IBJ Book Publishing

An Author’s Perspective

2011-10-20T14:28:00.020-04:00

BY BETH RUSSELL

Why do you feel you needed to write a book?

There were really two reasons I wanted to write my book, the first being that I had an incredible and unexpected experience that I wanted to share with others; the second being that I wanted to bring awareness to the plight of orphaned children in China and elsewhere. The story I had to tell was essentially about opening your heart, and I feel in these times, that is the most important kind of story to tell.

How has your book helped you be more credible or competitive?

Being the author of a book has given me a platform from which to launch into many other areas. Speaking about issues related to my book, beginning a company to develop product lines inspired by our story, starting a charitable foundation, and giving me a chance to have subsequent work published have all sprung from completing and publishing my book.

How has your book enhanced your career or life in general?

Being the author of a book has connected me to thousands of people whom I would otherwise have had no contact with. It has enriched my life to hear feedback from readers who share their own stories and appreciation for the experience I recount in my book. Someone once said to me that my book will still be on shelves when my grandchildren have children … and realizing the truth of that has given me a sense of continuity.

How do you use your book as a calling card?

I send copies of my book to those who I would like to share information about our work with our foundation and our company. The book gives an added credibility to those endeavors. I also send books to people I meet who are interested in the story; people never forget you when you send them a book that you yourself wrote. The book has solidified many otherwise passing acquaintances into real connections.

How has your book enhanced your reputation?

I think others realize how hard it must be to write a book, and even if they don’t enjoy the subject matter, they respect the fact that you had the ability to see it through. People admire the accomplishment of that. And also, the power of the written word cannot be underestimated … others know that one who has sufficient command of words that they can write and publish a book has some measure of power at their disposal.

What advice can you give to someone who wants to write and publish a book?

"Just Do It." One page at a time … one step at a time; keep at it until it is done.

Beth Russell is author of Offspring of a Deathless Soul. She can be reached at ERuss62859@aol.com

Reasons Why Marketing Fails For Authors

2011-08-01T14:51:00.018-04:00

BY JEFF LIBICH

If you are thinking about promoting your own book, or yourself, you need to think about how ineffective marketing can be if not done properly. There are many resources available that will tell you the right things to do, but there are only a few that tell you what not to do. Before you begin launching your strategy, take a quick moment to read up on what can potentially hinder your success.

Not Knowing Your Audience & Your Budget

Marketing your book and yourself isn’t as simple as sending out an email and waiting for the phone to ring. You need to have an understanding of your target market and what type of budget you have to reach them. If you don’t determine where your audience is, it will be difficult to know how to allocate dollars and create a spend forecast with enough longevity to make an impact with them.

Lack of Ambition & Commitment

You must be prepared to work hard at marketing yourself and your book. Many authors and speakers fail to get noticed because they aren’t stepping up and building relationships, setting up meetings, scheduling events and initiating the activity necessary to generate interest and awareness about their product.

Inability to Understand the Process

Despite having immediate access to the Internet and countless free tools, many authors still struggle with how to utilize them properly. It’s one thing to create a page on Facebook for you or your book, but it’s quite another to know how to work the page to your advantage. There are many different communication tactics and applications that need to be executed with thought and purpose. In doing this, you’ll reap bigger and better rewards by connecting with your audience.

Not everyone has the time or the skills required to build a strategy and maintain it on a consistent basis. It can be an overwhelming process for anyone who is new to the game. Fortunately, resources do exist that can help alleviate the burden and provide you with outstanding results. You just need to research and find what works best for you.

Jeff is the sales & production coordinator for IBJ Book Publishing. He can be reached at jlibich@ibj.com

Simplify The Process

2011-07-18T11:37:00.000-04:00

BY ALI MAHJOUB

Well, how can I say it in a few words?

First of all, one has to have a firm belief and knowledge in something and develop a passion for it. It is something that doesn't show up overnight, but something that developed over years of experience and conformations that solidified views related to the subject matter.

As for writing my first book, Honor Thy God, I didn't take a special course on how to write a book. I simply looked into a few books and observed how they were charted. Almost every book begins with an introduction, content organized into chapters, then a conclusion. This is how I wrote my book.

Ali Mahjoub manages a restaurant and is a hospitality advisor of a restaurant chain in Indianapolis. His first book, Honor Thy God, was published by IBJ Book Publishing.

My Suggestions, Your Decision

2011-05-06T11:39:00.000-04:00

BY PETRA RITCHIE

No matter how many times you re-read something you’ve written, your mind’s eye will “see” what you meant to write, not what was actually written. That’s why I call my editing/proofreading service “Fresh Eyes.”

