ORGANISATIONS FOR INDEPENDENT AUTHORS
Alliance of Independent Authors
You love writing, but being a self-published author means you have to do everything yourself, and if you can't do it yourself, you have to get help from paid services. So before you accept using any service, you should Google them and see what others say about them. Unfortunately, many reviews have been manipulated, so if you want to have your back covered, you can search for the company's name and check the Alli Watchdog rating here. See what Alli can do for you if you become a member.
IBPA
The Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA) is a not-for-profit membership organization serving and leading the independent publishing community through advocacy, education, and tools for success.
PRINT ON DEMAND - ALL IN ONE
Book Baby
If you are not interested in taking on all the different roles involved in self-publishing BookBaby can take care of the whole process.
WRITING – EDITING – FORMATTING - LAYOUT
Scrivener
Scrivener is a great writing software with brilliant drag-and-drop functionality, so you can write out of order and switch things around later. Scrivener works for both Mac and Windows. Try before you buy. If you sign up through this link, we get a commission which we pass on to people in need.
ProwritingAid
ProWritingAid is a writing and editing tool that highlights repetitiveness, vague wording, sentence length variation, over-dependence on adverbs, passive voice, over-complicated sentence constructions, clichés, and so much more. Unfortunately, they only have paid plans, but you can try them for free before buying.
Grammarly
Grammarly is a free online writing assistant perfect for writing posts on social media or as a shorter form of work and non-fiction. The free version can correct the worst mistakes. However, we recommend the paid version if you want to improve your writing style, repetitiveness, and sentence construction. It can't replace a professional editor, but it will correct any grammar and spelling issues and catch repetitive wordings.
Atticus
Dave Chesson from Kindlepreneur has created Atticus, a writing and formatting software where authors can plan, plot, outline, write, collaborate and format all in one place. It outputs print and eBook formats that will work on any book market and platform. Furthermore, you can see what the eBook looks like on the various platforms. It is available both for Mac and PC. Dave describes his tool: "If Scrivener, Google Docs, and Vellum got together and had a baby, its name would be Atticus." Lifetime access to this all-in-one tool is $147.
BOOK MARKETING, BOOK COVERS & BOOK LAUNCH
REVJUS
Most authors are familiar with the challenge of getting honest book reviews that are legitimate and verified. They also know that writing a remarkable book and promoting it isn't enough if it hasn't got any reviews because readers like to know what other readers are saying about the book before they buy.
Statistically, you can expect around one review for every 100 copies sold. However, if you are a less-known author, you will probably never get to sell 100 books if it doesn't have reviews. So how do you break the vicious cycle?
REVJUS is a book review service where authors can buy, read, and review other author’s books to earn points and cash in points to get sales and reviews in return on any Amazon marketplace, Google Play, Apple Books, Kobo, Barnes & Noble, Booktopia and more. All reviews are verified and legitimate!!
UpViral
Up Viral is a referral marketing tool that generates traffic, collects leads, grows email lists, and converts subscribers into customers. It is easy to use and incredibly effective. It comes with a two weeks free trial and a Money Back Guarantee.
BooksGoSocial
BooksGoSocial
Publisher Rocket
Publisher Rocket, also developed by Dave Chesson from Kindlepreneur, is a fantastic tool for researching categories and keywords. It is an easy-to-use software that helps authors get their books discovered. It saves authors hundreds of hours in book marketing hours. Lifetime access is only $97.
Martin Publishing Services
Don't try to save money on your book cover. Your cover is essential. It is your sales window, and it must stand out. Use a professional designer. We are impressed by Melinda Martin's skills. Check Melinda Martin Publishing Services!
EMAIL RESPONDERS
The most crucial marketing tool for authors is their email list. While you do not control your social media platforms, you have 100% control of your email contacts. Finding the right provider can be quite a hassle. We have singled out three which we find most relevant and cost-effective for authors. These are Mailer Lite, Sending Blue, and Systeme.io.
Systeme.io
With Systeme.io, you can create a webpage or a blog, build automation emails and sales funnels, have a sales checkout page, and run an affiliate program on the same platform. The affiliate program only works if customers check out from a Systeme.io landing page. Their page could be more intuitive, but they also have an excellent support desk and many tutorials. They even have a free version for up to 2000 contacts.
