President of Outskirts Press

How Outskirts Press EVVY Nominees are determined

A week from today we will know the results of the 18th Annual EVVY Awards, which are taking place May 17th in Denver, Colorado (well, Lone Tree, actually, which is a sub-division just south of downtown Denver) at the Lone Tree Arts Center. The EVVY Awards are an annual event put together and hosted by the Colorado Independent Publishers Association. I will be on hand to receive the awards Outskirts Press authors win on their behalf. Of course, those authors are welcome to attend themselves, although historically I have accepted the vast majority of our EVVY Awards myself since most of the finalists are rarely within travelling distance of Denver. Of the thirteen EVVY finalists that were published by Outskirts Press last year (the most among all participating publishers), just one of them lives in Colorado.

The EVVY Awards are a big deal for us at Outskirts Press for two reasons. For one, it’s nice to have such a longstanding event so close to home. And two, winning an EVVY Award is a prerequisite to winning our own contest, the Outskirts Press Best Book of the Year Award. After winning a First Place EVVY Award in the Fiction category last year, Doris Kenney Marcotte went on to win the 2010 Outskirts Press Best Book of the Year Award for her novel The Beads of Lapis Lazuli: A Greek Mystery. Her road to this accomplishment and its $1,500 Grand Prize began when she accepted our official EVVY Award nomination in the fall of 2010.

Well, actually, it started long before that, which brings us to the subject of today’s post: How our official Outskirts Press EVVY Nominees are determined.

At Outskirts Press, we publish approximately 1,500 new books a year. Sometimes it’s more (and with the recent addition of the Kindle, Nook, and iPad editions, it is promising to be way more heading into the future – although those editions are not eligible for our EVVY nomination), but 1,500 is a good average. Our goal in any given year is to send less than 100 titles to the EVVY Awards as official Outskirts Press nominees. Therefore, the quickest, least subjective way we limit EVVY contenders right off the bat is via the publishing package the authors choose. Only Diamond and full-color Pearl books are eligible for consideration.

So, let’s perform a little math. Approximately 60% of the books we publish are Diamonds and approximately 10% are Pearls. S0 70% of the 1,500 books we publish each year, on average, are automatically eligible for EVVY Award consideration. That’s 1050. Let’s round it down to an even 1,000. Out of 1,000 books published each year, we are looking to officially nominate less than 100 to send to the CIPA EVVY Awards. That’s 10%. It gets interesting when you examine how 1000 eligible books become 100…

Throughout the year, the production department is “on the look-out” for contenders. Our consultants remember particularly promising books at the beginning of the process; our book designers remember particularly beautiful books during formatting; our cover designers remember the custom covers they, personally, are most proud of; our copyeditors remember particularly important or entertaining works; and our author representatives remember particularly impressive books throughout the entire process. When it comes time to determine the Outskirts Press official EVVY nominees toward the end of each year, we solicit that feedback from the consultants, formatters, designers, editors, and representatives.

Sometimes these decisions are subjective (as all book contests ultimately are), but there are some logistic steps a savvy author can take to significantly increase the odds of receiving an official EVVY Award nomination at the end of the year, and when one looks at the process (and the statistical likelihood in general), these steps start to make more sense:

1. Get a custom cover design – We offer a wide variety of cover choices for our authors, from free pre-designed themes, to custom covers, to the flexibility allowing an author to submit her own cover. And while there are exceptions to every rule, almost without fail, our official EVVY Nominees are comprised almost exclusively of books featuring custom cover designs by Outskirts Press designers. I discussed a little bit about that reality a few posts ago. Also, remember, our cover designers are asked their opinions of ALL the books they work on. Which is more likely? That they’ll remember/recommend a free, pre-designed style, or that they’ll remember/recommend a custom cover they poured their heart into?

2. Get an enhanced or custom interior – Even our standard, free interiors are excellent, and sufficient to garner an EVVY Nomination. In fact, I cannot remember an instance where a standard interior, on its own, was the reason for dismissal, but the fact remains that an enhanced or custom interior is never going to “hurt” the author’s chances, and it could even help.

3. Have your book professionally copyedited – This shouldn’t just be a requirement for EVVY Award consideration, this should be a requirement for publication. Of course, in this day and age of POD printing, ebooks, and self-publishing, it’s not a requirement for publication, but that doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be. So, book contests and awards are the industry’s way of REWARDING authors who take this very important step. We only nominate books that have been professionally edited. Otherwise, what’s the point? Our nominees are personally and manually selected because we want to sweep the EVVY Awards, and we know the CIPA EVVY judges are not going to recognize a book littered with mistakes. While it can be argued that the “strength” of specific covers and interior designs are subjective, most typographical errors are not.

