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by STEVEN SPATZ, President of BookBaby.  BookBaby has offices in Portland, OR and Philadelphia, PA to meet the printed and eBook needs of thousands of self-publishing authors around the globe.

Sometimes being bigger is not always better for the customer. We just learned that our friends at Amazon’s CreateSpace are getting out of the author services business. That means writers need to go elsewhere for vital author services, including editing, cover design, and book formatting.

The statement from Amazon, as reported by South Carolina’s The Post and Courier:  Jan 12, 2018 Updated Jan 16, 2018

“After a thorough review of our service offerings, we’ve made the decision to discontinue CreateSpace’s paid professional editing, design and marketing services. We will work closely with impacted employees through this transition to help them find new roles within the company or assist them with pursuing opportunities outside the company.”

Frankly, I’m not surprised. Amazon is interested in big business — REALLY big business. It’s difficult for a mega-mammoth company like Amazon to work one-on-one with the individual would-be author. That’s not the strength of their business.

That’s where we fit in. Working directly with self-published authors IS the core strength of BookBaby. In this highly digital world we live in, BookBaby prides itself on the analog nature of our business — people talking with people — to help authors self publish with printed books and eBooks they can be proud of.

“I’m not afraid of storms, for I’m learning how to sail my ship.”
—Louisa May Alcott, Little Women

DANIEL J. SIEGEL, M.D., & TINA PAYNE BRYSON, PH.D., for Brightly.

The Yes Brain: How to Cultivate Courage, Curiosity, and Resilience in Your Child

Our new book The Yes Brain opens with the above quote as its epigraph. The Alcott line is a great way to think about the job we have as parents as we seek to empower our children to sail their ships through whatever storms they face. We can give our kids experiences that help produce either a “Yes Brain” mindset that allows them to be receptive, open, curious, and creative in the face of life’s problems, or a “No Brain” mindset that leaves them reactive, shut down, rigid, and fragile. 

What, specifically, do they need in order to captain their individual ships in a Yes Brain way that leads to happiness and fulfillment? What characteristics, in other words, should parents emphasize the most? As we travel the world speaking about our books The Whole-Brain Child and No-Drama Discipline, we hear some form of that question all the time. The Yes Brain is our response.

We focus on what we call the four Yes Brain fundamentals: balance, resilience, insight, and empathy. These are the qualities we all need to be successful in life, and if we can promote them in our children, they’ll be well on their way to approaching life from a Yes Brain perspective.

And a great way to promote a Yes Brain in your kids is by reading with them. Each Yes Brain fundamental emerges directly and spontaneously when you dive together into the pages of a book. Here are some quick suggestions to help you be intentional about highlighting the Yes Brain fundamentals.

Balance: Balance is all about emotional regulation. When emotions run high, it takes practice, skills, and maturity to stay calm and make thoughtful choices, even when we’re anxious, angry, or afraid. Managing our emotions and controlling our bodies is an essential part of social and emotional intelligence and having good friendships. As children see characters handle their emotions and impulses well and poorly, they can learn skills to handle emotions. As you read stories together, ask your child these questions to explore and develop balance:

• How well do you think the character handled those big feelings?
• What could the character have done differently?
• What do you do when you have big feelings like that?
• What calms you down the most when you have that big feeling?

Resilience: One of the most important things we can help develop in our kids, resilience allows us to bend without breaking when life is hard. It’s not about avoiding feeling difficult emotions or trying to escape adversity, but about tolerating and even growing from the times when things don’t go our way. Resilience keeps us from feeling victim to life circumstances or to our internal emotional distress. As you read stories together, ask your child these questions to explore and develop resilience:

• When the character faced that conflict, how did they handle it?
• Did you see how even though things were difficult/sad, it didn’t stay that way and things got better?
• What makes you strong when things are hard?
• What’s something difficult you went through that made you stronger/smarter/kinder?

Insight: As children observe the feelings and experiences of characters, they learn about themselves. They are given language that helps express what they, themselves, experience and they gain insight into their own behaviors and emotions. As you read stories together, ask your child these questions to explore and develop insight:

• Have you ever felt that way?
• What would you do in that situation?
• How would you decide?

Empathy: Studies show that reading fiction increases our capacity for empathy. As we read about the minds, experiences, and feelings of another, we feel with them. This increases our ability to understand others’ minds and internal experiences so that we can better empathize with them. The more children practice this skill, the more their brains get wired with this capacity. As you read stories together, ask your child these questions to explore and develop empathy:

• How does the character feel? What are they afraid of? What are they excited about?
• What does the character expect will happen?
• What does the character wish would happen?

