What is a Business Book For

Business coach , author and social media expert Andrew Ford gives his take on the purpose of a business book:

“A book is a great resource as it establishes the author as an expert on the topic and someone who has a lot of intellectual property. The books we create with clients are all to support their existing businesses and not to sell as a way to independently make revenue. The amount of book sales necessary to get a return on investment of your time, effort and money to create a book, isn’t worthwhile. We make the returns from speaking, consulting and coaching clients based on the materials in the book. “

Andrew’s latest book detailing his 12-step e-ttraction method is out now.

The Three Rings of Editing Power, and One Editor to Bind Them

Author and experienced editor Euan Mitchell explains the three levels of editing, and why all are important. Taken with permission from Euan’s excellent book “Your Book Publishing Options”, published by Overdog Press, and available as an ebook here, Alternatively, you can buy a printed copy directly from Euan for $35 (including postage within Australia).

1. Structural Editing

Also known as ‘substantive editing’, structural editing concentrates on the overall structure of a manuscript – the big picture, not the details yet.A structural editor assesses the content of a manuscript and the way it is presented, including order and length of chapters, consistency of writing style and choice of language throughout, the sense of flow between sections, and the overall clarity with which a writer has pursued their intentions.

A good structural editor can be the most valuable ally a writer has during the publishing process. This does not mean the structural editor merely lavishes praise over the entire manuscript, indeed, serious restructuring may be suggested. This can be confronting for the writer, even with the most diplomatic of editors. The writer might feel like bursting into tears. It can feel like having the wind knocked out of you. But that doesn’t mean the advice is to be avoided. On the contrary, carefully considered insights from a good structural editor may be precisely what a writer needs to hear in order to raise their work to a higher level. Think of it as tough love. Patience, open-mindedness and diplomacy from both editor and writer are the keys to working through a structural edit. This is easy to say, but often hard to remember in the heat of the moment when an editor is recommending substantial changes to a manuscript in which a writer has invested months or years of their life. The changes may mostly be reasonable, but emotions can still be difficult to manage.To complicate matters, a writer is not expected to passively accept all suggestions. Structural editors are not always right. And there can be unfortunate personality clashes. But writers should not stonewall every recommendation because they don’t like an editor’s manner. A balance needs to be struck through thoughtful negotiation. Remember to breathe and take your time to consider a different point of view, not lapse into knee-jerk defensiveness.

2. Copyediting

After the structural editing, the copyediting begins. This primarily involves fixing spelling, grammar and punctuation. Small publishers may have the same editor for structural editing and copyediting, but larger publishers often pass the manuscript to another editor. The copyeditor will read through the manuscript sentence by sentence, making corrections. This is why copyediting is sometimes referred to as ‘line editing’. There is a grey area between structural editing and copyediting. A copyeditor may still request numerous paragraphs be moved, rewritten or even deleted just when the writer thought all structural issues had been resolved. Patience, open-mindedness and diplomacy will once again be needed.

Fortunately, however, most rewriting at the copyediting stage usually requires improvements at the sentence level. Certain long sentences may be clearer if broken up into two or three sentences. Too many short sentences may flow better if synthesised into longer sentences. And, ofcourse, within each sentence the grammar, spelling and punctuation will be scrutinised.

A copyeditor will also look for inconsistencies in details that the structural editor may have missed. The spelling of certain names may vary slightly. A sequence of actions may be missing a crucial step. The accent of a character may inexplicably change. The writer may unintentionally repeat certain phrases that become irritating verbal ‘tics’.

This is usually the most time-consuming of all three levels of editing.Some changes may not be a simple matter of right or wrong, but require further consultation between copyeditor and writer. Set aside as much time as practical to address ‘author queries’ from the copyeditor. It will be time well spent.

3. Proofreading

This is the ‘final filter’ of the editing process. Even the best copyeditors can leave behind careless errors. They are human, too. So after the edited manuscript has been laid out by a designer or typesetter to look like the pages of a finished book, another person is usually contracted to proofread print-outs of the pages to clean up any final errors.

Proofreaders occasionally suggest a sentence be reworded, but usually they stick to obvious inconsistencies and mistakes. ‘Thai-poes’ can undermine the credibility of a book and possibly mean a reprint if a misspelling inadvertently causes offence.

You don’t want these sorts of distractions from your otherwise brilliant manuscript, so don’t cut corners on proofreading as some publishers unfortunately do. Even if this means, in addition to the publisher’s proofreader, you also proofread the pages one final time when you probably won’t feel like doing so.

