Resources

Free tools, tips and links from SPR on writing and selling your book

Creative Commons Licensing For Authors

Recently there has been a lot of discussion about whether self-published authors need to use Creative Commons licenses for their work. This quick guide should explain how CC licenses work and when you should and should not use them.

Creative Commons is a non-profit organization that has one goal: To utilize the possibilities for access the Internet gives content creators, and that includes you.

Free, easy-to-use copyright licenses provide a simple, standardized way to give the public permission to share and use your creative work — on conditions of your choice. CC licenses let you easily change your copyright terms

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2021-07-30T05:20:19+02:00October 22nd, 2014|Categories: Features, Resources|

27 Places to Get a Book Tour (and the Top Ten)

First off, we’re talking virtual book tours, not a bookstore tour. The value is of course you can do it from your desk – but it does take a lot of work. What separates a book tour from just old-fashioned marketing? Timing, mostly. What makes a tour a tour is a blast all at once of reviews, interviews, guest posts and other content. This is hard to organize if you’re talking dozens of different sites. Getting people to post is one thing – getting them to post on time is another thing entirely.

Check out this helpful Virtual Book Tour […]

2017-03-24T06:32:27+02:00September 4th, 2014|Categories: Resources|Tags: |

Most Common Self-Publishing Mistakes (And How To Fix Them)

When it comes to self-publishing your book, avoid the most common pitfalls to make the most of your opportunity to become a bestselling indie author!

Scrimping on the Book Cover

Createspace templatesIt may seem very easy to take a snap and use it as a cover, slotting it into one of the simple templates available on many of the book publishing platforms such as Createspace at Amazon. However, these templates should be used only as a very last resort. Why? Because these templates are truly only there for the most design illiterate of us all, and for those who don’t much […]

2014-08-26T07:13:06+02:00August 26th, 2014|Categories: Features, Resources|

Top 5 Paid Indie Book Review Services Compared

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It’s difficult to know exactly what you’re getting when you shop for a professional review, so Self-Publishing Review decided to commission a study to look at eleven factors that have been brought to our attention by SPR clients most often, and compared our services to the competition.

Here at SPR, we consider that we are one of five review service big-hitters, and therefore we compared ourselves to each of those: BlueInk Review, Foreword Clarion, Kirkus Reviews, and Indie Reader. We chose these because they use professional writers, have good quality websites and a sizeable brand presence in the indie book […]

2020-02-21T05:35:29+02:00August 25th, 2014|Categories: Features, Resources|Tags: |

Write with Comfort: 6 Alternatives to Google Docs

typewritingWriting is a creative process, and every blogger, copywriter, book author, or publisher will definitely agree with this statement. We all know how difficult it can be to find inspiration for writing, to concentrate on the process of writing, and to avoid all distractions that may bother us during the time we create content. Is it possible to change anything and make the process of writing more comfortable for authors?

 

Most writers use Google Docs for content creation. Yes, this tool is very functional and easy to use, but it can hardly help you when it comes to inspiration […]

2014-08-11T05:37:43+02:00August 11th, 2014|Categories: Resources|

17 Services to Tweet a Book

Tweeting your book is a tricky proposition. It can seem a lot like spam if you do it too often. Some say you shouldn’t do it at all:

The dumb-ass secret to promoting your book on Twitter is:

Don’t tweet about your book.

Shouting about yourself and your achievements (which is exactly what you’re doing when you tweet about your book) is the fastest, easiest and laziest way to get ignored on Twitter.

That may be a bit much. Everything in moderation. If you’re shy about potentially annoying your followers, and still want to get the word out, one […]

2020-02-21T07:44:53+02:00July 31st, 2014|Categories: Resources|Tags: |

Seven Tools for Bloggers, Publishers, and Creative Writers

Seven Tools for Bloggers, Publishers, and Creative WritersThe Internet offers a wealth of resources for publishers, advertisers, and creatives to explore. It doesn’t matter what writing activity you practice and what obstacles you face; you can always find the right tool that will help you get better in your work. To save you from the effort of exploring lots of different tools to find the right ones for your needs, we will list the most effective tools for creative writers, publishers, and bloggers in the continuation.

1. Feedly

When Google Reader was discontinued, many loyal fans were left hanging. However, Feedly came to the rescue by offering […]

2014-07-16T07:17:18+02:00July 16th, 2014|Categories: Resources|

10 Alternatives to Goodreads

This post is an addendum to Author Directory Sites: The Complete List. If you’re just looking for library/catalog sites, here you go. There’s no reason to stop at Goodreads, even if it is the biggest and most used.

Well, let me amend that. There are so many hours in the day, so if you want to concentrate your efforts on a library site, it makes sense to stick with Goodreads. If you’ve got time to spare, putting some time and energy into these sites can only help. And if all you want to do is create a profile […]

2014-07-15T13:33:15+02:00July 14th, 2014|Categories: Resources|Tags: |
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