Get a free sample edit

Category: Resources for Authors

Categories
Resources for Authors Self Publishing Advice

How to Get Book Reviews (and Why You Need Them)

A blue-tinted backdrop shows gold stars on a white background. A block of text in the center reads "How to Get Book Reviews (and Why You Need Them). There is a picture of a man with gray hair, smiling in an oval frame. Next to him, it reads, "Q&A with Joe Walters of Independent Book Review"

How to Get Book Reviews (and Why You Need Them)

Q&A with Joe Walters of Independent Book Review

There’s a catch-22 that many indie authors face when promoting their recently published books. 

To attract new readers to your audience, you need some solid reviews. Not just reviews from friends and family on Amazon, but reviews from genuine reviewers, in genuine publications: magazines, blogs, podcasts, bookstagram—the more people talking about your book (and ideally giving it 5 stars) the better. 

But how are self-published authors supposed to get reviews, without the help of a big publisher or publicist? 

That’s a question that was on my mind a few weeks ago, when I attended the American Writers and Writing Programs conference in Baltimore. And as fate would have it, I ended up just a few booths away from someone who was extremely qualified to answer my questions: Joe Walters, Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Independent Book Review. 

Untitled design (25)
Joe Walters (left) of IBR, and Liam Carnahan (right) of IIE, at the AWP conference in baltimore.

After we packed up and left Baltimore, I reached out to Joe to keep our conversation going. We decided to exchange interviews, since his readers have lots of questions about book coaching and novel editing. (Here’s my interview with Joe, all about working with an editor.) 

If you’re wondering how you can get solid reviews for your upcoming book, take a look at these insights from Joe.

Tell me about yourself and how you started Independent Book Review.

I’m Joe! I’m the guy who’s promoting indie books, running beta reading services, and eating entirely too much candy in his garage in Pennsylvania.

 I got my start in publishing as a volunteer reader for a now-defunct literary magazine before I became a full-time marketer for a small press in Oregon. It was the start of the coolest career I could have asked for, but I also couldn’t stay in Oregon any longer. (Too far from home!) So when I packed my bags back for PA, I brought the job with me—sort of. After realizing how hard it was to get coverage for indie authors as a marketer, I decided to start my own platform dedicated solely to reviewing indie authors. They wouldn’t be battling giants at my company. 

Eight years later and now Independent Book Review has reviewed over 2,000 indie books, releasing about two per weekday. I’ve got 34 reviewers reading for me, and we feature starred reviews, book lists, and tons of reader- and writer-focused content. Come hang out.

What should new authors know about book reviews?

Everybody’s going to tell you that you need them: That if you want to sell books, they’re an essential ingredient; that bookstores and libraries want to see them before they stock your book; that you won’t grow your audience unless you show up in front of someone else’s. 

And those people are right.

But it’s also about you and your publishing journey. I hope that the people who read your book in the real world talk to you about their reading experience seriously, but it’s also pretty darn possible that you get overt kindness and vagueness from most of them. The best way to get real reader feedback is to get real reader reviews.

How do book reviews “work”? What is the process like for authors?

Well, they’re not just going to show up automatically. You might publish with a press that does serious behind-the-scenes work to increase your reviews, resulting in a natural avalanche of more of them because word of mouth has already started, but that’s not the case for most authors. 

You have to find the people, send the emails, catalog it all, buy the services, lay the groundwork. And then you have to keep doing it. 

Then after you get the reviews, you have to actually use them. If a review comes with some publicity, cool, but the best way to capitalize on reviews is to implement them in your own marketing efforts. You get a cool media review? Post about it! You get a blurb from a high-profile person or company? Put that thing in graphics and on websites. There are a ton of ways you can use reviews. If you want a list of places you can put them, I’ve got a freebie ebook when you sign up for Write Indie.

How is it different for indie authors vs. small press?

I define small press authors as indie too! Why?

Because life is so very similar!

When you publish with a small press, you’re getting help. They have the guidance, some resources, and their own audience they’re building. Some of them have had years under their belt to cultivate relationships and increase book sales. These are all pluses.

But they also want you to be doing the behind-the-scenes work. They’ll teach you how to do it, but they won’t take all the work hours away from you. They couldn’t. They have more things to do as a press than target reviews only for you.

Most of the time, you have the upper hand if you publish a small press. That’s true. You can get reviews from people who recognize your press’s name and you can pitch with more outside validation than if you were a self-published author pitching on trust alone.

What kind of people provide book reviews at IBR?

Cool ones!

I’ve got 34 reviewers on staff right now. They represent a spectrum of genre interests, experience levels, and writing styles. Many of them have experience as book reviewers for other platforms, while others are librarians, booksellers, authors, bloggers, and editors. 

But experience isn’t what I look for most in a reviewer. I hire 95% based on the writing sample. I want to see that a reader is engaging honestly and thoughtfully with a book beyond the surface. I want them to tell good stories in the summary and genuine opinion on the author’s  execution. If a strong reader hasn’t written formally before, I’ll be glad to be their first one.

You’ve received a book review. Now what? How does it fit into a bigger marketing picture?

Put it to use!

Different kinds of reviews can be used in different ways. For example, I don’t recommend you take a great quote from a review on Goodreads and put it on your book cover, but if you get a great review from a high-profile person or company, I would. 

First step: Look for quotes you can use in your marketing material. Anywhere from eight words to twenty-five. For longer ones, I usually aim for a nice mix of praise, summary, or what makes your book unique. 

Second step: Put it somewhere. Amazon reviews, you usually don’t want to post about, but you could put a few together in a graphic and post it on social media. If you get a single review from a platform like IBR or a notable author, you can use that on its own. Maybe you make a social media post about it or share it in your newsletter, or maybe you just put it in the editorial reviews section on Amazon.

Don’t depend on a review’s publicity to do something for it. Go out and use it.

When should authors start looking for book reviews?

If you want to put yourself in the position to get the most reviews possible, I’d say about eight months before confirmed publication. Some platforms (though not all) require as far out as a six-months in advance for submission. So if you don’t start looking until three months before, you won’t even have the option to pitch them.

But if you don’t hit that marker, that’s still okay. Even if you didn’t start looking for reviews until after publication, you can still get them. It’s just that you missed some opportunities—like building a launch team—that have real gravitas and can produce good results. 

I’d say you usually have a couple years after publication to get media reviews, but you can really keep chasing smaller ones—social media, bloggers, customer reviews—for as long as your book is relevant.

What are the most common mistakes authors make when seeking reviews?

Thinking that they’re going to just come to them is #1, and it’s not particularly close. Another is that they’re not that important. But if you’re trying to sell books on Amazon and you only have one review on there, you’re not going to make new readers want to buy your book. It’s a trust thing. Gain their trust.

Actually pitching reviewers is a whole different story. Some authors pitch us with the subject line reading, “Will you review my book?” and just a link of their book on Amazon. That’s… not going to do it. Follow submission guidelines and send enticing, professional pitches. 

What happens if you get a bad review?

You’re going to be okay. Remember that this reviewer is not every reviewer. These people are readers talking to other readers. They’re free to say these things, and you’re free to listen to them or ignore them. 

 

The best thing to do when you get a bad review is to get more of them. Seek more outside opinions not only because they could be totally wrong and off-base, but they could also be partially right. You don’t want to harp on a bad review; make sure those positive ones are speaking as loudly as that one negative one. But hey, if they make a good point, they make a good point.

Want to learn more about how to get book reviews? Subscribe to Joe’s awesome newsletter, spend some time on the Independent Book Review blog, and submit here when you’re pitch. 

Don't let errors sink your reviews

Plain and simple: If you want good book reviews, you need to work with a book editor. It’s not uncommon for perfectly well-written books to receive negative reviews because of issues an editor could have helped them fix: underdeveloped characters, plot holes, grammatical errors, typos. 

If you’re planning your path to publication, get a trusty editor on your side. 

Submit a sample of your manuscript, and you’ll be paired with the best editor for your specific audience and genre who will provide a free sample edit (even if you’re not done working on the script). 

We hope to see your work soon! 

Submit for a Free Sample Edit
Categories
Resources for Authors Self Publishing Advice

Platform, Publicity, and Marketing: What Authors Need to Know 

A blurry image of a bookstore is the backdrop of this blog image, with a dark blue square that reads 'Platform, Publicity, and Marketing: What Authors need to Know" and a picture of a Ashley Steinberg, a woman with long brown hair, and a blue rectangle that reads "An Interview with book publicist Ashley Steinberg" and a logo for Pulse 10.

Platform, Publicity, and Marketing: What Authors Need to Know

An interview with book publicist Ashley Steinberg

Here’s something a lot of authors don’t realize: Marketing your book is your job. 

It doesn’t matter whether your publishing journey is traditional, indie, or hybrid; the success of your book largely depends on your ability to build an author brand and platform, and to market the heck out of your book before and after it’s published. 

At Invisible Ink Editing, we can help you get your manuscript ready to be published, printed, and sold in stores. But we don’t help you with the promotion or marketing of your book. Instead, we’ll introduce you to people who are experts in that arena—people like Ashley Steinberg, of Pulse 10 Consulting.

I met Ashley at a writing conference earlier this year, and we immediately clicked, because we share the same passion: helping authors get their books out to the right audience. Ashley’s services as a book publicist and strategist are ideal for authors who have already been through the editing process and are gearing up to release their books. 

Ashley has been in this industry a long time, and agreed to sit down with me and share some of her expertise in an interview. You can watch the full interview right here, or read on for highlights from our conversation. 

Picture of About Ashley Steinberg

About Ashley Steinberg

Ashley Steinberg is the founder of Pulse 10 Consulting, a brand strategy and marketing firm specializing in author publicity and brand management. With 25+ years of experience across publishing and corporate brand consulting, Ashley helps authors at every stage build their platform, reach the right audience, and get their books the attention they deserve. You can reach her directly at ashley@pulse10consulting.com.

Visit Pulse 10

What does it mean to have an author brand?

An author brand refers to having a vision and a message for your author profile, and a community where you share it. That’s Ashley’s quick definition, but she goes into much more detail in this clip from our conversation: 

In the clip, Ashley makes an important point about timing. Building a platform isn’t something you do after the manuscript is finished; it’s something that has to happen alongside the writing itself.

"One of the mistakes I see a lot of people making is waiting until the manuscript is complete before they go, okay, what do I need to do now?"

The reality is that even authors published by major houses are rarely full-time writers. Most have jobs, families, and full lives running parallel to their writing, which makes audience-building easy to deprioritize, but no less necessary. Ashley’s advice is to be asking the right questions early and consistently:

"While you are writing your book and you're doing all these other things—having a life, having a family, having friends, having a job—the fact is that you also have to be out there understanding who your audience is. Where are you meeting them? How are you getting to know them? How are they getting to know you? Do you have a particular voice in the conversation?"

What's the difference between book marketing and book publicity?

Book publicity is earned media — reviews, interviews, and features where someone else is writing or talking about you and your book. Book marketing is content you create and push out yourself. They work together, but they are not the same thing, and Ashley says authors need both.

Here’s how she breaks it down:

The distinction matters because each serves a different purpose. Publicity builds credibility. Marketing amplifies it. As Ashley puts it:

"You posting this interview on your blog is publicity for me and marketing for you."

It’s a simple example, but it illustrates how the two can happen simultaneously and serve different people at the same time. The goal is to use them in tandem — let earned media establish your authority, then use your own content to push that further.

How much of the marketing work falls on the author?

The short answer is: most of it, regardless of how you publish. But the specifics vary depending on your publishing path, and it’s worth understanding the differences.

If you’re picked up by a traditional publisher, you’ll have access to both a publicity team and a marketing team… in theory. 

In practice, you’re one of roughly 20 to 30 titles per line being released that month, and the support you receive will reflect that. Your editor will advocate for you, but they’re also managing 15 other authors. You’ll get some marketing materials if you ask for them, and your book will likely be sent to trade publications for review. But you’ll have a strict timeline—approximately six to eight weeks after launch to make your sales push count—and a lot of the legwork will still fall on you.

