Many authors have had success using these sites to raise the money they need to publish a book (see “A Lesson in Marketing” and “The Power of Social Media”).

Now the question is: Do you want to publish your book as an app but don’t have the money?

The answer: Raise the money using Appsplit.

Appsplit is the Kickstarter for apps. In other words, Appsplit is the new crowdfunding site for apps. In addition to helping individuals raise funds to create apps, Appsplit also allows users to connect with people who have the talent to create the apps.

Crowdfunding platforms like Appsplit help you raise the capital you need to get your idea going. However, obtaining money via crowdfunding is not easy.

First, it requires marketing. You must get the word out about your campaign and get people to buy into it. Fortunately, if you are a published author and are looking to create an app for your book, you already have a built in audience to whom you can market an Appsplit fundraising campaign. Your book’s fans may want to have a digital app of your book and may be willing to help fund it.

Second, it requires that you offer potential investors an incentive. You can’t get something for nothing. Offering an incentive, a “thank you” in the form of a reward, is crucial to inspiring people to open their wallets and invest in your idea.

A stroll through Appsplit or Kickstarter will show a number of ideas that never received funding to get off the ground. If you decide to use a crowdfunding platform to bring your idea to fruition, be sure to commit the time and energy required to market your idea to potential funders. After all, as Mark Twain once said, “Many a small thing has been made large by the right kind of advertising.”

One of the reasons for the trend toward fewer physical bookstores and less floor space devoted to books in these stores is the Internet. While the Internet has been expanding, physical bookstores have been shrinking.

This past year (2012), for the first time, online retail stores sold more books than brick-and-mortar retail stores in the United States. According to new data from Bowker Market Research, in 2012, 43.8% of books bought by consumers were sold online, while only 31.6% of books were purchased in large retail chains, independent bookstores, other mass merchandisers, and supermarkets.

This is nearly a direct reversal of the previous year (2011) when 35.1% of books were bought online, while 41.7% were sold in stores.

This is big news. It is especially good news for small and independent publishers.
If this trend continues and the percentage of books purchased online continues to grow eight to ten percent each year, as small publishers and independent authors, we will no longer have to expend herculean efforts to get our books into retail stores. Instead, we will be able to concentrate our energies on making sure our books are available in the right places online and then pour our remaining energies into marketing our books.

Many authors believe it is entirely possible to read a book in seven days. That is why they have started a petition on Change.org.

Change.org exists to empower people everywhere to create the change they want to see. The website simply provides a forum for anyone to get people to sign petitions for change. Basically, the idea is that if enough people sign a petition,the requested change gets the attention of the people responsible for enacting the change.

A group of Kindle authors are using Change.org in hopes of getting Amazon.com to change their ebook return policy.

Amazon’s current ebook return policy states, “Books you purchase from the Kindle Store are eligible for return and refund if we receive your request within seven days of the date of purchase. Once a refund is issued, you’ll no longer have access to the book.”

These authors feel that seven days is plenty of time for people to buy an ebook, read it, and then return it for a refund, cheating the author out of a royalty.

The Change.org petitioners argue, “It is understood that if a customer goes into a store and purchases a tangible item, that item can be returned to the store within a specified amount of time for a refund. In this case, nobody is out of anything. The customer has their money back and the store has the original item purchased. But if Amazon sells our e-Book(s) and allow customers to keep that product for seven day (more than enough time to read it) and then, give them the option to return it for a refund, the consumer has already read our work and we’re out of the amount of money charged for that item. Is this fair or not? This is like going into a restaurant, buying a meal, then asking for a refund after you’ve already eaten it! Something has to be done.”

Over 2,600 people have signed the petition on Change.org. You can too if you agree with these Kindle authors and want Amazon.com to change their ebook return policy.

I think this effort is a noble idea. I understand these authors’ concerns. However, in defense of most readers, I believe only a few would cheat the system this way, not the majority.

Interestingly this study showed that while the number of ebook readers grew, the amount of money spent by a given ebook buyer did not rise (between 2011 and 2012).

Simba also found that not everyone who can access ebooks chooses to do so. The study revealed that about 63% of smartphone owners, 48% of iPad owners, and 40% of non-iPad tablet owners do not use ebooks.

So, while the sales of ebooks are growing, remember that they still only constitute around 25% of all book sales. This means that if you only publish your content electronically, you are limiting the market reach for your book, and in turn, limiting sales.

On the other hand, if you are only publishing your content in print, you too are losing out on market reach and sales.

If you are interested in making your print books available digitally, but are not sure how to start, check out these great resources provided by Media Bistro.

•          Amazon Kindle Publishing Video Tutorial
•          Barnes & Noble NOOK Press Video Tutorial
•          Smashwords Publishing Video Tutorial
•          Apple iBooks Author Video Tutorial
•          Kobo Writing Life Video Tutorial

I recently posted the following quote on Christian Small Publishers Association’s Facebook page. I think this quote sums up what to expect from the book market for the next few years.

