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Inc 5000 Conference Overview

Before I continue with the last two categories of awards in our Self-Publishing Achievement Awards (marketing achievements and marketing milestones), I’d like to briefly cover the Inc. 500/5000 conference I recently attended in Phoenix. Among the speakers were Nick Woodman, the CEO of Go Pro; Captain Mark Kelly, Commander of the space shuttle Endeavour’s final mission; and my personal favorite among all the speakers, Guy Kawasaki, founding partner of Garage Technology Ventures, who covered 10 steps to enchant customers.

Over the next few days and weeks (and probably months), I’ll discuss each of the 10 steps Guy discussed, and examine how I feel our self publishing company Outskirts Press delivers within the parameters of those steps — what we do well and what we can focus on improving.

If you are an entrepreneur, manager, business owner, or author, examining how your service or product fulfills these 10 steps of “enchantment”  would be an equally excellent exercise.  Then, jump over to Amazon and buy Guy’s book. <– Shameless plug but based upon his speech, I’ll bet he’d do the same for me.

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Self Publishing Achievements – Bestseller Achievement Coming Soon!

As we continue discussing the third category in our examination of our Self Publishing Achievement awards, we’re going to briefly touch upon the proposed award in this category.

The slated award in this category is a “Bestseller” achievement. While the exact details are not yet solidified, my expectation is that we will reward 10 of these achievement awards every month, to our Top 10 Bestsellers in each month.  Here’s an example of our most recent top 10, so once this award is live, these authors would have achieved this award for instance.

Even less clear is another award we may (or may not) make available in this category, with an even more temporary name of “Money Bags” (working title) — and this award, as its name implies, would be awarded to the top royalty earners in a given quarter.  We wouldn’t reveal the amounts (those figures are private), but by receiving this award, our authors would know they were among the financial elite.  Several factors play a role in determining whether we will actually launch this 3rd proposed award in this category: 1) We’ll ask our authors what they think of the idea and that feedback will play a significant role in whether we launch it or not (people are “funny” about all things money-related).  2) Technically we may not be able to pull it off.  Certainly, anything can be done when enough resources (usually money) is thrown at an issue, but businesses have to weigh the return on that investment to determine if it’s worthwhile. Just because something can be done, doesn’t always mean it should be done. So, given that, even if we do launch this third achievement award in this category, don’t expect to see it for quite a while…

 

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Facebook Self Publishing Awards – Publishing Awards

Now we’re on to the third category in our examination of our Self Publishing Achievement awards, which automatically help our authors “brag” about their publishing and marketing accomplishments to all their Facebook friends (and thereby market their books to their friends as well). We’ve already covered the Production Milestones and Production Achievements. Now we’re going to discuss the Publishing Awards.

This is perhaps the most “important” category from an author’s perspective – the actual category that includes the award for being published! – and it’s also the “smallest” category in our Achievement program, with just one achievement award slated, and another one proposed.  It may also be the category that launches last.  As I’ve demonstrated in a couple of previous posts, we are rolling these awards out incrementally, and some of them have already gone “live.”  Others are still being developed, and that includes our “Publication” achievement, which every author will earn with the publication of a book. Multiple publications receives multiple awards. We’ll discuss the “coming soon” award in this category next time.

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Custom Cover Awards for Self-Publishing Achievements

Last time I discussed the Editing Production Achievement Award in our Self-Publishing Achievements, and also showed how seamlessly this award functionality is incorporated into our self publishing website.

Another production achievement award is the award for Custom Covers.  Unlike the award for editing, the custom cover achievement award is still being rolled out deliberately and slowly to our authors.  Such is the case with complex technical roll-outs that involve real time interaction with social media sites. Internal “alpha” testing is difficult because of the immediacy of social media, so precise beta testing on a small scale with measurable results is more appropriate.

