Today I received an email from BookSurge announcing the merger between CreateSpace and BookSurge. I think this is a good move and makes the job of choosing which company to publish with easier. I have used BookSurge for one of my books and was overall very pleased with my experience.

Here’s the message I received:

We have some exciting news to share - BookSurge is becoming CreateSpace. BookSurge and CreateSpace have historically operated as two distinct brands of one company - On-Demand Publishing LLC, a subsidiary of Amazon.com, Inc. - and are now uniting on the CreateSpace platform and brand to offer you an expanded catalog of publishing tools and services. You will still be working with the same team and receive the same high level of service to which you’ve been accustomed with BookSurge.

During the coming months, we will be transitioning all BookSurge accounts to CreateSpace and retiring the BookSurge brand. In addition, BookSurge’s self-publishing services are now available on the CreateSpace platform, enabling BookSurge and CreateSpace members to benefit from the same knowledgeable staff that has supported BookSurge authors for years.
What does this mean for you?

In addition to the same personal customer care, professional publishing services, and top-notch print quality you receive today from the BookSurge team, you will also receive these benefits and options through CreateSpace:

Get more flexibility in setting royalties and list prices

Publish new books without setup fees, using the do-it-yourself option for print-ready PDF files or continue to take advantage of the wide array of professional fee-based publishing services you’re accustomed to using through BookSurge

Receive better wholesale book prices on most book orders

Gather feedback on your work with the free Preview tool

Create eye-catching book covers online using the free Cover Creator

Network with thousands of other authors and industry professionals in our free online CreateSpace Community

Publish video and audio in multiple formats: DVDs, CDs, video downloads, and MP3s

When and how will this transition take place?
We will be transitioning all BookSurge accounts to CreateSpace over the next few months. The timing and path of your account transition will depend on where you are in your current BookSurge publishing project. To learn more about the different paths for transition, visit our Transition Guide.

To make this transition as smooth and seamless as possible, we will be transferring your book files and account history to CreateSpace for you. On the day your account is transitioned, BookSurge will send you an e-mail with instructions for accessing your CreateSpace account. Until then, no action is required on your part and you will still have full access to your current Global Publishing System (GPS) account with BookSurge.

We know you may have some questions, so we have developed a Transition Guide, which includes a host of support materials, including answers to Frequently Asked Questions, info on your new CreateSpace account, video tutorials, and more.

While we want you to start familiarizing yourself with CreateSpace, please do not set up a new CreateSpace account on your own, as we will create a CreateSpace account for you as part of this transition. Please wait until you receive notification from us via e-mail that your account has been transitioned to CreateSpace, at which time we’ll give you instructions on how to access your CreateSpace account and existing book titles. Until we notify you that your account has been transitioned to CreateSpace, you will still have access to your BookSurge account.

We believe uniting BookSurge and CreateSpace on the CreateSpace platform will provide you with the best possible publishing experience and look forward to continuing to support you in your book publishing endeavors.
We welcome you into CreateSpace’s thriving community of independent authors, filmmakers and musicians!

Warm Regards,

The BookSurge/CreateSpace Team

About the Book

Insufficient Mating Material is not about sexual shortcomings. It’s “Survivorman” with sex. At the dramatic climax of FORCED MATE, the high-handed Prince Tarrant-Arragon decreed that his scandalous, fashionista sister (the one who made a film of herself having sex with an unsuitable and dangerous stranger) should become the liability wife of his defeated political rival. Further, the rival must undergo enforced, identity-changing surgery, be renamed Djetth, and must vow never to tell the indiscreet Princess Marsh that he was her last lover. What Tarrant-Arragon does not know is that Djetth has a distinctive tattoo that only his lovers have seen. The Royal shotgun wedding does not go off without a hitch. When Princess Marsh sees the tortured condition that her groom appears to be in as he limps up the aisle to marry her, she decides that she is not going to go through with a marriage to this poor substitute –as she thinks– for the best lover she’s ever had, and telekinetically hurls Prince Djetth onto his emaciated rump without touching him. Someone in the royal household decides that this embarrassing couple must die. Tarrant-Arragon maroons the unhappy (unmarried) couple on a sub-tropical island on the alien planet An’Koor until his sister learns to appreciate a male who knows his way around the sharp end of a hunting knife… not realizing that he’s set them up as sitting ducks for a killer.

Click here to listen to Rowena talk about her book and how she generated so many votes on the Wake Up Celebrity Author contest. Listen to Author Blasts show now.

http://authorsonthenet.com/audio/rowenacherrypodcastfinal.mp3

To buy a copy of Insufficient Mating Material, click here.

Note: depending on the speed of your Internet connection, this file may take a few minutes to download. You can also download the interview through itunes. To subscribe to this podcast, go to the itunes store, click on podcasts and search for “Authors On The Net.” Subscribe and you will receive our podcasts directly to your itunes.