Here’s Ashley on what that actually looks like in practice:

For indie and self-published authors, the calculus is different. You don’t have a publishing house’s infrastructure behind you, but you do have something traditional authors don’t: control over your own timeline. 

You can build your platform methodically, test your messaging, release excerpts, and develop your audience before the book ever drops. The tradeoff is that you’re doing all of this without any institutional support, which makes having a clear strategy—and ideally someone who has been through the process before by your side—that much more valuable.

Do all authors need a book marketer or publicist?

Truthfully, no—many authors don’t hire professional book marketers or publicists, and some are still successful when it comes to selling copies. But there are some compelling reasons to consider getting a professional in your corner.

Some authors can manage the marketing side themselves. Maybe they have a background in marketing, or enough time to invest consistently in social media and brand building. Most authors, however, will end up putting the marketing working on the backburner, because it’s so intimidating and time-consuming. 

When it comes to book publicity, it’s much harder to do it yourself. So much of the publicity side comes down to the connections you have in the industry—most authors don’t come into the scene having these relationships, whereas book publicists like Ashley have spent years building them.

Here’s Ashley on how that network develops:

Why should your editor and your publicist know each other?

One of the more unexpected takeaways from our conversation was how much overlap there is between what a book editor does and what a book publicist does. Both are asking the same core questions: Who is this book for, and what is it trying to say?

Here’s my favorite clip from our conversation, where Ashley and I dive into the connection point between editor and publicist:

When Ashley or other publicists and I work with a shared client, we meet separately to talk through the book and the author—what the manuscript is doing well, who the audience is, what the core message is. 

That context makes Ashley’s job easier from the start. On the flip side, Ashley will often send clients back to the Invisible Ink team for additional editing before a launch, because getting the book into its best possible shape before it hits the market matters as much as the publicity strategy around it.

If you’re ready to get started with editing, you can learn more about our book editing services, or submit your project below.

Submit for a Free Sample Edit

Practical tips for building your author platform

Ashley left us with some very practical starting points for authors who are ready to start building their platform and getting their book in front of readers.

Join a genre-specific author organization. There are established organizations for almost every genre that can help you start making the right connections. A few worth looking into:

Get on NetGalley. NetGalley is a platform with around 400,000 readers, reviewers, librarians, and booksellers. Authors and publishers can post their books there to generate reviews and buzz ahead of launch, within specific genres.

Try Book Sirens. Book Sirens is specifically designed for independent authors. Reviews are filtered through Amazon, Goodreads, and Kindle, so you’re building your public profile at minimal cost.

And of course, if you want help building an author brand and book launch strategy, you should get in touch with Ashley specifically at ashley@pulse10consulting.com. 

Ready to get your book out into the world?

Whether you’re still in the drafting stage or gearing up for launch, the earlier you start thinking about your author platform, the better. 

If you need help getting your manuscript ready, we’re here to help. Our manuscript consulting service can help you start thinking about audience and messaging, even if you only have a partial draft. 

And if you’re ready to start thinking seriously about publicity and marketing, the Pulse 10 Consulting website is a great place to start. 

For more advice on book marketing, editing, and the writing life, sign up for the Invisible Ink Editing newsletter below. We send practical, no-fluff advice to your inbox every week.

Sign-Up for the Newsletter
Categories
Resources for Authors Self Publishing Advice

Beta readers: Why you need them and how to find them

When you finish the first draft of your novel, it’s easy to start daydreaming about book covers and release parties.

But, before you can cross the finish line, you’ve got to go through the editing process. You may think the next step is to hire a book editor, but before you spend money on a professional, there’s another step you must take: beta reading.

Beta readers are volunteers who will review your manuscript and offer high-level feedback to help shape your next draft and get it ready for a professional editor. After spending months, if not years, working on your novel, you’ve become intimately familiar with your characters, plot, and other story elements.

But when you’re that familiar with your work, it can be much more difficult to pick up on things like plot holes, repetitive phrasing, shallow characters, and other potential issues. A fresh set (or several sets) eyes can provide you with a different perspective, bring to attention obvious or subtle things you’d maybe want to change, and generally just give you an idea of how others will perceive your book.

In this blog, we’ll explain how beta reading works and show you exactly where you can find your ideal reader.

What is a beta reader?

Beta readers are people who read your novel (or parts of it) and give you their feedback and opinions. 

 

Beta readers are usually avid readers, but they are not professional book editors. They act similarly to a focus group: a sample of your ideal reading demographic, giving you an idea of any issues you may want to address before publishing your book. 

 

Sometimes beta readers are people you find through writing communities, other times you’ll connect with them through paid services. We get into all of that later in this article, but for now, let’s talk about where beta readers fit into the overall editing process. 

When do you need a beta reader?

Beta readers are most useful once you have a complete manuscript—or at least a complete draft—that you’ve already revised on your own at least once.  If you’re still writing, that’s a job for an alpha reader—someone who reads your work in progress and gives you early feedback as you go. Beta readers come later, once there’s a moderately polished full draft to evaluate from start to finish.

But you can’t just type ‘the end’ and hand it over. Giving a rough first draft to a beta reader is a bit like asking someone to critique a half-built house. The structural problems you already know about will distract from the feedback you actually need. So it’s important to revise your manuscript and address any known issues first. 

Related: How to edit your own novel

If you’re not sure your manuscript is ready for beta readers, a manuscript evaluation might be a better first step. A professional editor will read your work and give you a high-level assessment of what’s working, what needs attention, and what to tackle in your next revision. Once you’ve addressed those bigger issues, you’ll get much more useful feedback from your beta readers.

If you’re earlier in the process—still drafting, or having issues with structure—book coaching might be the right fit. A book coach works with you throughout the writing process, helping you avoid major problems before they take root, and can help you figure out when it’s time to bring in outside readers.

Why do you need beta readers?

As we mentioned earlier, beta readers provide new perspectives to consider as you head into your second draft. You give the manuscript to a handful of people who enjoy or are familiar with the genre. They tell you what they liked and didn’t like, whether the ending left them satisfied, whether the characters were believable, what they wish would have happened, what they were confused about… the list goes on and on.

 

Beta readers can give you a glimpse into how the average reader will receive your book, highlighting any issues you may want to address with the plot or the characters or the narrative voice (or anything else, for that matter). They see things you cannot because they are not inside your head and don’t read the intentions of what you wrote but simply ingest the words you put on the page. 

 

Just because you are trying to convey a certain feeling or idea does not mean the route you took was the most effective or successful. Beta readers can help you pinpoint those problematic areas and see them from a new angle, so you can then adjust and enhance them. 

 

It won’t all be negative feedback, of course. Beta readers can also tell you what parts of your novel they liked the most, and what they want to see more of. They’ll give you feedback on your tone and style, and whether or not it’s working for them. All of this information is incredibly valuable for the next draft of your manuscript.

What do look for in a good beta reader

Before we get into the places you can begin looking for your beta readers, let’s talk about what makes a good beta reader. 

 

First of all, a beta reader cannot be a friend, partner, family member, colleague, or anyone else you have a preexisting relationship with. The purpose of a beta reader is to get honest, direct feedback. Though your friends and family may say they are going to give you their honest opinion, it’s highly unlikely that their feedback will go as deep or be as rounded and honest as someone who doesn’t know you already. 

 

In an ideal world, a beta reader has most, if not all, of the following qualities:

 

They represent your target audience

Above all else, the beta readers you choose should be representative of your audience as a whole. You’ll see we recommend narrowing your search for beta readers to your specific genre. This will make sure that any feedback you get from them reflects what your larger, future audience will want. 

Experience providing writer feedback

When you’re dealing with an experienced beta reader, it will be much easier to get comprehensive, coherent, and honest feedback out of them. If they haven’t acted as a beta reader before, they should at least be an avid reader of your genre.

Interest in your story, specifically

Before you start searching for beta readers, it’s a good idea to have a good synopsis of your story written up already. You want to make sure your beta readers will make it to the last page of your manuscript, and they’re much more likely to do this if they know the basics of your plot ahead of time. 

A strong opinion

It will be incredibly frustrating if you spend your time finding a beta reader and trusting them with your manuscript, just to have them come back with vague or wishy-washy feedback. You want to find readers who will share their thoughts clearly, without sugarcoating them or holding back. 

A critical eye

Of course, your beta reader needs to be able to read manuscripts critically. You want detailed, thorough feedback—not someone who simply says, “I loved it!” or “It wasn’t as scary as I thought it would be.” Look for people who know how to get into the nitty-gritty of your work. 

How do you find a good beta reader for your novel?

Now that you understand the value of beta readers and what to look for, the next logical question is: 

 

Where the heck do you find them? 

 

Beta readers typically are not paid for this work (though some are, and we’ll get to that), and you can’t just pick any random person off the street. So how do you tap into this wealth of feedback and early insights to help you edit your novel and get it ready for a professional book editor?

 

There are lots of avenues you can pursue. Here are some of the best methods for finding beta readers.

Invisible Ink Editing's book coaching or manuscript evaluation

Before you start hunting for beta readers, it’s worth considering whether your manuscript is ready for them. Beta readers are most valuable when your draft is in solid enough shape to be read from start to finish—which isn’t always the case after a first draft.

 

If you’re not sure where your manuscript stands, a manuscript evaluation from Invisible Ink Editing might be a better first step. One of our professional editors will read your work and deliver a detailed report covering what’s working, what needs attention, and what to tackle next. You’ll go into your beta reading process with a clearer sense of what feedback you’re seeking, making your beta readers’ input all the more helpful.

Learn more about manuscript evaluation

If you’re still working on the first or second draft, or if you want ongoing support as you write and revise, book coaching might be the right fit. Your coach works with you from wherever you are in the manuscript — helping you strengthen the structure, develop your voice, and figure out when you’re ready to bring in outside readers. When that time comes, your coach can also help you make sense of the beta feedback you receive and decide what to do with it.

Learn more about book coaching

Not sure what your book needs right now? We’re here to help you. Use our submission form to send a sample of your manuscript—even if it’s not complete—and give us some more information about the project. We’ll get back with guidance on the best next step.

Independent Book Review's Group Beta Reading

We know the team at Independent Book Review personally, and we highly recommend their group beta reading service. IBR will pair your manuscript with 3 or 5 professional readers—reviewers, librarians, booksellers, book bloggers, editors, and authors—who deliver 650+ words of feedback per reader within 3 to 6 weeks. Fees range from $429 to $929 depending on the package you choose.

 

As an added bonus, Invisible Ink clients who sign up for book coaching or manuscript evaluation will receive a $20 discount code from their editor to use toward an IBR beta read.

Learn more about IBR's group beta reading service

Substack

Substack has quickly become one of the most active and engaged communities of writers on the internet, making it a very effective place to find beta readers. If you’re already publishing on Substack—or even if you’re just getting started—your subscribers are readers who have actively chosen to follow your work. That’s a built-in pool of people who may be genuinely interested in reading an early draft.

Beyond your own audience, Substack’s Notes feature and its network of writing-focused publications make it easy to connect with other writers and readers in your genre.

Often, subscribing to certain Substacks will put you in a chat room with other readers, and depending on the rules of the Substack, you may be able to ask for beta readers there. 

Building a presence on Substack takes time, but the relationships you develop tend to be more invested than what you’d find in a generic forum or Facebook group. If you’re not on Substack yet, it’s worth considering—not just as a tool for finding beta readers, but as a long-term strategy for growing your audience as an author.

Local writing groups and exchanges

The easiest and most affordable way to find beta readers is to explore your own community. There are many online and community groups that help writers build writing groups, and often those writing groups can introduce you to people who are willing to look at your manuscript from start to finish. 

The simplest place to start looking for local writing groups is with a Google search, or by visiting your local libraries or community centers. Most big cities have writing centers that offer events, classes, and community groups where you can meet other local writers.

