Audiobooks on YouTube Experiment and SURPRISE Announcement | M.K. Williams Self-Published Audiobooks M.K. Williams 2023-12-06 | Back in late 2022, I had just self-published Interview with a #Vanlifer and I had to go right into launch mode for the Author Your Ambition workbook. I have set it as a goal, a mission, that all my books will have an audiobook. As a means of accessibility, this is important to me. But with a toddler and a book launch, I didn’t have time to narrate this short story, even if it was only an hour long. So I used the Google Play auto narration function. (Yes, I know AI is evil, but the person who was out of a narration job, in this case, was …myself, and I needed the time back to do other things.)[time out, okay I did have a dream of hiring Christian Slater to narrate this, but I’m assuming he is out of my price range. Given the royalties on a 99-cent short story about eco vampires which is hard to place in the correct categories on Amazon because it's not horror but it is vampires, I’m assuming he is out of my price range. A woman at NINC did suggest reaching out and saying “ok let's have all the profits go to your favorite charity” which I love, but he should also be paid for his time. So Christian, if this finds you and you want to help me create an even better edition of this audiobook and get you a good rate that an indie author like me can afford and support Global Green of your other initiatives, let’s talk]And now it is the end of 2023 and I have some time. So I recorded the human-narrated version. It is now available in all the places you find great audiobooks. But I still have the AI version.And I’ve been meaning to test adding my audiobooks to YouTube … soooSurprise!!You can now listen to an Interview with a #Vanlifer narrated by me or by the Google Autonarration on my channel. Right now. A few things:I would love your feedback. Both are short, only an hourish so please let me know what you think of the difference. Please please please leave a review or rating on Goodreads. This will help more people find the story in all formats. And you’re listening for free sooo. I’m also including another short story narrated by an actual professional voice actor. Remember Lisa Negron, she was on my channel a while ago. She narrated Escaping Avila Chase. I’ve added that one too. I’m doing a bit of an experiment. So Interview with a #Vanlifer is one long video. Escaping Avila Chase is broken up into small videos. I want to see which one does better. I know it isn’t a true test, but I’m curious. I’m tinkering with the idea of adding the first chapter of my full-length novels as well. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.Okay, that’s it. Happy listening folks!!Interview with a #Vanlifer Audible: audible.com/pd/Interview-with-a-Vanlifer-Audiobook/B0CP6MVP6MInterview with a #Vanlifer Libro.FM: https://libro.fm/audiobooks/9781952084355Interview with a #Vanlifer Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/6r9cDiTHlmpOJ5LOACuol2YouTube Version of the Audiobook:AI-Narrated: youtube.com/watch?v=OVekaVgCDYEM.K. Narrated: youtube.com/watch?v=ptczvKOeAfk Escaping Avila Chase Audiobook on YouTube: youtube.com/watch?v=YOnfvLR28Ms&list=PL5wG4jOiELp0fxUIuCWEsufn9HRnkniPvJoin this channel to get access to perks:youtube.com/channel/UCjvBO4kjuBSYe6Bi3RYQAQA/joinMusic from: Wondershare Filmora Sounds: "Something Cheer You Up"How You Can Support This Channel and My Work: 👍Like, Subscribe, and Comment on this video!✉️Subscribe to my monthly newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/52c7cd246b5b/authoryourambition➕Follow me on my other channels: FB | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreadsfacebook.com/1mkwilliamstwitter.com/1mkwilliamsinstagram.com/1mkwilliams goodreads.com/author/show/14420756.M_K_Williams ☕️Buy Me A Coffee: buymeacoffee.com/1mkwilliams📚Check out my books and purchase them or request them at your library: 1mkwilliams.com or payhip.com/MKWilliamsPublishingLLC Author Your Ambition Merch on Etsy:📖etsy.com/shop/AuthorYourAmbitionPartnership Opportunities:Interested in working together to collaborate on an upcoming video? Let's connect: http://authoryourambition.com/partnership-opportunitiesDISCLAIMER: Links included in this description might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with the links that I provide I may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you, but it can help me continue to create and put out more content. Thank you for supporting my channel so I can continue to provide you with free content each week!
Should I join ALLi (Alliance of Independent Authors ) | Self-Publishing Professional Organization M.K. Williams 2024-10-16 | The Alliance of Independent Authors is a professional organization for self-publishing authors or author publishers or indie authors. Whatever name you call yourself, they will accept you. @AllianceofIndependentAuthors They have three membership tiers: Associate - you have not self-published yet but you are working toward that.Author - that’s my levelAuthorpreneur - this is for those who have way more books out than I do and make way more money on their books than I do. I pay $119 a year for this membership.And y’all know I”m frugal. If I don’t have to pay for something, I won’t. Royalties are razor thin. So if I am investing in this, that’s a pretty good indicator that it is worth it. When I first signed up in 2020? 2021? I had one specific reason. The IngramSpark upload and revision codes. So back then you had to pay to upload to IngramSpark AND to revise files. That was expensive for me who has over a dozen books that occasionally need updates or new editions. And i was releasing 2 books a year too. So it got expensive. The savings from this one benefit more than paid for my membership. What I also got from the membership that I hadn’t counted on, was fantastic. I was able to join the members only forum which used to be on Facebook, it is now on a private site. It is so helpful. Every time there have been new terms and conditions from different platforms or some issue in the self-publshing world, I go to that forum to see ‘what level of panicked should I be? Is ALLi on it?’ Because they advocate for indies. Individually we get nowhere negotiating terms, but ALLi can come to the table and say, ‘excuse me, I represent a lot of authors who make a lot of money for you, we need to talk about these new terms.” And they do a great job with this. They have a watchdog list of individuals or businesses that maybe have less than above board practices. They also have a directory of partners they have vetted and approved. As an indie author we get spam emails all the time for companies promising this or that. As an ALLi member I can double check before I engage with a company. Big time and money savings. Also I was able to give a presentation at SelfPubCon. And there is a certain ‘oh you’ve joined this professional organization’ you’re taking this seriously. I have to think it helped nudge me to get a speaking opportunity with NINC. It has made it easier to pitch myself on podcasts. They have eBooks on different specific items like getting books options, childrens books, just a vast library of niche knowledge. Overall, I think it is absolutely worth the investment. And there are benefits they offer that I haven’t made use of because I haven’t needed. But you may find those these beneficial. So I thnk you should check it out. I do have a link below you can click on to sign up: ALLi: allianceindependentauthors.org/?affid=11329Join this channel to get access to perks:youtube.com/channel/UCjvBO4kjuBSYe6Bi3RYQAQA/joinMusic from: Wondershare Filmora Sounds: "Something Cheer You Up"Stock video and images from Wondershare Filmora and PexelsHow You Can Support This Channel and My Work: 👍Like, Subscribe, and Comment on this video!✉️Subscribe to my monthly newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/52c7cd246b5b/authoryourambition➕Follow me on my other channels: FB | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreadsfacebook.com/1mkwilliamstwitter.com/1mkwilliamsinstagram.com/1mkwilliams goodreads.com/author/show/14420756.M_K_Williams ☕️Buy Me A Coffee: buymeacoffee.com/1mkwilliams📚Check out my books and purchase them or request them at your library: 1mkwilliams.com or payhip.com/MKWilliamsPublishingLLC Author Your Ambition Merch on Etsy:📖etsy.com/shop/AuthorYourAmbitionPartnership Opportunities:Interested in working together to collaborate on an upcoming video? Let's connect: http://authoryourambition.com/partnership-opportunitiesDISCLAIMER: Links included in this description might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with the links that I provide I may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you, but it can help me continue to create and put out more content. Thank you for supporting my channel so I can continue to provide you with free content each week!
I created an A.I. Audiobook, now where can I self-publish it? | Distribution options for A.I. Audio M.K. Williams 2024-10-09 | Audiobook Self-Publishing platformsACX/ Amazon KDP - Amazon KDP has an A.I. narrated audio beta. But it can only be used on Amazon. You can't upload A.I. audio files to other platforms.Google Play - you can upload audiobooks narrated by humans OR convert your ePub to an A.I. narrated audiobook. You can distribute to Findaway Voices or sell directly on your website. Apple Books - (direct, one for one publish to Apple Books) You can create an AI-narrated audiobook with their proprietary narration tools. Apple Books Narrated AI only. You can’t upload a book created by a different AI. Publish Drive - (aggregator) You can create an AI-narrated audiobook via the Apple Books technology when you upload your eBook. In general, the A.I. audiobooks produced for a fee on new platforms can't be uploaded to any of the established/existing self-publishing audiobook platforms. You can sell them directly, or you can publish to YouTube with them. *AS OF THE TIME THIS VIDEO WAS RECORDED*Join this channel to get access to perks:youtube.com/channel/UCjvBO4kjuBSYe6Bi3RYQAQA/joinMusic from: Wondershare Filmora Sounds: "Something Cheer You Up"Stock video and images from Wondershare Filmora and PexelsHow You Can Support This Channel and My Work: 👍Like, Subscribe, and Comment on this video!✉️Subscribe to my monthly newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/52c7cd246b5b/authoryourambition➕Follow me on my other channels: FB | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreadsfacebook.com/1mkwilliamstwitter.com/1mkwilliamsinstagram.com/1mkwilliams goodreads.com/author/show/14420756.M_K_Williams ☕️Buy Me A Coffee: buymeacoffee.com/1mkwilliams📚Check out my books and purchase them or request them at your library: 1mkwilliams.com or payhip.com/MKWilliamsPublishingLLC Author Your Ambition Merch on Etsy:📖etsy.com/shop/AuthorYourAmbitionPartnership Opportunities:Interested in working together to collaborate on an upcoming video? Let's connect: http://authoryourambition.com/partnership-opportunitiesDISCLAIMER: Links included in this description might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with the links that I provide I may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you, but it can help me continue to create and put out more content. Thank you for supporting my channel so I can continue to provide you with free content each week!
Scribbler Box Review | Unboxing Go Scribbler M.K. Williams 2024-10-02 | I got to try out another author's box! What are your thoughts about Scribbler? goscribbler.comJoin this channel to get access to perks:youtube.com/channel/UCjvBO4kjuBSYe6Bi3RYQAQA/joinMusic from: Wondershare Filmora Sounds: "Something Cheer You Up"Stock video and images from Wondershare Filmora and PexelsHow You Can Support This Channel and My Work: 👍Like, Subscribe, and Comment on this video!✉️Subscribe to my monthly newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/52c7cd246b5b/authoryourambition➕Follow me on my other channels: FB | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreadsfacebook.com/1mkwilliamstwitter.com/1mkwilliamsinstagram.com/1mkwilliams goodreads.com/author/show/14420756.M_K_Williams ☕️Buy Me A Coffee: buymeacoffee.com/1mkwilliams📚Check out my books and purchase them or request them at your library: 1mkwilliams.com or payhip.com/MKWilliamsPublishingLLC Author Your Ambition Merch on Etsy:📖etsy.com/shop/AuthorYourAmbitionPartnership Opportunities:Interested in working together to collaborate on an upcoming video? Let's connect: http://authoryourambition.com/partnership-opportunitiesDISCLAIMER: Links included in this description might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with the links that I provide I may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you, but it can help me continue to create and put out more content. Thank you for supporting my channel so I can continue to provide you with free content each week!
How to get my Audiobook on Spotify? | How to Self-Publish an Audiobook on Spotify | Findaway Voices M.K. Williams 2024-09-25 | Findaway Voices! That’s it! That’s how you self-publish your audiobook on Spotify. My audiobooks are on Spotify:How to Write Your First Novel : open.spotify.com/show/022NptaL0anrqsbaMRLW7lBook Marketing for the First-Time Author : open.spotify.com/show/4GIgvvT5slIPjw6zsG3K6uSelf-Publishing for the First-Time Author : open.spotify.com/show/33Zy8y4QDX7oAUfKesPy3DGoing Wide : open.spotify.com/show/3ApqAQL0FB6Vt9P3wx8RM5Nailbiters : open.spotify.com/show/3D0Pe7l07XGB6kdYKG70nLThe Infinite-Infinite : open.spotify.com/show/7tOBa81qQlp7buKJsRwHhOThe Alpha-Nina : open.spotify.com/show/7HsvjEYEJ7sSEuGcynMPnWEscaping Avila Chase : open.spotify.com/show/3nz698ajPO7MAGG6BhnxXMInterview with a #Vanlifer : open.spotify.com/show/6r9cDiTHlmpOJ5LOACuol2Join this channel to get access to perks:youtube.com/channel/UCjvBO4kjuBSYe6Bi3RYQAQA/joinMusic from: Wondershare Filmora Sounds: "Something Cheer You Up"Stock video and images from Wondershare Filmora and PexelsHow You Can Support This Channel and My Work: 👍Like, Subscribe, and Comment on this video!✉️Subscribe to my monthly newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/52c7cd246b5b/authoryourambition➕Follow me on my other channels: FB | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreadsfacebook.com/1mkwilliamstwitter.com/1mkwilliamsinstagram.com/1mkwilliams goodreads.com/author/show/14420756.M_K_Williams ☕️Buy Me A Coffee: buymeacoffee.com/1mkwilliams📚Check out my books and purchase them or request them at your library: 1mkwilliams.com or payhip.com/MKWilliamsPublishingLLC Author Your Ambition Merch on Etsy:📖etsy.com/shop/AuthorYourAmbitionPartnership Opportunities:Interested in working together to collaborate on an upcoming video? Let's connect: http://authoryourambition.com/partnership-opportunitiesDISCLAIMER: Links included in this description might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with the links that I provide I may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you, but it can help me continue to create and put out more content. Thank you for supporting my channel so I can continue to provide you with free content each week!
