Heidi Joy Tretheway

Aug. 8, 2015

THE INDIE AUTHOR’S LAUNCH KIT:

BEST PRACTICES IN PACKAGINGYOUR SELF-PUBLISHED BOOK

IT’S NOT INDEPENDENT PUBLISHING

• Developmental editor

• Beta readers

• Copy editor

• Proofreader

• Lay proofreader

• Cover designer & extended assets

• Formatter – ebook & print

• Blog tour coordinator

… and author

TAKE OFF YOUR AUTHOR HAT

• You are now a marketer

• Goal: get the click

• Your arsenal:

• Title

• Cover

• Blurb

• Disclaimer

• Author name• Bio• Reviews• Back matter

REMOVE DOUBT

• What genre is this?

• Setting, time period, reality or fantasy, story frame

• What’s the premise?

• What’s the core conflict?

• Who will I meet?

• Is this dark or light? Serious or funny?

• If it’s romance, how sexy?

#1 – TITLE KEYWORDS

• “Candidate” and “Campaign” = political

• Prophesy, legend, ghost, powers

• Threat, conspiracy, assassin, fear

• Rake, duke, earl, rogue

• Deadly, innocence, dark

• Stepbrother, billionaire, bastard

• The opposite of fear

• Secrets laid bare

• Too many secrets

• Secrets never die

• Dark corners

• Dark urges

• Ultra Violet

• Nobody's girl

• Nobody keeps me safe

• Taboo thief

• Stolen secrets

• Ripped from you

• Night watch

• Watching you

• Obsession exposed

• The object of his desire

• Object of desire

• Bound to be exposed

• Sudden exposure

• Too close to the truth

• Image of revenge

• Anyone's girl

• Just this once

• Lying in wait

• Control

• Hard to control

• Secrets never die

• Violet exposed

• Revenge bound

• Picture of revenge

• Revenge exposed

• Can't take it back

• Maximum exposure

• Poster girl

• Edge of revenge

• Follow you

• The only thing

• One safe place

• Pandora's box

• Web of secrets

• Chasing Violet

• Nowhere to hide

• Keep me safe

• Keep it quiet

• The only thing

• Unseen enemy

• The opposite of fear

• Secrets laid bare

• Too many secrets

• Secrets never die

• Dark corners

• Dark urges

• Ultra Violet

• Nobody's girl

• Nobody keeps me safe

• Taboo thief

• Stolen secrets

• Ripped from you

• Night watch

• Watching you

• Obsession exposed

• The object of his desire

• Object of desire

• Revenge bound

• Bound to be exposed

• Sudden exposure

• Too close to the truth

• Image of revenge

• Anyone's girl

• Just this once

• Lying in wait

• Control

• Hard to control

• Secrets never die

• Violet exposed

• Revenge bound

• Picture of revenge

• Revenge exposed

• Can't take it back

• Maximum exposure

• Poster girl

• Edge of revenge

• Follow you

• The only thing

• One safe place

• Pandora's box

• Web of secrets

• Chasing Violet

• Nowhere to hide

• Keep me safe

• Keep it quiet

• The only thing

• Unseen enemy

#2 – COVER: “THE SAME, BUT DIFFERENT”

• Fit the genre

• Make the title legible at thumbnail

• And in black & white

• Pro covers are layered

• Don’t skimp on great pix

#3 – HOOK ‘EM WITH A BLURB

• Keep it short & scannable

• Trim B stories & sidekick characters – one or two

• Focus on the first 40%

• Expand your logline … a little

When [flawed hero] wanted [goal], [barrier] happened, until he [first plot point] to [new adventure].

PROPOSED BLURB

"When it comes to fight or flight, I always choose to run like hell.”

Isano has the perfect summer all planned. Tokyo and the Summer Olympics: Check. Helping her marathon running best friend, Halley, prepare for the Games: Check. Getting away from her friend, Masa, so she can forget she’s in love with him: Double check. With a swank apartment in Tokyo, her family close by in the city, and plenty of free time, Isa is set for success until her mother ends up in the hospital.

Now, Isa has to take over for her mom with the family's Tokyo business, leave Halley all alone to train, and Masa has jumped straight in the middle of her problems as well. And Masa is hard to ignore with his smiles, his helpful nature, and their one recent, drunken kiss burning in her memory. Isa gives up on her dreams and throws every itinerary in her planner in the trash. Everyone wants her to stay but all she wants to do is run. Tokyo, her family, and her emerging relationship with Masa, though, are hard to leave behind, and she must choose between an easy, possible future or a harder, certain one before the summer is over.

SUMER HAIKUS is a modern story of best friends, family, and love in Japan, running for the thrill of the race and the accomplishments of a lifetime.

PROPOSED BLURB

"When it comes to fight or flight, I always choose to run like hell.”

Isano has the perfect summer all planned. Tokyo and the Summer Olympics: Check. Helping her marathon running best friend, Halley, prepare for the Games: Check. Getting away from her friend, Masa, so she can forget she’s in love with him: Double check. With a swank apartment in Tokyo, her family close by in the city, and plenty of free time, Isa is set for success until her mother ends up in the hospital.