Custom covers share many similarities with copyediting. It’s an important, yet often overlooked, investment that all authors would be well-served considering.  And, much like editing, I believe more authors would select professional custom cover design if they were SHOWN the advantages and benefits of it.  At Outskirts Press, we recently created a short ebook to do just that — we show side-by-side comparisons of free Standard Covers and their Custom Cover counterparts.  Seeing these samples side-by-side, it’s difficult to argue in favor of Standard Covers.  Click the ebook cover below to flip through the samples…

 

 

 

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The Editing Facebook Achievement Award

Last time I focused on the Publishing Achievement Award categories in our Facebook Self-Publishing Awards & Achievements. Since editing was one of the achievements, this is a good time to discuss (or rather, show) how the Self-Publishing Achievements are incorporated into the Outskirts Press website, and also talk a little bit more about the value of professional editing for self-publishing authors.  This screen shot below from our website does both.

The circled box shows how certain options can lead to an achievement award.  Our web developers have done an amazing job of making it seamless for our authors. In fact, if an author is already signed-in to their Facebook account when they come upon a potential achievement award at Outskirts Press, our site will display their Facebook Avatar. In other words, our site performs that “handshake” with Facebook behind the scenes, making the achievement awards unobtrusive.  You also see the Achievement award icon that can be earned, and a small description of the achievement you are earning.

Also on display on the “Product Detail Page” for this option is our short editing ebook, which provides some examples of “before & after” sections in a variety of genres (fiction, non-fiction, children’s, cookbooks, poetry, etc.) Not all authors can immediately recognize the value of investing in professional editing, so this ebook helps put a clearer picture on it.

Such is the case for custom covers, too, and we’ll discuss that option, and it’s place in our Facebook Production Achievements, next time….

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Facebook Production Achievement Awards for Self-Publishing

Last month I discussed the first category of our Facebook Self Publishing Achievements with Outskirts Press, which began with this posting in which I revealed all five categories, all 20 awards, and some planned awards for the future.

The first category are the Production Milestones. The second category are the Production Achievements.

Unlike Production Milestones, it is possible to completely publish a book without receiving one single Production Achievement Award; although, since both the highly recommended custom cover and professional copyediting options earn Production Achievement Awards, it’s not recommended.

In fact, quite the contrary. It would be in almost every author’s best interest for his or her book to earn EVERY Production Achievement Award with each publication, since these achievements help identify the specific production options that can literally make or break a professional, high-quality publication.

The exception to this is the Achievement Award for custom illustrations, since many books don’t require that particular service.  But otherwise, every author would be well-served to sweep the Production Achievement Awards category by getting the awards for Custom Cover, Copyediting, and Enhanced/Custom interior.

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The New Kindle Fire for Self Publishing Authors

In two days the new Amazon Kindle Fire will be released on September 14, 2012, just a day before Amazon starts collecting sales tax from California residents (perfect timing!)

This handheld device will change the way people read and the way authors publish books. Here are a few of the details:

• 40% faster performance, twice the memory, longer battery life
• Perfect portability – thin, light, and durable
• Over 22 million movies, TV shows, songs, magazines, books, audiobooks, and popular apps and games
• Ultra-fast web browsing over built-in Wi-Fi
• Free unlimited cloud storage for all your Amazon content
• Kindle FreeTime – a personalized tablet experience just for kids. Set daily screen limits, and give access to appropriate content for each child. Free on every Kindle Fire.
• Kindle Owners’ Lending Library – Kindle owners can choose from more than 180,000 books to borrow for free with no due dates, including over 100 current and former New York Times best sellers and all seven Harry Potter books.
• No Set-up Required
• Read-to-Me — With Text-to-Speech, Kindle Fire can read English-language content out loud to you, when available from the publisher.
• 1-Click Shopping

Readers are sure to love the convenience and upgraded technology offered by the Kindle Fire. Thanks to Kindle FreeTime, even children will be able to enjoy the new device. E-readers are already changing the way consumers buy and read books, and they are becoming increasingly popular. It is important that self-publishing authors offer a Kindle version of their books to meet the needs of readers who prefer using e-readers. By offering both a print and electronic version of your book, you can target a larger market and reach more customers. This will ultimately lead to more sales.

 

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Is Outskirts Press the most successful self-publishing company?