What are my auto-read books? The book tropes and niche subgenres I cannot get enough of!! M.K. Williams 2024-09-18 | Authors behaving badly/ things go off the rails (have read, up next)Have Read: The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz goodreads.com/book/show/55315487-the-plot Yellowface by R.F. Kuang goodreads.com/book/show/62047984-yellowface The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Delila Harris goodreads.com/book/show/55711688-the-other-black-girl Big concept alternate histories: Have ReadUnderground Airlines by Ben H Winters goodreads.com/book/show/32940838-underground-airlines The man in the high castle by Philip K Dick goodreads.com/book/show/216363.The_Man_in_the_High_Castle American royals series by Katharine McGee goodreads.com/book/show/43744300-american-royals Time travel/multiverse: Have ReadThe Shining Girls by Lauren Beukes goodreads.com/book/show/16131077-the-shining-girls Timeline by Michael Crichton goodreads.com/book/show/7669.Timeline 11/22/63 by Stephen King goodreads.com/book/show/10644930-11-22-63 Dystopian Women's Fiction:Have ReadA Handmaid's Tale by Margret Atwood goodreads.com/book/show/38447.The_Handmaid_s_Tale Vox by Christina Dalchar goodreads.com/book/show/37796866-vox When She Woke by Hilary Jordan goodreads.com/book/show/11045709-when-she-woke The School for Good Mothers by Jessamin Chan goodreads.com/book/show/57846320-the-school-for-good-mothers The Power by Naomi Alderman goodreads.com/book/show/29751398-the-power The Change by Kisten Millergoodreads.com/book/show/59030015-the-change What I’ve written in this genre: TOP SECRETClimate FictionHave readThe Great Transition by Nick Fuller Googins goodreads.com/book/show/62919387-the-great-transition Camp Zero by Michelle Min Sterling goodreads.com/book/show/61273342-camp-zero Romcoms with authors or books or bookish things involved (have read, up next) OR Sports RomanceHave ReadBookish / Writerly rom-comsThe Write Place by Allie Samberts goodreads.com/book/show/122230465-the-write-place Meet Me in the Margins by Melissa Ferguson goodreads.com/book/show/58429255-meet-me-in-the-margins Business or Pleasure by Rachel Lynn Solomon goodreads.com/book/show/62710608-business-or-pleasure The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston goodreads.com/book/show/58885776-the-dead-romantics The Roughest Draft by Emma Wibberly + Austin Seigemund-Broka goodreads.com/book/show/57933316-the-roughest-draft Book Lovers by Emily Henry goodreads.com/book/show/58690308-book-lovers Sports Rom ComsThe Cheat Sheet by Sarah Adams goodreads.com/book/show/58100280-the-cheat-sheet The Deal by Elle Kennedy goodreads.com/book/show/45484397-the-deal Anything at a prep school Anything set at an elite prep school - mystery, thriller, ya, lit fic, you name it. If a prep school is involved I'm gonna read it Have ReadPrep by Curtis Sittenheld goodreads.com/book/show/9844.Prep The Ivies by Alexa Donne goodreads.com/book/show/48896122-the-ivies @AlexaDonne They Wish They Were Us by Jessica Goodman goodreads.com/book/show/48717442-they-wish-they-were-us I Have Some Questions for You by Rebecca Makkai goodreads.com/book/show/61053829-i-have-some-questions-for-you Add me onGoodreads: goodreads.com/author/show/14420756.M_K_Williams StoryGraph: app.thestorygraph.com/profile/mkwilliams Music from: Wondershare Filmora Sounds: "Something Cheer You Up"Stock video and images from Wondershare Filmora and PexelsHow You Can Support This Channel and My Work: 👍Like, Subscribe, and Comment on this video!✉️Subscribe to my monthly newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/52c7cd246b5b/authoryourambition➕Follow me on my other channels: FB | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreadsfacebook.com/1mkwilliamstwitter.com/1mkwilliamsinstagram.com/1mkwilliams goodreads.com/author/show/14420756.M_K_Williams ☕️Buy Me A Coffee: buymeacoffee.com/1mkwilliams📚Check out my books and purchase them or request them at your library: 1mkwilliams.com or payhip.com/MKWilliamsPublishingLLC Author Your Ambition Merch on Etsy:📖etsy.com/shop/AuthorYourAmbitionPartnership Opportunities:Interested in working together to collaborate on an upcoming video? Let's connect: http://authoryourambition.com/partnership-opportunitiesDISCLAIMER: Links included in this description might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with the links that I provide I may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you, but it can help me continue to create and put out more content. Thank you for supporting my channel so I can continue to provide you with free content each week!
Used Books Monthly - Unboxing and Review M.K. Williams 2024-09-11 | First of all, I love being able to reuse or rehome books. So when I was looking at different book subscriptions I loved the idea of these books getting a new home instead of a new book being printed. I like the environmental benefit there. Also the team there has been super super friendly and helpful. Since these are used books I was able to pick one umbrella genre for my order. So I picked SciFi. They had several other major categories available as well. Surprise Me - The fact that you can do a surprise me option is pretty cool. General Fiction Romance Action/Adventure/Thriller Mystery Fantasy/Science Fiction Biography History Animals/Nature Travel/Geography Business/Finance Sports Religion/Spirituality Self-Help / InspirationalYou can get 1, 2, or 4 books per month. They sent me the box with 4 books, the 1 or 2 book orders come in a bubble mailer. Subscribe to get your rehomed books too: usedbooksmonthly.com What book subscriptions do you have? Which ones do you think I should try? Have you read any of these books before? Let me know below!Join this channel to get access to perks:youtube.com/channel/UCjvBO4kjuBSYe6Bi3RYQAQA/joinMusic from: Wondershare Filmora Sounds: "Something Cheer You Up"Stock video and images from Wondershare Filmora and PexelsHow You Can Support This Channel and My Work: 👍Like, Subscribe, and Comment on this video!✉️Subscribe to my monthly newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/52c7cd246b5b/authoryourambition➕Follow me on my other channels: FB | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreadsfacebook.com/1mkwilliamstwitter.com/1mkwilliamsinstagram.com/1mkwilliams goodreads.com/author/show/14420756.M_K_Williams ☕️Buy Me A Coffee: buymeacoffee.com/1mkwilliams📚Check out my books and purchase them or request them at your library: 1mkwilliams.com or payhip.com/MKWilliamsPublishingLLC Author Your Ambition Merch on Etsy:📖etsy.com/shop/AuthorYourAmbitionPartnership Opportunities:Interested in working together to collaborate on an upcoming video? Let's connect: http://authoryourambition.com/partnership-opportunitiesDISCLAIMER: Links included in this description might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with the links that I provide I may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you, but it can help me continue to create and put out more content. Thank you for supporting my channel so I can continue to provide you with free content each week!
What if you DON’T want to do a pre-order? How do you set up your Amazon KDP and IngramSpark? M.K. Williams 2024-09-04 | This is a scenario I don’t talk about often because it isn’t part of my strategy. But it may be part of yours. A while back an author friend of mine reached out. She had her eBook on preorder through Amazon KDP. She planned to have her print book on KDP and IngramSpark. She asked me how to NOT do a pre-order with IngramSpark. For a previous book, she had issues with the IngramSPark listing on Amazon not getting to readers in time and she only wanted the print book to release on publication date. In this case, my initial response was to only set the publication date for the print book in IngramSpark. As I’ve talked about before in IngramSpark to set a print preorder (paperback or hardcover) you need to set both the publication date and street date as the same date. Why can’t it just say I want to do a preorder check yes or no? No idea. Amazon KDP makes this super clear for eBook preorders. Anyway, after chatting with her a bit I realized:If you only want the Amazon listing for the print to show up on release day, then you don’t need IngramSpark for Amazon distribution. So don’t sign that agreement. Or, contact IS customer support and ask that all of your Amazon distribution be stopped. If you are using KDP for your books to be listed on Amazon then you never need to distribute to Amazon via IngramSpark. Problem solved. KDP handles all your Amazon needs, so no worries about issues there. Then IS handles only the wid distro. Again, this is a solution if you don’t want a print preorder for your book on Amazon.com. If you do, then check out my other videos on how to set up pre-orders that I will link up here and below. Allie’s Book:amazon.com/Common-Grounds-Romantic-Allie-Samberts-ebook/dp/B0D17XFK31goodreads.com/book/show/211097200-common-groundsJoin this channel to get access to perks:youtube.com/channel/UCjvBO4kjuBSYe6Bi3RYQAQA/joinMusic from: Wondershare Filmora Sounds: "Something Cheer You Up"Stock video and images from Wondershare Filmora and PexelsHow You Can Support This Channel and My Work: 👍Like, Subscribe, and Comment on this video!✉️Subscribe to my monthly newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/52c7cd246b5b/authoryourambition➕Follow me on my other channels: FB | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreadsfacebook.com/1mkwilliamstwitter.com/1mkwilliamsinstagram.com/1mkwilliams goodreads.com/author/show/14420756.M_K_Williams ☕️Buy Me A Coffee: buymeacoffee.com/1mkwilliams📚Check out my books and purchase them or request them at your library: 1mkwilliams.com or payhip.com/MKWilliamsPublishingLLC Author Your Ambition Merch on Etsy:📖etsy.com/shop/AuthorYourAmbitionPartnership Opportunities:Interested in working together to collaborate on an upcoming video? Let's connect: http://authoryourambition.com/partnership-opportunitiesDISCLAIMER: Links included in this description might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with the links that I provide I may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you, but it can help me continue to create and put out more content. Thank you for supporting my channel so I can continue to provide you with free content each week!
MS Word Read Aloud Function Catches Typos! Author Tip! #authortips M.K. Williams 2024-09-03 | Yesterday I posted to my instagram about how using the MS Word Read Aloud function helped me to find typos I would easily read over. I had so many DMs about this.This is how to find this function is MS Word and how it can help you polish your latest draft.
Best Practices for Selling Books Direct at Local Markets with Harriet Ashford M.K. Williams 2024-08-28 | Direct sales for books can be an amazing way to earn a higher royalty for the author AND build a solid connection with your fans/community. Selling at a market you may not make as much before the table has a fee and there are other costs associated. But you can still connect with fans. Let’s hear about Harriet’s top tips!Volume of books: keep in mind how much you are willing to cart/carry in and then back out. Even with a sell-out, the shelving and other items still have to be carted home.Cookies! Yes. I see why she had a professional baker prepare these for her. I think a nice classic chocolate chip from your grocery bakery section is good. But if you want to be extra fancy, go for it. My experience at FinCon 2019 - not a market, a conference with a lot of attendees being authors. Used the conference app and closed FB page to promote my time at the boothBaked cookies at my Airbnb for purchasers and brought candyHad both the stripe card reader AND cash on handI love that Harriet has the add-on products. Even if they didn’t sell they rounded out the look of the table. If you don’t have these extras, it’s okay. Some of them may be higher or lower-margin items depending on what makes the most sense for your book and budget.Harriet will be at Ink and Indie in Chestertown, Maryland on October 5th.http://harrietashfordwriter.comtiktok.com/@harrietashfordwriter instagram.com/harrietashfordwriter My upcoming markets - eh, still not going out and doing much. Focused on being a mom and then an author. But YOU can still get signed copies from me on my website or order a bookplate to make your copy a signed one. The cost literally covers the envelope and stamp. What other questions do you have? What more do you want to see on this channel?Join this channel to get access to perks:youtube.com/channel/UCjvBO4kjuBSYe6Bi3RYQAQA/joinMusic from: Wondershare Filmora Sounds: "Something Cheer You Up"Stock video and images from Wondershare Filmora and PexelsHow You Can Support This Channel and My Work: 👍Like, Subscribe, and Comment on this video!✉️Subscribe to my monthly newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/52c7cd246b5b/authoryourambition➕Follow me on my other channels: FB | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreadsfacebook.com/1mkwilliamstwitter.com/1mkwilliamsinstagram.com/1mkwilliams goodreads.com/author/show/14420756.M_K_Williams ☕️Buy Me A Coffee: buymeacoffee.com/1mkwilliams📚Check out my books and purchase them or request them at your library: 1mkwilliams.com or payhip.com/MKWilliamsPublishingLLC Author Your Ambition Merch on Etsy:📖etsy.com/shop/AuthorYourAmbitionPartnership Opportunities:Interested in working together to collaborate on an upcoming video? Let's connect: http://authoryourambition.com/partnership-opportunitiesDISCLAIMER: Links included in this description might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with the links that I provide I may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you, but it can help me continue to create and put out more content. Thank you for supporting my channel so I can continue to provide you with free content each week!
How Taylor Swifts Clara Bow teaches us about Comp Titles for Books | Book Comps for Authors M.K. Williams 2024-08-21 | In @TaylorSwift 's Clara Bow, she opens each verse comparing an ingenue to a big star. So Clara Bow was the first movie star, it girl of silent movies. Then she is comparing someone to Stevie Nicks. Then she ends by comparing someone to herself. Taylor has said that this song was inspired by when she started out being told “oh you look like X female singer” or “You’ve got the sound of this person.” And now she is saying she knows people are coming up trying to be the next her. What we as authors can take from this, is that entertainment is a business. Book Publishing is a business. As much as we all want to be unique unicorns, it can be tough for an agent, a traditional publisher, or even a reader to know what to expect from our books if it is comparable to nothing. There is a maxim that I couldn’t find the original attribution for, many people have echoed the message so it is now a universal truth. But every story HAS already been told. At least the framework. It is the unique spin we put on it that makes it exciting. So today let’s talk about comps or comparable titles. These can obviously be other books. But you can also compare movies, shows, songs, comics, and video games. One word of caution is to not use canon. This was a big tip I heard over and over when I was querying. So the book my agent and I have been working on is near-future dystopian women’s fiction. In my mind, I wanted to compare it to The Handmaid’s Tale. Because that is the book you probably all thought of when I said near-future dystopian women’s fiction. But everyone who writes stories like that wants to compare themselves to The Handmaid’s Tale so doing that literally would have told my agent nothing, other than that I had a big ego to think to compare myself to such a huge story. So when I queried my book I compared it to The School for Good Mothers by Jessamin Chan and The Change by Kirsten Miller. Both are newer books and while The School for Good Mothers was a huge success, and still sells well, it isn’t considered canon yet. Another example would be if you write ya fantasy romance and compare your book to Twilight. MMhhmmm. Every book in that genre written since could be compared to Twilight. Dig deeper. Same for high fantasy. Don’t compare to Lord of the Rings. Show that you’ve read a lot in your niche to be able to make these comparisons. Let’s give it a try for some of my books: Nailbiters and Architects: Stephen King’s The Stand meets The Last of Us. AKA if you like apocalyptic tales where most of humanity has been wiped out and the remaining people have to survive in different challenging circumstances - you’re going to like this book or t this series. The Infinite-Infinite and The Alpha-Nina: Dark Matter by Blake Crouch + NBC’s TimelessInterview with a #Vanlifer: Satire of Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice with the Spoken history elements of Daisy Jones and the Six by TJRTry this with your book. Leave a comment below on what two comps your books are.Join this channel to get access to perks:youtube.com/channel/UCjvBO4kjuBSYe6Bi3RYQAQA/joinMusic from: Wondershare Filmora Sounds: "Something Cheer You Up"Stock video and images from Wondershare Filmora and PexelsHow You Can Support This Channel and My Work: 👍Like, Subscribe, and Comment on this video!✉️Subscribe to my monthly newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/52c7cd246b5b/authoryourambition➕Follow me on my other channels: FB | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreadsfacebook.com/1mkwilliamstwitter.com/1mkwilliamsinstagram.com/1mkwilliams goodreads.com/author/show/14420756.M_K_Williams ☕️Buy Me A Coffee: buymeacoffee.com/1mkwilliams📚Check out my books and purchase them or request them at your library: 1mkwilliams.com or payhip.com/MKWilliamsPublishingLLC Author Your Ambition Merch on Etsy:📖etsy.com/shop/AuthorYourAmbitionPartnership Opportunities:Interested in working together to collaborate on an upcoming video? Let's connect: http://authoryourambition.com/partnership-opportunitiesDISCLAIMER: Links included in this description might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with the links that I provide I may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you, but it can help me continue to create and put out more content. Thank you for supporting my channel so I can continue to provide you with free content each week!
Can I see an eProof of my book from IngramSpark after I have approved it? M.K. Williams 2024-08-20 | Yes, you can still download an eProof of your print book on IngramSpark whenever you need to. This can be very helpful if you want to make sure the correct version in indeed live. Navigate to your list of titles.Click on the title.At the top, you will see "Basic Info" and "Print Info"Click on "Print Info"You will see a button pop up to "Generate eProof"That easy!What other questions do you have about IngramSpark?
What to do if you find an error on your IngramSpark eProof #selfpublishing #ingramspark M.K. Williams 2024-08-15 | I see a lot of questions about this. Whether you have found an typo in the content, you selected the wrong PDF, you have issues with how the cover looks:When you get the eProof email or notification from IngramSpark, here is what you need to do:1. Review the document2. In your IngramSpark Dashboard under pending approvals you have 4 choices:A. Approve for distributionB. Approve without distributionC. I do not approve files, I have new files to uploadD. I do not approve files, contact IngramSpark about itIf you DO NOT approve the files, then either:1. Select one of the do not approve options and upload the files right away2. If you don't have the updated files yet, close out of everything and don't go back in until you have the revised files to uploadYou also get a 60 day grace period from IngramSpark where there is no revision fee.