Final considerations to bring the total number of nominations down to a reasonable number are much more subjective, I’ll admit, and they involve things like reasonable retail price for the genre, marketability, and the author’s own professionalism. After all, we know that one of the EVVY Nominees is going to be our Outskirts Press Best Book of the Year award-winner, and we want that author to be ahead of the game when it comes time to sell the book, market the book, and work with other people.

4. Accept our nomination – This is an easy step to complete but some authors still miss this one even after they successfully accomplish the other ones. There is a belief among a few writers that book contests shouldn’t cost money to enter. Let me set that misconception to rest: Most book contests cost money to enter (and if they don’t, you have to ask yourself what the catch is). Our official EVVY Nomination requires the submission fee to the EVVY Awards, along with the cost of printing the necessary copies for the EVVY judges and shipping them, and completing all the entry forms, etc. Simply put, entering book contests is kind of a pain in the butt (and so is administering/judging them, which is why book contests cost money). It’s true just being nominated is an honor (less than 10% of our books are), but in order to be an Outskirts Press official EVVY Award nominee, you have to accept our invitation and agree to let us submit your book to the CIPA EVVY Awards on your behalf, just as our most recent official nominees did late last year. And from that list, we’re down to our thirteen finalists.

So how do EVVY Finalists become EVVY Winners? I’ll discuss that next time…

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How to successfully work from home

Time magazine recently ran an informative and instructional article about the “remote worker.” Whether you are an employee working remotely (or wanting to) for a large business, or you are an independent contractor working remotely for a family-owned business, or whether you are a published writer building your author platform in your spare time, Time magazine’s suggestions here are worth making note of (and incorporating into your routine). More and more companies are embracing the notion of telecommuting; workers are happier and have the opportunity to be more productive if they work smarter, and not just harder. After all, they’re gaining the time they might otherwise lose to a daily commute (say good-bye to rush hour traffic). They can save money on work clothes and day care and, let’s face it, it’s just plain “cooler” to be able to work from home.

But working from home can have its disadvantages and downsides, so the productive, savvy worker recognizes these and overcompensates for them. From the article: “Some telecommuters do, in fact, turn into slackers, take advantage of their situations and… don’t form strong emotional bonds with co-workers (no chance for after work cocktails, obviously), and they don’t get the all-necessary ‘face time’ with senior management. Even so, there are ways to win over your boss and be a successful, wonderfully productive remote worker…”

Here are the top 5 tips from Time magazine’s article:

1. Get organized – demonstrate outstanding organization and attention to detail, along with the ability to prioritize and consistently meet goals while exhibiting an overall sense of professionalism.

2. Check in frequently – In the corporate world, if you aren’t seen or heard frequently, you are often not thought of for new opportunities. Telecommuters can overcome this disadvantage by checking in on a consistent, scheduled basis. That way you stay “top of mind” and demonstrate your work ethic. Email, use instant messaging, and don’t be afraid to use the telephone.

3. Push yourself to network – Direct from Time’s article: “Just doing your job isn’t enough to be successful as a remote worker. You need to build your soft skills by networking in person and via social media with co-workers and other people in your industry. If possible, [attend] training programs and holiday parties, and participate in as many networking events and conferences as you can. Building strong relationships can be a challenge for a telecommuter, but it is often just as important as being a good worker.”

4. Take breaks and get fresh air – Without formal meetings and lunch breaks, it becomes important to devise your own productive schedule; and productivity can depend upon a sustainable pattern. Mimic working at a office by starting work at a consistent time every day (8am works), taking a break or two, an hour for lunch, and stopping at a consistent time every evening. If “work” were fun it would be called “play” so it’s important to train your body and mind to perform as if you were in an office.

5. Respond to emails quickly – Direct from Time’s article: “This is a simple tip — and an important one. Make replying to… e-mails a high priority. Get back to them promptly so that they trust you’re working, not sleeping or playing video games. And when you respond, be clear and concise. Cover all of your bases to avoid unnecessary back and forth.” If multiple e-mails are required to take care of an issue that could be covered in a 30-second conversation, pick up the phone. If it takes you 2 business days to respond to emails, there’s naturally going to be someone, somewhere, questioning your commitment. And once confidence is lost, it’s hard to gain back, especially remotely…

self publishing, self publishing a book

Contenders for the 2011 Outskirts Press Best Book of the Year Awards

Last year we crowned the author of our first Outskirts Press Best Book of the Year Award. Doris Kenney Marcotte published The Beads of Lapis Lazuli with Outskirts Press in 2010. That fall she was personally nominated for the Colorado Independent Publishers EVVY Awards along with approximately 5% of our published authors, all representing the very best from Outskirts Press. When the EVVY Awards were presented the following spring (March 2011), Doris won first place in the Fiction category. She went on to become a finalist for the 2010 Outskirts Press Best Book of the Year awards along with finalsts Frank B. Leibold, Ph.D., and Robert J. Mignone, M.D., F.A.P.A.

