PublishDrive Blog: Interviews, News and Tips from the World of Self-Publishing

Recognizing and Respecting Writer’s Burnout: Tips From Author Jeffe Kennedy

Posted by Guest author / self-publishing, writing

“Recognizing and Respecting Writer’s Burnout” was written by Jeffe Kennedy, an award-winning, best-selling author who writes fantasy with romantic elements and contemporary romance. She has won the prestigious RITA® Award from RWA, been a Ucross Foundation Fellow, received the Wyoming Arts Council Fellowship for Poetry, and was awarded a Frank Nelson Doubleday Memorial Award. Check out her upcoming novel, the Orchid Throne, which is available for pre-order.

At SFWA’s Nebula Conference in May 2019, I was on a panel called “Burnout: how to recognize it and maybe how to avoid it next time.” It turned out to be one of those amazing panels where I learned as much as the audience did.

At lunch afterwards, a gal who’d been at the panel asked me to discuss more for the rest of the table—and those people responded with the same heartfelt enthusiasm. At the end of that conversation, one of the PublishDrive reps at the table asked me if I’d do a guest post on the topic.

Clearly writer’s burnout is something we writers need to talk about more!

12
Aug

The full version of PD Abacus is now live! See what’s new…

Posted by Monica Dube / publishing industry, self-publishing

After our beta launch of PD Abacus last month, the PublishDrive team has been listening to your valuable feedback about what features you need most for co-author royalty splitting. Thanks to your comments, as well as direct input from Michael Anderle and LMBPN Publishing, we’re thrilled to announce that the full version of PD Abacus is now live!

With an expanded range of features, this comprehensive royalty splitting service will free up your time to focus on what’s important: writing and publishing more books.

Learn more about PD Abacus’ expanded features and the story behind this breakthrough co-author royalty splitting solution.

09
Aug

How to Co-Author a Book: Top 5 Methods to Share the Workload

Posted by Kinga Jentetics / publishing industry, self-publishing, writing

Whether you’re a bestselling author with a large back list or a debut author, readers always want one thing from you: more books. That’s why many authors publish frequently with the so-called “rapid release” strategy.

But rapid releases are really hard to do as a solo author, and they require a lot of preparation. As a solution, many authors have turned to collaboration.

Embraced by many in the indie publishing community, co-authoring helps you share the workload and speed up the writing process. And those aren’t the only benefits: co-authoring allows you to quickly expand your back catalog, combine marketing efforts, and cross-promo with your team.

But how exactly do you write a book with another author? In this article, we’ll explore how to co-author a book while streamlining your workflow. Continue Reading…

31
Jul

Recap of the RWA 2019 Conference in NYC

Posted by Monica Dube / publishing industry, self-publishing

The PublishDrive team just wrapped up a week at the Romance Writers of America conference, which was held in NYC from July 24 – 27, 2019.

Every year, the Romance Writers of America holds a conference for career-minded romance authors. It draws a diverse crowd, from high-profile traditionally published authors to newbies just finishing up their manuscript.

For romance writers, it’s one of the best conferences in the industry. You can expect:

Networking opportunities
Educational panels and tools for professional development
Interaction with industry professionals, such as editors, agents, vendors, and more.

If you missed RWA 2019, we’ve got you covered. Our recap will cover the highlights of the conference and share our insights gained from meeting dozens of authors.

18
Jul

10 Essential Tips to Become a Successful Co-Author

Posted by Kinga Jentetics / publishing industry, self-publishing

Whether you are a bestselling author with a large backlist or a debut author, readers always want one thing from you: more books. You can give them what they want by publishing frequently, but for some self-published authors, this is too time-consuming.

Co-authoring is the perfect solution. Embraced by many in the indie publishing community, co-authoring helps you share the workload and speed up the writing process. And those aren’t the only benefits: co-authoring allows you to expand your back catalog, combine marketing efforts, and cross-promo with your team. In this article, we’ll explore the benefits of collaborative publishing and show you the essentials of becoming a successful co-author.

15
Jul

PublishDrive’s Abacus for Co-Authors Solves Royalty Splitting Hassles for KDP Books and More

Posted by Monica Dube / publishing industry, self-publishing

After releasing our Team Royalties feature a few months ago, we received some very valuable feedback: authors who distribute directly to retailers still lack a convenient way of managing co-author royalties.

The PublishDrive team has developed a solution that finally eliminates these hassles for you: Abacus for Co-Authors.

PD Abacus is a robust royalty splitting service for authors who distribute directly to Amazon and other retailers, including Kindle Unlimited authors. This means that anyone can use it; distribution through PublishDrive is not required.

