DIGITAL MEDIA GHOST
  • Publication
  • #GhostsWriteIt Spotlight
    • Writer Spotlight Submission
  • Services
    • Digital Strategy
      • Content Marketing
      • Law Firm Marketing
      • Social Media Management
    • Ghostwriting
    • Public Relations
      • Social Sabotage & Online Privacy
        • Social Media Policy Template
  • About
  • Publication
  • #GhostsWriteIt Spotlight
    • Writer Spotlight Submission
  • Services
    • Digital Strategy
      • Content Marketing
      • Law Firm Marketing
      • Social Media Management
    • Ghostwriting
    • Public Relations
      • Social Sabotage & Online Privacy
        • Social Media Policy Template
  • About
Search

Your Own Imprint (Part Three): Presenting a Pristine Product Page

1/19/2016

0 Comments

 
by Will Viharo

​Whether you’re digitally generating your own books or someone else’s, or both, as an indie publisher you need to be very fastidious about your professionalism, since the skeptical scrutiny regarding your products will be extra intense, and competitive.
 
If you’re working via CreateSpace – and chances of that are high - the first introduction most potential consumers will have to your book is its public product page.
 
Make that first impression count, because it will anyway…

​It’s never been easier to basically start your own publishing company with a relatively modest investment budget, thanks to Amazon’s CreateSpace, which currently controls 85% of the self-publishing industry. Some would bitterly argue it aggressively and unfairly monopolizes the marketplace, but this hard fact remains. I have worked with Lulu and found it to be a frustrating experience. My experiences with Kindle were far more satisfactory, so pivoting over to CreateSpace when I decided to reissue some of my OOP (out of print) anthologies via my own imprint was a no-brainer.
 
Though you will need a brain, along with a computer and Internet access, to make it happen. That’s about it, though, other than the will power, patience and dedication to publish your work, or someone else’s (a major responsibility) effectively. I’m choosing to publish only own work, since I don’t want to deal with the logistics of paying royalties, etc., to other authors. Plus I don’t want to be in the position to reject anyone’s work. I’d rather just stick with what I know and love best: my own work. And no other publisher in the world is more qualified to publish my books than me.
​Since as of this writing I’m still awaiting my physical proof copies of my four Thrillville Press titles, which CreateSpace suggests your order once all files have been accepted (I highly recommend this as well, since the online file viewer can be unintentionally deceptive), below is a screenshot of the product page for another one of my books, published by Gutter Books. They are a small press specializing in crime fiction, and they are a very slick organization, one reason I trust them.
 
I am using their product page design as I create my own, and it’s a good template for you as well. Basic, yet comprehensive: 
Picture
Here is a step-by-step breakdown of how it all comes together:
 
Cover Art
 
I’m fortunate to know a lot of great artists that provide me with outstanding cover art, as well as both exterior and interior designers that help shape my books into products that can compete with traditional publishers in the marketplace.
 
For extra fees, CreateSpace will help design the cover and interior of your book. I preferred to hire outside help that I know and trust.  In any case, I strongly recommend springing for this extra expense. It’s a worthwhile investment in your book’s (and imprint’s) longevity and credibility.
 
Description
 
This is where you make your pitch. Summarize the basic plot without giving away any essential details, but mostly, explain why this book should appeal to specific sensibilities, and why it stands out in an overcrowded field due to its individually compelling qualities. This page can be edited via your Amazon Author Page.
 
Editorial Reviews
 
This space is reserved for glowing quotes from fellow authors, “legitimate” book reviewers (i.e with established, respected platforms/blogs), and cherry-picked accolades from previously published critical reviews. You can access it via your Amazon Author Page.
 
You will have to secure these in advance of launching the product page by sending out ARCs (advance reading copies) of the books. Most reviewers and blurb-friendly authors will accept MOBI files, which are basically pre-publication Kindle editions. Since I paid a freelance pro to create my MOBI files, I have them handy. They can be read on any Kindle device.
 
If you want to try creating a MOBI file yourself, here’s how. As someone who is technologically challenged, I opted to just farm out this labor. The interiors of my books are all formatted by the same source, too.
 