Ampersand Prize is open to Self Published Titles

If you write or publish in the YA or middle grade space, you might be interested in entering Hardie Grant’s Ampersand Prize. Details below. Dates are for 2024 — no doubt the 2025 dates will be similar.

Eligibility

We accept submissions from any person who has not previously had a young adult, middle-grade or graphic novel published by a trade publishing house anywhere in the world. If you have had a picture book, general fiction (for adults), educational or non-fiction title published, you are still eligible. Submissions must be entered at Submittable.com (link will become live July 1) and all required fields must be completed before submission. Writers will be required to submit a one-page synopsis with their manuscript, as well as a 100-word explanation of why they wrote the book (used only for context). 

If you are a self-published author, you are eligible to submit a manuscript provided you follow submission guidelines, and note in your cover letter whether the submitted manuscript has been self-published already. If it has, please remove it from sale for the duration of the Ampersand Prize (from 1 July 2024 until the shortlist is announced). By entering your manuscript, you agree to contract all publishing rights, including print and digital, if selected as the winner. Note that we do not accept ePub or Mobi files as submissions. 

Key dates:

• Submissions open: 1-31 July 2024

• Shortlist announced: November 2024

• Winner announced: December 2024

Library Thing Might Be Your Thing

If you love both books and being organised, this site may be of interest. Library Thing allows users to catalogue all of their books plus movies and music, and keep track of their reading progress, along with linking to like-minded bibliophiles and finding new titles to peruse. Also available in App form on Apple and Android.

Features include

• Add books, movies and music from Amazon, the Library of Congress and 4,941 other libraries.

• Track your reading progress, rate and review.

• See detailed charts and stats about your library and reading life.

• Find your new favorite book with personalized recommendations.

• A warm and welcoming community of nearly three million book lovers.

• Join groups and talk with other book lovers.

• Our Early Reviewers program offers over 3,000 free, early-release books every month.

• Apps for iPhone and Android.

• Available in over 50 languages.

Should AI make Authors Lives Easier?

Can an AI be a useful tool for authors, or a crutch that prevents an author from using their own judgement and enhancing their writing skills. Can AI give us agency, or rob us of it? No doubt the answer is both or either. Independent author expert Joanne Penn raises this interesting topic, with the assistance of Grok, the resident AI on X. I suspect the main problem will be (or already is) the absolute tidal wave of AI enabled and initiated content that will wash through the publishing world, much of which will be complete forgettable rubbish. The desire of most readers to read stories about humans for humans may be a difficult one to satisfy. Amplifying the already near-infinite supply of content will not assist with the long-term problem of declining readership. With many people welded to their phones and compulsively watching extremely short-form videos, the sight of a person reading an actual book or even an e-reader is rare enough to be remarkable.

Web Vision Solutions -- online marketing for Authors

Independent authors often lack a plan for promoting their books and author brand online. Vanity Press publishers and others charge exorbitant fees for very uncertain results in this space. We approached local online marketing expert Ilana van Geijn and asked her if she could put together some affordable marketing packages designed for authors. She obliged and the results were as follows, with the associated introduction:

At Web Vision Solutions, we’ve been assisting our clients for over 10 years to create and establish a strong online presence to enhance brand recognition, elevate business and personal profiles, and drive sales of services and/or products.

As authors, we understand your specific needs. Our Book Marketing Professional team member has over 15 years experience, and teamed with my passion of creating and enhancing clients' online businesses, we combine our knowledge to craft a tailored strategy for you as an author. With a proven track record of collaborating with self published, traditionally published, USA Today and New York Times Best-Selling Authors, as well as small publishers, we ensure that every project we undertake meets the highest standards.

Ilana van Geijn
Founder, Web Vision Solutions

Some of the packages available are:

• Book Launch and Marketing Strategy Packages — full and half

• Amazon Publishing Package

• NetGalley Promotion

• Information For Ingram Spark Users

• Websites, Social Media & More...

The full document can be downloaded here.

To get in touch with Web Vision Solutions:

To book in for a Discovery Call with Ilana, please click here.

Alternatively, please email us at info@webvisionsolutions.com and we will
connect with you within 24-48 hours.

5 of the Best Site Design Tools for an Effective Online Author Presence

Guest Contributor: Eleanor Hecks

Grabbing readers’ attention in a crowded publishing marketspace grows more complex with each passing year. Authors must get their work in front of a target audience via various channels, such as social media, online groups, newsletters and websites. Ensuring the site is a stellar example of the writer’s brand helps drive engagement and develop a lasting reader/writer relationship.

