Authors Access » Book Design

Dan Poynter – Book writing, Publicity and Promotion

Victor Volkman — Sun, 26 Dec 2010 21:26:34 +0000

Irene Watson and Victor R. Volkman spoke with entrepreneur, publishing, and marketing guru Dan Poynter about a wide variety of related topics. Poynter’s Self-Publishing Manual: How to Write, Print and Sell Your Own Book has had more than 15 editions and is the most often referenced book on the subject by far. Dan has produced more than 76 books and revisions so far, of which some have been translated into Spanish, Japanese, Russian, British-English and German. Here’s just a few of the things we talked about:

eBooks and the future of publishing
Importance of a good book title
Pre-pub reviews — do they still matter?
Marketing on a budget
Self-publishing without the “Vanity” tax
Proofing and editing
Basics of good book cover design

Dan Poynter

Dan Poynter literally fell into publishing. He spent eight years researching a labor of love. Realizing no publisher would be interested in a technical treatise on the parachute, he went directly to a printer and “self- published.” The orders poured in and he suddenly found he was a publisher himself.

In 1973, he became interested in a new aviation sport, couldn’t find a book on the subject so he sat down and wrote one. After four months of writing and intense research that took him from coast to coast, he delivered the manuscript to the printer. One of his books Hang Gliding has sold over 130,000 copies — a “best seller”!

Dan Poynter's Self-Publishing Manual, 16th Edition: How to Write, Print and Sell Your Own Book

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Graham Van Dixhorn and Susan Kendrick – Creating Powerful Book Covers

Victor Volkman — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 20:35:28 +0000

On Thursday, July 10th 2008 Irene Watson and Victor R. Volkman spoke with publishing consultants Graham van Dixhorn and Susan Kendrick of Write To Your Market about what makes a powerful book cover and how to transform your book’s cover into your most powerful marketing tool. We covered critical aspects of cover design including,

Why starting your cover early in the process of creating your book is a good idea.
When should you start marketing your book?
How to build your brand using your book cover.
What are the criteria for a great non-fiction book title and subtitle?
What is involved in obtaining killer endorsements and testimonials?
What if your book has multiple target audiences?
What comes first on a cover, words or design?

Susan Kendrick and Graham Van Dixhorn, of Write To Your Market, Inc., help you develop a powerful brand with your book cover so that you can achieve the visibility, recognition, and results of today’s most successful “authorpreneurs.” Their clients report results like selling 125,000 copies of a first book, many based on the title alone. Their clients also use the cover language Susan and Graham create to increase Amazon rankings before their books are released; get national media coverage by the L.A. Times, The New York Times, and USA Today; appear on national TV talk shows, including Dr. Phil and The Today Show; and help them win more than 23 major book awards, including Ben Franklin, IPPY, Foreword Magazine, and DIY.Susan and Graham serve clients across the U.S. and in Canada, England, Europe, and Australia, who are experts in the fields of: health, relationships, business management, and many other topics.

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Michele DeFilippo – Getting the Perfect Book Cover for Your Book

Victor Volkman — Thu, 18 Jan 2007 16:42:12 +0000

On Thursday, January 18th, 2007 at 8PM EDT we spoke with Michele DeFilippo of 1106 Design. She shared with us key information about how to get the perfect book cover for your book including: finding a cover designer, key elements of the proposal, how much to pay for your layouts, and what do you need to provide for the designer to satisfy your needs.

Michele DeFilippo owns 1106 Design, an award-winning, one-stop shop for writing, editing, eye-catching cover design and beautifully designed and typeset interiors that make a book stand out from the crowd. 1106 Design offers careful proofreading, fast turnaround, and top-notch customer service with a smile to publishers large and small. As a member of the Arizona Book Publishing Association, Michele has actively shared her knowledge and experience with many first-time publishers, explaining the difference between choices that can help, or hurt, book sales.

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