Once the three finalists for our Outskirts Press Best Book of the Year award are determined (based upon them winning a 1st, 2nd, or 3rd place EVVY Award), they must each collect enough votes to be crowed our Best Book of the Year award winner in a public poll held on the Outskirts Press blog. You can see the poll that determined Doris’s win by clicking here. It was a close race between her and Frank.

Well, we’re closing in on the exciting conclusion to determine the 2011 Outskirts Press Best Book of the Year award. Last December we nominated approximately 2% of our published books for submission to the Colorado Independent Publishers Association EVVY Awards. Winning an EVVY Award is required to become a finalist for the Best Book of the Year award. The EVVY Finalists have now been announced and those award winners will be recognized at the Awards Ceremony next Thursday, May 17th.

Among all the EVVY Finalists are these thirteen Outskirts Press books. One of these will be our 2011 Best Book of the Year winner. Who will it be? Stay tuned to this blog or our Outskirts Press blog for the next several weeks to find out… Let’s wish them luck!

Are you the next award-winning author from Outskirts Press. Start publishing today…

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A self-publishing author’s experience with Outskirts Press

Last week I shared an email I received from one of our authors in relation to the custom covers we designed for her. I’d like to share another email I received, this more a more general reaction to the entire self publishing experience as a whole. All of us at Outskirts Press work hard to make sure all our authors have wonderful experiences (and we get it right 99% of the time), so it’s always gratifying to receive emails like this from one of our recently-published authors (I recevied this roughly around Easter).

“Dear Anna, Brent, and Jodee:

I really wasn’t expecting my free copies of A Guide to the Psalms of David when it arrived earlier today, since there was no entry under shipping and I assumed “processed” under orders simply meant my entry on the website was accepted and my book was now in the queue to be printed. Unprepared, I can only relate that when I opened up the package and saw my book, I was stunned; elated, on the one hand, because of the gorgeous cover–in which credit goes, as you know, to my wife Audrey–terrified, on the other hand, with the realization I now have to rev up to a significantly higher standard if I expect to go out into the world and inspire people with, in the words of John Adams, poetry “superior to all odes, hymns, and songs, in any language.”

But regardless of what the future brings, I cannot thank each and every one of you enough for helping me bring this creation–because it is more than just a book–into the world. And I dare say, the cover alone, is healing: the colors and the representation of David contemplating his harp. (You might recall from the Bible when King Saul had attacks of melancholy, David’s harp playing soothed him.)

All the best, and whatever holiday you are celebrating at this time of year, may it be with much Joy!!!

Sincerely,

Steve Rosner

P.S. Please thank the elf who corrected the interior cover by removing a superfluous ‘the’ in the title. Although it was discovered at the last minute and corrected on the cover itself, I opted the leave the interior as is, not wanting to delay the book any longer.”

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Facebook increases avatar graphic size

Figures. Gotta love Mark Zuckerberg and his tendency to “change” things on Facebook at the drop of a hat. I had just finished sharing suggestions for optimizing your cover graphic for the new Facebook Timeline when Facebook decides to increase the size of the “logo” that is superimposed over the Cover graphic. If your cover graphic isn’t/wasn’t precisely optimized in accordance with some of my recommendations, this size difference probably wasn’t even noticeable. However, if you had created your cover graphic down to the pixel, as we had at Outskirts Press, this new avatar size resulted in overlapping actual content on the underlying cover graphic, as circled in the sample image below. See how some of the words in our “Calendar” for April were covered by the increased size of the Avatar box? Not great…

The size of the logo/avatar box increased from 133 pixels wide to 168 pixels wide. Naturally, you would want to make alterations to your cover graphic as a result, as we did with this new graphic that we launched on May 1st. We actually plan to upload a new cover graphic on the first day of every month, anyway, since our two “Calendar” boxes draw attention to the current month’s activities/events/promotions on Facebook as well as “tease” the upcoming month’s. For instance, in June we will be crowning the author of our 2011 Outskirts Press Best Book of the Year. And I’ll be discussing that in more depth soon, but in the meantime, here’s the next cover graphic for Facebook, with the new avatar size accounted for, and the update to the Calendar. Of course, it had to be “shrunk” since the optimal size for the cover graphic is wider than the space allowed by this blog template, and you’ll notice that we simply leave the portion of the graphic unfinished where Facebook superimposes the Avatar (details, details), but you can see how it looks for real on our Facebook page at http://facebook.com/OutskirtsPress.

self publishing, self publishing a book

A Tale of Two Custom Covers: A Self Publishing Author’s Reaction

After seeing her two custom covers, Ellen wrote me this email (after all, I’m just an email away for our authors), which she gave me permission to share:

“Brent,

Since I was quick to yell for help a few weeks ago, I thought it only fair that I also yell to shout Congratulations and WOW! I received my two options for the cover of my book: Tales of a Lion from Jennifer Rush on Thursday and I LOVE THEM BOTH!!!! When I think about the possible cover I threw together and what I am being presented with now, I have to wonder – What was I thinking???? Your team is fabulous!!!!