Writer’s Block Box from Author by Design | Unboxing Video M.K. Williams 2024-08-14 | Connie from Author by Design is super helpful. They have no one the Writer’s Block Box but lots of cute author tumblers so, check that out too: writersblockboxes.comIf you want to subscribe to this box AND support this channel, you can use my affiliate link: https://invi.tt/H5NUDo you use any of these items to help with your writing? What is the number one item or activity that keeps you on task or helps beat writer’s block? Join this channel to get access to perks:youtube.com/channel/UCjvBO4kjuBSYe6Bi3RYQAQA/joinMusic from: Wondershare Filmora Sounds: "Something Cheer You Up"Stock video and images from Wondershare Filmora and PexelsHow You Can Support This Channel and My Work: 👍Like, Subscribe, and Comment on this video!✉️Subscribe to my monthly newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/52c7cd246b5b/authoryourambition➕Follow me on my other channels: FB | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreadsfacebook.com/1mkwilliamstwitter.com/1mkwilliamsinstagram.com/1mkwilliams goodreads.com/author/show/14420756.M_K_Williams ☕️Buy Me A Coffee: buymeacoffee.com/1mkwilliams📚Check out my books and purchase them or request them at your library: 1mkwilliams.com or payhip.com/MKWilliamsPublishingLLC Author Your Ambition Merch on Etsy:📖etsy.com/shop/AuthorYourAmbitionPartnership Opportunities:Interested in working together to collaborate on an upcoming video? Let's connect: http://authoryourambition.com/partnership-opportunitiesDISCLAIMER: Links included in this description might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with the links that I provide I may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you, but it can help me continue to create and put out more content. Thank you for supporting my channel so I can continue to provide you with free content each week!
What to do when your cover designer or book formatter closes their business! M.K. Williams 2024-08-07 | So this EXACT situation happened to me: my trusted formatter and cover designer went out of business. The company I used, recommended to clients, and you all, closed shop. So what did I do and what should you do if this happens to you? Eventually, we all retire. Maybe someone was freelancing for cover design and book formatting and then realized they needed a more stable income, or health insurance, or just didn’t like entrepreneurial life. Whatever the reason, they’re no longer in business. But you as an author are. So what do you need to do? First and foremost, recognize this ISN’T about you. There could be some serious reasons for this change and it likely wasn’t an easy decision. Don’t antagonize this person or company, don’t tell them they are ruining your book launch. Don’t be a jerk. Be professional. Make sure you understand when work will stop. Is this an immediate no more work being done situation? Or will they finish out your contract? You need to understand firm deadlines and if they are stopping work and you are mid-project ask about a partial refund. In every instance, ask for your source files. Whether they just started a project for you, just finished, or this is from a project you did years ago, you need your source files. Even to make one small text edit, it’s better to have the working files packaged with images and fonts (tech designer lingo) than having to reformat the WHOLE THING.Once you have these source files, save them in two places. One on a hard drive and one on the cloud. ALWAYS have a backup. Now you can start to plan for next steps. Who will be your next formatter or cover designer? Can you hire them to make tweaks to existing files if needed? This is one of the not fun parts of being an indie author but you’ll get through it. 100 Covers: http://100covers.com/?ref=49Join this channel to get access to perks:youtube.com/channel/UCjvBO4kjuBSYe6Bi3RYQAQA/joinMusic from: Wondershare Filmora Sounds: "Something Cheer You Up"Stock video and images from Wondershare Filmora and PexelsHow You Can Support This Channel and My Work: 👍Like, Subscribe, and Comment on this video!✉️Subscribe to my monthly newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/52c7cd246b5b/authoryourambition➕Follow me on my other channels: FB | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreadsfacebook.com/1mkwilliamstwitter.com/1mkwilliamsinstagram.com/1mkwilliams goodreads.com/author/show/14420756.M_K_Williams ☕️Buy Me A Coffee: buymeacoffee.com/1mkwilliams📚Check out my books and purchase them or request them at your library: 1mkwilliams.com or payhip.com/MKWilliamsPublishingLLC Author Your Ambition Merch on Etsy:📖etsy.com/shop/AuthorYourAmbitionPartnership Opportunities:Interested in working together to collaborate on an upcoming video? Let's connect: http://authoryourambition.com/partnership-opportunitiesDISCLAIMER: Links included in this description might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with the links that I provide I may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you, but it can help me continue to create and put out more content. Thank you for supporting my channel so I can continue to provide you with free content each week!
Book Brush Hourly Concepts | A+ Content and BookBub Ad Designs M.K. Williams 2024-07-31 | Catching you up in case you missed the earlier video: Announced this experiment in the spring. So BookBrush has been a Canva-like alternative for authors because it has book mock-ups, and stickers for book retailers. Very specific and helpful for authors. There is a free version and a premium. I use the pro level and it is amazing. It is super easy to use. They have recently launched a social media management which is pricey, but it would be a person managing my social presence as an author. So high value, high touch. If you’ve been following me for a while, you know I’m FRUGAL. So I don’t like to spend money, and I especially don’t like spending money on non-ROI items. But, in talking with Kathleen who is the COO of BookBrush and one of the nicest people you will ever meet, you underscored that sometimes as an author or business owner, not every investment has a clear ROI. So, I found the Hourly Concepts that BookBrush offers. So you get so many hours a month and their team of designers makes the digital assets for you. So you can DIY it on BookBrush and it looks good. Or you can work with their team and it looks great. So you all voted on what elements I would test out so you can try them before you buy with me. Based on the votes The winner was A+ Content. But I also wanted to try a few other things so I got:A+ Content for The Infinite-InfiniteBookBub Ad The Infinite-Infinite, Nailbiters, and Interview with a #VanliferI wanted to see both direct response marketing assets and branding assets. ROI may not always be there, but it looked way better than anything I could have done on my own. 5 hours at $150, getting the 5-hour package saved me a bit instead of getting one hour at a time. Submit one project at a time. The team was responsive and I got notifications to confirm the job was submitted. I got a notification when it was ready to review and download. In terms of the quality of the product and the look, they crushed it. Communication was great. I’d say each project was done within 48 hours. Which was awesome. Overall, I would recommend working with them. If you are busy writing your next book and don’t have the creative bandwidth to create these assets on your own, this was an excellent service. What else do you want to see me test out for you? (Keep in mind, I spend my own money to test these items so I can be unbiased in my review. So if you want more marketing experiments, hit that Thank You button or check out my Buy Me A Coffee Wishlist.)BookBrush Hourly Concepts bookbrush.com/hourly-concepts BookBrush Social Media Management bookbrush.com/social-media-management M.K. Buy Me A Coffee buymeacoffee.com/1mkwilliams Join this channel to get access to perks:youtube.com/channel/UCjvBO4kjuBSYe6Bi3RYQAQA/joinMusic from: Wondershare Filmora Sounds: "Something Cheer You Up"Stock video and images from Wondershare Filmora and PexelsHow You Can Support This Channel and My Work: 👍Like, Subscribe, and Comment on this video!✉️Subscribe to my monthly newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/52c7cd246b5b/authoryourambition➕Follow me on my other channels: FB | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreadsfacebook.com/1mkwilliamstwitter.com/1mkwilliamsinstagram.com/1mkwilliams goodreads.com/author/show/14420756.M_K_Williams ☕️Buy Me A Coffee: buymeacoffee.com/1mkwilliams📚Check out my books and purchase them or request them at your library: 1mkwilliams.com or payhip.com/MKWilliamsPublishingLLC Author Your Ambition Merch on Etsy:📖etsy.com/shop/AuthorYourAmbitionPartnership Opportunities:Interested in working together to collaborate on an upcoming video? Let's connect: http://authoryourambition.com/partnership-opportunitiesDISCLAIMER: Links included in this description might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with the links that I provide I may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you, but it can help me continue to create and put out more content. Thank you for supporting my channel so I can continue to provide you with free content each week!
Goodreads vs. Storygraph : Which app is better for logging books read and tracking TBR? M.K. Williams 2024-07-24 | I mentioned in my TBR or personal update video at the end of last year that I use Goodreads and until there is a legitimate competitor it will stay that way. A few people commented that Storygraph is getting better by the day and it is easy to transfer reading data. So I decided to give it a try. Here’s what happened. First thing, I had to sign up with Storygraph and transfer my data. I waited until I finished one book but before I logged starting another so it was a clean transfer. I didn’t know what to expect. As a reader-Not all the books I read have been on Storygraph, especially the indie books. As an indie author, I read other indie authors. Not being able to accurately track my reading or having to jump through hoops is not what I’m here for. -I really like the graphs and charts. I’m a nerd. As an author-Started on Feb 1, waiting for Goodreads to import. They did this within an hour, yay!I looked up my books first, some have data, and some don't (missing page counts or covers). It looks like whichever people reviewed my book on Goodreads, if they exported and then imported it to Storygraph the reviews are showing through. -My books DID have missing info but all my books were there. So I submitted tickets to correct issues. -There is no author dashboard for me to see how many reviews each book has, to read counts, etc. Overall, I don’t love maintaining both. I can see the potential in Storygraph to take off if they made it more author-friendly and easier to add new indie books to the catalog. What are your thoughts?Buy Me A Coffee: buymeacoffee.com/1mkwilliams Add me onGoodreads: goodreads.com/author/show/14420756.M_K_Williams StoryGraph: app.thestorygraph.com/profile/mkwilliams Join this channel to get access to perks:youtube.com/channel/UCjvBO4kjuBSYe6Bi3RYQAQA/joinMusic from: Wondershare Filmora Sounds: "Something Cheer You Up"Stock video and images from Wondershare Filmora and PexelsHow You Can Support This Channel and My Work: 👍Like, Subscribe, and Comment on this video!✉️Subscribe to my monthly newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/52c7cd246b5b/authoryourambition➕Follow me on my other channels: FB | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreadsfacebook.com/1mkwilliamstwitter.com/1mkwilliamsinstagram.com/1mkwilliams goodreads.com/author/show/14420756.M_K_Williams ☕️Buy Me A Coffee: buymeacoffee.com/1mkwilliams📚Check out my books and purchase them or request them at your library: 1mkwilliams.com or payhip.com/MKWilliamsPublishingLLC Author Your Ambition Merch on Etsy:📖etsy.com/shop/AuthorYourAmbitionPartnership Opportunities:Interested in working together to collaborate on an upcoming video? Let's connect: http://authoryourambition.com/partnership-opportunitiesDISCLAIMER: Links included in this description might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with the links that I provide I may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you, but it can help me continue to create and put out more content. Thank you for supporting my channel so I can continue to provide you with free content each week!
Order of Operations for ISBN, LCCN, Barcode, and Copyright M.K. Williams 2024-07-20 | This is the order I use when I self-publish a book:1. ISBN2. LCCN (I apply for both ISBN and LCCN at the same time at least 6 weeks prior to upload)3. Barcode4. Copyright
Author PR and Bookstagram Tours : Do They Work? Are They Worth It? Hayling Bookstorm Author P.R. M.K. Williams 2024-07-17 | I signed up for an ARC for Harriet Ashford’s debut romance, The Trouble with Love and Ink. Everything for her ARC team ran through Hayley. So after I finished my ARC and told Harriet how much I loved it, I asked about her experience working with Hayley. Because I was curious. Could I revive some interest for Interview with a #Vanlifer. I lost so much mojo and momentum when we had to evacuate from Hurricane Ian the week before the launch. It felt wrong and kind of icky to talk about my climate fiction novella after a hurricane that intensified because of hotter gulf waters that just decimated Fort Myers. There didn’t seem to be a way to spin it that wasn’t cringe. And then I had to focus on the AYA Workbook launch. So if I could give my hippy vampires some love, I was all for it. Back when I self-published my very first book, Nailbiters, I did a blog tour. A woman organized it for free and she set up 5 book bloggers to review the book. They were all amazing reviews and this was super exciting, but I wasn’t sure how many extra sales came from it. Some for sure, but if you’ve been following this channel for a long time you know I made all my mistakes in book 1. I charged so little that I had no hope of recouping any investment into another round of her tour service. But I know they CAN work. So I decided to bite the bullet. If this doesn’t work or generate sales then hey, I tried, and I can at least make a video about it and recoup some of the investment with what I earn on this video. I reached out to Hayley on April 3rd. She got back to me right away. Answered all of my questions. And we signed our control on April 4th. Already a huge win in my book for us to work fast. She specifically has packages for already published books. So you can work with her prelaunch or do what I’m doing for a book relaunch or revival. Which I love because so many authors are strapped for cash when it comes time to launch or they lose momentum or they don’t know what they didn’t know. She started collecting review signups on April 6, and they closed on April 11. Total number of reviewers on the team: 20This felt so small out of the 200+ reviewers on her team. But these readers are self-selecting. I’d rather have 20 rave reviewers than a hundred who never read or rate it. The readers who signed on posted when they started reading, posted thoughtful reviews, and the images and reviews they posted on Instagram amplified my limited reach. Hayley followed up on time and did the work she said she would. I think if I were launching a new book, especially a romance or a thriller, I’d work with her from the outset to line up a street team and reviewers right away. Linkshaylingbookstorm.comHarriet’s Book: amazon.com/Trouble-Love-Ink-Harriet-Ashford-ebook/dp/B0CXYYMN7Xgoodreads.com/book/show/209828292-the-trouble-with-love-and-inkbuymeacoffee.com/1mkwilliamsJoin this channel to get access to perks:youtube.com/channel/UCjvBO4kjuBSYe6Bi3RYQAQA/joinMusic from: Wondershare Filmora Sounds: "Something Cheer You Up"Stock video and images from Wondershare Filmora and PexelsHow You Can Support This Channel and My Work: 👍Like, Subscribe, and Comment on this video!✉️Subscribe to my monthly newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/52c7cd246b5b/authoryourambition➕Follow me on my other channels: FB | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreadsfacebook.com/1mkwilliamstwitter.com/1mkwilliamsinstagram.com/1mkwilliams goodreads.com/author/show/14420756.M_K_Williams ☕️Buy Me A Coffee: buymeacoffee.com/1mkwilliams📚Check out my books and purchase them or request them at your library: 1mkwilliams.com or payhip.com/MKWilliamsPublishingLLC Author Your Ambition Merch on Etsy:📖etsy.com/shop/AuthorYourAmbitionPartnership Opportunities:Interested in working together to collaborate on an upcoming video? Let's connect: http://authoryourambition.com/partnership-opportunitiesDISCLAIMER: Links included in this description might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with the links that I provide I may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you, but it can help me continue to create and put out more content. Thank you for supporting my channel so I can continue to provide you with free content each week!
What is Ream for Authors? | Author Subscription and Recurring Royalty Service | Sell Books Directly M.K. Williams 2024-07-10 | My Ream: reamstories.com/mkwilliamsSign up for Ream: reamstories.com/create/mkwilliamsMore benefits for Authors: authors.reamstories.comJoin this channel to get access to perks:youtube.com/channel/UCjvBO4kjuBSYe6Bi3RYQAQA/joinMusic from: Wondershare Filmora Sounds: "Something Cheer You Up"Stock video and images from Wondershare Filmora and PexelsHow You Can Support This Channel and My Work: 👍Like, Subscribe, and Comment on this video!✉️Subscribe to my monthly newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/52c7cd246b5b/authoryourambition➕Follow me on my other channels: FB | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreadsfacebook.com/1mkwilliamstwitter.com/1mkwilliamsinstagram.com/1mkwilliams goodreads.com/author/show/14420756.M_K_Williams ☕️Buy Me A Coffee: buymeacoffee.com/1mkwilliams📚Check out my books and purchase them or request them at your library: 1mkwilliams.com or payhip.com/MKWilliamsPublishingLLC Author Your Ambition Merch on Etsy:📖etsy.com/shop/AuthorYourAmbitionPartnership Opportunities:Interested in working together to collaborate on an upcoming video? Let's connect: http://authoryourambition.com/partnership-opportunitiesDISCLAIMER: Links included in this description might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with the links that I provide I may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you, but it can help me continue to create and put out more content. Thank you for supporting my channel so I can continue to provide you with free content each week!