MailerLite
Thsi is a link to a FREE COURSE to MailerLite for authors by Dave Chesson from Kindlepreneur.
SendingBlue
More info soon.....
If you sign up to Mailer Lite, Sending Blue or Systeme.io using these links, we will receive a commission,
BOOK TRANSLATION
Tektime
Do you know you can have your book translated without any upfront payment? I have successfully used an Italian company called TEKTIME for four book translations. When you set your book up in their system, you can contact a translator, or a translator can contact you. If you have a match, you sign a contract that gives the translator 75% of the first 1000€ of the sales royalties, 60% of the next, etc. Tektime gets 10%. During the time of the contract, which is five years, Tektime has the exclusive right to publish the work translated.
Tektime is an excellent alternative if you can't pay a translator thousands of Euros. Researching the translator's professional before signing a contract would be best. You get to see a sample of 5% of the work from the translator, which you must approve before the contract is binding. With the right translator, you not only get a translator but a partner that is just as interested in seeing your book sell as you are. If you sign up through this link we might earn a commission.
PUBLISHING IN EUROPE
BoD - Books on Demand
It is worth considering translating your book into Spanish, Italian, French, German, Danish, Swedish, or Finnish because if you publish it through a company called BoD, they make your print books available in brick-and-mortar stores. Most of the hype around self-publishing and bookselling happens in America and the English-speaking world, but why not try to reach readers in other locations too?
BoD's paper and printing quality are far better than Amazon and Ingram spark. Color photos especially look more vibrant.
You can also order international distribution with them, but the books for global distribution are printed by Amazon and Ingram printers and are only in black and white. So it is better to use them for one country.
You set your book's price and get a 60% royalty after paying the printing costs. BoD's contract is exclusive for one year at a time! You must have separate accounts for each department.
BoD Germany, Austria, Switzerland
Bod Spain
Bod France
Bod Denmark
Bod Sweden
BoD Finland
PUBLISHING IN LATIN AMERICA
Podiprint
Podiprint, in Spain distributes print books to online bookstores in Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, Peru, Colombia, and Mexico. Selling books in Latin America is challenging. Many readers in Latin America are not used to online shopping and don't even have credit cards. They prefer to read paperbacks but Print on Demand Books are too expensive to buy for most readers, so you shouldn't expect to unlock enormous potential from Latin America.
Podiprint is trustworthy but old-fashioned and difficult to contact.
ROYALTIES
Wise
Authors living outside the US end up paying hefty fees for international transfers. I have put my payments on hold for long periods to prevent my royalties from being eaten up by fees. With Wise, I have been able to open bank accounts all over the world. There are no exchange fees and meager transfer fees. I use them for business and in private, saving around 200$ a month on exchange rates and bank fees. Check them out. They are transparent, easy to reach, and easy to use. If you sign up using this link, you'll get to transfer your first 500£ without paying any fee at all.
AUDIOBOOKS
Tektime
Narrating an audiobook can be done without any upfront payment through TEKTIME. When you set your book up in their system, you can contact a narrator through TEKTIME. It is a condition that you also publish your book through them. Researching the narrator's professional background and listening to samples of his voice before signing a contract would be best. You get to hear a piece of 5% of the work from the narrator, which you must approve before the contract is binding. If you sign the agreement, the narrator gets 75% of the royalties of the first 1000€, 60% of the next, and so on. Tektime receives 10%.
With the right narrator, you not only get a narrator but a partner that is just as interested in seeing your audiobook sell as you are. I get a commission, if you sign up using this link.
PEOPLE AND PAGES WORTH FOLLOWING
We believe it is crucial to stay tuned to what is happening in the ever-changing publishing world. Here is a list of services supporting authors with free and paid services and tools for your publishing journey.
The Creative Penn (Joanne Penn)
Kindlepreneur (Dave Chesson)
Jane Friedman
Selfpublishingformula (Mark Dawson)
BooksGoSocial
AuthorsPublish
Melinda Martin
FACEBOOK GROUPS WORTH ENGAGING IN
If you want to engage in Groups, here are some of the groups we find worth connecting with:
Self-publishing Support Group
Mywordpublishing