During my initial contact with an author, I want to know who the target audience will be. I also make it clear that this is his/her manuscript. If the author does not agree with my opinion, he/she is free to not accept it, but I do ask that the author read each correction before and after in order to determine why the correction was made and which version makes more sense.

I use a red pen and at first glance there may seem to be many, many corrections, however, a lot of them are repeat corrections for the same error.

I need the manuscript printed out, double-spaced, on one side of the paper. This will allow room for the corrections between the lines.

As I read the manuscript, I write what I call “Side Lines” on a separate sheet of paper. These are comments that are too lengthy to write on the manuscript itself.

When completed, the author can look it over and we’ll have what I call a “sit down” during which we will discuss the “Side Lines” and I will answer any questions the author may have.

Petra Ritchie is a freelance editor for IBJ Book Publishing. Email her at petraritchie@msn.com.

One Book

2011-04-16T11:38:00.000-04:00

BY ERIN ALBERT

As a writer/editor of 6 books, one of the most frequently asked questions I receive as a writer is: “Where do you get the ideas to write your books?” For me, a couple of answers come to mind. First, the old adage really is true—everyone has at least one book in him or her—at least in this humble author’s opinion. Second, you just have to pick up the phone when the Universe calls.

Here’s more detail:

First, everyone has at least one awesome story within their lives and their experiences, and probably more than one. A lot of people I run into have this “idea” that they want to turn in to a book. Awesome! Great! Fantastic! Trouble is, where people often disconnect is not necessarily from the idea or concept of the book, but actually sitting down and pounding the book out. And ladies and gentlemen, there really isn’t any sexy, fast or easy answer when it comes to writing the manuscript—you just have to sit down and do it. Talking about an idea helps, but implementing it by writing separates the writers from those who only think about writing.

A lot of people who want to write, or even write, also worry about finding the right agent or publisher. I ask, why? If your book is really meant to be out in the public domain, you’ll truly find a way to publish it. Self publishing, or even a lot of small publishers, will still consider books. With digital media, it is now more easy than ever to ePublish your own book. Implementation of creativity and idea development are always in demand. I say, don’t worry about the publishing end, just worry about getting the writing down right. The rest will take care of itself.

Second, the other place where I get my ideas for books simply comes from being a careful observer of the Universe around me. The space we exist in really does give us signals on what we should be doing—in terms of our work and writing. For example, if an idea pops into my head after the muse strikes me and I do an Amazon.com search to read about a book or idea and I can’t find it, guess what, that is the phone call from the universe that the book needs to be written. My most recent book, Single. Women. Entrepreneurs., came to me in part from wanting to read about other single women entrepreneurs, but never really finding a book dedicated especially to their challenges, frustrations and definitions of success.

When the universe phones, take the call! Toni Morrison, a much more successful writer than me, also says this: If you want to read a book and can’t find it, you need to write it yourself!

There really isn’t a lot of magic or mystery to writing books. Everyone has at least one book in them. Ideas are usually pretty easy to come by as well. The hard part is picking up the call from the Universe, writing down the idea, and relentlessly chasing it until it becomes reality. Thoughts do really become things, books included!

Erin Albert is an author/asst. professor/pharmacist/entrepreneur and law student. Her most recent publication, Single. Women. Entrepreneurs., was published by IBJ Book Publishing. For more on her writing, visit www.erinalbert.com.

If The Components Are There, Let Your Mind Do The Rest

2011-03-04T11:38:00.029-05:00

BY JOHN GUY

The desire to write arises from some strange brain cell that carries two elements. The first is an idea or experience that leaps forward not unlike the impulse to learn how to skydive, and then to do it. The second is the rather absurd belief that this idea or experience should be shared with other people, whether other people want it, or not.

So, if you have spent a lifetime in the securities business, something must have happened worth telling. The Scottish Veterinarian found it in the business of treating animals—and their owners. The English jockey found all kinds of stories in the competitive, ego-filled, ripe-for-cheating-and-stealing environment of tracks, jockeys, horses, stewards, owners, reporters, spectators and gamblers who populate tracks and barns.

A securities industry arbitration should be interesting, right? The comings and goings of client/investors must produce unique and compelling stories, right? Once in a while, people cheat to make money, right? The components are there. They merely had to come together in some kind of logical framework. Perhaps the day-to-day stuff is not logical, but it can be made logical in fiction, right?

And so emerges a middle man, a person, not unlike a sports official, who is in the middle, looking out at both sides, and giving both sides a fair and independent evaluation. The unfortunate reality, however, is that no one is perfectly in the middle, perfectly able to evaluate events without the mindset given to him by parents, friends, clients and experience. He can try to escape these influences, and many times he does. But, not every time. And one of those times leads to tragedy.