M.K. Williams - author and mompreneur update M.K. Williams 2024-07-03 | Personal - the roof project is here AND our upstairs neighbors are remodeling. So it’s LOUD. Imagine you have a boss who has no higher level reasoning or emotional self-regulation and then makes your workspace loud. That’s my life. My daughter is my daughter but is also my boss as a full-time mom so being the best sweetest mom is a daily challenge with a toddler. Like just put your shoes on. Then add the noise. There is a finite end date. But …So moving on from that stress, let’s talk about being a mompreneur.This phrase implies I am both a mom and an entrepreneur. And I still run a business. My books, this channel, are a business. But I have massively cut back. I’m not doing consults anymore, I’m not taking on clients. I knew my runway of guaranteed productivity would last as long as my toddler napped, and she has started to refuse those. She does quiet time, but she still is in that phase where she is testing the limits and pops out often and asks for water or something else. So it’s chaotic. My husband and I are having to get creative about when I can get work done and when we need to just be able to spend time together. And of late I’ve had a few people reach out saying “Can we connect?” “Can I steal a few minutes to catch up?” No. No, you may not. I don’t have a few minutes. If you can find them, sure, you can have them. So It’s frustrating because I feel like I’m losing touch with people, I’m not able to connect as well or as consistently, but I want to show up for my kid. But she’s a toddler and we’re dealing with the toddler stage which is frustrating at times. It feels like a losing battle to try to carve out time for my work and my business but I also don’t want to sacrifice time with her now because she is growing up so fast.And I still have people reaching out asking for help. People referred to me by my bigger name clients. And I feel like I’m missing out. I feel regret when I say no, I can’t help, here are some resources. But I have to say no. And now I’ve said it so much it feels like a default. I keep saying I built it once, and I can build it again when I have more time. But I wonder if I will want the same type of business when that time comes. Being a mompreneur is as rewarding and challenging as ever. Author updates: I have the first draft of my next book done. By the time you see this, I’ll likely have the second or even third draft done. So subscribe here and to my newsletter for updates. But it is unhinged and the darkest thing I’ve ever written so… get ready for it. Okay, those are my updates. Author Your Ambition Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/52c7cd246b5b/authoryourambitionFiction Updates Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/6f9b4c7ce458/readersubscribeBuy Me A Coffee: buymeacoffee.com/1mkwilliamsJoin this channel to get access to perks:youtube.com/channel/UCjvBO4kjuBSYe6Bi3RYQAQA/joinMusic from: Wondershare Filmora Sounds: "Something Cheer You Up"Stock video and images from Wondershare Filmora and PexelsHow You Can Support This Channel and My Work: 👍Like, Subscribe, and Comment on this video!✉️Subscribe to my monthly newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/52c7cd246b5b/authoryourambition➕Follow me on my other channels: FB | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreadsfacebook.com/1mkwilliamstwitter.com/1mkwilliamsinstagram.com/1mkwilliams goodreads.com/author/show/14420756.M_K_Williams ☕️Buy Me A Coffee: buymeacoffee.com/1mkwilliams📚Check out my books and purchase them or request them at your library: 1mkwilliams.com or payhip.com/MKWilliamsPublishingLLC Author Your Ambition Merch on Etsy:📖etsy.com/shop/AuthorYourAmbitionPartnership Opportunities:Interested in working together to collaborate on an upcoming video? Let's connect: http://authoryourambition.com/partnership-opportunitiesDISCLAIMER: Links included in this description might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with the links that I provide I may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you, but it can help me continue to create and put out more content. Thank you for supporting my channel so I can continue to provide you with free content each week!
How to ruin your book launch with this eBook preorder hack on Amazon KDP | Self-Publishing Tips M.K. Williams 2024-06-26 | I have mentioned this specific “hack” before in other videos along with other things I think self-publishing authors need to stop doing to avoid shooting themselves in the foot. But I keep seeing so it is getting its own video. I’ve seen authors schedule their eBook on Amazon KDP as a preorder. So they upload January 1 but the book isn’t released until March 1. In the meantime, the eBook is on preorder (because remember you can’t do a print preorder on Amazon KDP) and they are marketing the book and getting sales. That is how pre-orders are supposed to work. But as authors are so eager to just get the book out, some are uploading what they know is not the final version of the book. They figure, eh I’ve got two months for my editors and proofreaders to give them a once over and I’ll get the final draft uploaded on time. Now Amazon KDP says the final version must be uploaded 72 hours before release day.Direct from Amazon KDP: kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/topic/G201499380Submission deadline. You must upload your final manuscript more than 72 hours before the release date. To keep track of the deadline, use the timer at the top of your book's setup pages (details, content, pricing). If you don't upload your manuscript file on time, your pre-order will be canceled, and you won't be able to set up a pre-order for any eBook for one year. The same applies if you cancel the release of your pre-order book.When I upload my book, it’s always the final version. I still get emails from Amazon every three days until that deadline saying that if I miss the deadline or try to change the book after that deadline my preorders are canceled. You have to try really really hard to ignore this deadline. As an author, I know it is so scary to think, that 24 hours before my book was scheduled to be released an arc reader found a typo and I had to fix it. Fix it after launch. That one typo should not make or break your book. You getting all your preorders cancelled, might. So that’s a crappy situation. But I’ve seen this happen THREE TIMES to authors and then the ensuing rallying cry on TikTok or Insta about how Amazon is ruining this author’s book. No, they ruined their own book when they uploaded a draft, when they ignored the dozens of emails from Amazon KDP. They made that decision. It is a HARD lesson to learn. I think if possible we as authors should rally and help one another. But don’t put that on Amazon.My best tip to avoid all of this mess and drama and angst: DON’T UPLOAD UNFINISHED DRAFTS FOR PREORDERS. You are tempting fate. What if your proofreader gets sick and can’t make your deadline. What if you get sick? I get uploading the print draft and ordering a proof copy before anything goes live to do a final pass that way. But that’s not this. This is authors trying to get all the eBook preorders and then being shocked when after multiple reminders they decide to make edits past the submission deadline. Spread the word to your fellow author friends. Don’t schedule an ebook preorder with a draft. Especially if this is book 1 for you. Don’t. You’re on book 20 and have a system and backup editors, go for it. Book 1, no!Okay, today’s PSA rant is over. Join this channel to get access to perks:youtube.com/channel/UCjvBO4kjuBSYe6Bi3RYQAQA/joinMusic from: Wondershare Filmora Sounds: "Something Cheer You Up"Stock video and images from Wondershare Filmora and PexelsHow You Can Support This Channel and My Work: 👍Like, Subscribe, and Comment on this video!✉️Subscribe to my monthly newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/52c7cd246b5b/authoryourambition➕Follow me on my other channels: FB | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreadsfacebook.com/1mkwilliamstwitter.com/1mkwilliamsinstagram.com/1mkwilliams goodreads.com/author/show/14420756.M_K_Williams ☕️Buy Me A Coffee: buymeacoffee.com/1mkwilliams📚Check out my books and purchase them or request them at your library: 1mkwilliams.com or payhip.com/MKWilliamsPublishingLLC Author Your Ambition Merch on Etsy:📖etsy.com/shop/AuthorYourAmbitionPartnership Opportunities:Interested in working together to collaborate on an upcoming video? Let's connect: http://authoryourambition.com/partnership-opportunitiesDISCLAIMER: Links included in this description might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with the links that I provide I may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you, but it can help me continue to create and put out more content. Thank you for supporting my channel so I can continue to provide you with free content each week!
Where to get barcodes for your book | Do I need a barcode for my book? M.K. Williams 2024-06-19 | As I mentioned in the intro, I did get the idea for this video from comments on my other videos. So, be sure to comment with your questions. Usually, I can direct you to an existing video, if now, I end up making a video to answer that question. Seriously, subscribe and comment. You’re helping yourself and other authors, and me because I need new videos every week. So where do you get the barcodes for your book?First, some reminders:BARCODES AND ISBNS are two totally different things. Your ISBN and your Barcode are not interchangeable terms. The ISBN is the distinct 13-digit number for your exact book by format. Your eBook has one your Paperback has another. The Barcode for the print book will have the ISBN written on it, but it holds more metadata than just the ISBN.Which leads me to my next reminder. BARCODES are only for physical products that are inventoried or exchanged hands at a point of sale. EBooks and digital audiobooks, no barcode. So where to get them?Most if not all self-publishing platforms that offer print-on-demand for paperback and hardcover will apply a no-price barcode to the back of your book cover if you don’t bring your own. If you have no intention of pounding the pavement to get your book into brick-and-mortar stores and only plan to do online retail sales, this is fine. Take the free no-price barcode. The service will be able to apply the ISBN you provided - because you own your ISBN right? - to the barcode. You don’t have to worry about itSome cover design services are also providing no-price barcodes. Again, this is fine. You will need to indicate in Amazon KDP that you are bringing your own barcode. Or tell your cover designer to not put on one. Again, if there is no price on the barcode it doesn’t matter. IF YOU WANT THE PRICE ON YOUR BARCODE because you want to sell into brick-and-mortar stores then you have a few options, but each of these requires you to provide the barcode to your cover designer so they can put it on the back cover (one for the paperback and one for the hardcover because the ISBNs are different and the price should be too) for you. In the US, you can get a barcode with the price on it from Bowker which is where you purchased your ISBN - because you own your ISBN right? - but it costs $25 a pop. So you have to really have that price set before you buy. Again, if you don’t want the price on the barcode, take the free one. For US authors on a budget or authors elsewhere in the world where I’ve never had to get a barcode, you can use Bookow. They can also generate a barcode with the price on it. They don’t charge, but they do ask for a donation. Honestly, they just saved you $25 so be a good person and put in $5 or $10 so that this service can still exist next time you need a barcode and that it will exist for other authors too. That’s it folks. What other questions do you have? Join this channel to get access to perks:youtube.com/channel/UCjvBO4kjuBSYe6Bi3RYQAQA/joinMusic from: Wondershare Filmora Sounds: "Something Cheer You Up"Stock video and images from Wondershare Filmora and PexelsHow You Can Support This Channel and My Work: 👍Like, Subscribe, and Comment on this video!✉️Subscribe to my monthly newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/52c7cd246b5b/authoryourambition➕Follow me on my other channels: FB | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreadsfacebook.com/1mkwilliamstwitter.com/1mkwilliamsinstagram.com/1mkwilliams goodreads.com/author/show/14420756.M_K_Williams ☕️Buy Me A Coffee: buymeacoffee.com/1mkwilliams📚Check out my books and purchase them or request them at your library: 1mkwilliams.com or payhip.com/MKWilliamsPublishingLLC Author Your Ambition Merch on Etsy:📖etsy.com/shop/AuthorYourAmbitionPartnership Opportunities:Interested in working together to collaborate on an upcoming video? Let's connect: http://authoryourambition.com/partnership-opportunitiesDISCLAIMER: Links included in this description might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with the links that I provide I may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you, but it can help me continue to create and put out more content. Thank you for supporting my channel so I can continue to provide you with free content each week!
How to Handle a Bad Review for your Book | Authors getting bad reviews M.K. Williams 2024-06-12 | It’s going to happen. Or maybe it just happened. But what do you do when you get a bad review on your book?I didn’t want to be too silly in the intro to this video because, getting a bad review, sucks. Point blank. Nothing good about it. You worked hard on your book. You had a vision and you executed it to the best of your ability. You revised it. You worked hard every day to make it the best book possible and someone just trashed it. Stomped all over it. And now, that bad review is getting attention because the internet is a dumpster fire that rewards negative content. This sucks. Go ahead and say it. Out loud in the room you’re in right now. This sucks.Here is what you’re going to do and what you’re not going to do:You are going to get out a pen and paper and write a response. “Oh yeah, you think writing a flawless book is so easy, why don’t you try it?” “Oh, you couldn’t keep up with the plot. Guess you’re just dumb.” Write it out. On paperBecause what you’re not going to do is engage with this person online. Don’t reply to the comment. Don’t subcomment. Don’t - do not - respond or reach out to them via email. Don’t. The review isn’t for you, it’s for other readers. You will either stop looking at your reviews altogether, or you will go through and read your 5-star reviews. See, that makes you feel better. You are not going to let this ruin your day, your mojo, or your next book. I read a quote once that stuck with me and it is that no statue has ever been created for a critic. Everyone is a critic. Everyone had something mean to say. But you have a voice and a book and a message and you don’t going to let this one troll ruin your day. The best advice here is preventative which is to never check your reviews, the good or bad ones. But let’s be realistic, the world we live in makes it tough to ignore our name and our books online. So let it roll. Learn to laugh if they are wrong, or have typos in their nasty review, orHear me outOr maybe, they’re a little bit right. Maybe the next time you could do better. Let it inform and fuel you if you have to. But chances are this sample size of one isn’t right. Alright, do you feel a little bit better now? You have a plan. You know you’re not alone. In fact, let’s own up to the fact that we’ve all received bad reviews. In the comments let’s all be honest and admit “I’ve received poor reviews on my book too” and I bet we’ll all feel less alone in going through this. Join this channel to get access to perks:youtube.com/channel/UCjvBO4kjuBSYe6Bi3RYQAQA/joinMusic from: Wondershare Filmora Sounds: "Something Cheer You Up"Stock video and images from Wondershare Filmora and PexelsHow You Can Support This Channel and My Work: 👍Like, Subscribe, and Comment on this video!✉️Subscribe to my monthly newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/52c7cd246b5b/authoryourambition➕Follow me on my other channels: FB | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreadsfacebook.com/1mkwilliamstwitter.com/1mkwilliamsinstagram.com/1mkwilliams goodreads.com/author/show/14420756.M_K_Williams ☕️Buy Me A Coffee: buymeacoffee.com/1mkwilliams📚Check out my books and purchase them or request them at your library: 1mkwilliams.com or payhip.com/MKWilliamsPublishingLLC Author Your Ambition Merch on Etsy:📖etsy.com/shop/AuthorYourAmbitionPartnership Opportunities:Interested in working together to collaborate on an upcoming video? Let's connect: http://authoryourambition.com/partnership-opportunitiesDISCLAIMER: Links included in this description might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with the links that I provide I may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you, but it can help me continue to create and put out more content. Thank you for supporting my channel so I can continue to provide you with free content each week!
Top tip for authors | Know thyself! M.K. Williams 2024-06-10 | Thank you to @EmmaBennetAuthor for tagging me in this challenge to provide my top tip to authors. Whether you are self-publishing or traditionally publishing, there comes a time when too much rework, too much revision, too many opinions become a distraction and a form of procrastination. Know thyself! Are you stuck? Yes, ask for help! Are you just nervous to hit publish or send the query? Then maybe it is procrastination.