The easiest way to find these groups is to do a simple Google search for writing communities in your area. We are big fans of Grub Street in Boston, the Writer’s Center in DC, Gotham Writer’s Center in New York, the Lighthouse Writing Center, and the 826 Network. 

You can also use sites like Meetup, Craigslist or local subreddits to find out if there are any local groups that get together to discuss and share writing. If there isn’t one nearby, maybe you can start your own! 

Once you get into these groups, you’ll start sharing your writing and gathering feedback. If you are in a group with people who are at the same stage of writing as you, you can suggest exchanging manuscripts with each other. 

Facebook groups

If you’re a Facebook user, then finding beta readers is as easy as logging into the social media platform and running a few searches for writers’ and readers’ groups. 

These forums are filled with people who are just as passionate as you about writing, your genre, the subject matter you’re writing about, etc. To help you choose the right group, think about who your ideal readers are, and then search for groups related to that topic. 

Let’s say, for instance, you’ve just finished your first draft of your zombie apocalypse thriller. Your first move will probably be to search for fans of zombie books, but you could also look to doomsday prepper groups or just groups for people who love dystopian and post-apocalyptic stories.

When you join these groups, be sure to follow the rules as they are clearly stated. Most groups will have rules about who can post, how often, and in what format (some may allow solicitation of services like beta reading while others may not). So take time to read all of the information on the page, and watch how other people are interacting before you dive in.

Writers forums (including Subreddits)

You can find loads of forums, message boards, and Subreddits dedicated to writing in general as well as by genre. These can be great places to ask for beta readers, but you can’t just create an account, spam the group with requests to read your book, and expect volunteers to come flooding in. 

 

To use these groups properly, you have to participate and have a more established presence. It shows you’re not just there to reap the benefits without offering anything in return, and it is just a good look, professionally speaking. The result is that people will be more willing to help you out.

 

The fastest way to offer something of value is to offer to read others’ manuscripts and provide your own honest feedback. There is a lot of “you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours” going on in these groups. Just be sure that if you promise to read something, you follow through—otherwise, you’ll end up developing a bad reputation.  

If you’re ready to start looking for beta readers, here are a few places worth exploring:

Goodreads Beta Reader Group

Beta Readers & Critiques (Facebook)

Critters Speculative Writers Workshop

Indie Author Group (Facebook)

r/betareaders (Reddit)

r/keepwriting (Reddit)

r/writing (Reddit)

Betareader.io

Betareader.io is worth a special mention, because it’s an easy way to find and manage your beta readers for relatively no cost—or a very low cost. The service allows you to sign up as a writer, a reader, or both, and once you do, you’ll have access to a database of beta readers who are willing to look over your manuscript. 

With the free version, you can submit one manuscript and get up to three readers. You’ll be able to track your beta readers as they go, and they can even leave highlights and emojis to let you know their reactions to certain passages.

The upgraded version is still affordable at only $10 per month, and allows you unlimited manuscripts and readers. If you have the budget, and plan to write more than one novel, this may be a good option for you.

The Spun Yarn

The Spun Yarn takes a data-driven approach to beta reading that sets it apart from most services. Their complete manuscript report matches your book with three carefully selected readers and delivers a 30+ page report within 30 days, covering flash feedback, qualitative feedback, and quantitative scores across eight key categories. Manuscripts must be under 90,000 words for the standard package, which starts at $699. Options are available for longer manuscripts as well.

Should you pay for beta readers? And how much do beta readers cost?

This depends on who you find and what you’re looking for. 

If you just want someone to give you their thoughts after reading your book, you can probably find a beta reader to do it at no cost using the methods we mentioned above.

If you have a list of questions you want them to think about as they read, or if they go above and beyond with their feedback, you might want to offer some sort of compensation, even if it’s just a gift card and a hard copy of your book when you publish (sign it for them too, if you can). 

Reading a book is no small task, and providing feedback, whether written notes or a conversation afterward, is even more of a commitment. If you want a professional beta reader or professional book editor to work with you, then it makes sense to compensate them for their work.

What should you ask your beta readers?

As we mentioned above, giving a beta reader some direction when you hand over your novel is a good idea. However, you don’t want to get too specific, as this can paint them into a corner and narrow their perspective. An expansive, outside perspective is what we’re looking for, so do your best not to limit them.

Instead, give them broader, guiding questions to get the wheels turning.

Here are a few questions you can consider asking:

  • Did you like the main character? Why or why not?
  • Did you find the world believable?
  • Did you find the other characters believable?
  • Was there anything you wanted to see happen that didn’t?
  • Did the ending leave you satisfied?
  • Were there any scenes you found boring?
  • Were any scenes unnecessary?
  • Do you have any lingering questions now that you’re done? 

You have two options when it comes to your list of questions: 

  1. Give them to the beta reader along with the manuscript
  2. Wait until they’ve read the book and then hand them over. 

The former option allows them to focus more closely on these details as they read. The latter gives them a chance to read without anything in particular in mind. They can then look back and assess how they felt about each topic in the moment. This might also reveal that something you saw as important or problematic went unnoticed, or vice versa.

There’s no right or wrong way to go about this, so try each method with different beta readers and/or different manuscripts. You can also leave the choice up to the beta reader. Ask them if they’d like some questions before they read, or if they’d prefer to go in blind. 

How many beta readers do you need?

You don’t want too many cooks in the kitchen, but having a few different perspectives creates a more well-rounded look at how your book is being received. 

Aim to find at least three beta readers, but no more than five or six. This allows you to see if there are any overlaps in feedback, which is a clear sign you should reevaluate the area of concern. Anything beyond that and you’ll have too much feedback on your hands, which can easily cross the line from helpful to overwhelming.

What to do with beta reader feedback

Once you’ve gotten your beta readers’ feedback, the next step is to read it carefully and determine what you want to change about your manuscript. 

As you go through, look for common pieces of feedback—were there any scenes, plotlines, or characters that several people called out, for the same or similar reasons? If so, you’ll definitely want to work this into your manuscript. 

Reading feedback is rarely easy, so do your best not to take anything personally. The important thing is to consider the commentary, be it a concern about a particular character or plot point or a suggestion for a different direction. Think about why this may have been the reader’s reaction and how making that change could impact the story, good or bad. 

If you’re on the fence about whether you want to take a suggestion, give it a try. Make some changes, and see how you feel about the outcome. You may even want to reach back out to your beta reader and ask them to read a revised scene. If you aren’t satisfied with it, you can always go back to the original, or take the scene in a whole new direction.

You can also ask the beta readers to weigh in on each other’s feedback, anonymously. Let’s say that Beta Reader A tells you that a certain character should come into the story earlier. You aren’t sure, so you ask Beta Readers B and C whether they think that change would be good or not. Their opinion can help you decide what to do. 

After you’re happy with the draft, it’s time to find a professional editor. Curious to learn more about that process? We’ve got you covered. You can read more about what goes into hiring the right editor here.

Finished with the beta reading process?

The next step in the editing process is to hire a book editor, and we want to hear from you. Send us a sample of your manuscript below, and if it’s a good fit for our services, you’ll be matched with an editor who will provide a free edit of the first few pages of your work.

Categories
Resources for Authors

Why Every Novel Needs a Style Sheet

A blog image title reads "Why Every Novel Needs a Style Sheet" above a row of Check marks on blocks and blue background.

When Invisible Ink editors perform a line edit for an author, we include a style sheet: a concise outline of grammar and formatting rules specific to their manuscript.

With the right editor, the humble style sheet (or style guide) is a powerful tool for improving both your novel and your writing in general. So what goes into a style guide, and, more importantly, what exactly can you get out of them?

Style guides give you consistency

Above all else, style sheets ensure consistency across a manuscript and/or a novel series. They are a shared record of story specifics, a single location where you and your editor can find every proper noun or unique word in your novel.

Style sheets also consolidate the most-important rules of grammar, syntax, and formatting relevant to your novel, usually pulled from the latest edition of The Chicago Manual of Style, the industry standard for fiction manuscripts. But if our guidance will hew closely to Chicago, why go the extra mile and type it out into a style sheet?

At nearly 1,200 pages, the eighteenth edition of Chicago is a real doorstopper. But take it from someone who flips through it every day: It’s a miracle that it’s only 1,200 pages. Your editor will save you a lot of time, patience, and brainpower compiling the most-relevant information into your neat and tidy style sheet, which typically maxes out at three or four pages.

And sometimes authors don’t want to follow the style rules as written, and instead want to write their own rules for how they express their artistic vision on the page. I always think back to K. A. Applegate, author of the Animorphs series, who used angle brackets for telepathic dialogue between shape-shifting teenagers <like this>. You won’t find that usage in the guidance for angle brackets in Chicago—trust me, I looked—but your editor is responsible for these decisions all the same! And the best way to track your departures from convention is with a handy style sheet.

Style sheets improve your writing craft

For many authors, revising a manuscript is an opportunity to identify their writing foibles or learn their idiosyncrasies. Maybe your horror novel uses the word moldering too often, or the detective in your hard-boiled noir novel elides the subjects of every sentence (“Going to find the killer” instead of “I’m going to find the killer”).

While you’re more likely to find these examples in the margins of your edited manuscript than in your style guide, these documents can still pack in a lot of valuable information. We’re happy to teach authors about dangling modifiers and subject-verb agreement through a style guide, but we would be remiss not to reiterate that good style is two, sometimes contradictory things: whatever the latest edition of Chicago says, which may vary from what the edition before said, and self-expression, which you won’t find in any book until you write it.

In the introduction to Strunk and White’s The Elements of Style, renowned author and editor E. B. White wrote:

Style is an increment in writing. When we speak of [F. Scott] Fitzgerald’s style, we don’t mean his command of the relative pronoun, we mean the sound his words make on paper. All writers, by the way they use the language, reveal something of their spirits, their habits, their capacities, and their biases. This is inevitable as well as enjoyable. All writing is communication; creative writing is communication through revelation—it is the Self escaping into the open.

E.B. White, The Elements of Style Tweet

Never forget that writing is both a craft and an art. Where you decide to place the line is between you and your editor.

Style guides give you stylistic freedom

Have you ever written or read a novel that wanted to keep its mistakes?

When wielded deftly and intentionally, literary devices like malapropism, catachresis, and solecism can give a texture, voice, and dimension to a narrative or a character who uses them in conversation. A style sheet is a great place to track those decisions and ensure they’re upheld.

Style sheets are a tool for future success

A well-kept style sheet is a boon to any editor or proofreader, but it belongs to the author.

Let’s say an author partners with Invisible Ink for a line edit, but would prefer to hand the final proofread over to a trusted colleague. The simplest way to ensure consistency across editing stages is for your Invisible Ink editor to pass the proofreader the style guide.

This also applies to further stages—when you move on to publish and promote your book. Having a style guide that you can share with agents, publishers, additional editors, and marketing copywriters will make everything you do to promote and sell your book that much easier.

What does an Invisible Ink style sheet include?

The 2026 Invisible Ink style guide models its structure after the chapters in The Chicago Manual of Style.

Let’s say you were writing a novel about a zombie invasion in a beach town and the band of misfits who must survive long enough to find the cure. Your style sheet might look something like this:

Example style guide for a fiction novel

Grammar, Punctuation, and Usage

  • Transitive vs. intransitive verbs: Transitive verbs require a direct object; intransitive verbs do not.
      • (Transitive) Barbara ran the clinic where patient zero reportedly broke loose. 
      • (Intransitive) Barbara ran as fast as she could from the shambling horde.
  • Nonbreaking spaces for ellipses: “Ugh . . . brains . . .”
  • Contagious vs. infectious: Contagious diseases are spread by direct contact only. Infectious diseases can be spread through direct and/or indirect contact. The zombie virus is contagious, not infectious.

Proper Nouns and Unique Terms

CHARACTER NAME

ROLE

NOTES

Barbara Dupont, PhD

Protagonist. Lead researcher at Guidestar Labs.

Green eyes, grey hair. 

Joey Slubish

Boardwalk worker bitten by zombie but mysteriously unaffected.