Author Blasts is the Authors On The Net Podcast. If you are a member of AON and you have a book, we would like to interview you. Simply send us an email at info@authorsonthenet.com.This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it We are also interested in speaking with publishers, distributors, book designers, editors and other people who have a publishing or book promotion message.

http://www.authorsonthenet.com/component/option,com_jd-wp/Itemid,84/p,284/ to listen to Kurt Behm’s interview, first place winner of the Wake Up Celebrity Author book contest.

Click here to listen to Jared Lopatin’s interview, second place winner of the Wake Up Celebrity Author book contest.

Rising Sign is the first novel in the Star Child Trilogy, and heralds the birth of the Star Child, the only one who can protect the universe from a deadly threat. On a seemingly ordinary day in Philadelphia, an unwelcome visitor awakens Tim Dalis to the Star Child’s world, a world of astrological power. As decreed by prophecy, he is one of the twelve guardians of the Child. Now, as time ticks down to the fated birth, he has to find other guardians, locate and protect the Star Child, and avoid a powerful enemy who seeks to destroy any chance of success.

Click here to listen to Jared talk about his book and how he generated so many votes on the Wake Up Celebrity Author contest. Listen to Author Blasts show now.

http://authorsonthenet.com/audio/JaredLopatinfinal.mp3

To buy a copy of Rising Sign, click here.

Note: depending on the speed of your Internet connection, this file may take a few minutes to download. You can also download the interview through itunes. To subscribe to this podcast, go to the itunes store, click on podcasts and search for “Authors On The Net.” Subscribe and you will receive our podcasts directly to your itunes.

Author Blasts is the Authors On The Net Podcast. If you are a member of AON and you have a book, we would like to interview you. Simply send us an email at info@authorsonthenet.com.This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it We are also interested in speaking with publishers, distributors, book designers, editors and other people who have a publishing or book promotion message.

The Death of the Playground explores how kids once learned vital skills on unsupervised playgrounds. Kids were allowed the freedom to interact with their peers, their superiors and their inferiors and learn important skills of people management and how to survive in a competitive world. Listen in as Kurt discusses the premise of his book and why his message is relevant to today’s youths and parents. And be sure to pick up a copy of Kurt’s book by clicking here.

Click here to download and listen to the podcast. Listen to Author Blasts show now.

http://authorsonthenet.com/audio/kurtbehmbookpodcastfinal.mp3

Note: depending on the speed of your Internet connection, this file may take a few minutes to download. You can also download the interview through itunes. To subscribe to this podcast, go to the itunes store, click on podcasts and search for “Authors On The Net.” Subscribe and you will receive our podcasts directly to your itunes.

Author Blasts is the Authors On The Net Podcast. If you are a member of AON and you have a book, we would like to interview you. Simply send us an email at info@authorsonthenet.com.This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it We are also interested in speaking with publishers, distributors, book designers, editors and other people who have a publishing or book promotion message.

While the Wake Up Celebrity Author contest is a great contest to get out and promote your book, many other contests focus on giving recognition to the writing style and content of a book. Here is one you might want to participate in:

Short Short Story Competition
The Writer’s Digest 10th Annual Short Short Story Competition

We’re looking for fiction that’s bold, brilliant…but brief. Send us your best in 1,500 words or fewer.

But don’t be too long about it—the deadline is Tuesday, December 1, 2009.

PRIZES
First Place: $3,000
Second Place: $1,500
Third Place: $500
Fourth Through Tenth Place: $100
Eleventh Through Twenty-Fifth Place: $50 gift certificate for Writer’s Digest Books

* The names and story titles of the First-through Tenth-Place winners will be printed in the May/June 2010 Writer’s Digest, and winners will receive the 2010 Novel & Short Story Writer’s Market and Agents, Editors, and You: The Insider’s Guide to Getting Your Book Published. Plus, all First through 25th place winners will receive a free copy of the 10th Annual Writer’s Digest Short Short Story Competition Collection.

Click here to register

In this webinar, you will hear how two users, Conceptual Product Development and Healthy Exchanges, are leveraging digital technology to both grow their business and deliver books that do everything from supporting a quality and healthy lifestyle to educating children. They will share with you how they are doing it and why it’s just smart business.
Come to this session armed with your questions about printing books on demand. You’ll be able to submit questions directly to all of our panelists for a live Q&A session during the hour.

Sponsored by RISO

For more information and to register, click here.

Can’t make it on October 15? No problem! Printing Impressions Group webinars are archived for 90 days after the live event. Click here to register and get access to this webinar on-demand.

When we print books for authors, I recommend the authors include an order form at the end of their book. This order form can be to order more copies of the book the person is reading or other books the authors has written or both. If you book is non-fiction and a senior VP of a company reads it, he or she may want to buy copies for the rest of the company. This works equally well for fiction books as a reader may order copies to give away at Christmas.

Another good idea is to include your website in the footer of every page of your book.

