Social Media Dos and Don’ts
May 21, 2013
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by jgoff
Social media has crept into our lives and taken over with a vengeance. Be it Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Google+, Vine, LinkedIn, and whatever the “next big thing” may be, these platforms have surged into our daily lives and don’t seem to be going anywhere in the near future. So, how do we present ourselves in the best light for the world to see?
First, is important to remember that social media is a form of communication, not simply a sounding board; apply the same common sense and appropriate behavior you would use when speaking with a colleague or client. These platforms are a resource that allow us to connect with more people and form bonds around the world. Here are some quick tips to help you communicate more effectively online:
DO treat others as you would like to be treated.
Respond to questions or comments in a polite and genuine manner, and ultimately: “If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.”
DO self-edit.
Will your post/tweet/comment be relevant, positive or informative? Avoid rants, complaints and general negativity. We all have problems, the rest of the world should not have to hear about them.
DO credit others’ work.
With sites like Pinterest and Tumblr it is easy to post an image unsourced. It’s important to give credit to the idea creator. Add links to your tweets and post from the original source, not just from the person who shared it before you. When in doubt, try to track down the originator and ask for permission.
DO check—and double-check—your grammar.
It is important to put your best foot forward, and by overlooking grammatical errors you are presenting yourself and your company in a poor light.
DON’T over-hashtag.
Too many hashtags can make you look desperate. It is probably best to use no more than two, and make sure to check out the meaning of what is trending before posting to make sure you are being appropriate.
DON’T try to pitch a sale through social media.
If you would like to make a formal request or submission to an individual or organization it is best to reach out to them through the “contact me” section on their website. In general, it is best to use social media outlets for brief, basic-level comments and email for more in-depth questions or conversations.
DON’T post everything all at once.
Twitter and Facebook allow you to schedule out your post days, weeks, even months in advance. Use this resource to your advantage, but be mindful of current events. Make sure to cancel a post before it runs if something tragic has just happened.
DON’T voice your political opinion through your business account.
These are better suited to your personal account, yet even that is questionable. As a rule, your clients and customers do not need to know your political position.
Do you have any social media strategy and etiquette tips?
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Children's Book Week
May 16, 2013
by Madeline Meehan
Children’s Book Week is upon us. Celebrated since 1919, this week aims to instill a lifelong love of reading in children. Events are held in schools, libraries, and bookstores across the country. Why not check their map and see if any of those events will take place near you?
To celebrate, we decided to share some of our favorite children’s books with you. (Hint: This continues our list in celebration of Winnie the Pooh day .)
The Monster at the End of this Book by Jon Stone and Michael Smollin
“My sister and I loved this book. It's Grover. What else do I need to say?” – Jessie Goff
The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats
“My favorite book was The Snowy Day because I grew up in Dallas!” – Suzanne Harris
Brian Viktorin recommends absolutely anything Dr. Seuss.
“Mine was Lady and the Tramp because I was obsessed with dogs.” – Abby Kitten
Angelina Ballerina by Katharine Holabird and Helen Craig
“My favorite children's book when I was growing up (which my mom can attest to with the countless reads I put her through) was Angelina Ballerina. As a child, the illustrations really appealed to me and I still remember a lot of the pictures and characters to this day. And, of course, the ballerina storyline was perfect for my younger self, who refused to wear long pants the first several years of her life and wore her dance recital attire on a daily basis. Only dresses and tights for this girly girl” – Kristine Peyre-Ferry
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
“I really liked The Hobbit. It was my favorite book. I felt like I lived in the story. I enjoyed the epic nature of the book and Bilbo himself. What can I say? I identified with the feet.” – Steven Elizalde
The Nancy Drew Series by Caroline Keene
“When I was a kid, I read all the Nancy Drew mysteries, many times over, as did my best friend Mona. We would often act out scenes, where I got to be Nancy, so she had to be George.” – Carrie Jones
Sam and the Firefly by P. D. Eastman
“My all time favorite. The story is engaging and educational. I remember feeling a lot of emotions reading this book – which was wonderful as a child. I probably learned a lot about life and relationships from this book...looking back on it now.” - Jessica Birenz Pflanz
Just the Thing for Geraldine by Ellen Conford
“Geraldine is a possum who just wants to hang from a tree and juggle–but her family keeps making her take lessons: sculpture, ballet, and weaving. She is awful at everything but juggling, and her family finally accepts that. I think I liked this one so much because of the pictures of Geraldine in her family's treehouse. I spent the majority of my time in a tree with a book and wanted a treehouse like Geraldine's soooo badly. (I'm still waiting on that one.) I loved that Geraldine knew exactly what she wanted and was finally allowed to do it.” – Amber Hales
The Complete Tales by Beatrix Potter
“My favorite children's books were those in the Beatrix Potter series. Each birthday and Christmas were certain to bring a new book from my grandparents–and those little books didn't live on the grownups' shelves with their dust jackets intact. They stayed in my room so that I could read them whenever I liked. Although many of those books have been lost over the years, I still have a few at home on my bookshelf...almost 35 years later. The dust jackets are gone, the covers are bent and scratched, and the pages look like they've been chewed by a small dog (or a toddler), but my grandparents' inscriptions are still legible. These are my favorite children's books, then and now.” – Angela Alwin
What are some of your favorite children’s books?
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An Overview of Awards for Independent Authors—Spring & Summer 2013
May 15, 2013
by Carly Willsie
You’ve worked day and night writing, editing, promoting, and selling your book—isn’t it about time you received a little recognition? We think so! That’s why we’ve gathered some of the best upcoming industry awards for independent authors here on the Big Bad Book Blog.