Drops his Gs in dialogue: “I went fishin’ before we drove over to the skatin’ rink.”

Barfmagnet

Joey’s dog.

Black cane corso with a white spot on its chin.

LOCATION NAME

DESCRIPTION

NOTES

Guidestar Labs

Laboratory where the zombie virus escaped from.

Always one word, never “Guide Star.”

Somerset Pier and Pavilion

Amusement park where first zombie outbreak occurs. Locals call it “the Sommy.”

Where Joey worked before he was fired.

The Prestige at 808

Luxury apartment building where Barbara lives and where the main characters hide from zombies.

Formerly Grateful Gardens Apartments—many still call it that, including Barbara.

UNIQUE TERMS

DESCRIPTION

NOTES

skullmunchers

Derogatory term for zombies. Lowercase (though standard grammar rules apply).

Never used by Barbara.

Hurl-and-Twirl

A ride at Somerset Pier and Pavilion. Shaped like a rainbow octopus with dizzy eyes.

Yellow emergency shut-off button. Runs on a diesel generator.

harooo

The sound Barfmagnet makes when he smells fresh vomit.

The more excited he is about the contents of the vomit, the more Os.

Numbers and Abbreviations

  • Numerals: Spell out all numbers between zero and one hundred. After that, only spell out round numbers.
      • Joey cocked his shotgun. “Three skullmunchers down, four to go.”
      • During the off season, only 2,286 people lived in Somerset.
      • Their chances of breaking into Guidestar Labs and finding a cure were a million to one—but they had to try.
  • Abbreviations: Do not use periods for abbreviations unless uncertainty threatens.
    • PhD
      • Note: Barbara Dupont has a PhD.
    •  
    • FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation), CIA (Central Intelligence Agency)
    • CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
      • Note: When written out, be sure to use the correct name, never “Center for Disease Control.”

Quotations and Dialogue

  • Thought dialogue: When a character thinks in a manner similar to dialogue, italicize what they’re thinking. Do not italicize the “dialogue tag.” Not necessary to italicize when thoughts are part of the running text and do not resemble dialogue.
  • What am I doing? Barbarba wondered. Am I in over my head?
    • Barbara wondered what it would be like if every zombie in Somerset just went back to the day jobs they had when they were alive. It certainly couldn’t hurt tourism any more than the recession had.

This is just a small sample of what a full style guide might look like, and for a series, you can expect additional tables and charts to track information from one series to the next. 

A style guide comes as part of any line editing or proofreading job you take on with Invisible Ink Editing. Are you ready to bring your manuscript to the next level?

Get a Free Sample Edit
Categories
Resources for Authors

Book Cover Design Ideas for Indie Authors | Invisible Ink Editing

Improve Your Shelf Esteem: Book Cover Design Ideas for Indie Authors

First impressions are everything, and what else is a book cover but a reader’s first impression of your story?

What monsters will the protagonist face in this novel? they’ll ask, turning your book over in their hands. 

A horror book cover might use imagery that separates a werewolf novel from a vampire novel—claw marks and full moons versus blood drops and bats.

And is this romance novel funny or sad? The right typeface on a romance book cover alone can tell a reader at a glance.

But how? What ancient and otherworldly magic is this? No magic here—you, too, can create a compelling book cover, one that helps clinch that sale, with a basic understanding of art theory and book marketing. And if you can’t, don’t worry! There are websites overflowing with freelance graphic designers hungry for their next commission.

Book cover design basics

All book covers place two things on full display: the title and the author’s name. (Did we really just tell you this as if you didn’t already know?) 

A book cover design usually contains imagery apart from the text, but some prioritize the typography and color choices to draw the eye and intrigue the mind:

Depending on where you plan to publish—in print, online, or both—our book cover design may also include back matter (a brief, tantalizing description of the story usually found on the back cover or inside the dust jacket) or blurbs from popular reviewers or other authors praising the work or its creator.

Other book cover design essentials

Taste is not universal, but for the purposes of this blog post, we’re going to judge book covers based on the following principles:

  • Color and composition: In concert with the text and imagery, the color palette and arrangement of design elements send subconscious and emotional messages to book browsers.
  • Legibility: Creative fonts can help you stand out, but you want people to be able to remember your book title, which means it needs to be easy to read. 
  • Readership: A good book cover appeals directly to its audience, including the age of their readers and genre expectations.
  • Consistency: Writing a series? Then your book covers should have matching art styles so readers know they’re a package deal.

Famous book cover designs of 2021

Let’s look at a few book covers that appear in many “best of 2021” lists and how they align with these basic principles:

Outlawed by Anna North | Invisible Ink Editing

Outlawed by Anna North

Do I really need to tell you that this novel is set in a fictional late nineteenth-century town in the American west? Imagine a western and tell me that’s not the typeface you’re thinking of? Cowboy hat, kerchief, blue skies—not only does the cover borrow the iconography of American westerns, but the typefaces, muted colors, and light stippling pull inspiration from mass-market western novels of the past.

Mona by Pola Oloixarac | Invisible Ink Editing

Mona by Pola Oloixarac

A psychedelic collage of a face staring directly at you from the darkness. Does its gaze upset or unnerve you? The book will too. Mona is a scathing critique of white literary academia through the trials of its titular character, a Peruvian author competing for a prestigious literary award.

Paladin's strength by T. Kingfisher | Invisible Ink Editing

Paladin’s Strength by T. Kingfisher

Second in the Saint of Steel series, Paladin’s Strength follows the story of a knight and a nun on the heels of a supernatural killer. The designer uses a lot of visual fantasy shorthand here: sword, skulls, beasts, keys, fire. Moreover, the symmetry and wood-cut look telegraphs a kind of timelessness inherent in story books or fairy tales. This is the stuff of legend, it says to window shoppers.

The galaxy and the ground within | Invisible Ink Editing

The Galaxy, and the Ground Within by Becky Chambers

Science fiction is replete with spaceships on its book covers, but what this edition of The Galaxy, and the Ground Within (fourth in the Wayfarers series) gets right is the interplay between the art—the three different ships are the three central characters—and the typography. Where have you seen that lettering before? On truck stops in smalltown America, on signage for roadside diners, on postcards in a souvenir shop. The story takes place at a stopover like these. Except, you know, in space.

Book cover design: hire or DIY?

For self-published authors, there are only two options for designing book covers: hire a designer or design it themselves.

Which is right for you?

Hiring a book cover designer

If you plan on hiring a graphic designer to create your book cover, first and foremost, also plan on paying the artist.

Your novel might be everything to you, but to a graphic designer, it’s a job. Don’t put these people in an uncomfortable position because you’re short on cash or you think it’ll be good exposure for them (it won’t). Publishing a novel is an investment, so if you can’t afford a designer, don’t! Check out our DIY options below.

Furthermore, think long and hard before you conduct a book cover design contest online. You might receive some interest and a few good submissions, but many graphic designers consider these contests a slap in the face, as you’re essentially asking them to work for free.

How much should you expect to pay for a designer? One survey from Written Word Media found that more than half of indie authors spend between $100 and $500 on book cover design.

But the real question isn’t how much you should spend, but rather how to know whether you’re spending your money with the right designer. Book cover designers are not shy about publicizing their services on the internet. It’s a lucrative business for artists who can work quickly and cleanly. 

So how do you pick from the thousands of options out there?

Examine their portfolio: Does the artist publish their art on social media? Do they have a website? Scope out their work, especially whether they’ve designed published book covers before, and take note of what the art evokes in you. Just don’t ask them to recreate something they’ve done for your book cover.

Dig into their software: Professional artists use professional tools—Photoshop, Adobe, Affinity, InDesign—to achieve professional results. If your favorite artist uses entry-level tools, like what we recommend in our DIY book design section below, consider taking a crack at designing your cover yourself first. You might be able to achieve similar results at the cost of a Saturday afternoon.

Ask about revisions: What happens if you receive a book cover that you like but don’t love? Some artists will bake revisions or variations on a single design into the cost. Others will charge separately. Both are reasonable, but find out upfront to avoid surprises. (Also ask about the number of revisions per project.)

How to make a book cover

You don’t need a degree in graphic design, expensive software, or even good taste to design your own book cover. 

If your budget doesn’t allow for professional graphic design, or you’re just curious at trying your hand at designing a book cover yourself, check out these tools and resources, all free and easy to use.

Book cover templates

Of all the options out there, Canva is the wildly popular graphic design platform with the most muscle for free book design. And while it does have a paid subscription, Canva Free is powerful enough, and simple enough, to produce eye-grabbing results, not to mention:

  • Free book cover templates (search “book cover”)
  • Color scheme generator based on imported images
  • Library of typefaces, effects, filters, and more

You can see a live demonstration of Canva on our Reel below:

Stock image libraries

Interested in photography or illustrations for your book cover design, but don’t want to rely on smartphone snapshots or awkward stock imagery?

Good news! Stock photos and illustrations today aren’t as expensive or inaccessible as they used to be. Check out these stock image libraries:

When browsing these sites, be sure to check whether the images you like are cleared for commercial use, assuming you plan on selling your novel. And if you find something you like that isn’t free, it’s usually only a couple of bucks—a steal for the right artwork.

If you do incorporate an artist’s work into your book cover design, don’t forget to credit the artist in the front matter (the page at the beginning of every book where the ISBN information is). Often attribution isn’t required, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do it.

Typography 101

When it comes to choosing typeface for your book color, there are two things to consider:  hierarchy and serifs versus sans serif typefaces.

Hierarchy is the selection of typeface, size, color, and composition for your text elements to draw the eye to the most important information and then move it to what’s next. We’re using hierarchy in this very blog post—notice how our headings and subheadings are different sizes, thicknesses, and colors? That’s hierarchy.

The hierarchy lesson for today is simple: Unless you are already a well-known writer (Stephen King, are you reading this?), your title is your most important piece of information, and your name is second place. As such, your title should be more prominent than, or as prominent as, your name. How you illustrate this prominence, through size, color, or composition, is up to you.

Typefaces, or fonts, come in two flavors: serif and sans serif. Serifs are the embellishments on letters.

The typeface we use here is sans serif, meaning without those serif embellishments.

This sentence, on the other hand, is a serif typeface.

Serif typefaces evoke in many a sense of the traditional and the established, of elegance, class, and timelessness.

Sans serif typefaces are hip and modern. They’re more casual, friendlier, and more approachable—some would even say more human.

When designing your book cover, stick with one or two typefaces only, and feel free to mix serif and sans serif. 

If you’re having trouble deciding which typeface to use on your book cover, research popular examples from novels in your same genre. Try out different fonts, and ask yourself: Does this font match the tone and style of my novel? Your beta readers and editors can always weigh in on this. 

Color theory 101

When selecting a color scheme for your book cover, focus on their distances from each other along a color wheel. 

In case you need a refresher: Colors across from each other on the color wheel are called complementary colors. Colors next to each other are called analogous colors. Complementary colors have intense contrast, creating a lot of pop, whereas analogous colors are calmer and more comfortable on the eyes.

To create a simple color scheme, start with a color, take the two colors on either side of it, lighten or darken those colors for additional options, and you’re done! That’s an analogous color scheme.

Want a palette with more contrast? Try a complementary or split-complementary color scheme, which pairs hues across the color wheel. To dial back contrast, pivot along the wheel or lighten or darken the colors. 

For example, say you want to use the complementary colors purple and yellow, but woah! That’s way too intense! You can rotate along the color wheel so that yellow becomes orange or green, or you can substitute the pure hues for shades or tints, like golden yellow and deep purple. For complementary color palettes, consider including a neutral color like white, gray, or black to take advantage of that complementary energy.

The internet is rife with lists on the psychology of colors, and we’ll leave it up to you to decide what colors best represent the story you want to tell, and for what reason.

But for those who are struggling to start, draw inspiration from other authors in your genre. Go to your bookshelf and pull out a few of your favorites, the novels that inspired you to write the story you’re designing a cover for. How does the color palette express the characters, the narrative, or the mood?