Developing an online presence that attracts ideal readers means maintaining brand consistency across all those channels and especially websites, which serve as a writer’s home base. Fortunately, many site design tools are available that are simple to use, even without coding knowledge, and will give an author’s site a professional look.

1. Shopify

Shopify boasts over 4.5 million live stores in more than 170 countries. The platform’s flexibility makes it popular with people who want to sell their products online. Many authors have griped on group forums about Amazon’s stranglehold on electronic publishing. They have been at the retail giant’s mercy if they want to accept ebook returns or judge pages on Kindle Unlimited reads as being fraudulent.

In recent years, experts have pushed authors to go wide and sell books on various sites to avoid putting all their eggs into one basket. Shopify makes the process simpler.

2. Wix

For authors who aren’t very techy, adding a site through Wix is simple. They can even take out a domain name and attach it to their pages. However, users should be aware of a few limitations with third-party sites, such as the upgrade fees and cookie-cutter designs.

While authors can customize Wix designs, they still look the same. Creative people often see repetition as a drawback. Still, if a writer needs a quick and easy way to get the word out about books, Wix is an excellent solution.

3. Facebook Page

Today’s published authors sometimes forgo the traditional website and select a Facebook page as their main means of communication with readers. They can even point a domain name to the page if they’d like, update it with photos and videos, and engage directly with their followers.

Researchers found that 76% of consumers plan to keep buying from brands they feel more connected to. By keeping up with a social media site, writers can simultaneously keep up with comments and share personal information that fosters connection with their readers.

4. Ucraft

Similar to sites such as Squarespace and Wix, Ucraft offers another option for authors wanting to get online quickly and establish their presence. One thing a lot of people like about the design platform is that users can sell their products in over 100 markets. Also, buyers can pay in multiple ways, including crypto, PayPal, Square and Stripe.

Ucraft offers templates that users can customize with their images and text. Writers can also create downloads of their products so people can pay and gain instant access to the book. A website can look professional when combined with design tools like Canva, Book Brush and Adobe Creative Cloud for unique images.

5. WordPress

Experts estimate there are around 151,200 authors and writers in the United States. Selecting the perfect platform and theme to showcase talent is challenging. Although prebuilt sites offer convenience, they might not give the level of customization required to truly stand out.

Another option is to lease hosting space through a shared provider, install a WordPress content management system (CMS) on the site and design something unique. Authors may want to work alongside a designer for a custom solution, but using WP to post unique content is as easy as tapping into Google Docs or Microsoft Word.

Writers can choose a free theme on WordPress.org, pay to license a professionally designed theme or work with a designer to customize the site’s look, colors and layout.

Why a Website?

A website is a bridge that connects readers and authors, driving engagement and loyalty. Writers who want raving fans who buy every book they release must work to communicate with them through storytelling, chats and interactive elements on their sites. Authors should look at their websites and digital footprint, which share the tale of who they are and where they're going. Hopefully, book sales follow along and show the connection between authors and readers.

About the Author

Eleanor Hecks is a writer and web designer who is passionate about helping other writers grow their online presence. Her work can be found on her site Designerly, as well as publications such as IndependentPublishing.com and I Need a Book Cover.

Graphic Design tools

From UPrint, some useful tools for estimating font sizes and visibility on printed products, including banners, labels, business cards and file sizes in pixels.

Banner Font Size Tool -  https://www.uprinting.com/banner-font-sizes.html - Our tool to help you gauge font size and distance

Best Resolution for Printing: What is My File Size in Pixels? - https://www.uprinting.com/resolution-and-file-size-for-printing.html Our tool can help determine the best file size for your design and produce the best print resolution.

Stickers and Labels Font Size https://www.uprinting.com/blog/stickers-labels-font-size/ - Our Sticker and Labels Font Size Tool will help you visualize different font sizes and styles on various objects and shapes, making it easy to design effectively.

Business Cards Font Size Tool https://www.uprinting.com/blog/business-cards-font-size/ - Choosing the right font size for your business card is crucial for creating a professional and readable design. 

Appallingly Amazing -- AI LLMs are moving into startling new areas...