Is Outskirts Press the most successful self-publishing company? Certainly it depends upon who you ask, and by what parameters “success” is being judged, but Inc. Magazine seems to think so, if their list of the top 5000 privately held companies in America holds any merit (which many would argue it does). For the fourth year in a row, Outskirts Press finds itself on this very prestigious list, which ranks the success of private companies (as defined by profitable growth) across a three year span of time.  I won’t delve into the mathematics or business logistics for why accomplishing this feat four years in a row is difficult and, instead, I’ll just post the press release.  We couldn’t have this ongoing (unprecedented in the self-publishing industry) success without the continued support of our amazing authors and our talented production, sales, accounting, IT, and marketing folks. Thank you!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Outskirts Press Makes Inc’s 5000 Fastest Growing List for the Fourth Year in a Row 

Inc. Magazine again named self-publisher Outskirts Press one of the fastest growing private companies in America, marking the self-publisher’s fourth straight year on the prestigious Inc. 5000 list. 

September 4, 2012 – Denver, CO – Outskirts Press, the fastest growing, full service self-publishing and book marketing company, was again recognized  by Inc. Magazine as one of the fastest growing privately-held companies in the country when it landed on the Inc. 5000 list for the fourth straight year.  

Inc., Magazine’s annual list represents an overview of the most robust companies in America, despite the current, less-than-robust economy.   Whatever these companies are doing, they’re doing it right.  Their median growth rate was 97%, they created more than 400,000 jobs, and they grossed nearly 300 billion dollars.

Placement on the prestigious list is based on revenue growth from 2008 through 2011, and Inc’s tally reads like a roll call of America’s business powerhouses.  Over the years the list has included such notables as Intuit, Go Daddy, Timberland, Microsoft, Patagonia and Oracle, to name a few.

“We’re honored, of course, to be included once again in such a stellar collection of entrepreneurial stars,” said Brent Sampson, CEO of Outskirts Press.  “Inc. Magazine’s acknowledgement of our continued expansion is a testament to our commitment to  our quality, customer service, and value, and just goes to show what is possible when you bring highly-talented authors together with highly-talented publishing artisans.”

Outskirts Press first appeared on the Inc. 500 list in 2009 as the 268th fastest growing company in America.  In 2010 Outskirts Press was on the Inc. 5000 list again at number 1266 and again in 2011 at number 3088. For the fourth year in a row, Outskirts Press ranks in the top 5000 at number 4530 and continues a healthy annual growth rate of twenty percent.

Outskirts Press’ four straight years on the Inc. list shows the company’s continuing vanguard status in the self-publishing industry, an industry that is itself doing more than its part to buoy up the economy.  87 percent of all books produced today are put out by small presses or self-publishing companies.  The number of non-traditional books produced in 2011 increased by 169 percent, while the growth of traditional publishers was only 5 percent.  In fact, 8000 to 11,000 publishers enter the market every year, and most of them are self-publishers.

Within this competitive field Outskirts Press has maintained its sturdy and stable growth and continues to be the top company authors choose when they decide to go the high-quality, full-service self-publishing route. Learn more at http://outskirtspress.com.

About Outskirts Press: Outskirts Press offers high-quality, full-service self-publishing and book marketing services for writers and professionals who are seeking a cost-effective, fast, and flexible way to publish and distribute their books worldwide while retaining 100% of their rights, 100% of their profits, and 100% of the creative control. www.outskirtspress.com.

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Outskirts Press, Inc., 10940 S. Parker Rd. – 515, Parker, Colorado 80134

http://outskirtspress.com  1-888-OP-BOOKS

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Self-Publishing Verdict: EXCELLENT!

I seem to have started another series of postings in the middle of the longer series I was writing about our Self Publishing Facebook Achievement awards. I’ll continue with that topic next. But in the meantime, here is one more direct communication I received from an author recently that I wanted to highlight because it once again establishes something what I feel is one important difference between Outskirts Press and the other firms out there: we like cultivating professional relationships with our authors and it is important to us that they succeed. This one comes from Paul Binford, who recently published The Shademakers.

“Hi Brent,

You sent me an welcome e-mail back in March. Since then my book, The Shademakers, has been published and I have received my author’s copies. The package arrived only a week after I ordered them. Thanks for the speediness on your part.

