Book promotion: Will you give away your book for free?

After you’ve spent hundreds (thousands) of hours working on your book and getting it published, what would your reaction be if you saw it available for free download on a peer-to-peer file sharing site? My guess is, you wouldn’t be too happy.

Piracy is a big problem wherever Intellectual Property Rights come into picture. This applies to books, music, movies, software and many other products where an idea or concept is packaged usually for commercial gains.

But there’s another school of thought that’s finding new followers (some very prominent and well-respected ones) each day.

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Writing a book: How to choose a genre?

How you write and structure a book has a lot to do with what genre you choose. This decision will also have a big influence on another aspect that’s important for publishers – your target market size. For many new writers there’s a natural inclination to be drawn towards a specific genre like romance, thrillers, science fiction, young adult, chick lit or any of the numerous other broad or niche genres available.

A big influence on choosing the genre might be the kind of novels, non-fiction books and online stories you’ve been reading for a long time. Reading bestsellers is a great way to get the pulse of the reader and the market. But it’s also got its pitfalls.

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Freelance writing jobs for online content and articles

Freelance writing jobs where you write short online articles or create other online content for popular websites may not be the same as getting a book published. But it can provide enough exposure for new writers to learn how to write marketable content. More like taking baby steps towards the bigger goal of having your name on bestselling novels or non-fiction books. Many sites offer paid and unpaid freelancing writing opportunities for new writers who are hoping to make a mark.

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Do you have a publisher-friendly blog?

What’s the best way to convince a publisher that you have a platform to promote your books so they take your query letter and your book proposal seriously?
I used my blog to sell X hundred/thousand copies of my first book.

What’s the next best way, if you are an unpublished author with a popular blog?
I haven’t been published yet, but I’ve used my blog to sell X hundred/thousand copies of other books in the same genre.

Even if it isn’t mentioned in your publishing contract, your publisher would still want you to do your best to promote your book. In a previous post, I had shared some ideas on why an author needs to have a blog irrespective of whether you are going for traditional publishing, self-publishing, printed books, ebooks. Having a blog is less important than having an ‘effective’ blog.

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Vanity or subsidy book publishers in various forms

For authors who are exploring self-publishing options, vanity publishers are waiting with their arms outstretched. But across various websites and author forums, vanity publishing started getting a bad name due to the operational model they follow.

Rather than targeting the regular readers of a book, for vanity publishing companies, the primary customer is the author. These are publishers who have no interest or incentive in seeing the sales numbers for your book sky rocket.

Many vanity publishing players, aware of the stigma associated with the label, started presenting themselves in new ways to break away from the clutter.

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Jacaranda Literary Agency – Interview

Writer's BlockIf you are a serious author, planning to approach the best literary agents in India (or Asia), you probably already have Jacaranda Literary Agency on your list. Jayapriya Vasudevan (Founder) and Priya Doraswamy (Partner) have been doing excellent work in the field and setting the standards high for others who wish to get into the literary agency business. [Update: Priya Doraswamy has moved on and started her own agency – Lotus Lane Literary]

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Print run FAQ for first time authors

‘Print run’ is a term you’ll start hearing about, once you sign your publishing contract. It might get a small mention in the agreement, but you’ll realise how important it is for the success of your book when you really understand the implications of that number.

What is a print run?

In simple terms, a print run is the number of copies your publisher will print each time. Once a print run gets sold out, the publisher orders another set of copies after taking a call on the number again. The first print run (i.e. the first time your manuscript gets sent to the printing press) can have the biggest impact on whether your book will be considered a success or failure. And ironically, it can be pretty relative and subjective perception, decided by

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Book publishers in India – International publishing companies

In India, many leading publishers directly accept submissions from authors. They might work with literary agencies too, but that pipeline of manuscripts is hardly sufficient to keep their wheels turning throughout the year. So they open up the doors to first time authors even if it means investing more resources to evaluate the avalanche of query letters and submitted proposals, in the hope that the best books and bestsellers are hiding in there somewhere.

Though there are hundreds (thousands?) of traditional publishing houses in India, a few prominent ones regularly come up in discussions and these are generally the ones that new writers target. Here’s a short list of some international publishers who have a presence in India.

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Can self-publishing your e-book make you a best-selling author?

Like Darcie Chan, if you could spend 50,000 rupees to promote digital versions of your book and end up selling 400,000 copies, then the answer would be a resounding ‘Yes’. Wall Street Journal published Darcie’s amazing success story that is sure to encourage a whole lot of aspiring authors in India and across the globe to try out what she did. Even a fraction of what she’s achieved would be a big deal for many first time authors. So what exactly did Darcie do to hit it big? Read on to see if this is something you’d be willing to try out.

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Literary agents in India

Several years back when I was searching for the best literary agencies in India, there were very few names to be found. There were many self-proclaimed literary agents, but the good, authentic ones were very few. After all these years, I tried searching for literary agents in Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Kolkata, Chennai and many other bigger cities.

The story doesn’t seem to have changed much. You still find the same agency names that have gained more credibility over time. And yes, there’s a bigger number of unknown names claiming to be agents but with very little data on their track record and book sales to the big (or even small but good) publishers. So most first time authors in India, seeking representation, continue to send query letters to literary agents in the USA (New York, being the hub of such activity).

If you are in the same situation that I was in when I first started my hunt for the top literary agencies to represent my MBA book, here’s a short list to get you started.

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The misconception about ‘free’ author copies

Great, you are an author now! So Mr Author, when am I getting my complimentary copy? Oh c’mon, don’t act like a stingy business-man now, 1 copy won’t hurt.
If you’ve ever said this (or might say it in the future) to your good-friend-turned-author, read on to know the truth behind ‘free’ author copies. Maybe you’ll have some newfound sympathy and support for your friend.

How many free copies does an author get?

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Literary Agents: Beware of unprofessional and unfair agency practices

A good literary agent can work wonders for the author’s career but it’s very tough to locate and get one interested in your work, specially in a country like India. Outside India, however, there are many good, and many more bad and ugly literary agencies that prey upon the desperation and impatience that permeates the new writer’s psyche. In a bid to get the first publishing break, many writers ignoring the research that is so important before signing up with a literary agency.

There are several things you can be aware of as you seek out representation for your work. Here are a few tips to keep in mind.

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