Books and Breakfast at Encino Charter Elementary |

25Feb 2015

Books and Breakfast at Encino Charter Elementary

by Taneeka Bourgeois-daSilva ⋅ Leave a Comment

Books and Breakfast - Encino Charter - Taneeka Bourgeois-daSilva

On February 22, 2015, over 30 author’s, including Taneeka Bourgeois-daSilva, attended the Encino Charter Elementary Books and Breakfast event for kids. Author’s were on hand to discuss their book along with conducting various readings and book signings. Tons of parents and kids came to show their love for reading and meet their favorite author. This was an awesome event for self-publishers and independent presses. For more information, please visit the school’s website.

About Taneeka Bourgeois-daSilva

Taneeka Bourgeois-daSilva is an authorpreneur, teacher, blogger, educational consultant, and writing coach. She wrote the award-winning Broccoli Chronicles and is the CEO of Building Voices and TCD Kids Foundation. She tweets at @taneekabdasilva.

23Feb 2015

Self-Publishing: Book Readings and Signings

by Taneeka Bourgeois-daSilva ⋅ Leave a Comment

Self-published authors should attend book fairs, book signings, book readings, and book events

Events especially book readings and signings can help build your platform as a self-publishing author. This should be concurrent with selling your books online or to local bookstores. These events give you the opportunity to read samples of your book to your customers and then sign a copy of it, if they decide to purchase one. This process can be very rewarding in many ways. It’s a great way to personally interact with your customers plus it can be very lucrative.

As a self-publisher, it is our responsibility to think outside of the box. We shouldn’t be afraid of trying new and exciting things, especially if it increases sales and makes ours customers happy!

This year, I have attended various book events ranging from the Books and Breakfast at Encino Charter Elementary to the California Authors Segment at the Merced County Fair. At both events, the parents were very supportive, the children were eager to meet the authors, and more importantly, everyone wanted a signed copy of my book.

For a list of my events, click here.

About Taneeka Bourgeois-daSilva

19Feb 2015

Book Format: The Front Cover

by Taneeka Bourgeois-daSilva ⋅ Leave a Comment

The front cover is the first and the last thing that a customer sees before deciding on whether they want to purchase your book or not. The illustrations and informational text send a signal to the brain advising you to purchase the book. Sometimes it’s the illustrations, the logo, or simply the polished layout of the book that catches and keeps your attention. Having a memorable title and catchy cover will increase the odds of your book being sold.

All authors must make sure that the title, the illustrations, and the author credits are displayed clearly and professionally. You do not want to miss an opportunity to sell your book because the title was too long or the illustrations were too blurry. When self-publishing, remember that every detail counts!

RELATED ARTICLES:
The Back Cover
The Blurb
The Copyright Page
The Spine

About Taneeka Bourgeois-daSilva

13Feb 2015

Book Format: The Back Cover

by Taneeka Bourgeois-daSilva ⋅ Leave a Comment

The back cover is essential to your book and should include the following items:

1. The title

2. The summary also known as the book jacket

3. The publisher’s name, logo, and contact information

4. The age range (mainly for children’s books)

5. The ISBN number

6. The price

7. Whether your book is strippable or not

8. An illustration or logo that reiterates the theme and purpose of your book

9. The author, editor, graphic designer, and/or illustrator credits

What’s the big deal?

Aside from the front cover and the copyright page, the back cover is one of the most looked at items when determining whether someone wants to purchase your book or not. It supplies the potential customer with valuable information ranging from the summary down to whether the book is appropriate for their child or not. Also, it is your final selling point and/or closing argument for why they should purchase your book instead of putting it back on the shelf. Every self-publisher must make sure that their back cover is professional and provides the customer with the information they need in order to make an informed purchasing decision.

Take a look at the back cover for Little Kids, Big Voices Interactive Journal.

RELATED ARTICLES:
The Front Cover
The Copyright Page
The Blurb
The Spine

About Taneeka Bourgeois-daSilva

09Feb 2015

5 Good Reasons to Self-Publish

by Taneeka Bourgeois-daSilva ⋅ Leave a Comment

Below are 5 good reasons why you should self-publish your novel instead of going with a traditional publisher. Make sure that you do your research before making any hasty decision and remember to believe in yourself no matter what!

1. Creative Control – Never allow someone else to control or dictate your creativity. They might not understand the creative force that drives your vision and ideas.

2. Compensation – Never allow so many hands to dig into the pockets of your book. Make sure that there’s enough profit for you.

3. The Long Haul – Never limit yourself to a particular moment in time. Think bigger and higher and longer.

4. Pricing – Never over price or under price your book unless you are comfortable with it.

5. Flexibility – Never allow rigidness to hinder the success of your novel. Try to think outside of the box.

RELATED ARTICLE:
5 Reasons to self-publish

About Taneeka Bourgeois-daSilva

03Feb 2015

Is Self-Publishing Right For You? Question #3

by Taneeka Bourgeois-daSilva ⋅ Leave a Comment

Is Self-Publishing Right For You? Find out today!

3. Do you want to see your book sitting on the shelves of Target, Wal-Mart, and/or Barnes and Noble?

Every author desires to see their book carried by the top retailers in the world, but they must keep in mind that shelf space is not free and therefore it drastically cuts into their profits. Yes, it’s a great accomplishment to see your book displayed among a million other books, but when it’s all said and done, how much money do you really make?

Many self-publishers prefer to work with Amazon, Indie Bound, BN.com, and a few others because you are able to offer a slightly lower wholesale discount in exchange for their distribution. That doesn’t mean that you become sedentary and expect for your book to sell itself, it just means that you are able to get a larger slice of the pie.

I will ask the million dollar question again… is self-publishing right for you? This is a question that only you can answer. It is a growing route for new and upcoming authors and has proven to be a very lucrative profession for many people. With anything, you still must work hard and believe in yourself.