John Guy, CFP, is president of Wealth Planning & Management, LLC, a financial planning and investment advisory firm. His book, Middle Man: A Broker’s Tale, was published by IBJ Book Publishing.

Learning About the Book Design Process

2011-02-15T15:08:00.012-05:00

BY SCOTT SWAIN

Studies show that consumers spend an average of 8 seconds or less considering a book before moving on to the next one on the bookstore shelf—in other words, people really do judge a book by its cover. And your book is no exception.

Without professional editing and an eye-catching cover design, your book risks being lost among the hundreds of thousands of other titles competing for attention from the media and the buying public. Producing a quality book takes time, effort, creativity and knowledge of the industry.

Here at IBJ Book Publishing, we supply the design services and expertise necessary to put a professional face on the book you’ve worked so hard to create.

How does this process work? Let’s take a look.

The type of book you’ve written determines the amount of design required. For standard fiction titles, design is usually limited to typography and cover design.

For books containing illustrations or images, design takes on a much larger role in laying out how the page looks, how chapters begin and end, colors, typography, cover design and ancillary materials such as posters, order forms and other sales/marketing materials.

Non-fiction illustrated titles are the most design intensive books, requiring extensive use of images and illustrations, captions, typography and a deep involvement and consideration of the reader experience.

The design phase may also include photography from a professional photographer. This service, in limited capacity, may be available to you as part of your contract.

After meeting with our design staff for an initial consultation and establishing a production schedule, a sample layout will be designed and given to you for approval, which enables you to review the layout, to fit copy, to gauge the appropriateness of art-to-text—and to make changes, as necessary.

Once the design style is established, our design team will prepare a first-draft layout proof. At the same time, you may choose to have your book reviewed by an editor or a proofreader. Typos are then corrected and minor changes made. There also may be additional back-and-forth and fine-tuning to the layout and design at this time.

If, however, you wish to make extensive content corrections requiring layout changes, additional fees may apply. Additionally, you are permitted three rounds of draft layout corrections before additional costs are incurred.

During the final stages of production, an index is created, typeset and proofread.

After you have completed editing and proofing the draft layouts, you will sign-off on a final layout and the files are prepared electronically for the production of your book.

The files are then reviewed by our design staff and the selected printing company for any issues and prepped for manufacturing.

In some cases, copies of the final, clean files (including artwork) are simultaneously prepared for e-book conversion.

When the book has been printed, a small number of advanced copies are delivered to us and the rest of the finished books are distributed to you.

Next is selling and distributing your book. Successful distribution is not as simple as getting your book onto the shelves of Barnes & Noble or other book stores and watching it sell. The best success comes with marketing your book to an already existing network of followers you may have. Utilize the resources have readily available, and keep your eye out for new business opportunities.

Most of all, stay positive and patient. The road to becoming published may be bumpy at times, but with perseverance and a great book publishing team, you will produce tremendous results!

Scott Swain is the lead graphic designer for IBJ Book Publishing. You can reach him at sswain@ibj.com.

Put Me In Coach, I'm Ready To Write!

2010-06-14T08:07:00.014-04:00

BY ASHLEY WOEHLER

Writing, like singing or dancing, comes easy for some. For others, it’s equal to being one of those singers on American Idol that may make it through the first round but are quickly dismissed from the show. Being average just doesn’t cut it. Most of those that don’t make it on the first try never try out again, while others, those that want to fulfill their dream, employ a voice coach to help them get better—both in their techniques and their delivery.

Unpublished authors now have the same opportunity that unrecorded artists have; by utilizing a book coach, those that wish to publish a manuscript can see that dream come to fruition. A book coach, also know as a development editor, is a professional who teaches authors how to compose books. Working one-on-one with an author, the book coach assists the author with planning (including scheduling and proposal writing), stucture and format, style, and audience messaging—sort of like a planner, teacher and cheerleader rolled into one. Here are the main categories with which a book coach assists an author:

Planning

Sometimes the hardest part of writing a book is the foundational framework, especially for authors who have never written a book before. A book coach walks the author through the step-by-step process of writing, publishing and promoting the book. The coach will have a great understanding of how publishing works and will be able to assist the author in molding a broad subject into a concise, saleable topic. Creating a schedule and realistic deadlines are also part of the planning phase; the coach will be sure that the author adheres to the schedule (because, for a publisher, missing a deadline is like the sound of fingernails on a chalkboard—cringe-inducing). The planning phase is an important first step on the path to creating a marketable manuscript.

