Technology Can Be an
Author’s Best Friend
Jill C. Baker
Welcome to Jill Baker to the author community! Bringing a new book into the world has twists and turns that puts many plots to shame. Jill shares a few of her experiences here and an introduction to her new book below. Read on!
As a long-time writer, but first-time author, getting a book out of my head and into someone’s shopping cart seemed a daunting task. I talked with numerous authors in various genres, including the accomplished thriller author, Connie Johnson Hambley*.
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As a long-time writer, but first-time author, getting a book out of my head and into someone’s shopping cart seemed a daunting task. I talked with numerous authors in various genres, including the accomplished thriller author, Connie Johnson Hambley*.
I did know something about publishing, have been a media
marketer for years, but the book world was different. I realized that habits for book consumption
were changing and that competition for self-publishers was brutal. I did learn,
however, that technology can be an author’s best friend.
(1)
Several people pointed out that there’s no need
to work exclusively with Amazon in offering a Kindle format. Nor is there
reason to distribute alone. Publish Drive, which drew attention at the
Frankfurt Book Fair a couple years back, offers an online distribution platform,
strictly digital, that disseminates your ePub file to dozens of online bookstores,
per your selection, in one fell swoop. No money up front. 10% of royalties
which vary by outlet. Customer support, real-time and archived analytics, monthly
sales report with disbursement options, best practices, direct links for social
sharing, webcasts, newsletter – let’s just say, I’m a fan.
(2)
There are also new ways to sample books without
going through a bookstore. (Full disclosure: I used to work for the person who created
this platform.) Text Café offers an HTML solution that can be found in Search,
embedded in an email, used in social media or on a website. The benefit is that
it can attract casual prospects and convert them – with one click, from within
the sample—to buyers. Ditto for sharing. In my case, the entirety of Chapter 1
is included, but that’s up to the author. Readers may also customize
brightness, font size, and color scheme for optimal viewing. https://textcafe.co/books/vYRGVM/?1541456417023#/
Of course, there are many more tech avenues to try: podcasts, webcasts, online chats. I ran into someone
who was doing ‘book signings’ on Twitter. “How does that work?” I asked the
author who goes by the handle, “Tea Pain.” He replied:
“Tea will
take dedications by Direct Message (he follows you now) and he'll email you a
copy of the first page of his book with your signed dedication you can print
out and slip into your paperback. Tea Pain digitally signed almost a 1000 of
his first book last year.”
Clearly, sky’s
the limit.
For another post by Jill, click here.
About Jill's first book, TORY ROOF:
Bio:
For another post by Jill, click here.
Sarah Sutherland didn’t go
looking for the adventure that engulfed her. She was a modern woman -- a mom and
real estate agent, who accepted her routine life -- until she encountered a
fiery Revolutionary War agitator in a vintage home she was selling.
Rather than fear him, she
was drawn to him physically and emotionally. Soon she found herself embroiled in
the fight for independence with a passion she had long forgotten. Parallel story
lines unfold, autumn to autumn, interweaving 1765 with the present
day.
As Sarah struggles to
co-exist in both realms, she learns that the people around her are not as they
seem and that her life is in danger. In time, she discovers why she was chosen
for an escape most women could only imagine.
Bio:
Jill C. Baker grew up in a small town in New York state where,
as a teenager, she wrote a weekly newspaper column and reviewed summer stock
theater. She pursued her interest in media and writing at Boston University’s
College of Communication. Upon graduation, she moved to Southern California to
work in the film industry. With a relocation to San Francisco and eventually back
to Boston, she returned to her newspaper roots, serving as a copywriter and
promotion manager for leading publishers such as Hearst and Harte-Hanks. Following
a detour into the non-profit sector, she became Director of Marketing for a
digital publishing provider in the magazine sector. Constantly facing deadlines
and rigorous commutes, she often wondered what it would be like to simply
disappear and do something else -- thus the motivation for the Sutherland
Series. She and her husband live in New England where they’ve raised two sons and
several cats. The rich historic setting provides valuable
inspiration.
Author Website jillcbakerauthor.com shows how Jill is "an author and purveyor of
guilt-free escape."
Facebook: Sutherland Series https://www.facebook.com/jill.baker.7393
Twitter: SarahSutherlandBookSeries @SeriesSarah
*Connie's note:
Dear Readers: Are you an aspiring author? Are you an author looking to leverage your books into a larger audience? DM me on Facebook or Twitter and I'll help however I can!