I’ve just filled out the survey – What do you think? – which I was happy to do and I gave all “excellent” responses. I think you guys did a great job. The whole process was user friendly and I’m impressed with everything. The cover photo was picked out from somewhere, and I would say it does just what a cover is supposed to do. The short summary on the back cover was revised a bit, for the better, by the design staff, and I’m quite pleased with how it all turned out.

The Outskirts representatives, Jodee and Elaine, were very efficient and timely with replies to various questions. Kudos also to your webmaster. I usually have trouble with computers but your website is seamless and it works! No glitches.

I’m way behind in the marketing part of it, there’s about a hundred e-mails backed up. It’s at the end of the semester at my school, my wife and I just moved, all of that has added up to a hectic pace which hasn’t allowed for much time. I’ve just gotten to the “ripple effect” e-mail, which seems to be going well. I’m surprised at the support I’m getting from my friends here in Japan. They’re promising to read my book, write a review on Amazon, share it on Facebook, things like that. I still have a lot of work to do in that department.

Just wanted to say thanks for the great job at Outskirts Press.

Best regards,
Paul Binford”

Congrats, Paul! Your book looks great!

Paul mentions a few things here that give a little “behind the scenes” on some of the other intangible advantages of self publishing with Outskirts Press — the benefits that naturally happen but that are difficult to “market” to new authors. The first is the “What did you think” survey that all our first-time authors are presented with within the first month after publication.  We ask them to rate our performance on a number of different categories so we can see how we’re doing and if there is any room for improvement.  Most survey responses, like Paul’s, are all excellent, and that’s always good to see.

The second was Paul’s reference to our service.

The third was his reference to the marketing emails which are backing up due to his travels.  This is our Marketing COACH program, which helps focus authors on productive marketing tactics and options after their book is published.  No other publisher offers anything like it, it’s free, and it’s only available with Outskirts Press. Just sayin’…

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Self-Publishing Verdict: TERRIFIC!

I have a theory that I’m testing with this post.  A recent post was titled, “Self-Publishing Verdict: UNBELIEVABLE” and it was among the highest clicked/read postings on my blog in quite a while.  So that means this posting should be just as popular, right?

Probably not, and here’s my hypothesis: The word “terrific” is rarely associated with anything but positive, good news.  “Unbelievable” on the other hand, is just as often uttered during moments of disbelief or anger as it is during moments of exhalation (as was the case with the author in my previous posting).  So, my theory is that the posting with “Unbelievable” in the subject will remain more popular than this one because we, as human beings, seem wired to be more curious about BAD news than GOOD news.  And that’s kind of … sad.

So, I’m sorry to disappoint those of us who fall into that category, but the following self-publishing verdict from David Brookover is primarily good news. I say primarily because he does have a little bump that needs smoothing — and that should make the cynics happy.  So we’re ALL getting what we want with this posting, and that, if nothing else, IS terrific.

David is a long time author at Outskirts Press, having published his first book Mortal Eclipse with us WAY back in 2004, a lifetime ago in the self-publishing world, and just having published his fifth book, Ghostworld, this month.  He wrote me this:

“Hi Brent!

I received my author’s copies of Ghostworld today, and the books look terrific!  It’s wonderful to see all those months of hard labor packaged so attractively by your team at Outskirts Press.  That’s main reason that I keep coming back to you, book after book!

I also wanted to tell you how professional and personable Bridget and Terri were throughout each phase of this publishing project.  They were a pleasure to work with, and I’d certainly want them on my side again for the publishing of my next book!  And Dana was just as thorough and pleasant, too, although she was involved for only a short while getting my private label ISBN number for Ghostworld.

Now I’m going to have to work with marketing to iron out a couple of problems, one being that B&N has the book’s publisher listed as Outskirts Press instead of Curlew Press.  The other is that Amazon doesn’t show “Search Inside the Book” for Ghostworld yet.  I’m sure they’ll be as proficient and personable as the trio I mentioned above, and we’ll get those issues resolved quickly.

Brent, you must be doing something right, because you continually attract the cream-of-the-crop to Outskirts Press.  Best of luck to you and Outskirts, and I look forward to working with you and your wonderful staff again soon!

Sincerely,

Dave Brookover”

Both “bumps in the road” he brings up should be resolved soon.