Transfer Audiobook Distribution from Findaway Voices to Google Play Direct | Self-Publish Audiobooks M.K. Williams 2024-06-05 | Back in February, right around the time the Findaway Voices renewed Terms and Conditions were making waves, I got an email from Google Play Books that authors can now directly publish their audiobooks on the platform!OH MY GOSH!! Finally!!But I didn’t jump to do this right away. All my audiobooks with wide distribution were currently on the Google Play Store via Findaway Voices. To me, this wasn’t a MUST do item. It was a “nice to do sometime”. And I while Google play made it clear that I needed to complete a title transfer form, I was anticipating that this could be tricky. Well, I finally got around to submitting the form. I thought I would have to do a form for all 9 books that could be transferred. Nope, it was one form and I listed all the ISBNs in one form. Within two hours the books were transferred.Oh, that was easy.So now, when you purchase any of my audiobooks via the Google Play store I’ll get a better cut of the royalty and you get the same exact audiobook you would have had last month. For authors watching this, I can tell you the transfer process was seamless and painless. As for uploading a new audiobook directly, I’ll let you know about that process when I have a new audiobook to upload. Now I have to go update all my Author Your Ambition Books… What other questions do you have?All my audiobooks on Google Play: play.google.com/store/books/collection/cluster?gsr=ShmCARYKEgoOQVFBQUFFQVN2bHItV00QERAE:S:ANO1ljJFKhsJoin this channel to get access to perks:youtube.com/channel/UCjvBO4kjuBSYe6Bi3RYQAQA/joinMusic from: Wondershare Filmora Sounds: "Something Cheer You Up"Stock video and images from Wondershare Filmora and PexelsHow You Can Support This Channel and My Work: 👍Like, Subscribe, and Comment on this video!✉️Subscribe to my monthly newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/52c7cd246b5b/authoryourambition➕Follow me on my other channels: FB | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreadsfacebook.com/1mkwilliamstwitter.com/1mkwilliamsinstagram.com/1mkwilliams goodreads.com/author/show/14420756.M_K_Williams ☕️Buy Me A Coffee: buymeacoffee.com/1mkwilliams📚Check out my books and purchase them or request them at your library: 1mkwilliams.com or payhip.com/MKWilliamsPublishingLLC Author Your Ambition Merch on Etsy:📖etsy.com/shop/AuthorYourAmbitionPartnership Opportunities:Interested in working together to collaborate on an upcoming video? Let's connect: http://authoryourambition.com/partnership-opportunitiesDISCLAIMER: Links included in this description might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with the links that I provide I may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you, but it can help me continue to create and put out more content. Thank you for supporting my channel so I can continue to provide you with free content each week!
Where is the preorder schedule button on Amazon KDP for my paperback or hardcover? | Self-Publishing M.K. Williams 2024-05-29 | Today we’re going to talk about the murky muddy world of setting up a pre-order for your book when you are self-publishing. Stay tuned.What is a pre-order?A pre-order is when a book is set to be published on September 1, but readers can buy it ahead of time. They order the book in June when they hear about it or in July when the cover is revealed. They buy it now and the book is sent to them on September 1. This can be for the digital version, the print version, audio. The idea is that the publisher is capturing reader interest now when there is a lot of hype around the book instead of hoping they’ll remember to buy it later. TerminologyPre-order is this specific functionality of purchasing the book now ahead of its official release. Some authors call this a pre-sale as well. Those terms can be used interchangeably. What you can do on Amazon KDPOn Amazon KDP you can set up a pre-order for your eBook. The release date is Septemeber 1, pre-order can start tomorrow. For the paperback and hardcover, you can pre-schedule your book. That’s a new term. That one can’t be used interchangeably with pre-order. This pre-schedule functionality allows you to set the release date ahead of time, but not the purchase functionality. Previously you would upload your print book to Amazon KDP and sometime in the next 72 hours it would go live. This is annoying if you are trying to coordinate a launch around one specific day to announce it is live. What you can do on IngramSparkHere is where IngramSpark comes in. You CAN set a print preorder (and eBook preorder) on this system. You set both the street date and publication date for, in this continued example, September 1. Why you can’t say pre-order? Check yes, publication date: Sept 1. I don’t know. The two-platform pre-order systemSo the paperback or hardcover is on preorder and pushed to the retail network… including Amazon. Then on launch day, you upload your book to KDP and that listing supercedes the ingramspark one. To do this you have to own your ISBN! This is complex. This is added levels of detail. This is added weeks of planning before you announce your preorder because it takes time to approve your digital proof and then for Ingram to push it to its networkIs it worth doing a pre-order? So after hearing this madness, you may decide a preorder isn't for you and your book. Or maybe you only do an ebook preorder but the print is out so you can get reviews. It’s murky. There really isn’t one right answer. I do preorders for my books, but you may not want to fiddle with all this. Join this channel to get access to perks:youtube.com/channel/UCjvBO4kjuBSYe6Bi3RYQAQA/joinMusic from: Wondershare Filmora Sounds: "Something Cheer You Up"Stock video and images from Wondershare Filmora and PexelsHow You Can Support This Channel and My Work: 👍Like, Subscribe, and Comment on this video!✉️Subscribe to my monthly newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/52c7cd246b5b/authoryourambition➕Follow me on my other channels: FB | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreadsfacebook.com/1mkwilliamstwitter.com/1mkwilliamsinstagram.com/1mkwilliams goodreads.com/author/show/14420756.M_K_Williams ☕️Buy Me A Coffee: buymeacoffee.com/1mkwilliams📚Check out my books and purchase them or request them at your library: 1mkwilliams.com or payhip.com/MKWilliamsPublishingLLC Author Your Ambition Merch on Etsy:📖etsy.com/shop/AuthorYourAmbitionPartnership Opportunities:Interested in working together to collaborate on an upcoming video? Let's connect: http://authoryourambition.com/partnership-opportunitiesDISCLAIMER: Links included in this description might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with the links that I provide I may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you, but it can help me continue to create and put out more content. Thank you for supporting my channel so I can continue to provide you with free content each week!
When Amazon Book Categories in KDP dont exist for your book M.K. Williams 2024-05-24 | When I was picking the categories in Amazon KDP for Interview with a #Vanlifer I could pick vampires, horror or vampires, ya romance. For all the niche categories we hear about on Amazon for books, there wasn't one for my hippy vampires. I could pick satire and short story. So when I had to define my vampires I picked horror. The vampires are friendly, the encroaching climate crisis is horrifying. What do you think?
Wide distribution through D2D or IngramSpark or LuLu | Only pick one aggregator to self-publish M.K. Williams 2024-05-22 | First, a history lesson. Kinda. Trust me, it will pay off. Ingram, the publishing juggernaut that it is, provided distribution services for major and minor publishing houses. They have a network of physical stores and their online counterparts, that a dedicated team pitches and sells books to. As publishers have a new slate of books coming out, they work with dedicated sales reps at Ingram to pitch those books to retailers. Ingram historically has been created to help sell books. Publisher orders a mass shipment of books and then it is warehoused around the country, or world, at Ingram warehouses and distributed to stores in that region. But let’s say a book that was expected to do meh, suddenly takes off. Flying off the shelves. Well, it can take a while to have a whole new offset run of books so Ingram developed Lightning Source to print books on demand. This name should feel very familiar to you. If a publisher knew a shipment of more books was delayed by a week, Ingram could create and stock these interim books. It would be at a higher cost per book so less margin, but it is better than having no books on the shelves at all. Once this is set up, Ingram thinks. Wait. We have distribution. We can print on demand. Why not open up this service to self-publishers? So they did. Through IngramSpark. But you’ll notice all your invoices come from Lightning Source when you order author copies or get the dreaded returns. How does all of this relate to Wide Distribution with LuLu or Draft2Digital?LuLu and Draft2Digital offer their distribution through the same exact network, and sometimes, also use Lightning SourceThis is why you will get the biggest headache and run around of your life if you decide to have your paperback on IngramSpark AND Draft2Digital or your paperback and hardcover on IngramSpark AND LuLu. Because all the data is going to one network… Ingram’s network. So it shows as a duplicate and the system says “Nope.” If you are already on one platform and unhappy with it you need to pull your books and upload them elsewhere. Now you CAN do a transfer form but it can get messy. I know one author who elected to do the direct sales only through IngramSpark but then had issues uploading the book to Draft2Digital. Cue customer service run around. If you have one platform that you love but the other has one cool feature, I’d say it’s not worth just one cool feature. Find the platform that meets most of your needs and stick with that one. Join this channel to get access to perks:youtube.com/channel/UCjvBO4kjuBSYe6Bi3RYQAQA/joinMusic from: Wondershare Filmora Sounds: "Something Cheer You Up"Stock video and images from Wondershare Filmora and PexelsHow You Can Support This Channel and My Work: 👍Like, Subscribe, and Comment on this video!✉️Subscribe to my monthly newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/52c7cd246b5b/authoryourambition➕Follow me on my other channels: FB | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreadsfacebook.com/1mkwilliamstwitter.com/1mkwilliamsinstagram.com/1mkwilliams goodreads.com/author/show/14420756.M_K_Williams ☕️Buy Me A Coffee: buymeacoffee.com/1mkwilliams📚Check out my books and purchase them or request them at your library: 1mkwilliams.com or payhip.com/MKWilliamsPublishingLLC Author Your Ambition Merch on Etsy:📖etsy.com/shop/AuthorYourAmbitionPartnership Opportunities:Interested in working together to collaborate on an upcoming video? Let's connect: http://authoryourambition.com/partnership-opportunitiesDISCLAIMER: Links included in this description might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with the links that I provide I may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you, but it can help me continue to create and put out more content. Thank you for supporting my channel so I can continue to provide you with free content each week!
Can I keep distribution with IngramSpark after my print pre-order launch? M.K. Williams 2024-05-17 | One thing I've not fully clarified before...As I've mentioned in other videos, KDP does not allow authors to set a print pre-order. (Only pre-schedule, WTH!) To get a print pre-order on Amazon.com you need to use IngramSpark or another aggregator. After the book has launched you can continue your print distribution to Amazon.com via IngramSpark OR you can upload to Amazon KDP for Amazon.com distribution.
How to Self-Publish Hardcover Books | Print On Demand Hardcover Options M.K. Williams 2024-05-15 | Why have a hardcover option?Some people like itMakes the paperback look more attractive. Consider a book with a hardcover for $29.79 (so it’s $30) or a paperback that is $18.99. That’s a ten-dollar savings just for the paperback. Yeah, I’ll get that one. Having options makes it easier for a reader to say yes to your book (it’s also why you should have an eBook and audiobook). Trad pub usually puts out hardcover and eBook first and after a year of solid sales will release a paperback. They make the lion's share of the hardcover because they usually cost a lot more. But they also cost A LOT to produce, and that is for traditional publishers who have the money to invest in offset runs of the books and can get better economies of scale. For us self-publishing authors we have print on demand which is more expensive. Explain Print-on-DemandPrint on demand, I don’t want to sound like I’m oversimplifying, but it is literally printed when it is demanded. The retailers don’t keep stock. Someone orders your book, pays for it, and the self-publishing platforms print that one copy and mail it out. Where can you upload your hardcover and have it available to readers? Amazon KDP (case laminate only)B & N Press (with jacket or without)IngramSpark (with jacket or without)LuLu (with jacket or without)BookVault (case laminate or cloth laminate, no jacket)(I swear Draft2Digital is going to add this option the second this video goes live)Amazon KDP and B&N Press are direct self-publishing sites. As in, you upload to Amazon KDP and your hardcover shows up on Amazon.com and only Amazon.com. You upload to B&N Press and your hardcover shows up on Barnesandnoble.com When you go with IngramSpark, LuLu, or BookVault - these are aggregators. They can push your hardcover to multiple retailers and once and even LuLu and BookVault offer integrations to sell directly to readers. However, a few notes:If you pick an aggregator ONLY pick one and do not accept distribution to any retailers you already have a direct listing with.Double-check that the exact trim size and format you want are enabled for global distribution. I’ve seen a few authors get tripped up on LuLu when the exact trim size and format they wanted could only be sold directly and was not eligible for their global distribution. Questions? Thoughts? Join this channel to get access to perks:youtube.com/channel/UCjvBO4kjuBSYe6Bi3RYQAQA/joinMusic from: Wondershare Filmora Sounds: "Something Cheer You Up"Stock video and images from Wondershare Filmora and PexelsHow You Can Support This Channel and My Work: 👍Like, Subscribe, and Comment on this video!✉️Subscribe to my monthly newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/52c7cd246b5b/authoryourambition➕Follow me on my other channels: FB | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreadsfacebook.com/1mkwilliamstwitter.com/1mkwilliamsinstagram.com/1mkwilliams goodreads.com/author/show/14420756.M_K_Williams ☕️Buy Me A Coffee: buymeacoffee.com/1mkwilliams📚Check out my books and purchase them or request them at your library: 1mkwilliams.com or payhip.com/MKWilliamsPublishingLLC Author Your Ambition Merch on Etsy:📖etsy.com/shop/AuthorYourAmbitionPartnership Opportunities:Interested in working together to collaborate on an upcoming video? Let's connect: http://authoryourambition.com/partnership-opportunitiesDISCLAIMER: Links included in this description might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with the links that I provide I may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you, but it can help me continue to create and put out more content. Thank you for supporting my channel so I can continue to provide you with free content each week!
2024 TBR Update | Multiple DNFs and a Reading Break M.K. Williams 2024-05-08 | I did a video before the new year about my plan to be more intentional with my TBR in 2024. I kept getting excited about shiny new things and my reading life was really disjointed. It was too heavy in one genre when I had a long list of books to read to help me as an author, and a mom, and for my health, that just weren’t finding their way to the top of the pile. The real question is if this is working and if I have stuck to this plan at all…I’m a planner, I like to plan, and I had a beautiful plan for my 2024 reading with five categories: Craft & Author BusinessNovel ResearchParentingHealthFunAm I sticking to it?I have been. I have had rounds where I read one book from each category before I can move to the next. That way I would have a balance and not just read through my fun pile and leave all the non-fiction for the end. How many days into the year did I deviate (Jan 4)I did deviate and I picked up a book that would have made my round 2 for the fun category. It was a fabulous book and I’m glad I mixed up my list because it was just sitting there at the library, being all awesome and in need of a good home for a few weeks. Biggest Lesson so FarI am susceptible to marketing copy as much as the next person. Especially for the non-fiction titles on my list. They had great titles, and great hooks, and I have had to DNF two books so far and had to muddle through a third. The marketing got me and life is too short to read a book you aren’t loving. So I’m glad I gave these books a try because I had been excited about them. But I think this speaks to an underlying issue in how non-fiction books are produced via traditional publishing. Which is the author crafts a pitch, sells the book on the idea, and then writes it. And the end product maybe doesn’t always live up to the pitch. I’ve read great non-fiction, but I’ve also read some … rough non-fiction. And those books were DNFed. Best reads so far?Non-Fiction: The Creative Act by Rick Ruben. Fiction: I haven’t had a bad fiction experience yet this year. This is how you lose the time warCutting TeethThe ListReignBusiness or PleasureThe Other Black GirlThe Royal GameRoom to add more for the year?Yes, I’m planning to revamp and revise and question the non-fiction books on my list to see if some need to be pruned early to make way for new ones. Indie April!: reading ARCs and BetasSo for those who want to follow as these books are read, you can follow me on Goodreads or Storygraph (I’m testing it out for a future video)And again, please send book recs. But don’t because I have an addiction to adding books to my TBRFollow me on Goodreads: goodreads.com/author/show/14420756.M_K_Williams Follow on StoryGraph: app.thestorygraph.com/profile/mkwilliams Join this channel to get access to perks:youtube.com/channel/UCjvBO4kjuBSYe6Bi3RYQAQA/joinMusic from: Wondershare Filmora Sounds: "Something Cheer You Up"Stock video and images from Wondershare Filmora and PexelsHow You Can Support This Channel and My Work: 👍Like, Subscribe, and Comment on this video!✉️Subscribe to my monthly newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/52c7cd246b5b/authoryourambition➕Follow me on my other channels: FB | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreadsfacebook.com/1mkwilliamstwitter.com/1mkwilliamsinstagram.com/1mkwilliams goodreads.com/author/show/14420756.M_K_Williams ☕️Buy Me A Coffee: buymeacoffee.com/1mkwilliams📚Check out my books and purchase them or request them at your library: 1mkwilliams.com or payhip.com/MKWilliamsPublishingLLC Author Your Ambition Merch on Etsy:📖etsy.com/shop/AuthorYourAmbitionPartnership Opportunities:Interested in working together to collaborate on an upcoming video? Let's connect: http://authoryourambition.com/partnership-opportunitiesDISCLAIMER: Links included in this description might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with the links that I provide I may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you, but it can help me continue to create and put out more content. Thank you for supporting my channel so I can continue to provide you with free content each week!