No matter what book you pick up, reading together can help you raise kids with resilient minds and connected brains. Just the act of physical closeness that occurs when we pull our children close and join together to share the moments that unfold as we read together — laughing, looking at the same pictures, talking about what we wonder about, and sharing the joy that comes from wonderful books — helps create a Yes Brain.

Watch Dr. Daniel J. Siegel discuss the differences between a reactive state and a receptive state, or a Yes Brain state, in this video. Want to learn more about raising children with resilient minds and connected brains? Check out The Yes Brain, The Whole-Brain Child, and No-Drama Discipline by Daniel J. Siegel, M.D., and Tina Payne Bryson, Ph.D.

Posted on January 7, 2018 by Jane Friedman

Jane's Favorite Digital Media Tools 2018.

Every year, I update this post with tools that have been indispensable to my business, productivity, and well-being. Here’s my 2018 list. There are no affiliate links in this post and I have not been paid to recommend any of these services or products.

1. Zoom

Zoom is my go-to online meeting service that I find exceptionally reliable; it’s like Skype, only better. I use it for client meetings, personal chats, online courses, and even to pipe in guest speakers for in-person events. It can record all meetings; once the meeting ends, the resulting file is downloaded locally or stored in the cloud (or both). I’ve found it nearly foolproof since participants can join on any device (including a phone), use video, or stick with audio only. Find out more about Zoom. You’ll find both free and paid plans.

2. Acuity Scheduling

Acuity + Zoom is how I streamline my client meetings and scheduling. Acuity is a full-featured appointment and scheduling service that allows anyone to book free or paid appointments with you. No more back-and-forth emailing to set up appointment times, and it hooks into availability on your Google calendar (among others). Acuity can be embedded into your site or shared as a link. Free to start and $15/month for most features you want.

3. Gravity Forms + Stripe for payments

Since I primarily sell services from my site and not products, I don’t need a shopping cart or fully featured e-commerce solution (such as WooCommerce). Instead, I use the premium plugin, Gravity Forms, along with Stripe payments. This allows people to buy specific service packages by completing a form, then filling out their credit card info. (PayPal is also an add-on option for Gravity Forms, among many others.) Learn more about Gravity Forms.

4. Evernote

I resisted using Evernote for years, but since 2015, it’s become integral to my workflow. I use it to maintain a primary work to-do list, which then syncs automatically across all my devices (desktop, laptop, phone, tablet). Every day I use it for quick drafting—for blog posts, research notes, interviews, and conference talk outlines. Form letters and other pieces of writing or information that I use frequently (or even infrequently) get stored for easy copy-paste into email. Writers will find it useful for “composting” ideas, quotes, and book excerpts that might come in handy later.

If you’re the kind of person who has a million stickies on your desktop, or multiple documents where you’re dumping notes (then find it hard to locate what you’re looking for), then take a serious look at Evernote.

5. Dropbox

I couldn’t function on a daily basis without Dropbox, which is cloud-based storage of my work files, especially since I change machines so often. It syncs across my desktop, laptop, mobile devices, and I can also access it through any computer if I have login credentials with me.

6. Google Drive (and Plex)

I use Google Drive in addition to Dropbox as a cloud storage system, but specifically for those documents that I collaborate on where multiple people might need access. I also use Google Drive for storing and sharing PDF handouts or similar public links at conferences and events.

In 2017, I started using Google Drive in conjunction with Plex Cloud Sync, to create a private media server that streams my digital TV, movies, music, and more.

7. Paprika

Paprika is an app where I store all my recipes. It helps me meal plan during the week, generate shopping lists that get sent to email, and categorize recipes according to my own criteria.

8. LastPass

LastPass is a password manager that helps ensure you never forget a password again—or use bad password hygiene (making you vulnerable to attack). It generates strong passwords and stores your login credentials, securely and locally; whenever you go to a site that requires those credentials, it autofills them for you on a browser. You can get started for free.

9. Zippy Courses

Zippy is my preferred tool for creating and selling online courses. If you have a self-hosted WordPress site, you can buy the Zippy Courses plugin. Or, if that’s too technically complicated, they offer a fully hosted solution for an annual subscription fee. I see it as the most sensible and easy solution for anyone accustomed to WordPress sites.

10. Wave

Wave is a free, in-the-cloud accounting service that tracks income and expenses related to your business. All of my bank accounts (including PayPal) are hooked into my Wave account and allow me to see the entirety of my financial situation at a glance. It also generates invoices that clients can pay online by credit card and has payroll services if you need them. Accountants can be granted access to your profiles in Wave.

11. MailChimp

MailChimp is the email newsletter service I use, which is free until you reach 2,000 names. If you’re serious about online marketing, but are still at the beginning stages of building your business, you’re better off using this and not TinyLetter.