The aim is top-of-the-line merchandise, and this needs to be accomplished any way it takes if you want your imprint and just your own name as an author to be regarded respectfully by peers and readers alike. It’s also a matter of self-respect, which in itself is priceless.
 
Customer Reviews
 
These are the critical responses most book shoppers care the most about, since they come from fellow readers, not “professionals.”
 
Word of mouth remains the most effective marketing tool ever invented, since it’s generated organically and best of all, free of charge to the author.
 
Other than requesting reviews via your Facebook, Twitter and other social media accounts, the best way you can make sure readers will post positive reviews on your product page is to write a book that compels them to do so.
 
Otherwise, it’s simply out of your hands.
 
Another thing within your power is making sure reviews of an out of print title are transferred to the new product page, which can be accomplished via a simple phone call to a customer service agent.
 
Everyone has had their issues with Amazon, including me, but the ability to personally reach actual people to help solve your technical problems quickly and efficiently makes them the best publishing partners I’ve ever worked with. Communication makes all the difference in any relationship, and for a major global conglomerate, Amazon is amazingly accessible to its authors.

Can We Talk?
 
When you can get one on the horn, what you need to request is the consolidation of both the Kindle and new print editions of your title, while importing reviews of the old, out of print edition to this new page as well.
 
As long as the content is identical, and you retain all rights to the material, this should be accomplished easily and quickly, typically within a day or two of the request.
 
Keep in mind that product pages for out of print titles by other publishers remain live indefinitely, so that merchants can sell used copies of the book for any price they demand. And you won’t see a penny of it. Neither will the original publisher.
 
Case in point: “used” or basically unsold copies of my book The Thrillville Pulp Fiction Collection, Volume 1 are going for nearly $5,000! However, when my Thrillville Press reprint of the same title, with the same cover art (which I paid for, therefore own), just a different publisher’s logo, is issued soon for only a $14 cover price, that outrageous asking price for the old Double Life Press edition will drop drastically.
 
Author’s Biography
 
This will link automatically to your Amazon Author Central page, which features not just your biography but also your bibliography on Amazon. Make sure every title available via this platform is included, whether it’s a short story collection, magazine, collaboration with another author, or solely your own work.
 
When you publish other author’s works, you need link to author’s pages as well, and ask them to include the book issued under your imprint is listed in their bibliography as well.  All contributors will be linked at the top of the page, beneath the title (you will notice this when you follow the regular prompts during the publishing process).
 
It’s all about networking, and the more pages you link to, the higher your public profile will be, and the greater your chances at not only getting noticed, but read.
 
Next: Promoting your imprint
 
PHOTO: WILL VIHARO (ART BY MATT BROWN)
 
 
 
 

0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Picture
    Become a Ghostwriter!
    Picture
    Contribute to DMG
    Picture
    BECOME A GUEST CONTRIBUTOR
    Picture
    PROMOTE YOUR BUSINESS BY GUEST POSTING
    Picture
    ARE YOU A GHOSTWRITER? WE WANT TO KNOW!
    Picture
    DO YOU HAVE A GHOSTWRITING BUSINESS?

    RSS Feed

    Categories

    All
    Agency Spotlight
    Business
    Digital Marketing
    Ghost In A Flash
    Ghostwriting
    Media Relations
    Privacy Concerns
    Social Sabotage
    Technology
    Writer Spotlight
    Writing

    Advertising Disclaimer

    Archives

    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    May 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012

Find your domain and create your site at Weebly.com!
Digital Media Strategy
Content Marketing
Law Firm Marketing
Search Engine Optimization
Social Media Marketing
eBooks
Writing
Becoming a Ghostwriter
Blogging
Content Marketing
Ghostwriting Services
Guest Post Guidelines
Media Relations
Online Crisis Management
Personal Brand
Public Relations
Reputation Management
About
Our Team
Our Results
Testimonials
Contact Us
Locations:
New Orleans, LA
Nashville, TN

DMG University
Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Cookie Policy
Digital Media Ghost  @2020
  • Publication
  • #GhostsWriteIt Spotlight
    • Writer Spotlight Submission
  • Services
    • Digital Strategy
      • Content Marketing
      • Law Firm Marketing
      • Social Media Management
    • Ghostwriting
    • Public Relations
      • Social Sabotage & Online Privacy
        • Social Media Policy Template
  • About