Should my book have a foreword? Do I need a foreword from another author in my book? M.K. Williams 2024-05-01 | First, let’s get really specific about what we are talking about. In terms of front matter in your book you could have:-introduction-prologue-author’s note/how to use this book-forewordThe first three are all written by the author. Whether it is a non-fiction book and you are introducing the genesis of the book, how to use it, intended references or notes, or if it is fiction and this is a prologue. A foreword is written by someone else. This is more common for non-fiction. So let’s say you are a new non-fiction author. You may have some name brand or credibility but your intended audience may also respect some other more established names in your space. Those people would be great to ask for a foreword. They’ll read the book and write 1-2 pages on your expertise, the book itself and how it adds to the canon for your topic, giving the reader an assurance that they are in good hands. You should ask 1 person to do this. If that person says no, go to the next person. Don’t ask 5 people at once and then all 5 say yes. That’s a bad problem. You don’t see it as often in fiction unless it is a release for a book that did well and now another author is commenting on how much it has made a cultural impact. To be clear, you don’t NEED a foreword to have a successful book. It can be a help to have an established name on the cover of your book touting its benefits. It’s nice to have them listed on the Amazon listing because everyone who follows that author on Amazon will get a notification about your book. It can help. But it can hurt. What if this expert makes public statements that you disagree with, or that your audience disagrees with. And how your book is associated with them permanently. What if this person just phones it in, but now you’re stuck putting this foreword in your book and it isn’t what you hoped it would be. So, ask carefully. I had never done a foreword for one of my books until recently. I could have asked for any of my non-fiction books, but I didn’t. I probably should have lent more credibility to them. But they’re selling just fine without that. For my fiction, I recently re-released Enemies of Peace. The cover needed a makeover. And I figured while I'm opening it up for edits, why not ask for a foreword. In this case, it wasn’t a strategic author move. It was more of a sentimental ask. I’ve known Doug Nordman since 2017 when this book came out. He was immediately a huge advocate for it, literally handing his copy to someone else, ordering another, and handing that one on. He just believed in it so much. And I had the privilege to then work with him and his daughter on their book. So we’ve worked together and it just felt right for Doug to write the foreword. And if he said no, I probably wouldn’t have added one. And you’re probably not on this channel for sentimental decisions but more author hacks and optimization. But, sometimes it just is a gut feeling. Okay, what questions do you have about your book? **The service I reference in this video, FormattedBooks, has decided to close their doors. For anyone looking for a similar service, 100Covers now also offers interior file formatting: 100Covers: http://100covers.com/?ref=49 **Enemies of Peace: 1mkwilliams.com/enemies-of-peaceDoug Nordman: amazon.com/stores/Doug-Nordman/author/B00548O6QMJoin this channel to get access to perks:youtube.com/channel/UCjvBO4kjuBSYe6Bi3RYQAQA/joinMusic from: Wondershare Filmora Sounds: "Something Cheer You Up"Stock video and images from Wondershare Filmora and PexelsHow You Can Support This Channel and My Work: 👍Like, Subscribe, and Comment on this video!✉️Subscribe to my monthly newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/52c7cd246b5b/authoryourambition➕Follow me on my other channels: FB | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreadsfacebook.com/1mkwilliamstwitter.com/1mkwilliamsinstagram.com/1mkwilliams goodreads.com/author/show/14420756.M_K_Williams ☕️Buy Me A Coffee: buymeacoffee.com/1mkwilliams📚Check out my books and purchase them or request them at your library: 1mkwilliams.com or payhip.com/MKWilliamsPublishingLLC Author Your Ambition Merch on Etsy:📖etsy.com/shop/AuthorYourAmbitionPartnership Opportunities:Interested in working together to collaborate on an upcoming video? Let's connect: http://authoryourambition.com/partnership-opportunitiesDISCLAIMER: Links included in this description might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with the links that I provide I may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you, but it can help me continue to create and put out more content. Thank you for supporting my channel so I can continue to provide you with free content each week!
Will a traditional publisher assign a new ISBN if they republish my self-published book? M.K. Williams 2024-04-29 | This original question was about a specific instance:A self-published book is picked up by a traditional publisher, will they assign a new ISBN?The short answer is yes. They will make it a new edition with new content or a new cover and release the book under a new ISBN that they own the metadata to and handle all incoming royalties. The bigger question behind this question is, how likely is this to happen. I should probably do a whole video on this. But given the number of authors who self-publish and the number who are successful enough in terms of sales and royalties to attract the attention of a publisher or agent, the odds are slim. You have to put your hat in the ring. And likely with a new book. And then the backlist could be on the table. My agent and I discussed this as some of our initial conversations. We decided, let's get this new book a deal and then we can look at subsidiary rights deals for the back list (translations, TV/film, etc.) Yes, we can all name the big names who made a huge leap from self-pub to trad pub. But this switch should be strategic and you need to make a business case for why a traditional publisher should pick up your book.
What is the difference between Traditional Publishing and Self-Publishing? | Trad Pub v. Self-Pub M.K. Williams 2024-04-24 | Traditional PublishingLet’s start with Traditional Publishing. Historically this is what most people think of when they hear about a book being published. A book is created by the author. Painstakingly revised to get the approval of an agent. The agent has connections to the editors who acquire books for Publishing Houses like Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster, Macmillan, Hachette, and HarperCollins. The editors purchase the rights to publish the book from the author. So the author receives an advance in this agreement. The publisher then polishes the book, creates a cover, creates and executes a marketing strategy, takes orders for the book, and distributes it. They want to earn back the advance paid to the author and then some to cover their expenses and make money as a business.This is a time-consuming process, it can take years to get the book out but at each phase, an expert in book publishing is revising and fine-tuning to make this book the best it can be in terms of return on investment. Is it marketable, is it going to sell. But those industry experts are gatekeepers. They can only invest in so many books, they can only read and review so many books. So the agents receive A LOT of queries, where authors pitch their book. And the agents then pitch or submit the book to the editors based on what they think will sell. Everyone along the way who worked on the book gets a cut of the success. So you might think, well that’s less for the author. But remember, they got the advance upfront payment. But the money always flows to the author. After the royalties are divided out the author is still paid. At no point in this process is the author ever asked for money. Not from a reputable agent. Not from a reputable publisher. The author pays nothing up front, they earn money later. Self-PublishingThe name is a little self-explanatory, but in this case, the author has their book and they decide they are going to get the book out themselves. No gatekeepers, no long timelines, no upfront investment. So the author in this case finds people that they will pay to help with editing, cover design, formatting, etc. The author puts the money out upfront to create the finished product and the author uploads the book to Amazon (Amazon KDP), Barnes & Noble, (B&N Press), Kobo (Kobo Writing Life), or to aggregators where you upload once and it is distributed everywhere like IngramSpark or Draft2Digital. The author has to learn all these phrases and businesses, market the book, and pay for ads. It is a lot of work, and many authors will hire out for publicity or ads if they can afford it. Or they will pay for classes to learn how to grow an email list or just hustle with podcasts and book blog tours. They’re doing this without institutional support. But a lot of indie authors like to help each other. The ones who have been doing this for a few years turn around to help the person behind them. All sales and money go to the author. They may have gone into the red when paying upfront for design and marketing services so it may take a little bit to recoup their costs, but they get all the money. I have tons of videos on all the platforms and basic questions for self-publishing. I have videos about querying which is the first step of the traditional publishing process. What other questions do you have? If i already have a video, I’ll post that as an answer. Otherwise, I’ll make a new video answering it. Join this channel to get access to perks:youtube.com/channel/UCjvBO4kjuBSYe6Bi3RYQAQA/joinMusic from: Wondershare Filmora Sounds: "Something Cheer You Up"Stock video and images from Wondershare Filmora and PexelsHow You Can Support This Channel and My Work: 👍Like, Subscribe, and Comment on this video!✉️Subscribe to my monthly newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/52c7cd246b5b/authoryourambition➕Follow me on my other channels: FB | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreadsfacebook.com/1mkwilliamstwitter.com/1mkwilliamsinstagram.com/1mkwilliams goodreads.com/author/show/14420756.M_K_Williams ☕️Buy Me A Coffee: buymeacoffee.com/1mkwilliams📚Check out my books and purchase them or request them at your library: 1mkwilliams.com or payhip.com/MKWilliamsPublishingLLC Author Your Ambition Merch on Etsy:📖etsy.com/shop/AuthorYourAmbitionPartnership Opportunities:Interested in working together to collaborate on an upcoming video? Let's connect: http://authoryourambition.com/partnership-opportunitiesDISCLAIMER: Links included in this description might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with the links that I provide I may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you, but it can help me continue to create and put out more content. Thank you for supporting my channel so I can continue to provide you with free content each week!
Author Notes on Interview with a #Vanlifer M.K. Williams 2024-04-19 | I wanted to share some of my thoughts on Interview with a #Vanlifer after I recorded the audiobook last year. Some layers appeared to me. One was how in the time between releasing the novella in 2022 and recording the audiobook, I was diagnosed with a second autoimmune disorder. Recording the story of Peter and Ursula with that experience fresh in my mind I realized that vampirism and the vampiric germ are a chronic illness for the human turned into vampires.
YouTube for Audiobook Publishing? Did it work? My experiment with Audiobooks on YouTube results M.K. Williams 2024-04-17 | Is YouTube viable for audiobook distribution?Yeah.As long as you don’t have an exclusive agreement with ACX you can upload your audiobook. You need to have a cover image and I added some notes on my videos. So I have who it was written by, me, who narrated it. I put in calls for reviews. In the Interview with a #Vanlifer video, I added ‘did you know” details, like pop-up videos from the 90s on WH1. One thing I will say is that the views were low on these videos. And the people who subscribe to my channel come here for easy answers to questions related to writing and publishing and the audiobooks I uploaded are my fiction books. Not everyone who subscribes to this channel or who YouTube recommends my videos to like this style of fiction. I would have probably done better to add my non-fiction books, but I do go back and update those from time to time so I’d have to keep reuploading the files. And uh, I’m focused on promoting my fiction after years of neglecting it in favor of my non-fiction. So keep that in mind. If your channel is currently all about one topic and then you upload your audiobooks that aren’t a one-for-one fit, your results may look like mine. How much money can you make?Guys! Guys! I know, don’t get jealous over my three dollars from YouTube. Again, if my channel was only about vampires or thrillers, or just all fiction like a solo audiobook channel, I might have seen more. But just so you know, I have 16,000 subscribers. But I do think this can help with discoverability. If someone really likes it they can buy the ebook or print books. Maybe they’ll check out my other books. I could have uploaded the first chapter and then said, to hear the rest go buy it. Maybe I’ll do that with my other books to see how that goes. Should you do one long audiobook or break it up. The psychological thriller novella, Escaping Avila Chase, was divided into five sections. It was also narrated by a professional and not me, so this probably accounts for some of the skews. But I got a total of 151 views on all the videos for Escaping Avila Chase compared to the 90 for my version of IWAVL. I also made more because of that. But these are tiny numbers so take from this what you will. Do people even want A.I. audiobooks?There has been so much discussion and debate and angry shouty caps over AI. Audiobook narration. Because it could put narrators out of work. I had both versions up and this was an actual apples-to-apple comparison. And 66 people listened to the AI version compared to 90 who listened to my version. Compared to 151 who listened to the professional narrator. Thoughts? What did I miss? Or did you miss this entire experiment and now you need to go listen to each of thse audiobooks and give your thoughts? I’m happy to revisit this at one year to see how the results have changed. Also what other book experiements do you want me to do? Let me know if the comments below!Join this channel to get access to perks:youtube.com/channel/UCjvBO4kjuBSYe6Bi3RYQAQA/joinMusic from: Wondershare Filmora Sounds: "Something Cheer You Up"Stock video and images from Wondershare Filmora and PexelsHow You Can Support This Channel and My Work: 👍Like, Subscribe, and Comment on this video!✉️Subscribe to my monthly newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/52c7cd246b5b/authoryourambition➕Follow me on my other channels: FB | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreadsfacebook.com/1mkwilliamstwitter.com/1mkwilliamsinstagram.com/1mkwilliams goodreads.com/author/show/14420756.M_K_Williams ☕️Buy Me A Coffee: buymeacoffee.com/1mkwilliams📚Check out my books and purchase them or request them at your library: 1mkwilliams.com or payhip.com/MKWilliamsPublishingLLC Author Your Ambition Merch on Etsy:📖etsy.com/shop/AuthorYourAmbitionPartnership Opportunities:Interested in working together to collaborate on an upcoming video? Let's connect: http://authoryourambition.com/partnership-opportunitiesDISCLAIMER: Links included in this description might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with the links that I provide I may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you, but it can help me continue to create and put out more content. Thank you for supporting my channel so I can continue to provide you with free content each week!
Book Brush Hourly Concepts and Social Media Management | You Pick Which Designs I Try! M.K. Williams 2024-04-10 | I’ve used Book Brush for several years now. I love the mock-ups I can create for all of my books in different formats and my favorite aspect is the instant mockups that have been designed by actual designers. You pick what you like and it pops in your book cover instantly. For me, this is great because when I try to fiddle with the custom creator… let’s say it looks like I made it. But this tool is so powerful and I only ever scratch the surface. Then BookBrush took things a step further. Instead of hiring their team for one-off projects and needs you can hire them to manage your author social media accounts. And now they have a video package too. Their team works with you for at least six months to craft images, captions, hashtags, when to post, what to post, the whole thing. That sounds awesome!Especially as a busy mom who is at best shooting in the dark with each social media post. With these plans offered through Book Brush, you work with one dedicated project manager to go over what did and didn’t work and any insights that you can carry forward on other channels. I did ask about A.I. because it is the elephant in every room. Kathleen said for the Meta plan that the human designers do all the work unless there is a specific project where the author gives the OK to use an A.I. image. For the Video Plan, she said authors have to agree to use A.I. to produce 15 videos in one month. But the monthly fee is just at the high end of my budget range. Hmmm how can I try before I buy.Back to the hourly concepts. If I like what the team can do with one or two projects, then I can feel confident that they can handle all of my social media postings. So with all these options, I need to do a test!I looked over the hourly concepts and a few things stuck out to me. So much so that I can't decide so I need you all to vote between these four options:Movie Poster for Interview with a #VanliferA+ Content for one of my booksBook Swag for The Infinite-InfiniteBookBub ad for IWAVL or The Infinite-InfinitePOLL LINK: https://forms.gle/QrUAysz3c6BqLtuC9 Whichever one has the highest number of votes by MM/DD will be the project I work on with BookBrush. I’ll report back on how it went to work with them, and how the creative performed in market. Book your consultation call and tell 'em MK sent you for a special limited time discount ($100 off your six month package - actually $102 because it got weird with fraction when we divided 100 by 6) on June 1st start date. Spots are limited. They only take 14 authors a month to make sure they are delivering the best quality service. And don’t forget to vote on which service I should test out!BookBrush Hourly Concepts: bookbrush.com/hourly-concepts BookBrush Social Media Management: bookbrush.com/social-media-management *schedule a consult with Kathleen, tell her MK sent youBuy Me A Coffee: buymeacoffee.com/1mkwilliams/wishlist Join this channel to get access to perks:youtube.com/channel/UCjvBO4kjuBSYe6Bi3RYQAQA/joinMusic from: Wondershare Filmora Sounds: "Something Cheer You Up"Stock video and images from Wondershare Filmora and PexelsHow You Can Support This Channel and My Work: 👍Like, Subscribe, and Comment on this video!✉️Subscribe to my monthly newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/52c7cd246b5b/authoryourambition➕Follow me on my other channels: FB | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreadsfacebook.com/1mkwilliamstwitter.com/1mkwilliamsinstagram.com/1mkwilliams goodreads.com/author/show/14420756.M_K_Williams ☕️Buy Me A Coffee: buymeacoffee.com/1mkwilliams📚Check out my books and purchase them or request them at your library: 1mkwilliams.com or payhip.com/MKWilliamsPublishingLLC Author Your Ambition Merch on Etsy:📖etsy.com/shop/AuthorYourAmbitionPartnership Opportunities:Interested in working together to collaborate on an upcoming video? Let's connect: http://authoryourambition.com/partnership-opportunitiesDISCLAIMER: Links included in this description might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with the links that I provide I may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you, but it can help me continue to create and put out more content. Thank you for supporting my channel so I can continue to provide you with free content each week!