An interesting account of an AI parsing a review and then composing a coherent audio discussion about the review, all in seconds. It starts like this:

“The first thing I pulled off my desktop for Todd was a review I wrote about a Bob Dylan documentary film, which originally ran on Design Observer in 2022. Off it went, and I went back to work. No more than 10 minutes later I received an email with a sound file. Rather than edit or rewrite my text, the AI used the content as the basis for an “original” podcast featuring two perfectly normal generative voices talking about Dylan in their own terms, but seen through my eyes (or words). It was a perfect simulacrum.”

— Steven Heller

and ends like this:

With natural voices, interplay, hesitations and more.

I’ve heard it said that most traffic on the Internet is already bots talking to other bots. It is now so easy to produce entirely synthetic material, surely AI enabled material will soon constitute the overwhelming majority of all online content, and it is happening so very fast…

Playing Cards at the Poles

Recently we were commissioned to design a set of playing cards featuring legendary Antarctic explorers. The card set was well received and they have made their way to surprising locations at extreme north and south…

Per my client Lewis Levitz:

I received this letter from Sarah.
Our cards are now being sold at a camp in Antarctica and also in Svalbard
Kind regards
Lewis

They have also been used to while away the time during flights over the Antarctic ice cap.

Three Books in One...

Author client G.W. Lucke asked us to find a way to typeset his recent Relevation Trilogy into one single massive volume (1000+ pages). It was a challenge, but we got there in the end, and the illustrations he commissioned for this special edition look great! The hardcover pictured below was printed by Ingram Spark. Check out the width of the spine — only just short of the maximum allowed.

Recent cover designs

Book design is usually characterised by an extreme diversity of subject matter, and this batch of recent designs is no exception to that general rule…[

Producing an Audiobook

Maria Issaris of Audiobooks Radio is offering an insight into the intricacies and challenges of audiobook production via a zoom session. She says that “Audiobook production is exciting and intense, technical and emotional, all at once. Each production team (and that includes the authors and publishers!) become immersed, experiencing the 'storytelling' version of their work as it emerges from the hard page and onto an audio-platform.”

As a format, the audiobook is experiencing dramatic growth, but the process of producing a compelling audiobook is quite complex and technically challenging. It is great to see some emerging Australian players in this field.

Maria Issaris: “So here we are. We want listeners to have a profound experience when listening to audiobooks. We developed cost-effective, absolutely high quality, global standard audiobook production for small publishers and individual authors. We want books to be disseminated on global platforms. We don't take royalties. audiobookradio uploads and cross‑promotes, but does not collect royalties, nor charge ongoing fees.And we love it!”

Draft2Digital: a good idea for independent authors?

Draft2Digital offers a very cost-effective distribution route for ebooks (print on demand also, but that service is still in beta, for various reasons). Its sale channels cover all of the large ebook retailers. It has a very simple and attractive service proposition:

We are Self-Publishing with Support. Your book is your priority. Our priority is you. We build tools and services that let you focus on writing while we take care of layout, publishing, distribution, print-on-demand paperbacks, and more. Keep writing. We’re here for the rest.

In a long and very informative blog post, author services firm Reedsy describes them as “The gold standard for self-publishing aggregators, Draft2Digital distinguishes itself with excellent customer service and a user-friendly interface. They’re the best way to sell your book with dozens of retailers without tearing your hair out.”

Kindlepreneur also has a largely positive review that dives into the details of uploading a new title and how the royalty payments and update fees work.

Users discuss vcry specific pros and cons of the service on a reddit thread. Important note: the 10% Draft2Digital fee is charged on retail price, not on profit, and comes on top of the share taken by the end seller.

Writers Weekly has published a number of very negative user reviews that indicate some administrative problems.

• Plenty of users had complaints about the non-payment of royalties.

• Draft2Digital books cannot access Amazon advertising or other Amazon sales tools.

In summary, a service that will be useful to many authors, but go in with your eyes open and aware of the moderate drawbacks, especially the Amazon advertising issue.

No More Cookies for You (Or Anyone Else)

Google is gunning for cookies — those intrusive and unloved snippets of code that track your browsing habits and transmit said data to unscrupulous marketers. Cookies also allow other bad actors to snoop on your privacy and form a pretty good personality profile of any given web user. But being Google, and living on advertising dollars, they are still going try mightily hard to keep advertisers happy by building in more privacy-friendly settings. One suspects much of this zeal for privacy is driven by the European Union’s much more stringent privacy regulations. Falling afoul of the EU can be an expensive business.