12. VisualHunt

VisualHunt is my favorite tool for finding Creative Commons and public domain images to use in my online courses, blog, newsletter, and elsewhere.

13. Aaptiv

I’ve been a sporadic gym member throughout my life, and in 2017 I found myself going much more regularly and enthusiastically when I began using the workout app Aaptiv. I was extremely skeptical at first, because I am not someone who likes personal training or coaching, and I’m pretty no-nonsense and uninterested in “motivational” talk surrounding exercise.

So I was surprised to find myself buying an annual subscription to Aaptiv, which is like having a personal trainer guide you during workouts. It’s been an incredible training tool for running (my goal is to run the Charlottesville 10-Miler this year), and it makes treadmill running actually enjoyable. No easy feat. If you’re a gym goer, it’s worth looking at a free trial.

What tools are part of your daily creative life or business? Let me know in the comments.

Also: Every two weeks, I send out Electric Speed, a free email newsletter about new digital media tools and resources I’ve discovered. Subscribe.

"VisualHunt is my favorite tool for finding Creative Commons and public domain images to use in my online courses, blog, newsletter, and elsewhere." Jane Friedman, Electric Speed Jan.2018

Posted on Jan. 9, 2018 by Jane Friedman As part of The Hot Sheet email newsletter for authors (which I write and publish in collaboration with Porter Anderson), I regularly round up and comment on book marketing advice that writers are talking about. Here’s a list of what sparked discussion in 2017.

Better book packaging and descriptions

• Five ways a book cover can hurt sales: This was one of the most insightful and memorable posts of the year. Indie author Johnny B. Truant offers insight (from hard-won experience) on book cover design. Read at the BookBub blog.
• Learn how to improve your book marketing description by seeing the results of BookBub’s own A/B testing. First tip? Call out accolades right away. Learn more at BookBub.
• Firebrand Research Labs has been researching how marketing and discovery strategies work in the real marketplace with real readers. One study demonstrates that keywords drawn from readers’ own reviews (and that therefore match readers’ own terminology)—such as bad guys, action-packed, surprise ending, and courtroom drama—work much better in the market than publisher terms, such as noir atmosphere, urban settings, and harsh realism. Improved keywords led to sales increases for 34 percent of titles, with an average sales increase of 20 percent. Get more information on the Firebrand Research Labs data and results.

Selling through Amazon (for indie authors)

• Indie author marketing strategies should be customized based on whether you’re exclusive to Amazon or selling wide. Indie author David Gaughran details two paths to selling books based on whether you’re enrolled in Kindle Unlimited (and thus exclusive to Amazon). Read at his blog.
• Wondering about Amazon algorithms and how “also boughts” get determined? Indie author David Gaughran has written insightfully about how to strategically and ethically work the system. Read at his blog here and here.
• Strategies for Kindle Unlimited: Even though indie author David Gaughran is frequently a severe critic of Kindle Unlimited, he acknowledges KU has positives. He has determined that aggression, sacrificing income for visibility, and patience are key principles to maximizing page reads. More here.
• Wondering how to effectively advertise your ebook on Amazon? Dave Chesson has a free course available. Check it out.
• More on mastering Amazon ads: If you’ve been avoiding Amazon’s Product Display Interest ads, check out author Brian Meeks’s description of how they work, plus his discussion of other ways to optimize your Amazon ad strategy. Read or listen at the Creative Penn.
• Indie author Nicholas Erik offers an extensive guide to self-publishing ebook promotion. Read at his blog.

Book launches and bestsellerdom

• How a pre-order strategy can build a book’s platform: Indie novelist Cheryl Bradshaw describes her step-by-step process for pre-orders as part of a book launch. Read at the BookBub blog.
• A self-published nonfiction author offers a detailed case study of how he sold 180,000 copies. Part IV is most relevant to authors who are preparing for a book launch or actively marketing and promoting. Read at GrowthLab.
• Romance author Kelly McClymer discusses step by step how she became a bestselling author. Her key to success was a coordinated marketing plan. Find out more at BookBub’s blog.

Facebook marketing and advertising

• Why there’s no perfect time to post on Facebook. I expect the same is true of just about every social media network. Learn more at Buffer.
• Another case study on optimizing Facebook ads for books: Indie author GD Harper describes her process in detail. Read at the ALLi blog.
• What you’d learn if you spent $100,000 on Facebook ads. The folks at HubSpot break down the key takeaways and offer a step-by-step process for ad development. Take a look.