Incidentally, a sequel is planned for this book. I would like very much to use both of these – particularly since I can’t decide between them now. Don’t know how that would work out…or if it is even permitted. The sequel will be entitled: The Lonesome Wail of the Lion’s Roar.

In between times, I will complete what I am writing now: Wish List….which I would like to have Outskirts publish as well. I am targeting a handover to Outskirts sometime January 2013. That will leave me writing the sequel during 2013 and publishing that no later than January 2014.

I hope I can use the second option of the cover! Mostly, I just wanted whoever did these to know how very much I appreciate their work.

Excellent Job!

Ellen”

And yes, we arranged for her to secure BOTH custom covers, one for her first book and the other for her sequel. Another happy ending for another Outskirts Press author…

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A Tale of Two Custom Covers: Author Submitted vs. Professionally Designed

In yesterday’s post I talked about our custom cover option and how we often have to walk a delicate line when working with authors who have submitted their own cover designs and who we want to diplomatically point toward a “better” direction. One of our authors, who has given me permission to recount her experience, recently went through this exact scenario. She had designed her own cover and submitted it for her book. It looked like this:

This is a relatively average example of the author-submitted covers we receive at Outskirts Press. They are almost always white (since designing on color or backgrounds introduces a whole host of technical problems that most authors simply choose to eschew) and it lacks a spine and a back cover. But that’s why they come to us, right? To make their book even BETTER than it already is… In some cases we’re able to convince the author to consider a professionally-designed custom cover, given the overall importance of covers. In other cases, we’re not so successful and they end up publishing what they (or their designer friends) have designed in a word processor. Fortunately, in Ellen’s case, we were successful in communicating to her the importance of a great cover; and as a result, our book designer created the following two custom covers for her to choose from:

What was Ellen’s reaction? Stay tuned…

self publishing, self publishing a book

A Tale of Two Custom Covers: Part One

One of our most popular options at Outskirts Press is our Custom Cover option, where one of our talented designers will create TWO completely separate custom covers for the author’s book, based upon the author’s own input and preferences. The author then selects the one he/she likes best and provides further input to fine-tune it. In general, covers are one of the “trickier” aspects of what we do because it’s a passionate subject. All authors have very strong feelings about their covers. Many begin the process already with a cover clearly in their mind. In fact, many have already designed what they believe is a very good cover. In those cases, some authors are resistant to consider any other alternatives, even if their own cover may lack basic components of a true cover design (like a spine or a back, for instance). It sometimes puts our people in awkward positions where they have to walk a fine line between supporting the author’s desires and at the same time bring to the author’s attention the reality that their covers, actually, aren’t very… well… good.

More often than not, we acquiesce and watch the author use what they supplied. After all, it’s their book. But it can be frustrating, because our designers have often created really wonderful covers that all too often go to waste at the author’s whims. On one hand, we always want our books to look as awesome as possible; on the other hand, we want to answer to the author’s wishes and give them exactly what they want. Granted, sometimes these are financial decisions, since a professional custom cover design starts at $299 (compare that to $900 and higher at other self publishing firms); but other times the decision doesn’t seem to be based upon anything other than a skewed reality of what comprises good cover design.

So with one of our authors’ kind permission, I’d like to present just such a case study over the next two days… stay tuned…

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Facebook Timeline Apps Navigation

For the last several posts I have been discussing tricks to get the most out of the timeline layout on Facebook. This has involved designing an effect cover graphic and writing an effective “About Box.” To the right of the “About Box” are four app boxes (which only show up if you actually have apps installed.) If you don’t have any apps, you might only have two boxes appearing to the left of your About box, one for Photos and one for your number of “Likes.” When/if you install new Apps to your Facebook page, those Apps will appear in this space. You can install up to 12 Apps. You can organize the order in which APPS appear on your page by hovering your mouse over them, clicking on the resulting “pencil icon” and then rearranging their order by selecting a choice from among the “Swap positions with…” list in the pop-up menu that appears.

Photos always remains directly to the right of the About box, and you cannot adjust its position. But you CAN adjust the Position of the “Likes” box but uploading more helpful apps. There are literally thousands of choices (50,000+ actually) , and the closest thing Facebook offers to a directory of its available apps is this “Apps & Games Dashboard” which is available by clicking here.

Install at least three Apps, so you have four navigation boxes to the right of your “About Box.” Then, edit the thumbnail image so that each App features an eye-catching, attention-grabbing graphic that will encourage your visitors to actually click on it. By combining all these tactics together, you and/or your company will have a Timeline-optimized Facebook presence, just like Outskirts Press. Have fun!