“As we work to make the web more private, we’ll provide businesses with tools to succeed online so that high quality content remains freely accessible — whether that’s news articles, videos, educational information, community sites or other forms of web content. With Tracking Protection, Privacy Sandbox and all of the features we launch in Chrome, we’ll continue to work to create a web that’s more private than ever, and universally accessible to everyone.”

— https://www.businessinsider.com/inside-googles-plan-end-cookies-chrome-browser-2024-1

The Library of Lost Horizons by Trevor Hay: a review

Local author and academic Trevor Hay’s book The Library of Lost Horizons has been reviewed at some length in Quadrant magazine (subscription). Two brief excerpts:

“Hay speaks fluent Mandarin and since 1975 has journeyed widely to study Chinese literature,
theatre, and folklore. A compulsive collector, his library holds a multitude of forgotten stories from
travellers along Silk Roads in remotest Asia. In The Library of Lost Horizons, Hay recounts stories
garnered from the many archeologists, ethnographers, scientists, historians, anthropologists, and
inveterate dreamers who passed through deserts and harsh mountain passes to the soaring peaks
and mysterious valleys of Tibet and on to fabled Shangri-la. He adds reflections arising from his own
last trip to Dunhuang and the remarkable ‘Caves of the Thousand Buddhas’ on the edge of the great
Gobi Desert.
”

— David Walker, Asia Institute, University of Melbourne

“Hay was soon captivated by China, a country that haunts him still. As he
notes,’…for nearly fifty years I have been in love with a much older woman. She likes to be called
Han. Sometimes she will answer to Tang’. He continued to be drawn to her languages and cultures
as he collected books ‘in English or in translation about the places that have contributed to the
formation of her character’. The Library of Lost Horizons takes you into the world of these books.”

— David Walker, Asia Institute, University of Melbourne

The Library of Lost Horizons is available from Australian Scholarly Publishing, along with several of Trevor’s other titles.

Rules for Reading

Author Ryan Holiday details his down-to-earth reading habits/strategy.

“If you see a book you want, just buy it. Don’t worry about the price. Reading is not a luxury. It’s not something you splurge on. It’s a necessity. Even if all you get is one life-changing idea from a book, that’s still a pretty good return on investment.”

— Ryan Holiday

Music and cultural critic Ted Gioia outlines his lifetime reading plan, and it is very impressive and inspiring.

“When I was 18, I tackled War and Peace. When I was 19, I did Don Quixote. The next year, I read The Brothers Karamazov, and after that it was Moby Dick and The Tale of Genji and The Magic Mountain. And I’ve kept doing this for decades. The cumulative impact of this is life-changing.”

— Ted Gioia

Doing Your Comp Research

Serious independent authors spend time checking out their competitors, the so-called ‘Comps’ or comparable titles. It is a great way of getting a sense of a particular genre, prevalent trends, the key cover design elements that signal a particular fictional niche. A writer should have a good idea of their specific target readers — and, spoiler alert, it is not ‘anyone who can read’. If you have read a lot in the genre you are writing in (always a good idea), you will already have a fairly good idea of how your title/s relate to the existing literary landscape. Making a list of comparable titles, whether bestsellers or midlist, can also be helpful for book cover designers looking to get a more specific feel for your title. At the same time it gives the author a better sense of the overall commercial literary landscape.

IngramSpark Drops Setup Charges But Adds Another Fee

In welcome news, IngramSpark have dropped their excessive new title charges, and also removed revision charges if corrections are made within 60 days. This aligns them better with their competitors at Kindle Direct Publishing. The revision fees were particularly egregious — one of the advantages of Print On Demand is the ability to correct and update when necessary, unlike long print runs, and IngramSpark were effectively penalising people for doing so.

Of course, what one hand giveth, the other hand taketh away — a new ‘Global Distribution Fee’ has been added:

Effective July 1, 2023, a market access fee will be charged for every print book sold through Ingram’s Global Distribution network, reaching 40,000+ bookstores, retailers, libraries, and schools. The fee will be 1% of the list price of the title sold. For example, if your book has a US list price of $20.00, the market access fee will be $0.20 cents. 

Value of Book Cover Design

Author services site Reedsy conduct a semi-scientific test into the relative marketing merits of a better designed cover. The signal seems pretty clear, though one would want to make such tests on a much larger scale to fully quantify the effectiveness. But of course there is a reason mainstream publishers invest a lot of effort into eye-catching genre-appropriate cover designs — it very much works, and catches the segment of the buying public interested in that specific kind of title.