Pricing, discounting, and giveaways

• Reedsy has created a database of free and paid book-promotion sites. More than 50 services are mentioned so far, and you can sort by genre as well as by Reedsy’s tiered star rating. Take a look.
• Making the best use of BookBub CPM ads: Indie novelist David Gaughran offers tips on maximizing click-through rates for CPM (cost per thousand impressions) ads in BookBub email newsletters. Read at his blog.
• A comprehensive look at ebook bundling for authors: Check out Joanna Penn’s interview with the creator of BundleRabbit on the benefits and how-to of multi-author bundling for indie authors. Read or listen.

Selling rights and selling internationally

• How indie authors can sell foreign or translation rights: Longtime author Kristine Rusch details in plain English what any author can do. Scroll way down to the second half of the post for the steps.
• Self-publishing outside of your home country? Joanna Penn features a guest post by Zsofia Macho from PublishDrive on how to best sell and market to readers in countries such as China, Germany, Japan, and France.
• Ebook pricing in Europe: Again, the folks at PublishDrive offer advice to indie authors on how to price appropriately in the EU, based on their own sales data. Learn more.

Book reviews / Goodreads

• Reedsy has created a database of nearly 200 book-review blogs. It’s searchable, and Reedsy promises to updated it regularly. Take a look.
• An ideal Goodreads marketing timeline: If you plan to use Goodreads as part of your book-launch strategy, the folks who work there have created an author timeline to follow. Check it out.

Email marketing

• Author Kristine Rusch discusses email newsletter strategy at length. She distinguishes between “old school newsletters” and “ad circulars.” Read at her blog.
• How do pop-ups, interstitials, and other intrusions affect your site traffic and optimization? The Moz team offers an easy-to-read and understandable analysis of whether your pop-up email newsletter sign-up forms might hurt you with Google. Visit Moz for more.
• The definitive guide to personal email newsletters. It’s long, but easy to read, and it includes lots of examples. Read at Hacker Noon.

Podcasting

• What are effective ways to market and promote a podcast? The folks at Patreon offer concrete tips, such as creating detailed show notes. Read more.
• 10 easy tips for professional audio quality: If you’re doing any kind of sales or marketing that involves audio (podcasts, audiobooks, videos, and more), check out Copyblogger’s tips.

at https://www.bookbaby.com/single-book-printing on Jan. 13, 2018

Ingram Spark launches a podcast called Go Publish Yourself! adding to the free resources they offer to indie authors worldwide. by IngramSpark Staff Jan. 11, 2018

What is Go Publish Yourself?

Go Publish Yourself will consist of 15-minute episodes discussing self-publishing tips indie authors can apply in order to enhance their publishing success. You let us know how much you love our blog, so we thought it would be helpful to offer self-publishing tips you can listen to on-the-go in these quick and conversational episodes. Much like we do on the blog, we’ll be covering topics that you inquire about most frequently and that can have the biggest impact on your publishing. For our first season we’ll be hitting big ticket topics such as a commentary on the current publishing landscape, how to optimize your book metadata for sales, how to sell your book to indie bookstores, ebooks vs. print books, and how much it costs to self-publish. You’ll get to know IngramSpark Director Robin Cutler and Justine Bylo, Manager of the Author Acquisitions Program, and a host of other experts across essential publishing fields.

We’ll have two seasons each year with 12 episodes per season. Four episodes are already live for your listening pleasure:

• Ep 01: The Self-Publishing Landscape
• Ep 02: Metadata Matters
• Ep 03: Print on Demand for Indie Authors
• Ep 04: Importance of Owning Your Own ISBN

New episodes release every Tuesday during a given season, so be sure to check back often!

How Do I Listen?

Every episode will be available from the IngramSpark website and includes a full transcript. The podcast is available on all major podcast platforms, including iTunes, Google Play, SoundCloud, and Stitcher.

What’s In A Name?

We chose the name Go Publish Yourself because on the one hand, it’s straightforward and very literal. When you choose to self-publish, you enter the incredibly challenging and wonderfully rewarding world of publishing from a do-it-yourself perspective. On the other hand, we love how it captures the self-reliant, sometimes defiant, go-getter indie spirit.

How Can I Participate?

This is our first-ever season offering a self-publishing podcast, so besides tuning in, we encourage you to leave us a review on your favorite podcast platform to show us some love! We also invite you to send us a Tweet or Facebook message to let us know what episodes are your favorite or what topic you’d like us to cover in a future episode! And if you find an episode particularly helpful, we’d love for you to share it with your fellow authors and self-publishers.

It’s because of all of you that we’re continually striving to come up with new ways to improve your publishing experience and offer you the educational resources you need to succeed. This podcast is the first of many new offerings we have in store for you in 2018 and we look forward to sharing what’s still to come!  Listen now!

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Why the Hell Hasn’t Photography Won the Caldecott?!?

NOVEMBER 1, 2017 BY ELISA GALL AND JONATHAN HUNT 21 COMMENTS