Writing

After determining what the book is about and understanding how to articulate clearly and concisely, it’s time to get down to work—it’s now the writing phase. A book coach will help the author figure out his or her unique voice beforehand, asking a set of questions to help determine what will guide the author to writing a great book. Understanding the author’s personality, who the audience will be, the author’s goal as a writer, and the author’s goal for the reader are all imperative points to figure out. Finding the author’s unique voice is critical; like an unrecorded artist whose voice isn’t memorable, the author won’t be able to publish anything if his or her voice isn’t heard throughout the pages.

The book coach will also assist in the organization of ideas, research, main points and written material. Many new authors may not have a clue of where to go to research, but thankfully, the book coach does—he or she can guide the author to the different outlets that offer many answers. After research is completed, the book coach will help the author develop the book by creating an outline and assisting with rough drafts and revisions. And as the rough drafts are written and revised, the book coach will be right there next to the author, assisting him or her to a developing apolished manuscript ready to sell.

Professional assistance

The book writing process is an awesome, yet tiring, process; as time goes on and the author gets deeper into the process, he or she may lose motivation and focus. It’s hard to get through anything when you lose motivation (just think of how we all start our diets on New Years Day only to give up and quit a few days later). A partner in the book-writing process, a book coach motivates, supports, and commits to helping an author produce a successful book.

So if you’re an author that wants to be the next John Grisham but aren’t sure where to start, you need to book coach to get you there—trust us, the agents and publishers out there have nothing on Simon Cowell.

Ashley Woehler is an Indianapolis-based freelance writer, editor and book coach. You can reach her at: ashes2ashes123@hotmail.com.

Live To Write, Or Write To Live?

2010-02-26T15:31:00.007-05:00

BY ALICIA CARLSON

I love to tell people that I work as a writer and editor. Not because I’m proud of what I do—I wish I could tell people I was something really spectacular, like a cancer researcher, or teacher, or spy, or nun—but because of their reaction. It’s almost always about how they feel about writing. Often: “I am a terrible writer. I could never do that.” (Interesting. Must have had a mean English teacher.) Or, my favorite: “I love to write. I wish I could quit my job and just write.” (Because writing, of course, is not a job?)

Those reactions fascinate me because I am a writer, yet I don’t think I’ve ever uttered the words, “I love to write.” That doesn’t mean I don’t love aspects of my job. I do. I really, really do. But I do not write for fun, in my spare time, on the next Great American Novel. Honestly, I’d rather spend time with my husband or kids, walk the dog, go to yoga, or unload the dishwasher.

I admire (and maybe envy) people who love to write and pursue writing as a passion, even if there’s no paycheck attached. That drive to sculpt words into meaningful text has created literary masterpieces and fearless journalism.

But isn’t there something admirable in the mundane, workman-like approach to writing, too? Making a living by manipulating words into serviceable text? Taking a business-like attitude toward the job, and doing it reasonably well?

I’m glad the world has both kinds of writers. If you’re the first type of writer, you need an editor to help you from falling so deeply in love with your own voice that you run the risk of losing your readers. And if you’re the other kind—like me—you need those passionate writers to inspire you to lift your level of writing to something better.

How do you feel about writing? Do you live to write, or write to live?

Alicia Carlson is a freelance writer, editor and communications consultant based in Indianapolis.

Shameless Self-Promotion

2010-01-13T11:52:00.005-05:00

It's never too shameless to give yourself a little self-promotion, right? We're so excited, because this week we received the first few boxes of our recent marketing piece, Get Published! It's a 16-page resource booklet intended to help potential authors/clients publish a high-quality book in a professional, affordable and timely manner.

Get Published! includes information about IBJ Book Publishing, book partnerships, the publishing process, marketing tips, portfolio listing of past projects, testimonials, client stories, online book companions and much, much more.

Copies of Get Published! are available for FREE at your request by contacting Jeff Libich at (317) 634-6200 or you can pick one up at our office at 41 E. Washington St., Suite 200 in downtown Indianapolis.

The New Dawn of Mixed Media

2010-01-12T15:42:00.004-05:00

BY ERIN ALBERT
One of my favorite things to do as a writer is: read. One of my favorite book series to read was Harry Potter. Furthermore, one of the best creative and fascinating entities within the Potter series for me was the local witch and wizard newspaper, The Daily Prophet. Why? Because the newspaper blended flat print media along with video footage where the traditional photos would be placed in a newspaper. It appeared as hard copy print (like a newspaper), with video embedded (a la YouTube).