Can you revise and relaunch a book? | Should I do a second edition book? Delusional Author M.K. Williams 2024-04-03 | As an author, I have to live in a bit of a state of delusion. Delulu as the kids say. Because 1. I have to write the books. And 2. I have to believe that the book will do well. Even though I know how saturated each market is. How difficult it is to get anyone to read, let alone review. I have to have a delusional belief that my biggest goals and dreams COULD happen and therefore I need to prepare for that success. Many of you know I’ve been self-publishing since 2015 and last year with the book I had on hand, I realized the best chance of success for that book was the traditional route. Because the audience for that book gets their recommendations from book clubs and traditional media sources. So I signed with an agent. We’ve been working on edits and were hopefully going on submission soon. How am I setting myself up for success here? Well, continuing to grow my audience (please subscribe here, follow me on Insta or TikTok, or subscribe to my newsletter, all the links are below). My thoughts are, let’s say I get the big dream, the big deal, the book gets a big deal and lots of marketing support, it sells so well that so many people are hungry for me from me that they want to go back to my backlist and read more. For me, that means making sure my backlist is great. I went back and revised my very first novel, Nailbiters, in 2019 ahead of the 2020 release of the sequel Architects. I cleaned up my rookie grammatical errors and I love it that much more now. I have one book whose cover is definitely hurting it. In 2017 I self-published Enemies of Peace. This is my best-selling fiction book. I had huge support from the FI community in terms of podcast interviews, bulk orders for meet ups. It did amazing, in spite of the cover. When I published this I had two books out, only in eBook as 99 cent eBooks. I was making dollars a month. It was sad. So I had nothing to reinvest. With Enemies of Peace I decided to launch print for all the books. This book had an audiobook. I did more for this book and it did better. Go figure. But the cover. So I worked with Formatted Books in late 2023 to give it a makeover. Again, if this next book does amazing and people want to go to my backlist, I don’t want anything to keep them from checking out those books. So It has a new cover now. Just as I’ve done with previous second editions I:Registered my NEW ISBNs for my second editionI reviewed the entire textFor this second edition I did a new cover and a foreword for book from a fellow author who has been very supportive of this book. This gives this edition more content, a better marketing asset in the cover, but the story is the same so I was able to port over all my reviews. (This is in my 2024 KDP Upload tutorial, you can check that out and skip to the second edition chapters) I want you to think about what you would fix now if you could about your earlier books. What if your book, or latest book, is a runaway success? What would you do differently now to better positon yourself for success? Do that thing!**The service I reference in this video, FormattedBooks, has decided to close their doors. For anyone looking for a similar service, 100Covers now also offers interior file formatting: 100Covers: http://100covers.com/?ref=49 **Second Editions Checklist: authoryourambition.com/ultimate-checklistsEnemies of Peace: 1mkwilliams.com/enemies-of-peaceJoin this channel to get access to perks:youtube.com/channel/UCjvBO4kjuBSYe6Bi3RYQAQA/joinMusic from: Wondershare Filmora Sounds: "Something Cheer You Up"Stock video and images from Wondershare Filmora and PexelsHow You Can Support This Channel and My Work: 👍Like, Subscribe, and Comment on this video!✉️Subscribe to my monthly newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/52c7cd246b5b/authoryourambition➕Follow me on my other channels: FB | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreadsfacebook.com/1mkwilliamstwitter.com/1mkwilliamsinstagram.com/1mkwilliams goodreads.com/author/show/14420756.M_K_Williams ☕️Buy Me A Coffee: buymeacoffee.com/1mkwilliams📚Check out my books and purchase them or request them at your library: 1mkwilliams.com or payhip.com/MKWilliamsPublishingLLC Author Your Ambition Merch on Etsy:📖etsy.com/shop/AuthorYourAmbitionPartnership Opportunities:Interested in working together to collaborate on an upcoming video? Let's connect: http://authoryourambition.com/partnership-opportunitiesDISCLAIMER: Links included in this description might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with the links that I provide I may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you, but it can help me continue to create and put out more content. Thank you for supporting my channel so I can continue to provide you with free content each week!
NEVER use the free ISBN from Amazon KDP, IngramSpark, or any other platform! | Self-Publishing Tip M.K. Williams 2024-03-27 | I’m going to walk you through an example for a first time self-publishing author based on all the authors I’ve helped with this channel to explain why you should never use the free Amazon ISBN. At the end of this video I will tell you the ONE exception to this rule. And if you fit this one exception then have at it and enjoy the ISBN. But for everyone else, like 99% of you, don’t do it. SCENARIO 1An indie author is ready to publish and they've already spent so much! Finally something for free! Amazon KDP, IngramSpark, and Draft2Digtial all offer free ISBNs!And *timeout*I’m super frugal. I want to advocate for authors to get more things for free if they can. The cost of 1 ISBN in the US is $125 dollars. For a number? A number? Are you kidding me? So if an author can get a break, I’m all for it. *Okay timein*If the author has plans to do an eBook, a paperback, and a hardcover for her novel. That means she would need 3 ISBNs. So the savings are adding up here if she takes the free ISBN.But here’s the catch. The ISBN that is given for FREE from Amazon, or IngramSpark, or Draft2Digital can’t be used anywhere else. So you have to lock in to that one platform. SCENARIO 2 Let's say an author just wanted to get the book out, see how it did. Good news - it is doing great. But now customers want the book from other platforms. The author is ready to expand, but when she goes to take those same files and same ISBN and upload them elsewhere, she can’t because Amazon owns that ISBN and the other platforms won’t accept it. But she can’t take the Amazon ISBN with her. Because she should have used her own. So now she needs to release a second edition of the same book with a new cover or a new bonus chapter or something under her own ISBN so she is free to upload it anywhere she wants. Do you see why the Free ISBN is actually the biggest handcuff for you. THE ONLY TIME YOU SHOULD USE A FREE ISBN There are a lot of other creators on YouTube who talk about low-content self-publishing on Amazon KDP. These are usually journals or diaries. You have lined paper and the real selling point is the cover art. But these can be seasonal and the majority of the audience is on Amazon. Unless you are making beautifully handcrafted journals the people doing low-content books on Amazon are just on Amazon. The other platforms have limited low-content books. So the main place to publish them in Amazon KDP, there’s not much else you can do to take that journal elsewhere and then you’re constantly creating new ones to meet trends. If that is you, low-content journals and diaries on Amazon KDP - get the free ISBN. Because you’re not taking the book elsewhere and you’re gonna need a lot of em. ISBN videos: youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5wG4jOiELp0BbfdZUAVE9BmHL51VJBf3Join this channel to get access to perks:youtube.com/channel/UCjvBO4kjuBSYe6Bi3RYQAQA/joinMusic from: Wondershare Filmora Sounds: "Something Cheer You Up"Stock video and images from Wondershare Filmora and PexelsHow You Can Support This Channel and My Work: 👍Like, Subscribe, and Comment on this video!✉️Subscribe to my monthly newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/52c7cd246b5b/authoryourambition➕Follow me on my other channels: FB | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreadsfacebook.com/1mkwilliamstwitter.com/1mkwilliamsinstagram.com/1mkwilliams goodreads.com/author/show/14420756.M_K_Williams ☕️Buy Me A Coffee: buymeacoffee.com/1mkwilliams📚Check out my books and purchase them or request them at your library: 1mkwilliams.com or payhip.com/MKWilliamsPublishingLLC Author Your Ambition Merch on Etsy:📖etsy.com/shop/AuthorYourAmbitionPartnership Opportunities:Interested in working together to collaborate on an upcoming video? Let's connect: http://authoryourambition.com/partnership-opportunitiesDISCLAIMER: Links included in this description might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with the links that I provide I may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you, but it can help me continue to create and put out more content. Thank you for supporting my channel so I can continue to provide you with free content each week!
Authors Trashing Authors | Bad Behavior and Mean Book Reviews M.K. Williams 2024-03-20 | I want to preface this with saying that I have not received any bad reviews lately. I’m not making this video out of spite or anger. So I have a snarky roll with the punches view of the negative reviews I've received to date. Because they’re going to happen. My books aren’t for everyone and I don’t like every book I read.As authors, we are so lucky to be able to self-publish or traditionally publish our books, and then people read them! What!? Awesome. And so many of us know we need a platform, we need people to listen to us about a topic so when we release a book that fits that audience they’ll want to read it. It’s the business side of being an author. So as an author we can talk about our lives and inspiration and being an author which existing fans may be interested in, we can give advice to other authors and grow a strong author network, or we can talk about books and connect with other readers. All great writers need to be great readers and if you connect with readers who like the genre of book you talk about and hey its the genre your book is in, that’s a built in audience you can really enjoy connecting with and who will hopefully, buy and read your book. I’ve seen authors find success with any of these paths. What I have started to see though, is aspiring authors starting to make their channel about reviewing books. They are working on their manuscript, and don’t have a social presence, so to build one they start talking about the books they are reading and their thoughts. On its face, there is nothing wrong with this. If they loved XYZ book and are writing in that genre and you loved XYZ book, maybe you’ll like this new author’s book too. The problem, I think, comes when these authors trash other books. Now the review is always for the reader and other readers. It's never for the author. Authors get good reviews, they get bad reviews, and reviews happen. Everyone has an opinion. What I think is a bad look, for someone new to the author community, is when they keep posting negative reviews. Online, negative posts get more attention. Headlines like “I hated this book!” or “Why no one should read this book!” get more clicks and engagement than “Best book ever!” Especially if the book in question is a big hit, popular book. Giving a ‘hot take’ on the best seller of the season is ‘trash’ is rewarded. I do believe in Karma. And I think that yes, reviews help other readers, but you can phrase your less-than-positive review in a way that helps other readers. “This book used this trope, I didn’t realize it and that's not a trope that I enjoy. If you like this trope, maybe this book is for you.”As authors, we know the power of words. We know it is a bad look if we are trashing fellow authors' books. To the point there was recently a scandal with a debut author creating fake accounts to review bomb fellow debut authors (who were also writers of color) and clearly, she knew to not use her personal account to do this. She knew it was the wrong thing to do. In general, my philosophy is if you don’t have something nice to say, don’t say it. Think about how you want people to review your books. Do that. I try to be nice. Do I still get mean reviews? Yeah. But in general, don’t be a jerk to your fellow authors. Okay, those are my thoughts. I can’t wait to see the comment section of this video….Join this channel to get access to perks:youtube.com/channel/UCjvBO4kjuBSYe6Bi3RYQAQA/joinMusic from: Wondershare Filmora Sounds: "Something Cheer You Up"Stock video and images from Wondershare Filmora and PexelsHow You Can Support This Channel and My Work: 👍Like, Subscribe, and Comment on this video!✉️Subscribe to my monthly newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/52c7cd246b5b/authoryourambition➕Follow me on my other channels: FB | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreadsfacebook.com/1mkwilliamstwitter.com/1mkwilliamsinstagram.com/1mkwilliams goodreads.com/author/show/14420756.M_K_Williams ☕️Buy Me A Coffee: buymeacoffee.com/1mkwilliams📚Check out my books and purchase them or request them at your library: 1mkwilliams.com or payhip.com/MKWilliamsPublishingLLC Author Your Ambition Merch on Etsy:📖etsy.com/shop/AuthorYourAmbitionPartnership Opportunities:Interested in working together to collaborate on an upcoming video? Let's connect: http://authoryourambition.com/partnership-opportunitiesDISCLAIMER: Links included in this description might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with the links that I provide I may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you, but it can help me continue to create and put out more content. Thank you for supporting my channel so I can continue to provide you with free content each week!
2024 Findaway Voices Step-by-Step Upload Tutorial | Publish Audiobooks on Spotify and Libro.FM M.K. Williams 2024-03-13 | CHAPTERS1:55 What you need 2:12 Tutorial Begins3:15 Metadata9:00 Distribution Settings and Agreement10:34 Upload Audio Files What you need:Finished Audio filesOpening and closing creditsRetail SampleAudiobook CoverISBNInterview with a #Vanlifer onSpotify open.spotify.com/show/6r9cDiTHlmpOJ5LOACuol2 Nook Audio barnesandnoble.com/w/interview-with-a-vanlifer-mk-williams/1142255121?ean=2940160262345 Libro.FM https://libro.fm/audiobooks/9781952084355 Chirp chirpbooks.com/audiobooks/interview-with-a-vanlifer-by-m-k-williams Google Play play.google.com/store/audiobooks/details/M_K_Williams_Interview_with_a_Vanlifer?id=AQAAAEASvlr-WM Join this channel to get access to perks:youtube.com/channel/UCjvBO4kjuBSYe6Bi3RYQAQA/joinMusic from: Wondershare Filmora Sounds: "Something Cheer You Up"How You Can Support This Channel and My Work: 👍Like, Subscribe, and Comment on this video!✉️Subscribe to my monthly newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/52c7cd246b5b/authoryourambition➕Follow me on my other channels: FB | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreadsfacebook.com/1mkwilliamstwitter.com/1mkwilliamsinstagram.com/1mkwilliams goodreads.com/author/show/14420756.M_K_Williams ☕️Buy Me A Coffee: buymeacoffee.com/1mkwilliams📚Check out my books and purchase them or request them at your library: 1mkwilliams.com or payhip.com/MKWilliamsPublishingLLC Author Your Ambition Merch on Etsy:📖etsy.com/shop/AuthorYourAmbitionPartnership Opportunities:Interested in working together to collaborate on an upcoming video? Let's connect: http://authoryourambition.com/partnership-opportunitiesDISCLAIMER: Links included in this description might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with the links that I provide I may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you, but it can help me continue to create and put out more content. Thank you for supporting my channel so I can continue to provide you with free content each week!
