Archive for March, 2008
Must-Read Insider Tips of How to Get Your Self-Published Book into Your Local Barnes & Noble
Sara Kelly says:
As a member of the Wordclay team, I hear it again and again: now that I’ve published my book, how can I get it on the shelves of Barnes & Noble or Borders? Well, as a former employee of a Barnes & Noble, here’s what you’ve been waiting for - a peek inside the cutthroat world of your local chain bookstore.
OK, so I spent most of my shift shelving books, not choosing the next bestseller, but two main tidbits of advice come to mind that may help you in your pursuit of fame, glory, redemption, the Nobel Prize, or simply the enjoyment of selling a few books:
1. Returnability isn’t just a weird word. Bookstores really do appreciate returnability (Retail Return Insurance), and it is the number-one tool to invest in if you want your book on the shelves. No one wants to be stuck with 100 copies of anything, even if it is the next Harry Potter, Da Vinci Code or Tom Cruise tell-all. Returnability makes things easier for a bookstore when trying to set up a book signing or similar events. If a few books don’t sell, no problem, they can just send them back to the publisher.
2. Put on your happy face and remember to brush your hair. Community Relations Managers are incredibly busy people. They organize all in-store events, such as author appearances, book clubs and storytime events for children as well as directing the store publicity. They are also the main point of contact for local schools, educators, literary groups and arts groups. (more…)
1 comment March 4, 2008
What’s Happening with Wordclay? A Behind the Scenes Exposé of the Newest Online Self-Publishing Company
For those of you who haven’t been able to keep up with the seemingly organized chaos happening at Wordclay, you’re not alone. So, I thought that I would play devil’s advocate this afternoon, give our readers some casual notes and frank advice about the new Wordclay features and, hopefully, clear up any short circuits from which you may be suffering.
Up Next, This Sunday on Another 60 Minutes: What’s happening with Wordclay?
Investigative Wordclay reporter Justin Dimos give details:
Last Thursday, our judges chose the 100 Finalist and Winners of both the Single Poem and the Book of Poetry contests. Luckily, Angie and I were prepared to launch the Wordclay Writing Contest Connection, which is a place where visitors can read poetry by the winners, see the list of Finalists and (eventually) read about our new contest. Angie and I are still tweaking the Web site, but for the most part, it’s running smoothly. In the next few weeks, you should expect to see biographical information (and collection covers) from the winners as well as details on the upcoming Single Short Story and the Short Story Collection contests.
Our team also managed to launch the new Genre Lounge. “Genre what?” you may ask, and I may answer: The Genre Lounge is a place where writers and authors can frequent for genre-specific templates, marketing advice and publishing articles. We currently have Poetry, Christian and Short Stories available, but don’t worry, we constantly adding new genres. In fact, I’m currently writing Memoir for the next Genre Spot. You can make a suggestion for a new genre by e-mailing Wordclay’s customer support or by posting a comment on this blog.
Add comment March 3, 2008
Wordclay Makes Headlines as Booming Self-Publishing Company in Indianapolis Star
In Saturday’s Indianapolis Star’s business section, columnist Erika Smith reported on the success and tremendous growth Wordclay has experienced since its beta launch in September and official launch in January. You can read the article on IndyStar.com, “Online service fuels boom for self-publisher,” which features comments from Wordclay’s president, Dave McCauley.
And, for those of you who may not be too keen on Indiana geography, Indianapolis is about a 45-minute drive north of the Wordclay offices in Bloomington, Ind. We’re thrilled to see that our larger capital city has felt and taken notice of the waves that Wordclay is making in the business and publishing world locally and nationwide.
-Angie
Add comment March 3, 2008
