Author: Martin Crosbie

Martin Crosbie is the administrator of BookDoggy.com and writer of seven published novels. His self-publishing journey has been mentioned in Publisher’s Weekly, Forbes Online Magazine, and Canada’s Globe and Mail newspaper. You can learn more about Martin on his Amazon author page.

Coat-Tailing Your Book to a Bestseller

get a rideAs we scramble to find new ways to reach readers we discover that there are things that work and things that don’t work. I’ve tried everything from handing out business cards to kindle-carrying travelers at an airport to running ads on Craigslist. And I’ve done all the regular things too – interviews, promotional sales, blogging, etc. Just as there are things that do and don’t work there are also things we probably should or shouldn’t do. One of the things that’s been done in various different forms is coat-tailing. Coat-tailing is the process of attaching your book to another book that is selling well. In the interest of determining where the grey areas are I’m going to describe various forms of coat-tailing and ask for your input on whether it’s ethical or not to coat-tail.

Here are the types that I’m familiar with: Continue reading “Coat-Tailing Your Book to a Bestseller”

The 1,000 Words A Day Project

typing smileyLast year I wrote and published three new books. I also taught a self-publishing workshop, spoke at numerous writers groups and festivals, gave a couple of talks at libraries, and I did a couple of book signings too. I thought I’d had a fairly productive year until I read Russell Blake’s recent blog. Russell has published twenty-five books in the past thirty months. I read one of his books last year; it was a good book.

My output is pretty good. I’ve had days where I’ve produced five thousand words but I’ve also had days where I’ve dogged it and produced zero words. When it’s “Go Time” and I need to complete a project I work day and night, so I know I can get the job done. But, I’m inconsistent. I have two new books and a revision of an existing book that I’m hoping to release in 2014. Those are commitments that I’ve made to readers and I’m hopeful that I’ll be able to fulfill them. Granted, the muse isn’t always smiling, and that could potentially be a problem and hold me back, but I can usually find a way around that. My old writing teacher Ed Griffin used to tell me there is no such thing as writer’s block. Ed says that writing is a job and you just need to sit and get it done. I tend to agree with him. No matter how uninspired I’ve felt, when I really need to I can usually produce some fairly acceptable content. So, as I was planning my 2014 schedule I made a decision – I’m going to write a minimum of 1,000 words a day. Every day. No matter what. Continue reading “The 1,000 Words A Day Project”

Changing Your Title and Content AFTER Your Book Is Published

new and improvedThis past September I taught a course to help authors self-publish their work. One of the tag-lines I used in the promotional material was “We’re putting the SELF back into SELF-PUBLISHING”. My goal was to show authors that you really can produce an e-book that stands spine-to-virtual-spine with traditionally published books. My partner and I showed the attendees that it is indeed possible to produce a professional product in a cost-effective manner.

As I was compiling the material for the course my very astute business partner, Kathrin Lake, suggested I turn the content into a book. So, I did. I published that book with the very long title, How I Sold 30,000 eBooks on Amazon’s Kindle-An Easy-To-Follow Self-Publishing Guidebook in September. And, we were able to use the book as a tool during our weekend workshop. The book has sold very well. In fact, I now sell more copies of it than any of my novels. Additionally, it’s been well-reviewed, which was actually one of my concerns. I’ve had a moderate amount of success with my books – but many others have been far more successful. So, there was a point before I published when I was beginning to feel wary that the information I was offering might not be what authors were looking for. I tried to do everything I could to ensure that wouldn’t happen. I even tailored the workshop content, and the book to specifically help the authors, and potential authors, who attended. We circulated a questionnaire a few weeks beforehand, trying to gauge where everyone was with their individual projects and what information we should include that would specifically help them. With their input, I was able to provide all that and more, covering everything from basic information that helps new authors to marketing strategies for seasoned writers. When the reviews were positive and the book continued to sell well, I knew I’d achieved my goals. Continue reading “Changing Your Title and Content AFTER Your Book Is Published”

Banned Article: Behind the Scenes at Indies Unlimited

martins spy postStephen Hise and KS Brooks are off for the holidays so for once I’m able to submit an article without it being subject to their extreme vetting. This is the article you weren’t supposed to read. Finally I can tell the truth about what really happens here, and the rumors that have been circulating for months can be confirmed. So, please save this article on your hard drive. Once Hise and Brooks are back online denials like you haven’t heard since Rob Ford was caught on the pipe will be forthcoming. I guarantee you. Things happen here that will blow your mind, and even though we’re threatened, I mean told to “keep it all in the family”, I’m going to take a risk and break rank. Buckle up, here come the facts. Continue reading “Banned Article: Behind the Scenes at Indies Unlimited”