Category: Tips

  • 5 ways to optimise LinkedIn for self-published and indie authors

    Many self-published and independent authors feel comfortable with the concept of creating a profile on Facebook or Amazon, but they are not always aware of the benefits and opportunities available via LinkedIn. If you thought LinkedIn was just social media for professionals, or only an online resume, think again. When you optimise your LinkedIn profile,…

  • 7 tips for great book covers

    As much as we try to rise above it all and not be judgemental, we really do judge books by their covers. With thousands of English-language books published every month, competition is fierce—your book needs an amazing cover to compete for readers’ money and time. Here are some tips for finding a great designer so…

  • 8 ways to make your book’s back matter work harder and smarter

    Back matter (or end matter) is the content that goes at the back of your book to help you sell more books and grow your audience. And it is incredibly important, especially for ebooks. Even if people are reading your book for free—you may be giving it away, or the reader may have borrowed the…

  • 5 fresh ideas for promoting an indie book

    As an indie author, all book marketing and promotion is entirely your responsibility. The amount of people your book lands in front of comes down to the promotion strategies that you develop. But when it comes to promoting an indie book, it can feel like every marketing tactic has been done to death. Besides the standard avenues…

  • Publishing as a business: how to set up a small business in Australia

    You’ve now decided to self-publish so the first question you need to ask yourself is, are you a hobby or are you a business? It’s important to establish whether you’re approaching publishing as a business or a hobby early on as it will affect your tax and deductions. When running a business, you pay tax…

  • Indie book reviews: why you need them and 5 top tips for getting them

    When it comes to promoting an indie book, you don’t have a whole marketing team behind you like a traditionally published author does. Authors on contracts with publishing houses generally have a whole campaign developed for them, not only saving the author time and money but also potentially leading to a wider reach for the book.…

  • 10 reasons to avoid using Microsoft Word for your print book layout

    While there is a lot you can do with Microsoft Word, it was never created to be a page-layout program. It was meant to be a word-processing program—something you can use to create letters, proposals and the like. Word is not a graphic design application. Good graphic design is a subtle art that considers many…

  • 4 things you need to know about publishing a children’s book

    1. It takes time and effort—then more time and effort. Have realistic expectations about the time it will take to publish your book. Illustrations—let me rephrase this—good illustrations, take a lot of time. Finding and working with a good illustrator to completion is a process. Start early. Engaging other services, like editing (yes, this is…

  • The POD process explained in 8 simple steps

    Many authors and self-publishers would have come across the term ‘print on demand (POD)’ during the course of publishing, but there may be some confusion around what the term means exactly. How does POD work? How does it differ to other kinds of publishing or printing? And most importantly, should you do it? Self-publishing expert and…

  • Book formatting: From your screen to IngramSpark’s POD platform

    Julie-Ann Harper, self-publishing expert and founder of the Pick-a-WooWoo Publishing Group, regularly assists authors who encounter problems with uploading their files to IngramSpark’s print-on-demand and distribution platform. Here, she shares her tips to help you format your books for a successful file upload to IngramSpark. For indie publishers, formatting content can be one of the…