The Daily Prophet, coupled with the December augmented reality edition of Esquire Magazine (http://www.esquire.com/the-side/augmented-reality) really is the exciting new trend in writing and publishing—that of blending mixed media. Publishers are now hiring movie producers. Movie producers are reading more books. Writers not only need to think about how to write “the book,” but they also need to think about supplementing the book with online materials (such as personalized quizzes, or blogs, or both). Some writers are even utilizing iPhone apps to create daily reminders or thoughts on their area(s) of publishing expertise.

Frankly, this practice should have happened long ago, but as an author, I’m thrilled to watch the convergence of video and print come to life and evolve. Also, this merging of technologies could save newspapers. Literally, the savvy author needs to network not only with his or her publisher moving forward, but he or she also needs to think about networking with a cadre of professionals, who can help their message move forward, in several different methods, and several different media channels.

It is an exciting time for writers!

Dr. Erin Albert currently is a professor, author, pharmacist, entrepreneur, and student. More on her publications can be found at: erinalbert.com.

An Editor's Conundrum: Balancing Print and Online Duties - Kim Werker - Blogs Editorial @ FolioMag.com

2009-12-18T08:59:00.000-05:00

BY KIM WERKER

Something occurred to me out of the blue today: during my last few months as editor ofInterweave Crochet, as the company was beginning to focus more on the possibilities presented by online tools and social media, I wanted nothing to do with any of it in my work as editor. Crazy, hey?

As you might have noticed, the whole print publishing industry is struggling to make sense of online media in much the same way the yarn industry is struggling.

In my final months at IC, there was a lot more talk around the office about online stuff: blogs, forums, Twitter. And even though I had my own blog and still kept up a bit at theCrochetMe.com blog and I was on Twitter, I really bristled at being pressured to do more online stuff for the magazine. Even though I was certain we needed to be online more and better than we were.

That’s really very odd.

Why, as I sit here going on and on and on and on about how important online media are to businesses big and small, online and off-, was I so resistant to practice then what I preach now (even though I practiced it then, only on my own time)?

It could be that I don’t much like being told what to do. It could be that I’d been online for so long, relatively speaking, that I didn’t entirely agree with the approach that was being taken.

But mostly I think it might have been that I didn’t think I could do it right. Where “right” means as myself. With my voice. In my own time. Saying what I wanted to say. Where what I would have wanted to say was sometimes not so shiny-happy-positive, and where some of the positive things I would have said would have been about other companies and not mine.

My whole love affair with online media is in good part because of the spontaneity and honesty of it. To be a cog in a larger social media strategy just didn’t remotely turn me on. (To be clear: I was never asked to be a cog. I’m just super bristly.)

And so I’m left now to figure out how to amend the stuff I spout off about to accommodate this experience I’d forgotten. Here’s my first shot:

If you run a company, you should be online. You should have a blog where you engage with anyone who wants to chat with you. You should be on Twitter and you should use it very little for broadcasting and very much for sharing and conversing. Same with Facebook. And any other site. If you yourself aren’t going to be the person doing the online stuff, you should make sure the person you have do it has the following resources:

1. Time. It takes time to write blog posts and to tweet. It doesn’t have to take a huge amount of time, but it takes some time. Give the person some time.

2. Freedom. Pick someone you trust enough to represent your business and your brand that you can give them a very long leash to say what they need to say how they need to say it. If they mess up, let them clean it up. If they mess up horribly, find someone else to do it. But don’t do anything to prevent the spontaneity, fun and impromptu conversation that are integral parts of successful online media campaigns.

3. Trust. See #2.

4. Time from you. Things online move fast. In all likelihood—regardless of what kind of business you’re in—they move way faster than they do in the rest of your business. So when your person comes to you and says they need to deal with something, STAT, believe them. If they come to you because some convergence of thinking in your online community presents an opportunity for a big promo next week, see if you can make it happen. Try hard to make it happen.

Does any of this make sense? Or have I blathered myself into an atrocious contradiction?

BY KIM WERKER -- Expat writer, editor, blogger and community manager Kim Werker is the former editor of Interweave Crochet magazine.

The new IBJBP blog is finally here!

2009-12-16T16:04:00.004-05:00

Welcome to the new IBJBP blog — All Walks of Shelf Life.

You will find the latest and greatest news on everything about IBJBP – from product/service updates to interviews with IBJBP writers, designers and editors.

Plus, you’ll see IBJBP authors in the spotlight with our monthly author blogs. Along the way, we will do everything we can to make each blog more interesting than the previous one.

Bookmark this blog, email to a friend/colleague or add our RSS feed, and let’s turn up the volume on news at IBJBP.

And of course, we’d love getting your feedback on IBJBP and this blog — and what you want to see discussed (and showcased) in the future.

Until next time friends …