Also, fall back on genre conventions, the colors that might feel ridiculously obvious—black and crimson for horror or romance, neon blue and purple for science fiction.

Sample book cover designs

Using the tools and techniques listed above, I created a gallery of fake book covers, some in a matter of minutes.

Do any of these look like something you might check out of the library or buy online? Then our work here is done!

Birds Aplenty
What to Do When You Think You're Dead
Laser Love
They Hunt in Packs
A Moon Too Far
Categories
Resources for Authors Writing Advice

Writing Stories with the Vogler Memo | Invisible Ink Editing

There and back again: Writing Heroic Fiction with the Vogler Memo

Authors know that sinking feeling that can come in the middle of a first draft or deep into self-editing: 

Where do I go from here? 

Or maybe you have a killer opening and great idea for an ending, but absolutely no idea how to connect the two.

Get back to writing your novel with help from the Vogler memo, an important developmental editing resource based on the archetypal hero’s journey.

What is the Vogler memo?

In the mid-1980s, Christopher Vogler was a story analyst for Disney and had been a student of the famed mythologist Joseph Campbell. 

To spark discussion about storytelling, he distilled Campbell’s seminal work of comparative mythology, The Hero with a Thousand Faces, to a seven-page memo and shared it around the office. In Hero, Campbell theorizes that archetypal hero stories from around the world all share similar fundamental elements. 

Vogler knew Campbell’s teachings were invaluable to modern storytelling in animation and cinema, so he disseminated his memo to coworkers, scriptwriters, and producers in a much shorter, punchier, and less academic package.

By the decade’s end, the Vogler memo was all the rage in Hollywood, to the point where it was briefly plagiarized. Vogler eventually received proper credit for its creation and would later expand the short memo into The Writer’s Journey: Mythic Structures for Writers.

Before we get Started

The Vogler memo isn’t a formula for perfect fiction. In fact, Vogler himself says that obsequiously following the hero’s journey can lead to stilted storytelling. Some of the principles below will occupy whole chapters in your novel. Others will fill a page or less. And others won’t appear at all.

With that in mind, let’s break down the stages of the Vogler memo to better understand how each step in the hero’s journey can strengthen your story:

The Vogler Memo: step by step

1. The Ordinary World

There is an ebb and flow to hero myths: the protagonist goes off to complete their quest and returns home changed, or the protagonist’s home is taken and they must reclaim it. We seek the extraordinary or it comes knocking on our door when we least expect it.

In order to demonstrate this change, a story must establish an Ordinary World for the purpose of comparison. It’s as much a question of worldbuilding as it is about your main character. A strong Ordinary World will not only introduce the protagonist and the setting; it introduces the character in a context that a reader can relate to on some basic human level. 

Sure, you may not know what it’s like to be a work-a-day urchin farmer from the seventh moon of Tib Talah, or a teenager from 1970s Minnesota too distracted by books on cryptozoology to land a babysitting job. But if that urchin farmer’s urchins were withering no matter how hard they toiled to keep them alive, we can all relate to that futility. And the babysitter? Sounds to me like someone who struggles to square their interests with their responsibilities.

I’ve been there. We’ve all been there. How will you demonstrate your protagonist’s humanity in your opening?

2. The Call to Adventure

Also known as the Inciting Incident, the Call to Adventure is an event in your story that prompts your protagonist into action and eventually sets them off on their journey to achieve a goal. For a detective to solve a murder mystery, for example, someone has to die under mysterious circumstances.

What propels your protagonist into the story is not always solely external. A police detective must solve the murder before them; that’s their job. But what motivates them internally, good or bad?

  • Is this murder one of many, driving the community the detective swore to protect into fear, distrust, and chaos?
  • Does the murder parallel the death of someone close to the detective whom he couldn’t save from their fate?
  • Does the detective have a bad reputation or a traumatic incident they’re grappling with?

The Call to Adventure dovetails into the Refusal of the Call, the next stage of the hero’s journey, so let’s carry over the examples above for greater understanding of their value to your opening.

3. The Refusal of the Call

With your character’s humanity established and their call to adventure sounding loud and clear, it’s time for them to embark on their journey. Of course the detective will take the case eventually—or the knight will set out to slay the dragon, or the widower will start dating again, or whatever your genre demands—but the Refusal of the Call underscores the internal and external conflicts in the Call to Adventure, and establishes the consequences of not succeeding. These are the stakes.

Why and how might your protagonist temporarily reject the Call to Adventure or have the choice taken away from them?

  • A family member of the victim confronts a detective about connections between the murders, which the detective doesn’t agree with—at first.
  • Haunted by the death of a loved one, the detective asks the police chief to be taken off the case. But the chief knows they’re the person for the job.
  • A small-town sheriff, now in their sixties, is on the brink of retirement, so the case is going to fall on the shoulders of a promising young officer. But the sheriff demands to be part of the investigation, so they’ll have to work with the promising young officer, even though they have wildly different policing styles.

Challenges like these give your character a central conflict or threat, and makes for a compelling, high-stakes plot. 

4. The Meeting with the Mentor

Before a hero sets off on their journey, or before they even know they’re going to set off, they may consult with a mentor. The Meeting with the Mentor pushes the protagonist on their quest or provides them with special insight about the road ahead.

Be careful about the role your mentor plays in the greater story. Typically, the assistance a mentor provides comes from experience; they’ve been on a similar journey before. You don’t want their story to overshadow your protaganist’s unless it’s an intentional storytelling decision.

Avoid, however, a mentor who does your protagonist’s job for them. As Vogler writes in the memo, “Eventually the hero must face the unknown by himself.” In many cases, a mentor who sticks around beyond the first act of a story is later killed off or revealed to be a villain, giving them a new veneer and recontextualizing their guidance.

5. Crossing the Threshold

Crossing the Threshold is the first, intractable step your protagonist takes into the wilderness.

It doesn’t have to be much—you don’t have to linger in the doorway between worlds. But Crossing the Threshold should demonstrate how, at first blush, the extraordinary world of the adventure is starkly different from the Ordinary World established in the opening: a Martian landscape vs. a suburban neighborhood or a misanthrope’s world suddenly filled with romantic opportunities. 

And remember, like other stages in the hero’s journey, the thresholds crossed can be figurative. Many zombie apocalypse stories, for example, take place in hometowns. The setting hasn’t literally changed, but how the protagonist and others view and interact with the setting does. What was once the local high school is now a fortified base of operations.

6. Tests, Allies, and Enemies

Tests, Allies, and Enemies are the meat and potatoes of the second act. Here, your protagonist will undergo the trials as promised to your reader in the first act.

You can think of it in terms of genre expectations:

  • A protagonist in a romance novel pursues love or strives to maintain it.
  • A protagonist in a horror novel risks their life to confront the deadly unknown.
  • A protagonist in a mystery novel hunts for clues and narrows down suspects.
  • A protagonist in a heist novel puts together a team for the big score.

All the while, authors must pepper these genre expectations with conflict unique to their plot. How a protagonist faces the obstacles in their path is a direct result of the characterization established in the Ordinary World. A protagonist with nothing to lose will solve problems, acquire allies, and face enemies differently than a protagonist who has everything to lose.

7. Approaching the Innermost Cave

The structure of Approaching the Innermost Cave is a lot like that of Tests, Allies, and Enemies, except with a tighter focus on the protagonist’s ultimate goal. They are tangibly closer to achieving their heart’s desire, but immense obstacles still loom ahead of them, whether they know it or not.

The Innermost Cave can serve as a moment’s respite from the tribulations thus far, an opportunity for reconnaissance, or a heightening of the stakes. Think of the moments when Katniss returns to District 12 in The Hunger Games, or when Paul Sheldon sneaks around once Annie Wilkes finally leaves the house in Misery. 

Whatever the case may be, use the Innermost Cave to remind the reader about your protagonist’s motivation, about the flaw that will prevent them (at first) from achieving their goal, and about the interpersonal relationships and conflicting motivations within the main cast.

If your knight is on a quest to slay the dragon in order to prove himself a worthy servant of their kingdom, the Innermost Cave might be the literal cave of the dragon’s lair. Do they place their helmet on the ground and pray for strength to face their fears? Do they survey the area to gather information? Even if your Innermost Cave is mostly an extension of Tests, Allies, and Enemies, what matters most is reinforcing your protagonist’s intangibles and showing the readers how close they are to their goal.

8. The Ordeal

By now, your story is deep into the second act, and it’s time for your protagonist to taste death, be it literal death or a spiritual death, as in the failure to achieve the core goal. It is the Black Moment, the Belly of the Whale, the Great Sacrifice.

Whatever the genre, the hero is brought low during the Ordeal. In a love story where the protagonist garners the attention of their love interest under false pretenses, this is the moment where the protagonist’s ruse is revealed right in front of their crush. In an action thriller, this is where the antagonist captures the hero, locks them away, and promises them a slow, painful death while their sinister plan comes to fruition.

Of course, scenes like these are all a setup; the protagonist will overcome the odds and ultimately achieve their goal. Death in the sense of the Ordeal is a precursor for rebirth. Your protagonist will “die” the flawed or incomplete person they were, but they will be reborn, transformed, ready to take on the antagonist anew and succeed.

9. Seizing the Reward

The treasure is within our grasp. Our hero has beaten death and now reaps the rewards for their sacrifice. They retrieve the Holy Grail. They defeat the villain. They learn the identity of the murderer. They prove themselves worthy.

Now having achieved their reward, the hero has undergone a transformation—either they changed in order to achieve their goal or the achievement of their goal changed them. Seizing the Sword can lead to the acquisition of magical powers, a new way of seeing the world, an epiphany about themselves or others.

10. The Road Back

Now that their goal is in their grasp, the hero sets a new goal, in many cases to return home or to set off on a new journey. What else is there?

Regardless, the antagonist, having been defeated, will rally in a last-ditch effort to thwart the hero, reclaim their power, or flee unpunished. As Vogler notes in the memo, Hollywood loves putting big-budget chase scenes in the Road Back. 

The Road Back sets up one final confrontation in the following stage, a proving ground for the hero’s transformation. In many ways the Road Back therefore mirrors the establishing power of the Ordinary World and Call to Adventure stages.

11. Resurrection

And just like the Road Back is a miniature version of the Ordinary World and the Call to Adventure, the Resurrection is a miniature version of the Ordeal and Seizing the Reward. 

Once again, the hero will face death and failure, but with the powers acquired earlier, they defeat the antagonistic forces once and for all. This is the climax of your story.

The goal is to demonstrate the change your hero has undergone at a crucial moment. It’s not enough to have them walk away with the sword, so to speak; they have to show that they are worthy enough to wield it. It’s not enough that the hero overcame their flaws when the chips were down during the Ordeal. This second opportunity in the Resurrection implies a more permanent change in character.

12. Return with the Elixir

The hero finally sets foot on familiar ground, returning from the unknown to the known. As explained in the previous stage, the hero has to bring back a piece of the extraordinary, otherwise the story was for naught.

Vogler adds that many comedies with foolish heroes don’t undergo a Return with the Elixir as stated, and thus the goofball protagonist leaves the audience feeling like they’re doomed to repeat the adventure all over again, having learned nothing.

Writing fiction with the hero’s journey

The hero’s journey outlined in Christopher Vogler’s memo, his book, or in Joseph Campbell’s The Hero with a Thousand Faces are just storytelling principles, not unimpeachable rules. I’m hard pressed to name a novel without an Ordinary World or a Call to Adventure, but I can think of several without a Refusal of the Call or a Meeting with the Mentor.

And the hero archetype underpinning the narrative principles here do not align with all stories. We discussed, for example, how a comedy might have an inverted Return with the Elixir. A tragic hero might die during the Resurrection stage, though they may live on in spirit through the peripheral characters.

The point is, this timeless paradigm, found in stories across the globe, can strengthen the story you want to tell or help you fill in all the blanks you can feel but can’t name.