What are all the book formats and how do I self-publish them? eBook Paperback Hardcover Audiobook M.K. Williams 2024-03-06 | Think of it like potatoes. Chips. Mashed. Fries. Baked. All different ways to enjoy and experience one potato. -EBook - any of the platforms-Paperback - almost all of the platforms, most have both now-Hardcover - KDP and IS, Lulu and Bookvault coming along too-Audiobook - ACX, Findaway Voices, Authors Republic, -Special Editions - Kickstarter and Direct most common. Could also use the other print platforms. Each needs 1 unique ISBN. So your eBook has one ISBN across any retailer. Your paperback has a unique ISBN across all the retailers. Join this channel to get access to perks:youtube.com/channel/UCjvBO4kjuBSYe6Bi3RYQAQA/joinMusic from: Wondershare Filmora Sounds: "Something Cheer You Up"How You Can Support This Channel and My Work: 👍Like, Subscribe, and Comment on this video!✉️Subscribe to my monthly newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/52c7cd246b5b/authoryourambition➕Follow me on my other channels: FB | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreadsfacebook.com/1mkwilliamstwitter.com/1mkwilliamsinstagram.com/1mkwilliams goodreads.com/author/show/14420756.M_K_Williams ☕️Buy Me A Coffee: buymeacoffee.com/1mkwilliams📚Check out my books and purchase them or request them at your library: 1mkwilliams.com or payhip.com/MKWilliamsPublishingLLC Author Your Ambition Merch on Etsy:📖etsy.com/shop/AuthorYourAmbitionPartnership Opportunities:Interested in working together to collaborate on an upcoming video? Let's connect: http://authoryourambition.com/partnership-opportunitiesDISCLAIMER: Links included in this description might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with the links that I provide I may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you, but it can help me continue to create and put out more content. Thank you for supporting my channel so I can continue to provide you with free content each week!
RGB v CMYK for eBook and Print Book covers | What color type do I need for my paperback? M.K. Williams 2024-02-29 | This question is a great opportunity for me to break down the difference between RGB and CMYK. I had no clue what the difference was when I started self-publishing and it was really helpful when I finally figured it out:RGB: stands for Red, Green, Blue and is the standard for web/digital assets like websites and eBook covers.CMYK: stands for Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Key is the standard for print assets like magazines or paperback and hardcover print covers. IngramSpark accepts RGB for eBook covers and CMYK for print covers.
2024 Google Play Books Step-By-Step Upload Tutorial | Self-Publish eBooks with Google Play Books M.K. Williams 2024-02-28 | CHAPTERS1:05 What you need1:35 Tutorial Begins2:31 Add Metadata/ Book Info5:46 Upload ePub file6:36 Set Pricing7:00 Hit Publish9:00 Second EditionBefore you sit down to upload you will need:Finished interior filesFinished cover files in the Amazon KDP print templateISBNBook DescriptionPricing PlanCategories and Keywords**The service I reference in this video, FormattedBooks, has decided to close their doors. For anyone looking for a similar service, 100Covers now also offers interior file formatting: 100Covers: http://100covers.com/?ref=49 **Second Edition: authoryourambition.com/ultimate-checklists Enemies of Peace:Google Play Books: play.google.com/store/books/details/M_K_Williams_Enemies_of_Peace?id=EwXrEAAAQBAJJoin this channel to get access to perks:youtube.com/channel/UCjvBO4kjuBSYe6Bi3RYQAQA/joinMusic from: Wondershare Filmora Sounds: "Something Cheer You Up"How You Can Support This Channel and My Work: 👍Like, Subscribe, and Comment on this video!✉️Subscribe to my monthly newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/52c7cd246b5b/authoryourambition➕Follow me on my other channels: FB | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreadsfacebook.com/1mkwilliamstwitter.com/1mkwilliamsinstagram.com/1mkwilliams goodreads.com/author/show/14420756.M_K_Williams ☕️Buy Me A Coffee: buymeacoffee.com/1mkwilliams📚Check out my books and purchase them or request them at your library: 1mkwilliams.com or payhip.com/MKWilliamsPublishingLLC Author Your Ambition Merch on Etsy:📖etsy.com/shop/AuthorYourAmbitionPartnership Opportunities:Interested in working together to collaborate on an upcoming video? Let's connect: http://authoryourambition.com/partnership-opportunitiesDISCLAIMER: Links included in this description might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with the links that I provide I may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you, but it can help me continue to create and put out more content. Thank you for supporting my channel so I can continue to provide you with free content each week!
Self-Publishing and Book Marketing Experiments : What is worth it? #selfpublishing #bookmarketing M.K. Williams 2024-02-23 | I love testing on new services and products that are aimed at helping self-published and indie authors. Does it work? How can you make the most of this service? How do you upload the thing and push the button?There are a few high-ticket items that I haven't been able to test yet. I'm guessing some of you feel the same way. It can be an expensive gamble with hundreds of dollars. But what if you could test it out with just a couple dollars? I have a wishlist set up via Buy Me A Coffee so that we can all contribute to one of these items. I'll test it out, show you how it works, and best practices, and report back on whether I think it is worth the investment. buymeacoffee.com/1mkwilliams/wishlist
15,000 Subscriber Thank you! | Who is M.K. Williams | Publishing Journey and Lessons Learned M.K. Williams 2024-02-21 | All the things referenced in this video:My Books:Nailbiters 1mkwilliams.com/aboutArchitects 1mkwilliams.com/architectsThe Games You Cannot Win 1mkwilliams.com/the-games-you-cannot-winEscaping Avila Chase 1mkwilliams.com/escaping-avila-chaseEnemies of Peace 1mkwilliams.com/enemies-of-peaceThe Infinite-Infinite 1mkwilliams.com/the-infinite-infiniteThe Alpha-Nina 1mkwilliams.com/the-alpha-ninaInterview with a #Vanlifer 1mkwilliams.com/interview-with-a-vanliferSelf-Publishing for the First-Time Author 1mkwilliams.com/self-publishing-for-the-first-time-authorBook Marketing for the First-Time Author 1mkwilliams.com/book-marketing-for-the-first-time-authorHow To Write Your First Novel 1mkwilliams.com/how-to-write-your-first-novelGoing-Wide: Self-Publishing Your Books Outside the Amazon Ecosystem1mkwilliams.com/going-wideAuthor Your Ambition: The Complete Self-Publishing Workbook for First-Time Authors 1mkwilliams.com/workbook My Store:payhip.com/MKWilliamsPublishingLLCStock video and images from Wondershare Filmora and PexelsJoin this channel to get access to perks:youtube.com/channel/UCjvBO4kjuBSYe6Bi3RYQAQA/joinMusic from: Wondershare Filmora Sounds: "Something Cheer You Up"How You Can Support This Channel and My Work: 👍Like, Subscribe, and Comment on this video!✉️Subscribe to my monthly newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/52c7cd246b5b/authoryourambition➕Follow me on my other channels: FB | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreadsfacebook.com/1mkwilliamstwitter.com/1mkwilliamsinstagram.com/1mkwilliams goodreads.com/author/show/14420756.M_K_Williams ☕️Buy Me A Coffee: buymeacoffee.com/1mkwilliams📚Check out my books and purchase them or request them at your library: 1mkwilliams.com or payhip.com/MKWilliamsPublishingLLC Author Your Ambition Merch on Etsy:📖etsy.com/shop/AuthorYourAmbitionPartnership Opportunities:Interested in working together to collaborate on an upcoming video? Let's connect: http://authoryourambition.com/partnership-opportunitiesDISCLAIMER: Links included in this description might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with the links that I provide I may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you, but it can help me continue to create and put out more content. Thank you for supporting my channel so I can continue to provide you with free content each week!
4 Things Indie Authors Need to STOP Doing in 2024 | Horrible Self-Publishing Advice M.K. Williams 2024-02-14 | Uploading a dummy or unfinished version of your book to IngramSpark or Amazon KDP or any platform. Not giving themselves enough time for proof and metadata to get to retailers. Thinking you can upload your book today and in two days you’ll have a perfect proof in your hands so you can take one photo and then promote it is live three days from now. Give Yourself Time! You are relying on so many systems going right, and guess what? They don’t always work on the timeline we want. Thinking you can buy a fast pass or easy button. Self-publishing is not easy. And I know some indie authors will go on a podcast and say “I threw up some Amazon ads and now I have all this success," or “I did this one thing,” and then everyone listening does that thing thinking they will have the same exact results. You won’t. You may do better. You may do worse. You can’t just tell Amazon, here’s $1000 to make my book a bestseller. You have to monitor and optimize your ads. You’ll lose money learning it. The same goes for any other marketing. I see authors ask me to just do XYZ for them and it’s like, that’s not how it works. Yes, you have to spend money and invest in your book. But you also have to spend time learning, optimizing, trying new tactics for marketing, and refining your strategy. There is no shortcut for that and anyone selling you on that idea is a liar. Formatting your text-only book in Canva - STOP IT!! I have heard from two authors in the past few months who drafted an entire text-based book in Canva and then – oops, they don’t export to ePub or Word, they export image files or PDFs. So how are you going to get an eBook? You’re not. It’s not even one I would recommend for print formatting. STOP. Unless you are making a low-content or no-content journal, stop using Canva to format your books. Join this channel to get access to perks:youtube.com/channel/UCjvBO4kjuBSYe6Bi3RYQAQA/joinMusic from: Wondershare Filmora Sounds: "Something Cheer You Up"How You Can Support This Channel and My Work: 👍Like, Subscribe, and Comment on this video!✉️Subscribe to my monthly newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/52c7cd246b5b/authoryourambition➕Follow me on my other channels: FB | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreadsfacebook.com/1mkwilliamstwitter.com/1mkwilliamsinstagram.com/1mkwilliams goodreads.com/author/show/14420756.M_K_Williams ☕️Buy Me A Coffee: buymeacoffee.com/1mkwilliams📚Check out my books and purchase them or request them at your library: 1mkwilliams.com or payhip.com/MKWilliamsPublishingLLC Author Your Ambition Merch on Etsy:📖etsy.com/shop/AuthorYourAmbitionPartnership Opportunities:Interested in working together to collaborate on an upcoming video? Let's connect: http://authoryourambition.com/partnership-opportunitiesDISCLAIMER: Links included in this description might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with the links that I provide I may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you, but it can help me continue to create and put out more content. Thank you for supporting my channel so I can continue to provide you with free content each week!
2024 IngramSpark Step-by-Step Self-Publishing Tutorial | How to upload a book to IngramSpark M.K. Williams 2024-02-07 | CHAPTERS1:30 What you need 2:15 Tutorial Begins2:35 Add Paperback3:20 Add Metadata7:08 Print Book Trim size and Pricing10:34 Upload Content11:16 Submit for Publication11:25 Hardcover Upload18:30 Second Edition ProcessBefore you sit down to upload you will need:Finished interior filesFinished cover files in the IngramSpark print templateISBNBook DescriptionPricing PlanCategories and Keywords**The service I reference in this video, FormattedBooks, has decided to close their doors. For anyone looking for a similar service, 100Covers now also offers interior file formatting: 100Covers: http://100covers.com/?ref=49 **Second Edition: authoryourambition.com/ultimate-checklists youtube.com/watch?v=ByOuVfJRhFIEnemies of Peace:Amazon: amazon.com/dp/B0CQXNLLTTBarnes & Noble: barnesandnoble.com/w/enemies-of-peace-mk-williams/1131638920?ean=9781952084348Join this channel to get access to perks:youtube.com/channel/UCjvBO4kjuBSYe6Bi3RYQAQA/joinMusic from: Wondershare Filmora Sounds: "Something Cheer You Up"How You Can Support This Channel and My Work: 👍Like, Subscribe, and Comment on this video!✉️Subscribe to my monthly newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/52c7cd246b5b/authoryourambition➕Follow me on my other channels: FB | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreadsfacebook.com/1mkwilliamstwitter.com/1mkwilliamsinstagram.com/1mkwilliams goodreads.com/author/show/14420756.M_K_Williams ☕️Buy Me A Coffee: buymeacoffee.com/1mkwilliams📚Check out my books and purchase them or request them at your library: 1mkwilliams.com or payhip.com/MKWilliamsPublishingLLC Author Your Ambition Merch on Etsy:📖etsy.com/shop/AuthorYourAmbitionPartnership Opportunities:Interested in working together to collaborate on an upcoming video? Let's connect: http://authoryourambition.com/partnership-opportunitiesDISCLAIMER: Links included in this description might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with the links that I provide I may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you, but it can help me continue to create and put out more content. Thank you for supporting my channel so I can continue to provide you with free content each week!
Who gets the savings when the IngramSpark wholesale discount is 55%? #selfpublishing #ingramspark M.K. Williams 2024-02-02 | The wholesale discount via IngramSpark can trip up a lot of author. Here's how it works:The discount is for the retailer. Remember, IngramSpark just distributes the book to big retailers like Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Walmart, etc. This question asks about hardcovers, but for easy math let's say the book retail price is $10.00If the wholesale discount is 55% and a customer goes to Amazon to buy if, the customer still pays $10.00. The retailer, for example, Amazon, would only pay the author $4.50 for the book. They keep the $5.50.The $4.50 that Amazon paid for the book is sent back to IngramSpark to cover the distribution fee and print cost. What's left over after that goes to the Author. That's why you'll see hardcovers are priced so high. They are expensive to produce. I hope this helps!
Things to NOT do when querying in 2024 | Avoid these MAJOR mistakes when querying your book M.K. Williams 2024-01-31 | So I did video on tips for querying in 2024, and a lot of this will be a repeat since I know some on your on youtube on click on negative videos. So this is what not to do, and then I spin it and tell you what you should do. Query before your manuscript is ready. Don’t do it. I got a full request on my third day on querying. Don’t think it will take forever to get a full request and hope you can put some final touches on. Ideally, you get a full request, you send it!! Stalk the agents. Don’t do it. It is creepy. I even went as far as unfollowing the agents I had been following so I didn’t mindlessly like a post and seem weird. Think you’re going to stand out by breaking the rules. Really razzle dazzle with your creativity in sending them a paper mache version of your main character made from the actual manuscript. Or just disregard their requested materials because you know they’re gonna want more. Follow the damn instructions. You will stand apart for not following them, in a bad wayNot use Query Tracker. Use it. Take an extra hour to go on YouTube and watch my tutorial to use it, watch Alexa Donne’s video on how she leveraged the data to inform her querying strategy. Use Query Tracker. Not using it is like having a map to a treasure and saying ‘eh, I’ll wing it.” There is a free version. The paid is only $25 for the year. You won’t send a query to the same agent twice. You will see exactly what that agent wants. Not using query tracker or failing to track who you’ve queried and when is a mistake. Check your phone every five minutes. I know, because I did this, and it was miserable. Don’t make it worse for yourself. Don’t take every rejection as a personal slight against your craft. That’s what I did the very first time I queried back in 2010. And when a local author insulted me to my face it was like all those little rejections came roaring back. There are SO MANY REASONS an agent decides to pass on your manuscript that have nothing to do with the quality of your writing. Each no means you are getting closer to the agent who will say yes. Join this channel to get access to perks:youtube.com/channel/UCjvBO4kjuBSYe6Bi3RYQAQA/joinMusic from: Wondershare Filmora Sounds: "Something Cheer You Up"How You Can Support This Channel and My Work: 👍Like, Subscribe, and Comment on this video!✉️Subscribe to my monthly newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/52c7cd246b5b/authoryourambition➕Follow me on my other channels: FB | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreadsfacebook.com/1mkwilliamstwitter.com/1mkwilliamsinstagram.com/1mkwilliams goodreads.com/author/show/14420756.M_K_Williams ☕️Buy Me A Coffee: buymeacoffee.com/1mkwilliams📚Check out my books and purchase them or request them at your library: 1mkwilliams.com or payhip.com/MKWilliamsPublishingLLC Author Your Ambition Merch on Etsy:📖etsy.com/shop/AuthorYourAmbitionPartnership Opportunities:Interested in working together to collaborate on an upcoming video? Let's connect: http://authoryourambition.com/partnership-opportunitiesDISCLAIMER: Links included in this description might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with the links that I provide I may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you, but it can help me continue to create and put out more content. Thank you for supporting my channel so I can continue to provide you with free content each week!