Awards are a great way to gain recognition and visibility, and they just might boost sales and confidence, too. Best of luck!
National Book Awards
Deadline: June 3
Genres: Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, Young People’s Literature
Award: Finalists receive $1,000, a medal, and a citation. The winners receive $10,000 and a bronze sculpture.
Eligibility: Authors need to submit their pieces through their publishers, and publishers are required to submit $1,000 to a promotional campaign if their book is considered a finalist. Though the submission barriers are somewhat steep compared to other awards, winners include the likes of authors such as Alice Walker, Joan Didion, Gore Vidal, C.K. Williams, and many others.
Deadline: June 15
Genres: Short story, Novel excerpt, Poem, One-act play, Graphic story, Literary nonfiction
Award: $4,000
Eligibility: The award is given annually to the best new or emerging writer published in Narrative the previous year.
Deadline: June 30
Genres: Poetry, Fiction, Nonfiction
Award: Publication through Autumn House Press and $2,500
Eligibility: Poetry manuscripts must be between fifty and eighty pages in length, while fiction and nonfiction entries must be between two hundred and three hundred pages.
Deadline: July 15
Genre: Fiction
Award: Monetary award and appointment as writer-in-residence at Bard College for one semester
Eligibility: The Bard Fiction Prize is awarded yearly to an emerging American writer under the age of 39. In addition to copies of the published book, the application also requires a cover letter with an explanation of the author’s projected intent at Bard.
Deadline: July 27
Genres: Lifestyle, Home, World-Improvement, Self-Improvement
Award: Publicity, medals, and book seals
Eligibility: The Living Now Book Awards are intended to support books that help improve the quality of their readers’ lives. They are open to all books in English intended for a North American market.
Deadline: Summer; Deadline will be announced in early June
Genre: Themes related to outdoor adventure
Award: Publicity through the National Outdoor Book Awards and display at the International Conference on Outdoor Recreation and Education
Eligibility: There are a number of categories eligible to receive the award; all must feature subject matter related to outdoor adventure, nature, or environment and must be published in the previous twelve months.
Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association Award
Deadline: August 31
Genre: All
Award: Cash prize plus heavy publicity
Eligbility: The PNBA simply requires that the author reside in the Pacific Northwest, including Washington, Oregon, Alaska, Montana, Idaho, and British Columbia.
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Should You Pay for Reviews?
May 13, 2013
by Kristin Sheppard
For a variety of reasons many industry publications will not review self-published or print-on-demand (POD) titles. But what many authors don’t realize is that their titles are eligible for paid review services, regardless of whether they are self, independently, or traditionally published. So what exactly does a paid review entail? Well, it’s a guaranteed review written by a professional reviewer; it will be well written and suitable for marketing and promotional use.
Darcie Chan is a successful author who opted to purchase paid reviews for her novel The Mill River Recluse. She said, “I hoped it would lend some credibility . . . Most other reviewers won’t touch it.” Read more about Chan here.
Integrity
There’s no guarantee that your paid review will be positive. It will be candid, professional, and honest, but neither you nor your publisher/publicist/distributor can (or should) influence the tone of the review. As the author, you decide if the review should be available to the public, so an unfavorable review won’t hurt your book’s reputation or sales. Should you decide to pay for a review, you have several options:
Kirkus offers standard or express service with pricing for each. Your 250-350 word review will be written by a qualified reviewer from their pool of librarians, business executives, national journalists, PhDs, and other professional reviewers. Once complete, it is up to you whether or not to make your review public. You can publish it on the Kirkus website, use the review for your own marketing purposes, or even print it on your book cover. Kirkus provides guidelines for using excerpts from their reviews and you should follow their terms closely, especially if printing a quote from the review on your book cover.
Foreword Clarion promises an objective 400-500 word review by highly qualified reviewers. Once again, the choice is yours to make the review public or not. If you choose to post your review on the ForeWord website, it will also be licensed to the top three wholesale databases and made available to your publisher.
Publishers Weekly has a supplemental print and online publication called PW Select, which features bibliographic, editorial, and marketing information for selected books. Registering for PW Select enters your book for review. About 25% of books registered will be chosen for review in the bimonthly issues.
Paid professional reviews can have a positive impact on your book. When traditional publications are not interested in reviewing, this is a great option to provide crucial feedback that you have the freedom to use however you like.
Have you commissioned a paid review? What was your experience?
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At Press
May 10, 2013
by Angela Alwin
Ever wonder how your final manuscript becomes a book? While the entire book-manufacturing process contains myriad steps, here's a behind-the-scenes glimpse at a few key points in the printing process.
1. Staging of the Paper. Just before printing, thousand-pound rolls of paper are lined up and ready.
2. Through the Web Press. In web offset printing—the most common type of offset printing—the large rolls of paper are fed through the press and printed; they will be cut to size later. A very precise amount of tension is needed for a web press to run efficiently, so all of these rollers maintain a consistent and even tension on the roll (or "web") of paper as it feeds through the press.
3. Drying of the Ink. There are two types of web-fed presses: "cold" and "heatset"—the difference being whether the ink is dried with heat or cooling. In the press shown in this photo, the ink is cured by a UV drying system and then the web travels over “chill rollers,” which “set” the ink by cooling it. (You can see the green glow of the UV on the chill rollers.)
4. Cutting and folding. Once the ink is dry, the paper is cut and folded into “signatures” of 4, 8, 16, 32, or 64 pages. These signatures are then collated in the bindery to make book blocks. Finally, the cover is added and—voila!—a book is born.
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