Categories
Resources for Authors

How to turn your novel into an audiobook (and make more money)

We are living in the golden age of audiobooks. Thanks to the rise of the Audible app and others, thousands of readers have discovered just how enjoyable it is to listen to books while they’re cleaning the house, out for a walk, or jogging at the gym. 

Just how many people are consuming audiobooks? One study from Edison Research and Triton Digital found that around half of U.S. citizens aged twelve and over listened to an audiobook in 2019. 

That’s an enormous potential audience, especially for authors who are new on the scene and looking to grow their readership. But is it worth the investment? And how do you go about actually turning your book into an audiobook? 

To answer these questions, we spoke with Stewart Storrar, a writer from Glasgow, Scotland. Stewart works with Voquent, one of the world’s leading voice-over production agencies. 

Is it worth producing an audiobook?

As an indie author, you know that producing, self-publishing, and marketing your ebook requires some budget. So are the production costs of producing an audiobook worth it? 

Getting an audiobook produced isn’t free unless you plan to record it yourself. Even then, you will need the right equipment and applications to pull it off. 

As mentioned above, producing an audiobook does open you up to an entirely new audience, which could translate into more sales. Publisher Simon and Schuster said that their audiobook sales rose by 14% in 2018, and those numbers are only growing. 

When you host your novel on a service like Audible, you receive royalty payments any time a user on the platform downloads your audiobook using their credits (which come with membership) or purchases it directly. The downside is that you don’t have control over how much your book is listed for or whether it’s offered at a discount price. This means you may get lower royalty rates than you would selling an ebook or physical copies of your book. But on the upside, Audible lends assistance with marketing your book, and audible listeners often go through dozens of audiobooks in a single year (meaning more chances your book will be published). 

Of course, as a first-time author, your focus shouldn’t be exclusively on selling more books, but on growing your audience and boosting your name recognition (so you can sell more books in the future). Selling an audiobook broadens your audience and will help you with this goal.  

Beyond earning more income from your first novel, producing an audiobook also makes your novel accessible for people who may be visually impaired or unable to read books for certain reasons. 

Publishing an audiobook may also open your audience up on an international level. Some people who don’t speak English as their first language may find listening to English far more comfortable than reading it. 

So, how does one go about turning a book into an audiobook? Before we can get into that, you need to make an important decision about the type of audiobook you want to produce.  

What Are The Different Types of Audiobook Narration?

There are two main types of audiobooks, and which one you choose will be up to you and what you think your audience would prefer.

Option 1: Third-person audiobooks

The third-person audiobook is standard for most nonfiction books, such as e-learning resources, dictionaries, biographies, autobiographies, self-help novels, and so on. An excellent example of this would be a biography narrated by the person the book is based upon; for example, a celebrity might choose to narrate their own biography. Fiction authors can opt for this method, too, if their book is written in the third-person perspective. 

Option 2: Acted audiobooks

This type of audiobook has a similar feel to that of a radio drama, in that the different characters in the book have other voices. These audiobook types also have a dedicated voice actor to narrate the story alongside the different voices from a third-person perspective. There are two ways to accomplish this. The first is to hire a variety of voice actors for the different characters. This method is usually more expensive and harder to put together coherently.

A more cost-effective way of arranging an acted audiobook is to hire one voice actor with a wide range of voice capabilities and therefore able to voice all your different characters. This requires knowing how to pick the right voice actor for your book.

The Process from Book to Audiobook

From the two main types of audiobook narration, the process of creation will differ, primarily in the actual production stages. What doesn’t change is the overall process itself.

Step One: Choosing your distribution platform

The first step is determining what platform you intend to use when distributing your audiobook, as this will determine the overall technical specifications for the project. The most common is Audible from Amazon, but other platforms such as iTunes, Google Books, and Spotify do offer Audiobook distribution options. Each platform will have its specific requirements, but good practice is to tailor your audiobook to Audible’s specifications, as Audible is the go-to for audiobooks and will be the place you will more than likely see most of your success. The specifications for Audible will usually be compatible across other distribution platforms too. After choosing your platform and taking note of the specifications you will need to adhere to, the next step is choosing the language you want, and writing the script for the narrator or voice actor.

Step Two: Organizing your book for production

For the audiobook, if choosing a foreign language, you will need to transcribe your book into that language yourself or hire a translator to do it for you. What makes the most sense is turning your book into an audiobook script, then getting it translated, as this will be the most cost-effective way to proceed. 

Voquent recently released a blog on scriptwriting, if you are looking for more help on that front. The script itself can be structured in numerous methods, but most authors simply choose to annotate their novel. What this means if you are an author, is adding notes to certain lines or sections of dialogue to help instruct the narrator or voice-actor. This is particularly effective for sections of dialogue that are crucial to character development, their character arcs, and the overall plot – if dealing with fiction that is. If dealing with non-fiction, as an author, you will rarely need to add many annotations (if any) to your book.

It is important to note that for audiobooks, scripting can also mean converting your book into a voice-over script format. This method is rarely ever used as there isn’t much need for it. Its only real application would be for dialogue-intensive novels. Even then, most authors opt to simply annotate their manuscript for their voice actor.

Getting your script ready to go into the production stages is vital, and mistakes in this script can slow down the process later on. With this in mind, the next process is getting your script (or various scripts) proofread and edited. Almost needless to say, Invisible Ink excels at these particular services and will get your masterpiece ready for production.

Step Three: Choosing your voice

Next, you need to choose a narrator voice that will capture the essence of your story for your audio listeners. This is where the type of audiobook you have selected to produce will impact the process. You will only need one voice for a narrated audiobook, and this voice will tend to be a seasoned narrator (the more likely choice if you have a nonfictional audiobook). In contrast, you may need multiple voices for an acted audiobook, but most often opt to choose one talented voice actor instead that can voice all your book’s characters (if your book is fiction). Choosing one voice actor that is capable of doing all your character’s voices is also an excellent way to keep your audiobook production cost-effective.

Helping you find voices is what Voquent excels at, thanks to our expansive voice directory and powerful filter tools to help you find the right narrator match. You will need to think about the delivery style you want, the tone, the pitch, and the pacing, among other things. If you’ve written a first-person narration for your style, then you’ll want a voice that sounds similar to how you imagine your character would sound. If you’re using third-person narration, you want an author who can convey the tone of your novel with the sound of their voice. It may take time to shop around, but most voice-acting services like Voquent give you the chance to listen to samples before selecting a final choice.

Once you have a voice you are happy with, it is onto the actual production itself. 

Step Four: Production and distribution

Once you’ve chosen the voice for the narration, the hard part is over. This step essentially requires you to stay in the loop with the production progress and perhaps answer some questions or provide feedback.

The process of getting all the lines recorded and edited for your final audio file will take a few weeks at the absolute minimum. However, every audiobook is different, as is every voice actor and narrator. The time the project takes will vary wildly dependent on word count, how many languages you plan on serving, and how many revisions you want for sections of your audiobook. The process of reviewing the final product is where you will have the most involvement.

In terms of the production itself, the recording will be conducted at a recording studio for the best quality possible, if your budget allows. The recordings and files that are produced are then put together and professionally edited by a sound engineer using state-of-the-art software (such as Pro Tools). After the review process, if you are happy with the file, the next step is to get it ready for distribution.

After you have your completed audiobook file, you need to get it onto the distribution platform you chose at the beginning of this process. Every audiobook distributor has a slightly different process, but generally, this will involve making an account on their platform, filling out your details for tax and revenue handling, and then uploading your files, book cover, and descriptions of your work. The uploading process can take a few minutes or perhaps up to an hour, depending on the file size and your internet speed, plus the time needed to fill out your information and craft compelling copy for the audiobook page. 

Getting your book turned into an audiobook can seem like a daunting process, but hopefully, these insights will help you decide what is best for your book.

For more advice on how to turn your novel into an audiobook, get in touch with the team at Voquent, or reach out to one of our editors and we’ll be glad to give you some guidance. 

Categories
Resources for Authors Self Publishing Advice

Why a Mailing List is an Author’s Most Powerful Marketing Tool

Many authors have found success using email marketing to sell their books. But for new authors, growing an email list can seem quite difficult.

However, once you get things going, a healthy email list makes marketing and selling your book easier and easier.

Before we get into the ways an email list can help you make more sales, let’s start by talking about something called “email stacking” and how this affects your marketability.  From there, you’ll see how starting your email list now could pay off big time when it comes to your writing career.

Stacked Marketing Efforts

Let’s imagine in your first book launch, you have 100 email subscribers.  However, over the course of that launch, you end up gaining another 200 email subscribers.  Now, when the time comes, you will have 300 email subscribers for book two.

But the gains don’t stop there. With each consecutive book launch, you’ll gain more and more subscribers to help with your marketing efforts.

Chart showing email subscription growth

This is one of the driving factors that helps series writers gain so much marketability. They have a steadily growing fanbase—with a large portion being perpetuated through email.  So, now that we see this in motion, let’s discuss the many ways you can use this ever-increasing list to help with your book sales.

Increased Sales with Each Book

The most obvious effect you’ll see from growing your email list is increased sales for each progressive book launch. By proactively reaching out to your subscribers, you can reach more dedicated fans than ever before—fans who are more much likely than others to buy your new book.

However, it’s not just your latest book that can get more sales. A larger email list can also boost the sales of your older books. That’s because not everyone who subscribes between your later book launches has been around from the beginning. And if they become staunch fans, there’s a good chance they’re going to check out your previous writings.

So, by aggressively building your email list, it’s possible to see an increase in book sales across your entire body of work.

Improve Your Book’s Bestseller Status

Increasing book sales can have a cascading effect. Aside from just generating more income, higher book sales will greatly improve your book’s visibility in the marketplace.

For instance, if you’re an Amazon self-publisher, you’ll see your book’s Amazon ranking increase with the greater amount of sales. This can ultimately lead to your book obtaining the coveted status of Bestseller in your category.

Having a book as a Bestseller is a definite advantage. Bestselling books are always shown before competitors, giving even more visibility to the title. It’s proven that 80% of all Amazon clicks happen on the first page alone, with the top three receiving at least 60% of them. So it would behoove you to strive for Bestseller status, and taking advantage of an extensive email list can greatly improve your chances of getting there.

Improve Your Grade and Number of Reviews

One of the singular most important steps to having a good book launch is getting early reviews. The more book reviews you get when you launch, the better your chance of success will be. And your established email list is an excellent place to start.

Those on your email list are much more likely to not only buy and review your book but give it a positive rating as well. They’ve already subscribed to your style of writing and are part of your fan base. So don’t be afraid to use your email list to reach out and ask for honest reviews.

The best time to do so is right after your launch. You can either send out an email blast to all your subscribers, or simply write out an email in your autoresponder. Be sure to promote your book—in case they haven’t gotten it already—and ask them to drop a review on Amazon after buying it.

Finding the right spot to leave a customer review on Amazon can be a pain. It’s often buried underneath listing information, images, blurbs, and other data. This process alone can discourage your readers from leaving a great review. However, there is a smart way around this.

You can create your own link that will direct your readers straight to your review page. To find out how, check out this great video from Dave Chesson, author of this blog and the man behind Kindlepreneur. He takes you through the step-by-step process of creating your book’s special review link. This will further your chance of one of your readers dropping a juicy review.

Tactics for Growing Your Email List

Hopefully by now you understand that an email list can be a very useful tool for authors. But what are you supposed to write in these emails? And how do you get people to sign up in the first place?

For starters, make it easy for people to sign up by featuring your email list on your website with popups and sign-up forms. These can be built using tools⁠—Dave Chesson has broken down the four best email services for authors, complete with in-depth comparisons in order to help you select the ideal choice.

When building these sign-up forms, use enticing imagery and language to entice people to sign up.  You could also offer a discount code for your novels if someone signs up⁠—just send them the code in the confirmation email you send through an automated email platform.

You should also promote your mailing list on any social media sites you use, linking to it in your bios and reminding people when you post.

You also want to make sure your email list doesn’t go stale⁠—sending regular emails will keep people engaged and won’t cause them to unsubscribe when you reach out to them after a long period of silence.

