never goes out of style. That is why for more than one hundred years The Chicago Manual of Style has remained the definitive guide for anyone who works with words. In the seven years since the previous edition debuted, we have seen an extraordinary evolution in the way we create and share knowledge. This seventeenth edition of The Chicago Manual of Style has been prepared with an eye toward how we find, create, and cite information that readers are as likely to access from their pockets as from a bookshelf. It offers updated guidelines on electronic workflows and publication formats, tools for PDF annotation and citation management, web accessibility standards, and effective use of metadata, abstracts, and keywords. It recognizes the needs of those who are self-publishing or following open access or Creative Commons publishing models. The citation chapters reflect the ever-expanding universe of electronic sources-including social media posts and comments, private messages, and app content-and also offer updated guidelines on such issues as DOIs, time stamps, and e-book locators. Other improvements are independent of technological change. The chapter on grammar and usage includes an expanded glossary of problematic words and phrases and a new section on syntax as well as updated guidance on gender-neutral pronouns and bias-free language. Key sections on punctuation and basic citation style have been reorganized and clarified. To facilitate navigation, headings and paragraph titles have been revised and clarified throughout. And the bibliography has been updated and expanded to include the latest and best resources available. This edition continues to reflect expert insights gathered from Chicago's own staff and from an advisory board of publishing experts from across the profession. It also includes suggestions inspired by emails, calls, and even tweets from readers. No matter how much the means of communication change, The Chicago Manual of Style remains the ultimate resource for those who care about getting the details right.

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You’ve finished your book. That’s step one. Book publicist Dana Kaye now takes you through step two: getting your book into the hands of legions of readers.How we read books is changing rapidly, and so is where we buy them. From the rise of eBooks to the impact of online retail sales through companies like Amazon to the wide acceptance of self-publishing as a natural path—countless authors are writing books and then wondering what to do with them. If they decide to bring their book to market themselves, how do they ensure they will reach audiences without a marketing or publicity department and without the budgets and outreach that publishers have? If a house has acquired the rights and promises to publish, how does that writer supplement the work of those publicity managers and develop a direct relationship with everyone from the media to potential fans?Throughout her career, Dana Kaye has helped authors raise their profiles. As the head of her own independent PR firm, Kaye Publicity, Dana Kaye has succeeded in getting her client’s books into the hands of as many readers as possible. She has been a driving force behind numerous bestselling authors across all genres, from thriller authors like Gregg Hurwitz and Jamie Freveletti to children's authors like Liz Climo and Claudia Gray, and now she brings her insights to you.Kaye walks writers through all of their options, taking the anxiety out of the pitching process and teaching them how to be their own best promoters. Sharp, intuitive, and user-friendly, Dana Kaye’s guide is a must-have for all authors with bestselling aspirations."When it comes to professionalism, hard work and dedication, Dana is the best there is! She has been invaluable in helping me build my brand, and has come up with really inventive ways to promote my books (like fun contests, which help me not only promote my books but also connect with my fans!)" — Liz Climo, Author and Illustrator of Lobster is the Best Medicine

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This easy-to-read, jargon free book shows you step-by-step how you can enjoy writing, publishing and marketing your book so that it becomes an enduring bestseller. Written by an established and successful international #1 bestselling author (Dee's second book reached position 150 out of 7 million titles on Amazon and all her books are in the top 100 bestselling books in their category on Amazon several years after being published). Dee sells thousands of books worldwide including in China and America. You'll find practical, effective and powerful tools and tips on every page. The author shares her award winning templates including press releases, book launch invitations, speaker biographies and more so you can create yours effortlessly. You'll find out how you can identify your readers so that your content is appealing and relevant and, your marketing hits the spot every time. You'll discover how to tap into your knowledge and expertise to plan and write compelling content your readers will love. You'll be walked through the design, editorial and layout process so you can create a book that looks and feels attractive, professional and captivating. The publishing process can be a minefield but with Dee Blick's know-how you'll find the best publishing option for your book. She explains the benefits of self publishing, partnership publishing, securing a publishing deal and working with a literary agent - using her own personal insights and experience plus in-depth interviews with fellow authors and publishing professionals. If you find marketing baffling, you won't after reading the 10 clear and comprehensive marketing chapters. You'll learn how to market your book on a zero or shoestring budget using social media and traditional marketing to get phenomenal results. You'll also learn the insider secrets of approaching professional reviewers (shared by a highly esteemed professional reviewer of fiction and non-fiction books) and how to get dozens of genuine five-star reviews on Amazon and other review sites to boost your book sales further still. You'll also find out how to hold a packed out book launch that costs you nothing. With this book, you'll understand exactly how you can make serious money from your bestselling book on a step-by-step basis whether you're writing fiction or non-fiction. The Ultimate Guide to Writing and Marketing a Bestselling Book on a Shoestring Budget gives new authors and established authors everything they need to write a bestseller and sell thousands of books. If there's a book in you, this is the book for you!

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'It's always been difficult to get published. But up till the last couple of decades, if you managed to get published, you were sure of some sales, or at least that your publisher would work hard to get them with a reasonable prospect of results. It's a different world now. With electronic point of sale, print on demand, internet bookselling, new delivery formats like e-readers, several hundred thousand new titles in English coming out every year, a lot of what was said 6 years ago or even 6 months ago is now out of date. A few years ago when we started O Books I began writing down notes for new authors, based on questions they kept asking. It soon turned into a 100 page document. One of the authors it was a particular joy to work with was Tim Ward. We thought it would be helpful for others to share our thoughts, coming as they do from both sides of the fence'.'But there are titles around on every conceivable aspect of publishing and marketing books, from how to improve your style to increasing your sales through Amazon, finding the motivation to keep going or appearing on "Oprah". Why did we think another book would be helpful? Most focus either from the self-publishing end, from the viewpoint of an author who doesn't have a publisher, or from the perspective of mainstream publishers/publicists used to dealing with $50,000-plus publicity budgets. In our business we deal with the middle ground, where most real-life authors are and most potential ones hope to be'.'A company recently tracked the sales of 1.2 million books in the US, and the results were: 950,000 of these sold fewer than 100 copies; another 200,000 sold fewer than 1,000 copies; 25,000 sold more than 5,000 copies; less than 500 sold more than 100,000 copies; and, 10 titles sold more than 1,000,000 copies. The average sale was 500 copies. If your aim is to get above the average, or to reach it (because that includes J K Rowling etc.), to the level of 1000, on to 10,000 and up to 100,000 copies, this is the book for you. If you've already sold that many, you don't need this'.

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