These are two simple ways to drive more revenue your way. Remember, it’s always easier to see to your existing customers than to new customers.

One distinguishing characteristic of a mainstream published book and a self-published book is level of research. Self-published books tend to be more auto-biographical - based on the author’s personal experiences - while published books tend to have more research behind them. Think about all the research Dan Brown and Tom Clancy do for their books. In addition, best-selling non-fiction books use case studies from real companies, data and other research to back up their premises.

New Writer - Tips to Research Your Self Published Book on Google Before You Write It
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Paul_Godines]Paul Godines

New writers have often been the cause of some of their own failures when trying to sell their own self-published book. Unlike what many people believe, it takes some well thought-out planning when deciding what to write if you want to be a successful author.

To begin with there’s keywords, market saturation, traffic, conversion rates, graphics and a dozen other basic pieces of information that needs to be considered before you write anything other than the title and a short overview.

You can begin your research by going to Google and;

• Title - Typing in the proposed title of your book, see what comes up. It would be terrible to find out that your title “Sarah’s Closet” is also the name of a popular porn site.

• Competition - type in the word - book: with a colon and your title or subject and you will instantly find any other book titles in your genre.

• Traffic - determine your likely profitability but typing in your subject title, for example “Life Coaching in Indiana” when you do you will find that 958,000 links and 2 sponsored links. All you need is 300,000 links to achieve potential profitability and at least a couple of sponsored links like that found above.

• Current Events - type in the word news with a colon - news: and than type in your title or subject and you will find hundreds of current news articles and online posts.

• Traffic - in your research go to a couple of the biggest and smallest websites. Than go to statbrain.com and put in their web address in the search bar their, the traffic results to that website. This will tell you a lot, so study the high traffic sites, look at the colors, words and even the layout, and consider your plans.

Take time to assess your potential success with a few visits to Google if you plan on selling hundreds of your self-published books.

If you’re ready to go to learn more about how to Write your own Book and Scale it into a $4,000 - $10,000 Teaching, Training, Coaching or Consulting Program than go to; http://www.adaptonadime.com for your free “Fast Start Guide To Writing A Book”

Paul Godines will help you Step by Step to Write a Book so you can Leverage your existing Skills, Knowledge and Experience, than teach others what you know in your own Highly Profitable Consulting Practice.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Paul_Godines http://EzineArticles.com/?New-Writer—Tips-to-Research-Your-Self-Published-Book-on-Google-Before-You-Write-It&id=2919731

The Grand-Prize winner will receive $3,000 (that’s $2—or more—per word).

For guidelines, prizes and to enter online, click here.

DIGITAL CONTENT DAY @ YOUR DESK
This virtual event will explore how book publishers must adapt to succeed in today’s multimedia publishing world.

Read More About Conference Agenda

AFTERNOON KEYNOTE SESSION
The Ongoing Debate: E-Book Pricing Strategies.
Read More About This Session

JUST LIKE A FACE-TO-FACE EVENT
The Publishing Business Virtual Conference & Expo provides provides the same networking opportunities as a face-to-face event.

CONFERENCE AGENDA: Topics of discussion will include:

E-book Pricing Strategies
Shifting Role of Publishers in a Digital World
The Piracy Threat and DRM Strategies That Work
Social Media Strategies That Sell Books
How to Evolve to Remain Relevant and Profitable … and more!

Read More About Conference Agenda

AFTERNOON KEYNOTE SESSION: The Ongoing Debate: E-Book Pricing Strategies - With e-book sales surging, the pricing debate rages on. What should they cost, and why? Keynote panel includes:
SPEAKERSPEAKERSPEAKERMODERATOR

PETER BALISEVAN SCHNITTMANCYNTHIA CLETOPETER OLSON
Director of Digital Content Sales,John Wiley & SonsVice President, Global Business Development, Oxford University PressGlobal Manager of E-books, Springer Science + Business MediaLecturer of Business Administration, Harvard Business School, and former Random House CEO

NETWORKING OPPORTUNITIES: Examine publishing solutions and network with other book publishing executives from all walks of the publishing world. As an attendee you will be able to: CHAT LIVE with exhibitors and attendees throughout the event (Plaza, Networking Lounge, Resource Center, Exhibit Hall, etc.)
EXCHANGE Virtual Business Cards
COLLECT valuable data from the resource center and exhibit booths (white papers, case studies, product literature, etc.)
SEND MESSAGES to people you want to connect with
SEARCH who’s at the event
TWITTER what’s happening
AND MORE!
STAY INFORMED

Read More About Conference Agenda

GET CONNECTED
RSVP for this event on LinkedIn to connect with other book publishing executives, speakers and exhibitors who will be attending.

DID YOU KNOW?
The Publishing Business Virtual Conference & Expo will be ON-DEMAND for 3 months so you can watch presentations, search products and download documents at your convenience.

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