You can use your emails to talk about any subject you like, but try to keep it relevant to your readers. Here are some ideas for emails:

  • Promote your books
  • Give sneak-previews of what you’re working on
  • Send out “deleted scenes” from your novels
  • Write unique short stories that feature your characters or style
  • Display your book covers and other promotional materials
  • Give insights on your personal life
  • Provide insights on your writing process

Many of the email platforms out there allow you to schedule emails automatically. You can try using templates like these from DripScripts to generate a few emails and set them up to go out one after another, so you don’t have to worry about writing emails every day. Keep an eye on which emails perform well, and tailor your email marketing strategy to feature more of that kind of content.

Leveraging Email Lists from Other Sites

It’s not just authors who use email lists for marketing.  Book promotion sites and book review sites use their email lists to reach readers who are interested in reading more books in a genre.  For example, TopSciFiBooks.com has generated over 1,200+ email subscribers who are fans of LitRPG thanks to their compilation of LitRPG books article.

Engaging with these websites and submitting your work to them could help you get featured on those email lists. This will in turn help you grow your profile, and you will find new audiences looking for your books (and signing up for your email list).

So, Does an Email List Matter?

Yes. Having an email list makes a huge difference and can definitely help pave your way towards success.

It can help you sell more books, give you a better chance at being a bestseller, and even provide an early advantage for getting early positive reviews. The power of your email list is real, folks. In fact, it provides one of the highest ROI channels when it comes to marketing.

But what if you don’t have an email list? Well, it’s not too late to get started. And if you’ve already got an established fanbase—say on social media—they’ll probably more than happy to sign up once given the chance. So, if you’ve thought that email just wasn’t the right choice for you, think again. It can prove to be an invaluable tool for success in a highly competitive world of book writing.

About the Author

Image of Dave Chesson, from Kindlepreneur.com

Dave Chesson is the creator of the wildly successful Kindlepreneur.com, a website devoted to teaching advanced book marketing. Having worked with such authors as Orson Scott Card, Ted Dekker, and more, his tactics help both fiction and nonfiction authors of all levels get their books discovered by the right readers.

Categories
Resources for Authors Self Publishing Advice

What’s in a name? An author’s guide to pen names

Nom de plume, pseudonym, pen name… whatever your choice of synonym, at some point in our writing careers we all contemplate choosing a fictitious name to attach to our writing.

If you’re a new indie author getting ready to publish your manuscript, you may be wondering whether you want to plaster your own name across the title, or take the Mark Twain, S.E. Hinton, or George Orwell route. (Yes, all of those are pen names!)

In this article, we will answer these four questions about pen names:

  1. Why do writers choose pen names?
  2. What makes for a good pen name?
  3. How do you go about choosing your pen name?
  4. What are the potential legal issues you need to know about when it comes to pen names?

Why do some writers choose pen names?

“Whatever may be the success of my stories, I shall be resolute in preserving my incognito, having observed that a nom de plume secures all the advantages without the disagreeables of reputation.” ~ George Eliot

An author’s reason for choosing a pen name will vary, but they tend to fall under four categories:

Using a pen name to maintain anonymity

There’s something to be said for anonymity in writing and the security it can bring.

We live in a world where our lives are brandished across social media for anyone to see. For those authors who still toil away at a day job or are presently job hunting, (potential) employers may frown at your choice of genre or worry that you won’t devote the necessary time and energy to your job. It’s happened!

Or perhaps your significant other works in a conservative industry, and the fact that you spend your days writing about serial killers or intergalactic erotica could have a negative impact on their ability to keep and do their job.

Or you may simply be a very private person and prefer the ability to maintain your privacy through a certain level of anonymity.

Using a pen name as part of a brand strategy

To be a successful author, you need to have a strategy for book marketing⁠—and a big part of that strategy has to do with your brand. Your brand is everything that represents you as an author⁠—your writing style, your genre, your book covers, your website, your social media presence, and more.

For some authors, a good pen name is the crux of their book branding strategy.

In the author world, your brand is based on the stories you write, how you want your readers to perceive you, and how readers identify with you and your work.

Keep in mind that your brand comes with expectations for readers: the expectation that when they buy an Insert Name story, they will get what they’re expecting—whether it’s an edge-of-your-seat suspense thriller, a laugh-out-loud satire, or a swoon-worthy romance.

Creating a brand for your pen name will take work. You’ll need to carefully study your audience and other authors in your genre to see what works well for them. Then you’ll need to add your own unique spin on things to stand out⁠—and the right pen name could help you do just that.

Pen names for different genres

It’s not uncommon for authors to experiment with more than one genre. You might start out writing a horror novel, but later move on to mysteries or sci-fi.

If you’re worried that your genres are so different that you won’t be targeting the same readers, choosing to use a separate pen name for each genre will allow you to differentiate your brands and build a separate audience for each one. This is a strategy used by authors like Stephen King (who writes as Richard Bachman) and Agatha Christie (who wrote romance under the name Mary Westmacott).

Many writers, one pen name

In some cases (more often than you might think) multiple writers working together may choose a shared pen name to publish under. This may be the case for a group of friends or a writers’ group.

Often, this method is used by book publishers or book packagers. What are those?

A book packaging company works on books from start (concept development, story outlines, project assignments) to production (writing, editing, cover design) to publication (marketing and distribution) to create stories that readers simply can’t put down. In some cases, book packagers hire freelance writers who are established authors in a specific genre. These freelancers may be looking to expand their writing into other genres without having to create a new brand.

What makes for a good pen name?

Genre fit. Does the pen name resonate with readers of your genre? A name that fits perfectly for a slow-paced cozy mystery may not have the same effect for a hard-boiled thriller. If you’re gender crossing (a male writing in a female-dominated genre, for example), you might choose a female or non-gendered pen name to avoid unintentional bias.

Research. If you’re already a reader in your chosen genre (as you should be!), then you’ll have an advantage here. Think about the names of some of your favorite authors in the genre you’ll be publishing in.

What tone do they have?

What image do they conjure up in your mind?

Can you create a similar tone and image using your chosen pen name?

Think about the persona behind the name—the person you’re presenting to a reader. It’s okay to have a fictitious bio to add some color, but avoid adding in expertise or experiences you can’t back up. While readers are willing to accept pen names, they tend to draw the line at falsified resumes.

Questions writers should ask if they are considering a pen name

If one or more of the above options sounds like a good fit for your writing, it may be time to start coming up with a pen name.

Some authors choose a pen name similar to their own. Maybe they have a common first name (say, Jennifer, but they go by Jenny), so they might choose to make “Jennifer” their first name and a different last name to hide their identity.

Others may choose their initials. For example, S.E. Hinton, author of The Outsiders, is actually named Susan Eloise Hinton.

Choosing an author name similar to your own does have its advantages. For starters, you will find it easier to respond to email inquiries or questions during in-person events if you have a pen name that sounds similar to what you’re used to hearing.

You may instead choose a name that is very different from your own. A pen name is a good chance to go by that name you wish your parents had chosen, or to simply try out a new identity.

No matter what name you land on, it’s vital that you do your research before you make it official. Here are the questions you should ask:

Is the name already taken? Use Google to check out the name you’re considering to be sure it doesn’t already belong to someone famous. Then do the same on Amazon and Goodreads, checking that the name isn’t the same or too similar to others already out there. Not only are duplicate names difficult for readers, but it could end up making it harder for you to make a name for yourself and untangle your work from similarly named authors.

Are there multiple ways to spell the name? It could become annoying if you constantly must spell out the name to others.

Is the name easy to remember and catchy? You want to make it easy for your readers to recall your name when they’re at the book store.

Is the name associated with any cultural issues? You need to be careful to avoid any racial or cultural insensitivity when selecting your pen name. Avoid names associated with a particular ethnic background or culture, unless you yourself are a member of that group.

Are there legal issues associated with pen names?

Using a pen name is a legal and well-established practice in the publishing world, so generally, a nom de plum isn’t going to cause you any legal problems.

However, for tax purposes and when signing contracts, you will need to use your legal name.

There are also steps you will need to take in order to secure your use of your chosen pen name. If you intend to set up business accounts using that pen name (including banking and possibly even a business name), you will probably need to obtain a legal business name. Check with the appropriate local government agency to find out what you need to do.

Keep in mind that whatever pen name you choose, it will become a part of you and the persona you show to the world. So above all, make sure you like it, because you’re going to see it, a lot.

“Perhaps what’s most remarkable about the nom de plume, and rarely talked about, is its power to unlock creativity—and its capacity to withhold it. Even when its initial adoption is utilitarian, a pen name can assume a life of its own. Many writers have been surprised by the intimate and even disorienting relationships they have formed with their alter egos.” ~Carmela Ciuraru

So, go forth and create. Enjoy the anonymity a pen name affords and expand your creativity with the reassurance that your secret is safe.

This article was written with Harry Wallett, Managing Director of Relay Publishing. Founded in April of 2013, Relay has published a catalog of over 750 books, with a focus on YA fantasy, science fiction, and romance, among other genres. They also offer book publishing and packaging services, helping turn creative concepts into full-fledged novels. 

 

Categories
Resources for Authors Self Publishing Advice

Self-Publishing vs. Traditional Publishing: Which Is Right for You?

It’s done.

After dreaming about your book for years, you finally sat down and wrote it. 

Your plot is everything you wanted, and the story itself is a literary gold mine. But what’s next?

Thirty years ago, there was a simple answer to that question—you sent your manuscript to an agent or publishing company and crossed your fingers.

Today, traditional publishing isn’t the only kid on the block.  

Make no mistake, traditional publishing still exists, but if you want to bypass all the waiting—and the lower profit margins if your book is accepted—you can self-publish. 

But is self-publishing really everything it’s cracked up to be? Which method of publishing is the best way to get your future best seller into the hands of dedicated readers? 

In this post, we’ll walk you through what self-publishing and traditional publishing are, the pros and cons of each, and, ultimately, what the best option is for you.

Traditional or self publishing
Both options have strengths and weaknesses. Which will prevail for your book?

What is self-publishing?

Self-publishing is when you (the author) bear the full responsibility and expense of editing, publishing, and marketing your book. Authors who self-publish use programs such as Kindle Direct Publishing or Smashwords to publish their manuscripts and get them out to the public.

Related: Publishing tips for indie authors

Self-publishers don’t have to deal with lengthy querying processes, painful rejection letters, or large commission fees. But they do need to handle all their own marketing, hire editors, book formatters, cover designers, and build their own audience. 

What are the pros of self-publishing?

Pro #1: You work according to your own timeline

Instead of waiting weeks, months, or even years for an agent or publishing company to accept your manuscript, self-publishing lets you immediately dive into the editing, publishing, and marketing process. 

If you’re very eager to get your story out there, you can design your own cover and get the novel live on the major platforms in a day or less.

Alternatively, you can take your time working with an editor, promoting your book before its release, and finding the perfect designer for your cover. With self-publishing, you get to set your own deadlines, and you can extend them as you see fit. 

Pro #2: You guarantee the publication of your book

When you go through traditional publishing, there are no guarantees. 

You could submit your manuscript to a hundred different literary agents or publishing houses and still get rejected every time. In the end, traditional publishing could sequester your book instead of putting it in the hands of thousands.

Or…

You can publish the damn thing yourself—and to hell with the naysayers and the gatekeepers. Self-publishing puts your book out there and lets it live or die by its own merit. You don’t need anyone else’s permission to share your story with the world, and if it is successful, you’ll have your pick from the flood of traditional publishers who, upon learning the error of their ways, will break down your door with pens and contracts wet with ink.

Sure, a traditional publisher will help you market your book to a wide audience in ways you couldn’t alone, but publishing directly to Amazon or Barnes and Noble’s e-book marketplaces will still get your novel in front of a lot of eyeballs.

Pro #3: Self-published books can be wildly successful

The Martian, written by Andy Weir, was originally a self-published e-book on Amazon. It went from being a $0.99 e-book to getting picked up by Crown Publishing, becoming a New York Times Best Seller, and earning the honor of being the highest-grossing blockbuster from Fox in 2015. 