“eBook market growth has slowed and digital cannibalization of physical book sales has slowed as well. After the hyper-growth in ebooks over the last few years, consumers have settled into their book formats of choice. And while ebooks will continue to drive growth in the book category in the future, physical book sales will have a longer tail than previously anticipated.” ~Barnes & Noble CEO William Lynch

It is not an either/or book selling market. It is a both market. Both print and digital versions of a book are now required to capture the widest audience.

I was reminded of this recently when a winner of our 2013 Christian Small Publisher Book of the Year Award pointed out that the Book of the Year Award seal looked drastically different from the other book award seals currently being used in the publishing world. While I do not want the Christian Small Publisher Book of the Year Award emblem to be a cookie-cutter award, I also don’t want it to appear outdated or out-of-sync.

I took the time to listen to the feedback given. Pausing, stepping back, and taking another look, I realized that the Christian Small Publisher Book of the Year Award seal had been created six years ago when we started the book award program, and it was truly in need of an updated look.

As a result, the seal has received a makeover. I am proud to announce a new updated emblem for the Christian Small Publisher Book of the Year Award.  I hope you think it is an improvement.

What about you? Where might your business benefit from your taking the time to step back and reevaluate?

Children’s Book Week is the nation’s longest-running literacy initiative, now in its 93^rd year. The purpose of the program is to raise awareness of the importance of children’s books as they relate to lifelong literacy, education, and the development and betterment of the lives of young people. In other words, get children reading by fourth grade and their chances of success in life are higher.

This year, Children’s Book Week is May 13-19. Not only does this week promote reading for children, it also provides authors and publishers of books for children a natural vehicle to promote your children’s books. Here are four ideas on ways to jump on Children’s Book Week to garner some publicity for your books.

1. Donate copies of your book to a local school for use in classrooms and in the library. Then, send a press release to your local media about your donation, linking it to Children’s Book Week. Be sure to include a photo with the school principle or librarian receiving the books.
2. Host a story contest for a local elementary school. Provide the teachers with guidelines for the contest and host an author appearance at the close of Children’s Book Week to collect the entries. Be sure to provide prizes for the winners. Again, send a press release to your local media about your contest and another one highlighting the winners.
3. Host a book giveaway during Children’s Book Week. Encourage people to enter for a chance to win a children’s book on your website or blog. Not only will you gain publicity for your book, you will collect an email from each entrant for your mailing list. You can use these collected emails for future publicity campaigns.
4. Offer to host a book reading for children at your local public library during Children’s Book Week. Give each child attending a bookmark with a picture of your book on it. Also, ask permission to sell autographed copies of your book after the reading.

National initiatives offer authors and publishers opportunities to highlight and promote your books. Don’t pass up this chance to garner more publicity for your children’s titles.

This year, I have chosen to share with you the lyrics from a hymn that contains rich prose. After all, every author should strive for excellent prose.

This hymn, The Love of God, has its roots in a long Jewish poem titled Haddamut, which was written in Aramaic in 1050 by Meir Ben Isaac Nehorai, a cantor in Worms, Germany. It has since been translated into at least 18 languages. The words from part of the poem were put into hymn form by Frederick M. Lehman in 1917.

The Love of God

The love of God is greater far
Than tongue or pen can ever tell;
It goes beyond the highest star,
And reaches to the lowest hell;
The guilty pair, bowed down with care,
God gave His Son to win;
His erring child He reconciled,
And pardoned from his sin.

Refrain
O love of God, how rich and pure!
How measureless and strong!
It shall forevermore endure
The saints’ and angels’ song.

When years of time shall pass away,
And earthly thrones and kingdoms fall,
When men, who here refuse to pray,
On rocks and hills and mountains call,
God’s love so sure, shall still endure,
All measureless and strong;
Redeeming grace to Adam’s race—
The saints’ and angels’ song.

Could we with ink the ocean fill,
And were the skies of parchment made,
Were every stalk on earth a quill,
And every man a scribe by trade,
To write the love of God above,
Would drain the ocean dry.
Nor could the scroll contain the whole,
Though stretched from sky to sky.

CSPA is pleased to announce that we will host our annual Publishers’ Institute at ICRS this summer in St. Louis, Missouri. The theme of this year’s Publishers’ Institute is “Tools for Success.” We have an exciting lineup of speakers for the seminar.

International Rights: Is It Right for You?
Cheryl Melendez, Executive Director, GLINT
Michelle Zasadil, International Rights Manager, GLINT

Cheryl Melendez is the Executive Director of GLINT (Gospel Literature International). Cheryl has worked in the not-for-profit sector for over 18 years holding several management and executive positions, has served as interim director for a start-up Foundation, has experience in retail sales, and has managed her own company for the past 7 years. She has a wealth of experience in growing memberships in associations, customer service, and managing business operations.