Now, Isa has to take over for her mom with the family's Tokyo business, leave Halley all alone to train, and Masa has jumped straight in the middle of her problems as well. And Masa is hard to ignore with his smiles, his helpful nature, and their one recent, drunken kiss burning in her memory. Isa gives up on her dreams and throws every itinerary in her planner in the trash. Everyone wants her to stay but all she wants to do is run. Tokyo, her family, and her emerging relationship with Masa, though, are hard to leave behind, and she must choose between an easy, possible future or a harder, certain one before the summer is over.

SUMER HAIKUS is a modern story of best friends, family, and love in Japan, running for the thrill of the race and the accomplishments of a lifetime.

FINISHED BLURB

"When it comes to fight or flight, I choose to run like hell.”

Isa planned the perfect summer: Tokyo and the Summer Olympics--check. Helping her best friend prepare for the marathon--check. Forgetting she's in love with Masa--double check.

But when Isa's mother is hospitalized, she has to abandon her summer plans to run the family's Tokyo business. Masa's offer to help makes it impossible for Isa to ignore him--and the firecracker kiss that she keeps trying to dismiss as too much sake. The simplest answer? Run.

SUMMER HAIKUS is a modern story of best friends, family, and love, running for the thrill of the race and the accomplishments of a lifetime.

I’ve always known she was too good for me, but that never stopped me from wanting her.

And then I finally had her for one night.

A night I don’t remember.

I figured I’d blown my shot.

But now she’s walked back into my life, and this time, I have the upper hand. I want my second chance.

Will she be able to see the man beneath this ink?

I’ve always known she was too good for me, but that never stopped me from wanting her.

And then I finally had her for one night.

A night I don’t remember.

I figured I’d blown my shot.

But now she’s walked back into my life, and this time, I have the upper hand. I want my second chance.

Will she be able to see the man beneath this ink?

BEFORE

Bliss Kaufman can make anyone beautiful with enough makeup and hair product. Her life, however, is anything but. Leaving her salon job to break out on her own, she encounters unforeseen struggles, from conniving rivals eager to see her fail, to her own family. A life-changing medical diagnosis and a chance encounter with someone from her mother’s past forces Bliss to question everything she’s ever known…

AFTER

All Bliss Kaufman wanted was a sandwich and a nap after a grueling day beautifying this week’s bridal party. So when a bartender with a panty-melting grin offers her dinner and a ride on his motorcycle, Bliss swerves from her plans for one unexpected night with Talan McGregor.

#4 – DISCLAIMER

Warning: This book contains cranky roommates who vacillate between lashing out and licking, some male/male voyeurism, emotional baggage that neither guy wants to unpack, and the definitive proof that sound carries in college housing.

#5 - AUTHOR NAME

• Gender-specific?

• Genre appropriate

• No initials … but same first name/letter

• Short enough for a cover

• Easy to pronounce, spell and remember

• Unique for a URL and Twitter handle

#6 - AUTHOR BIO

• We don’t care how much you know. Leave your resume on LinkedIn

• Make yourself likeable, relatable

• Where do you live?

• What do you like?

• What makes you tick?

• What’s your author brand about?

Meghan March has been known to wear camo face paint and tromp around in woods wearing mud-covered boots, all while sporting a perfect manicure. She's also impulsive, easily entertained, and absolutely unapologetic about the fact that she loves to read and write smut.

Her past lives include slinging auto parts, selling lingerie, making custom jewelry, and practicing corporate law. Writing books about dirty talking alpha males and the strong, sassy women who bring them to their knees is by far the most fabulous job she's ever had. She loves hearing from her readers at meghanmarchbooks@gmail.com.

Meghan March has been known to wear camo face paint and tromp around in woods wearing mud-covered boots, all while sporting a perfect manicure. She's also impulsive, easily entertained, and absolutely unapologetic about the fact that she loves to read and write smut.

Her past lives include slinging auto parts, selling lingerie, making custom jewelry, and practicing corporate law. Writing books about dirty talking alpha males and the strong, sassy women who bring them to their knees is by far the most fabulous job she's ever had. She loves hearing from her readers at meghanmarchbooks@gmail.com.

#7 HIGHLIGHT REVIEWS

• Ask for permission

• Use editorial reviews

• Enter through Author Central

• Highlight keywords; keep it short

#8 – BACK MATTER = SALES FUNNEL

• Give readers a call to action

• Hook ‘em hard with a substantial excerpt

• Insert thumbnail of the next book’s cover

• Hyperlink everything (by platform)

HOW I DO BACK MATTER

• Preview the next book, cover thumbnail, buy link

• “Dear Reader” note:

• Mailing list link

• Leave a review link

• How to reach me, email and website

• Acknowledgements

• About the Author: bio, photo, backlist

• Copyright

FINAL THOUGHTS ON PACKAGING

• Newsletter > Website > Facebook

• Start your mailing list immediately

• Get a professional photo

• Use trackable links such as smarturl.it

HTML recipe:

www.heidijoytretheway.com/category/for-authors