Many of PD Abacus’ features were developed using input from Michael Anderle and LMBPN Publishing, allowing us to pinpoint exactly what authors need.

PD Abacus has been updated! Scroll to the bottom of this post to see what’s new.

(Note: Until August 12, 2019, you can use the service for FREE while in beta).

GET STARTED!

09
Jul

How to Build a Coaching Program Around Your Non-Fiction Book

Posted by Guest author / publishing industry, self-publishing

“How to Build a Coaching Program Around Your Non-Fiction Book” was written by Jessica Thiefels, the founder and CEO of Jessica Thiefels Consulting, which is an organic content marketing agency for mid-size B2B businesses outsourcing content marketing. She’s been writing for more than 10 years and has been featured in top publications like Forbes, Entrepreneur and Fast Company. She also regularly contributes to Virgin, Business Insider, Score.org and more. Follow her on Twitter @JThiefels and connect on LinkedIn.

Your non-fiction book is a lot more than just a great piece of work. It’s also an opportunity to create a new stream of revenue as a self-published author. Depending on the focus and theme of your non-fiction book, you may be able to turn your messaging into a coaching program, connecting with and helping your audience in real life. Think: life coaching, executive coaching, business coaching—whatever best compliments your book and area of expertise.

This not only allows you to drive more book sales, but it’s a new stream of income that you can rely on if book sales are slow. Develop a coaching program from your non-fiction book using these simple steps:

05
Jul

The Ultimate List of Self-Publishing Resources

Posted by Monica Dube / publishing industry, self-publishing

One of my favorite things about self-publishing is the community. While there’s no guidemap for guaranteed success, there are so many authors out there who continue to share their tips for newbies. The community is also home to innovators who develop helpful tools that make authors’ lives easier.

When I first started self-publishing, I compiled my own list of the best resources that helped me along the way. I’m sharing these (and more) self-publishing resources for you below.

(Btw – be sure to bookmark this page and check back for updates. If you have a helpful tool or resource, let me know! Email me at monica@publishdrive.com and I’ll take a look.)

Self-Publishing Resources

Influencers and Websites to Follow

27
Jun

How to Write and Finish Your Novel: My 5-Step Method

Posted by Guest author / self-publishing, writing

“How to Write and Finish Your Novel: My 5-Step Method” was written by globetrotter and writer Ted Neill. Ted has worked on five continents as an educator, health professional, and journalist. His most recent novel, Reaper Moon, confronts the recent rise of white nationalism and white supremacy within the US, exploring the high stakes at the level of the personal and political. Follow him on Facebook and Instagram: @therealauthortedneill

Working with that most mysterious of business partners: your muse.

Every work of writing is a combination of the time spent writing and the time spent NOT writing. You need time NOT writing to think about the writing, consciously—but more often unconsciously. It’s this unconscious area of idea development that artists for millennia have referred to as their “muse.” In the sciences, scientists call it the Eureka phenomenon. Both notions are as old as classical Greece—likely older.

But working with a process/partner as nebulous as this can be tricky and hard to explain to outsiders. That is because it means that desk time is not the only productive time for a writer. It’s your productive time, but your muse works different hours—odd hours—often when you’re not looking.

When writing a novel, we have to allow ourselves this time and space for ideas to grow. We must establish a rhythm of writing and not writing. We must balance desk time (when we work) versus away-from-desk time (when the unconscious/muse works). It’s only with this balance that ideas can properly develop.

And it can be frustratingly non-linear. That said, here is my best attempt to describe how to write a novel in a step-by-step way, including how I cycle through writing and NOT writing, desk time, and all-the-rest-of-my-life, all towards the goal of nurturing ideas into a finished work.

19
Jun

Instagram for Authors: Top 7 Tips for Growth

Posted by Monica Dube / ebook marketing, self-publishing

Instagram is a great platform for indie authors to increase readership and engage with the reading community. Just take a look at the #bookstagram hashtag and you’ll find over 30 million photos posted of books, reading spots, cover reveals, book teaser trailers, and more.

With the following Instagram tips for authors, you can boost your presence on Instagram, gain followers who will look forward to your posts, and refine your author brand.

Top 7 Instagram Tips for Authors

1. Think of Your Feed as a Whole

People are endlessly scrolling through Instagram. If they see a photo of yours under a hashtag like #bookstagram or #authorsofinstagram and they pop over to your feed, they’ll want to know what they can expect when following you. If your feed is full of posts that don’t make sense as a cohesive whole, a user might not understand the purpose of your page or what they’ll see when they follow you. Pick three or four things you might want to focus on – or even just two – and post within those themes. This consistency will help solidify your brand.