Michelle Zasadil has been the International Rights Manager for GLINT since 1998. She manages GLINT’s relationships with the “product owners”, which are the companies that publish English-language books and other resources that the international publishers are able to translate and distribute.

Creating Thriving Content Ecosystems
Jon Hirst, President & CEO, GMI

Jon Hirst is the President & CEO of GMI (Global Mapping International). Jon has a background in mission innovation, publishing, and leadership. He was the Executive Director of Communications for HCJB Global from 2005 to 2009. Jon is passionate about using technology to improve the spread of the gospel. Recently, Jon and his wife, Mindy, have mentored leaders and authors through their Generous Mind think tank. Jon is also co-author (with Mindy Hirst and Paul Hiebert) of Through the River: Understanding Your Assumptions about Truth and co-editor (with Jim Reapsome) of Innovation in Mission.

Marketing Trends in Selling Books
Sarah Bolme, Director, Christian Small Publishers Association

Sarah Bolme is the co-founder and Director of Christian Small Publishers Association (CSPA), the owner of CREST Publications, and the author of the award-winning Your Guide to Marketing Books in the Christian Marketplace. She is also the editor of the CSPA Circular, the monthly newsletter of Christian Small Publishers Association. Sarah’s passion is educating others to help them market their books into the Christian marketplace.

Publishers’ Institute will be held on Sunday, June 23, from 3:30 to 6:00 p.m. at the America’s Convention Center in Room 262, during The International Christian Retail Show (ICRS) in St. Louis. The cost is just $20. You can register in advance on CSPA’s website by just clicking here. Registration will also be taken at the door of the event.

I hope to see you there!

Publishers have begun to incorporate QR codes into books’ covers. Many publishers are using these codes on the back cover copy to either link to the book’s video, the book’s testimonial page, or simply the book’s website. I recently reported on a comic book cover that “talked” (see “Talking Book Covers”) through the use of a QR code.

Now Publishers International has developed what they are calling “Smart Books.” These books provide a unique link between print and digital information. This publisher is embedding QR codes right into the pages of their educational books.

In these Smart Books, fact-packed pages teach kids while the embedded QR codes in the pages help to expand the learning experience by linking readers to videos, quizzes, and games. All a reader needs is a smart phone or tablet (with Internet access) with a QR code reader installed to access the digital information embedded in each book. In addition, the books can be enjoyed with or without a QR code reader.

This expanded use of QR codes is interesting, although not entirely new. Melville Publishing House announced in 2011 that they were producing “Hybrid Books” featuring QR codes embedded in the text linking readers to “extras” placed on the web (see “Hybrid Books“).

I think this hybrid or smart book strategy probably works best for children’s books, but travel books, cookbooks, and historical books could all easily incorporate QR codes in the text, linking readers to additional pictures, videos, and helpful tips.

Around 3,500 book lovers and retailers selling Christian products voted on 91 nominated titles in 12 categories.

The winners in each of the 12 categories are:

Fiction  -  Muted Grey, Dianna L Young, Wildflower Press

Romance  -  Sarah’s Gift, Skye Wieland, ShadeTree Publishing

Christian Living  -  Reasons for Hope in the Mosaic of Your Life, Carl Kerby, Genesis Publishing Group

Bible Study / Theology  -  God’s Wake-up Call, Dr. Rick Metrick, ShadeTree Publishing

Devotional  -  Daily Readings for Difficult Days, Jennifer Carter, Hope Books

Biography  -  If Today Is All I Have, Linda Nordyke Hambleton with Todd Hillard, Florida Hospital Publishing

Relationships / Family  -  Grandparenting Through Obstacles: Overcoming Family Challenges to Reach Your Grandchildren for Christ, Renee Gray-Wilburn and Dianne E. Butts, Pix-N-Pens Publishing

Children’s (age 4 to 8)  -  The Christian Alphabet Book: Teaching Children about Jesus, Prayer, and the Bible, Tracy Sands, Love the Dove Publishing

Children’s (age 8 to 12)  -  Where the Crickets Sing, Rosie Boom, Boom Tree Publishing

Young Adult (age 12+)  -  Is Your Fruit Sweet or Sour? A Teen Girl’s Guide to Christian Living, Karen Finn, Precept Publishing

Gift Book  -  Billy Tucci’s A Child is Born, Billy Tucci, Apostle Arts, LLC

eBook Exclusive  -  Equip Your Mind with the Word of God, Volume 1, Barney Browne, MindEquip

Congratulations to the winners!

The Christian Small Publisher Book of the Year Award is sponsored by Christian Small Publishers Association (CSPA).

Looking for a great book to read next? Try one of the winners of the CSP Book of the Year Award listed here.