Welcome to Published + Black Podcast, the place where we explore the world of publishing, both in print and online.
Episode Title: "Book Publishing Tips for 2024"
Host Introduction: Publisher, Coach and Design Strategist Tiffany A Green-Hood
Segment 1: The Importance of a Compelling Title
Why your title is very important and will determine the success of your book.
Segment 2: Designing an Eye-Catching Book Cover
Why it's important to have a professional book cover and why you don't always need to be on your cover.
Segment 3: Aligning Content with Title and Cover
Why the importance of ensuring that your book's content aligns with its title and cover design.
Segment 4: The Significance of ISBN Numbers
Why you need to purchase your own ISBN and why it's important as a self-publisher.
Thank your audience for tuning in to this episode of Published + Black Podcast.
Connect with the podcast host Tiffany A Green-Hood across all social media platforms @blackwritersspace. Shop with Tiffany at http://www.publishwithtiffany.com. To work with tiffany book a Discovery Call at http://bookwithtiffanynow.com
Speaker 1:
Hey y'all. So January is right around the corner, like literally, like tomorrow. January is tomorrow and I know that January, february and March the whole first quarter everybody is talking about publishing their books. They talking about publishing the book that they've been talking about publishing for 10 years. Or you had a people that are like you know what? I've been writing my book for 30 years and I still ain't finished it yet. I'm gonna publish it in 2024, right, we're about to get into all that.
Speaker 1:
But let me tell you something. I want to give you guys some tips. I want to give you some tips that are going to help you in this process. Okay, pay attention, take notes, save this video, screenshot this. Okay, listen.
Speaker 1:
So, creating your title you do not want to come out with any type of title. Okay, whether it's about your life story, whether it's about an experience you have, whether it's about business especially if it's about business meaning it's a self-help book. Self-help means let me educate y'all real quick. Self-help means that you are teaching someone how to do something Seven steps to XYZ, or how to do blah, blah, blah, or how to get blah, blah, blah right. All of that. You want to make sure that your title is on point, period. Don't come out here with these generic titles that have nothing to do with your content. Did you hear what I said? Do not come out here with these generic titles, because if you're running to me, I'm going to come out and tell you hey, you need to redo this, this is titled wrong. This is about what? So why did you tie it with this right? And let me tell you another thing, let me just slip this in Stop asking folks who ain't got no business, who definitely have no knowledge about the publishing industry and it's your friend or you just want to know what they think. Stop doing that, because that's what y'all are messing up. Y'all talking to folks they don't know nothing about what you're trying to do and do not know any type of strategies. They don't know any type of rules and you know the do's and don'ts of that particular industry. But y'all asking them because this your friend and you just want to see what they think. Well, they would be my client. No, they're not your client, they're not your reader, they're not your buyer, period. Anyway, let's go. So make sure your title is on point. Make sure your cover is on point. Make sure your cover on point. Don't come out here with these little generic ugly ass covers and then get mad and get your feelings hurt when somebody tells you somebody like me, because nobody else is going to say nothing. Let me tell you what's going to happen. This how it goes Everybody show up to your book signing, meaning your friends and family, because you did not do any marketing.
Speaker 1:
You did not do any marketing and I already did a video on how to make money on your book before it's published. Did you miss that? Go back and look at it, save it. Whatever you need to do, okay, scream, recorded, but your book cover needs to be on point. It don't necessarily need to have your face on it. It don't necessarily need to have your face on it.
Speaker 1:
Most of y'all don't want to do no professional photos, so stop trying to put your dang on picture on your book cover. We don't need to look at you. We need to see what you're talking about. In fact, this book that's going to help us do XYZ, but it's going to help us with our life, our business, our goals, whatever it is that we're trying to do. How is this book going to help me get to the next level? That's what your cover and your title need to be doing for me. If you're not doing that, don't publish nothing. Okay, let's move right along, because we get to me. I'm going to tell you you need to redo this. This need to be republished. You need to redo this cover. This cover is ugly.
Speaker 1:
Most of y'all that go out here and try to do your own cover in New and Dango, where you are not a graphic designer, you mess up the future of any kind of money that you can make with that book. Okay, let's just be real. You go out here and then you get mad when folks tell you the truth. But you have this, because everybody that's coming to your book time and your friends and your family, they're going to lie to you and be like oh, it's nice, congratulations. Oh, girl, you did it. And now that's great and maybe true. But when you get to me and you wondering why, six months later, a year later, your book ain't doing that. But sit now, sit on Amazon, I'm going to tell you why.
Speaker 1:
Okay, so anyway, the third thing I want to talk about is make sure that your content is on point. Make sure that the content. So now you got your right title. Your title is on point, your title is on point, your book cover is on point. Now your content need to match what you got on the front of that book, okay. So your content needs to match what you got on the front of that book. So if you're talking about your life story, whatever title you have for that, it needs to be the story about XYZ, okay. And then it needs to make sure that you always end with a, not just telling the story, but you got the story, you got the. You know what you went through, how you got a part of it, isn't it? And then the success of it. I was still able to accomplish this, this and that. Da da, da, da da. I made it through. Da da da. Make it to be a success, because you still here, so obviously it was a success, okay. And so you want to make sure that your story is not boring. It's not putting us to sleep, it's not making me want to put it down and regret that I even spent money on this and I just really bought it, because that's what friends and family do when they come to your book signing they really just mind the book, just to support you, right? Just to say hey, all right, anyway.
Speaker 1:
And then the fourth thing is make sure you buy your own ISBN number. You only buy your ISBN number from Valpercom, b-o-w-k-e-rcom. Do not get out here and be online and be seeing these ISBN numbers for $20 and $10. Do not buy those. Those are owned by companies, and so what they're doing is, let me tell you, the purpose of buying your own ISBN number is to legitimately label you as a publisher. That is what you're doing when you're self-publishing. Bingo, I guess you didn't know that. Yeah, I just gave you hella hella, hella bars. Okay, so again, I said take notes. At the beginning of this video I said take notes, so write that down.
Speaker 1:
You need to purchase your own ISBN number. I know that Amazon offers a free and Ingram also offers a free. You can do that if you want to, but you don't have to Just go ahead and purchase your own. It's $125. Yes, you got to invest some freaking money. Yes, and if you're doing your due diligence and selling your freaking book, you're going to make it back anyway. But what that does is that solidifies you as a publisher, as a self-publisher, when you purchase your own ISBN, one is $125.
Speaker 1:
And I believe 10 is like $275, $295 or something. So if you know you're going to publish other books, go ahead and get the 10. Just go and do the dang on thing, because if you buy two that's $240. Add some more money on. Just go and get the 10. Boom, then you set for a while and just publish your books and sell them and make some money. Okay, so this is all I have for you today. I wanted to get this in because I know that come January 1st, everybody come in with a resolutions and I don't want you stuck when it comes to if you are one of those people that have your writing your book or publishing your book, especially if it's your first time. If you are on that list, I don't want you to be stuck. So I wanted to give you this Thanks, that's all I have. Toodles, toodles Tunes out and next was Agile.