E.L. James’s 50 Shades of Gray, a notorious and much-loved erotic romance novel, was originally a self-published piece of Twilight fanfiction. Eventually, the author eliminated the Twilight references and made it available on her website chapter by chapter for free. It, too, was found by a publishing company, turned into a New York Times Best Seller, and transformed into a hit movie. 

E.L. James and Andy Weir
Not sure if self publishing can lead to success? Just as E.L. James and Andy Weir how they’re doing.

And these two books aren’t the only examples: The Shack by William P. Young, Eragon by Christopher Paolini, and No Thanks by E. E. Cummings were all originally self-published before becoming massive successes. 

Of course, you might not achieve the same level of success as The Shack or 50 Shades of Gray (especially not on your first try!) but one thing’s for sure: All these authors proved that self-publishing can help you build a faithful audience. 

Pro #4: Higher profit margins

When you self-publish, the profits are split two ways—between you and the platform you’re selling on.

Many self-publishers go through Amazon (Kindle Direct Publishing)—in fact, Amazon owns 72 percent of the online retail book market, which includes both digital and printed books. Amazon also generates 80 percent of all online book sales.

Amazon offers book royalties of 35 to 70 percent. For example, if you sold your novel for $10 on Amazon, you’d be earning $3.50 to $7.50 per sale. 

When an author goes through a traditional publisher, however, the profit for the book is split between the author, the publishing company, the literary agent, and the platform that sells the book.

Traditional publishing companies typically offer 6 to 25 percent of profit (with an average of 10 percent) earned on the book. You may sell more books, but you’ll likely receive lower revenue on each book sold. 

Pro #5: It’s easier than ever before 

Though self-publishing is as simple as uploading your book and clicking Publish, it does take more effort than that if you want to be successful.

This is a pro and a con—while it takes hard work to get your book ready for its self-publishing debut, it’s easier than ever to take on this challenge yourself, with help from platforms and agencies whose sole purpose is to ensure self-published books hit professional standards.

What do you need to do to self-publish?

If you’re ready to take publishing your book into your own hands, there are a few things you need to do before you can release your first novel on Amazon: 

Book editing

To get your book ready for its debut and ensure it is at professional standards (grammatically correct, free of typos, with a cohesive plot and correct syntax), you will need to hire a book editor. Fortunately, there are many professional editors available for hire online.

But how do you choose which one? We’ve put together a quick guide on how to find a book editor for your novel. (You can also submit your manuscript to us, and we’ll provide you with a free sample edit along with a price quote and estimated turnaround time.) 

Publishing

Kindle Direct Publishing, which now encompasses CreateSpace, allows you to create both print books and e-books through Amazon. You can also use the platform’s cover-design templates and book promotion services. The site even provides a step-by-step guide to publishing on Amazon. 

Kindle Direct Publishing also offers great programs for new authors, such as KDP Select. This service makes your book part of the Kindle Lending Library and Kindle Unlimited, services that help readers discover new authors more easily.

KDP Select even helps with marketing. They promote books through discounts and countdown deals. This service does require ninety days of exclusive rights to Amazon, but if you find success in KDP Select, you can re-enroll your book as many times as you want.

Amazon’s CreateSpace makes physical book publishing stress-free. It is print-on-demand, which means you can sell as many or as few copies as you want. 

Self publishing platform logos

If you choose to go with a service other than Amazon, there are multiple self-publishing companies available:

  • Lulu—One of the oldest online self-publishing companies around, Lulu retails books through their own bookstore and distributes them to other online stores (including Amazon) and book distributors (Barnes & Noble and Ingram). Lulu also offers both hardcover and paperback formats for print books. 
  • Smashwords—Similar to Amazon, you can upload your own novel, with your custom-made book cover, right to the Smashwords platform for direct sale. 
  • Barnes & Noble Press—Formerly known as NOOK Press, Barnes & Noble’s self-publishing platform offers print-on-demand publishing. But if you self-publish with them, your work will be restricted to their own e-book devices and physical bookstores. 

Book design

Don’t like the templates of covers made by your self-publishing company? Want to hire someone else to make the absolutely perfect cover for your book? There are plenty of online book cover designers to choose from. 

One of the top names in book cover designs right now is Damonza. They have been vetted by hundreds of authors, and their gorgeous covers speak for themselves. 

If, however, you want to hire a freelancer to design your book cover, here is a great article by TCK Publishing to help you figure out how much you should pay and how to find a freelance book cover designer. 

Book Marketing

Once your book is on the platforms of your choice, you’ll need to shift your focus to getting it sold. There are many independent book promoters out there who will help you get your book in front of the right people, but this is another cost you’ll have to cover out of pocket if you’re self-publishing. 

You can also do some marketing on your own—virtual book tours, social media, and reader exchange programs are all popular options, but they do take time and effort.

Pro #6: Creative Freedom

Perhaps the most enticing aspect of self-publishing is creative freedom.

You get to decide what is included in your book.

You get to decide what types of edits you make to your novel. 

You determine exactly what you want your book to look like.

This kind of creative freedom does not exist when going the traditional route. Your agent or publisher will have demands about how you edit your novel, what the cover looks like, and how you market it, and that can be very difficult for some authors. 

What are the cons of self-publishing?

Con #1: You are responsible for everything

Since you are the sole person in charge of producing your book, you will have to spend a lot of time and effort on things you may not find interesting.

To be truly successful, you’ll have to either learn a lot about marketing and design or hire someone else to help you. 

For some authors, this is an exciting opportunity to expand their skills while maintaining control over their work. For others, the long list of tasks required to self-publish saps the joy out of the writing experience, and may end up preventing them from ever publishing at all. 

Related: 5 useless fears all writers should dismiss

Con #2: High up-front costs

Even though your profit margin is higher as a self-publisher, getting your book to professional standards can become expensive quickly. 

You will need to make a budget for editing, cover design, and marketing. 

If your book is 55,000 words (the standard word count on a teen novel—an average word count for an adult novel is 90,000), you can end up with a budget that looks like this: 

Book Cover: $100 to $200

Developmental Editing: $800 – $1,200

Line Editing: $1,500 – $2,000

Proofreading: $600-$800

For marketing, Amazon has a minimum daily budget for Amazon Sponsored Ads of $5.00 per day ($155 a month) even if you do not make any sales. 

Of course, you can look for ways to skip or save on some of these services. For example, you may want to find alternative, more affordable ways to market your novel (a virtual book tour) or create a book cover (Canva or Photoshop). 

This can help you save on the investment needed to self-publish, but remember that readers want a professionally edited book with a well-designed cover. Cutting costs at the start could impact your sales later. 

Con #3: Your audience will be limited

With a traditional publisher, you’ll have immediate access to an audience. Publishers have relationships with book sellers who will stock your novel. With self-publishing, you’ll need to build your own audience.

Most sellers won’t stock physical copies of self-published books, and popular book publications are not likely to promote them, so you will need to create your audience using clever book marketing strategies.

Although this can be challenging, services like KDP Select and Goodreads are available to help you find and connect with readers.

What is traditional publishing?

Traditional publishing means submitting your book to a literary agent or publishing company, who will then bear most of the responsibility for editing, marketing, and distributing your book. 

Though traditional publishing comes with a wider audience for your book, you must share the control, rights, and financial profit of the book with the publisher.

It’s also important to note that traditional publishing is extremely competitive, and many authors never receive an acceptance for the manuscript, even after months of waiting. 

What are the pros of traditional publishing? 

Pro #1: Money up front

Unlike self-publishing, you do not bear the financial responsibility of getting your book to professional standards and producing/distributing your book. 

So if you’re tight on cash, getting a traditional publishing deal can be very helpful, as most publishing companies will pay authors an advanced royalty, and your up-front costs of producing the book (editing, marketing, design, and distribution) are all covered by the publishing company.

Note: There are some costs involved in the querying process, as many publishers charge a fee for submission (not to mention printing and mailing costs if they don’t accept electronic submissions). 

Pro #2: Production help

Instead of you captaining the production of your book alone, a publishing company will provide a team to assist you. This team helps eliminate some of the early stress of ensuring your book meets professional standards. 

They will edit your manuscript multiple times. They will design the best possible aesthetic for your book cover and layout. They will help you publish and market your book (often as an e-book and audiobook), then distribute it to various sellers, which lets you focus on the sole reason you became an author: writing.

Pro #3: Street cred

If the publishing company accepts your manuscript, it’ll put its fancy logo on the spine and title page of your book.

But why does that matter? 

The symbol is the golden ticket to being sold at major book sellers. In fact, most well-known book vendors won’t even sell a book unless it is backed by a publishing company.

It also creates brand reliability—it lets your future readers know that this book was good enough to be picked over thousands of others by industry experts.

This doesn’t mean that only the best books get picked up by publishers. Traditional publishing involves a lot of luck—there are plenty of famous authors who were rejected time and time again before finally landing on the right publisher’s desk. Many of the best books out there may still be sitting on their authors’ computers, untouched, because their writers grew tired of reaching out to agents and publishers. 

What are the cons of traditional publishing?

Con #1: Lots and lots and lots of waiting

Unlike self-publishing, where you work on your own schedule and at your own pace, traditional publishing leaves you at the mercy of others.

To begin, you will need to wait for a literary agent to agree to take you on as a client. They receive thousands of interested clients annually, so it can take months or even years to be accepted.

Louisa May Alcott
Even beloved authors like Louisa May Alcott have gotten rejected by traditional publishers.

You’ll also need to grow a thick skin, as you will almost certainly receive multiple rejections. Before she published Little Women, Louisa May Alcott received a rejection letter from a publisher who stated quite plainly, “You can’t write.” Fortunately, most rejections aren’t as personal as that, but you’ll still need to get used to hearing the words not interested. 

If and when your book is accepted by a literary agent, you are looking at about a two-year process before it will hit shelves. You have to wait to receive a contract, agree to it, sign it, deliver your manuscript, work on edits and revisions, and wait on the design team to create a proper cover and layout. 

In short, self-publishing is often faster than traditional publishing because the author is in control. But we still recommend taking advantage of having complete control and spending as much time as you need working with editors and book cover designers on making the best edition of your novel possible.

Con #2: Limited creative freedom

Just because you are the author doesn’t mean you get a complete say in what is or is not included in your book.

When you sign your contract with a publishing company, you give them the right to help adjust the contents of your novel. They may tell you to lose a certain subplot, change things about the characters, remove entire sections of the novel, or write in plot twists and turns you hadn’t planned on. 

Though you can negotiate with them on some of these changes, it’s not uncommon for publishers or agents to set ultimatums—if you refuse to make a change they request, you could lose your contract entirely. 

Con #3: Smaller profit margins

All the wonderful help you received getting your book to a professional standard doesn’t come for free.

Any profit you receive on your book will be split among you, your agent, your publishing company, and the bookseller. 

So instead of profit margins of 35 to 70 percent (the standard e-book profit margin through Kindle Direct Publishing on Amazon), you will receive a profit margin somewhere between 6 to 25 percent. 

If your book becomes a massive best seller, this may not be a big deal. However, if sales are on the conservative side, you may find yourself pining after that greater royalty share you could get from Amazon or other online platforms.  

Should I self-publishing or traditional publish?

So which is better, self-publishing or traditional publishing?

Ultimately, it all depends on what works best for you. 

If you enjoy setting your own schedule and having complete control, higher profit margins, and full creative freedom, then self-publishing is probably your best course of action. 

If, however, you became an author to write; if you have no interest in things like marketing, design, and publication; if you don’t mind sharing responsibility and creative control, then traditional publishing is the path for you.

You can also choose to do a combination of these two processes. You can start out reaching out to traditional publishers, and if you grow weary of waiting or can’t find the right fit, there’s nothing to stop you from taking the self-publishing route later on.

The book is yours, and so, too, is the decision of how you publish your book.

Which will you choose?