What Indie Authors Can Learn from Jada Pinkett-Smith’s Book Launch

As an author, I cannot help but to look at the book marketing side of celebrity book launches of this magnitude. And, because it’s such a controversial launch, I want to give a disclaimer.

Disclaimer: This post is not about dissecting the morality of Will and Jada Pinkett Smith, condoning how she has gone about her launch, or suggesting authors expose their personal lives. Rather, we can use a viral book launch as an example of how we can strategize when rolling out our launches.

In today’s post, we look at a few lessons we can learn from Jada’s book launch that you don’t have to be a millionaire author to implement.

Timing

The timing of Jada’s bombshell about her and Will’s separation contributed to even more interest in the book than she already had. As the Smiths likely anticipated, the public ate it up and left no crumbs.

Indie authors might discover that releasing content (of their own discretion, not necessarily so personal) at specific times can enhance reception and reach. Authors should plan their book releases, publication dates, and marketing efforts carefully and strategically.

Establishing a Platform & Leveraging Existing Platforms

It might seem that Jada’s recent revelations are new, but between her Red Table Talk show (where she discussed personal matters openly) and her Instagram lives, Jada has long established herself as someone who has raw and open conversations as part of her personal brand.

Indie authors can learn from this by sharing content on their social media platforms that give insight not only into their books but also about them as a person. Again, at their own discretion.

Kerry Washington is an example of someone who is in the public eye, but who lives a private life. She does not show her children on social media and we also hardly ever see her husband.

Jada also used other platforms to her advantage, spilling the tea on other people’s talk and radio shows. Indie authors have the same option. Consider guest blogging or cross-promoting with other authors.

Sneak Peeks That Pique Interest

Tupac Shakur has evoked strong emotions in fans since his death in September of 1996. Jada Pinkett Smith is well aware of this, and she is well aware that any comments she makes about him or her relationship with Will are bound to go viral. Jada fed us the information she wanted us to know and controlled the narrative through a traditional media interview.

Indie authors can learn from this by strategically choosing which parts of the book to discuss publicly before release. While some authors worry about giving their books away, the right information can do more to help rather than hinder a book’s success.

While the cover is essential, its the content inside of the book that keeps us reading. The cover pulls us in, but the story makes us stay.

Whether you’ve already published your book or are writing one, educating us about your topic and even revealing minor tidbits about what’s INSIDE the book can help garner more interest.

Are there any bookish lessons you’ve observed from celebrity authors? Let’s discuss in the comments!

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Why The Tree Does Not Complain About Losing Its Leaves

I love the beauty of nature and how paying attention to it helps me to understand life better. I mean, we are of the earth, after all. It amazes me how we can come from the dirt and assume no connection to it.

So, anywho, as I sat here reminiscing about everyone I’ve lost over the years, a thought struck me: You will never hear a tree complaining about losing its leaves.

Trees lose their leaves for various reasons, except for the evergreen, which retains its green foliage all year. Otherwise, deciduous trees (from a Latin word meaning “that which falls down”) drop their leaves primarily to conserve energy in preparation for upcoming harsh weather conditions by using less energy.

Losing its leaves also conserves moisture within the trunk and keeps it from drying out. The tree can now focus its energy on root growth.

Losing leaves allows wind to blow through the branches, reducing strain on the tree, which is especially important during winter storms.

Losing leaves also gives room for new leaves to grow in its place.

Although the tree appears inactive and desolate without leaves, it is still active, utilizing its energy and resources to develop its root system. A healthy root system will help the tree thrive in the spring.

Much like a tree that must shed its leaves for continual growth, so we must shed some things, too. It helps us to be better equipped to thrive in the conditions the next level requires.

One More Game

From my eighth-floor window
I could hear hope bounce back and forth
on concrete loitered with crack vials.

Dirt-caked Nikes were like hands
reaching for revolution
in the air.

It didn’t get them out of the projects,
but Jordan would have been proud
the way these boys balled.

It kept their bodies distracted from the hunger
of not eating for three days.
Here, many children raised themselves.
Forced to grow up without grownups.

It’s a strange thing not to have parents
strange the way these kids parented
themselves.

Adults in small bodies
swallowing their pride for one more game.

They might not eat today,
but boy, how they balled.

This was inspired by the real events of growing up in The Robert Taylor Projects as a kid in early 90s Chicago. Head over to my TikTok @yecheilyah to listen to the poem.

Our 6th Annual Poetry Contest is on the Way!

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Self-Publishing: Understanding Copyright and Distribution

Copyright

First-time self-publishers often worry about copyright or that someone will steal their idea. This is typically the first sign of a novice self-publisher.

However, new and established authors might worry about someone stealing their books now that AI is here.

First, you should know that you own the copyright to your book at the moment of creation.

This is why it’s irrelevant for vanity presses to tell you that you keep 100% of your rights as a perk to working with them. You already have it.

But, if you want to take it a step further, you can obtain an official copyright through the US copyright office (copyright.gov) and receive a Library of Congress number, which allows librarians to catalog your book at LOC.gov.

Note: If you plan to request US Library of Congress (LOC) cataloging, be sure to assign the ISBN well in advance of publication to allow for LOC processing time.

Keep in mind that the ISBN has nothing to do with the copyright or the ownership of the work. It is also not connected to the Library of Congress cataloging. The ISBN is simply a number identifying the book and who published it.

It is important for self-publishers because we want to be listed as the publisher of record. That is why we self-published: to be in total creative control of the process and our own publishers.

Seeing the name of who published the book might not be a big deal to readers or authors who intend to stick to selling their books online, but for authors who wish to get the attention of booksellers or to sell their books in bulk to larger corporations, it is a bigger deal. Booksellers find it too inconvenient if the book is not returnable through Ingram (the book distributor, not IngramSpark the self-publishing arm). Although KDP’s extended distribution actually goes through Ingram, one of the main reasons why retailers don’t want to stock titles published by Amazon is that they are not returnable.

And Amazon is their biggest competitor.

Frankly, bookstores can care less about Amazon or that you are an Amazon bestseller.

Free ISBNs could also restrict your distribution options.

Distribution

Like traditional publishing, self-publishers want their books available through multiple channels. They want to control the distribution of their book.

In its simplest form, distribution rights is the right to make your book available to the customer.

When you are signed with a publisher, you must go through them to get copies of your book.

When you are your own publisher, you can order as many author copies of the book as you want and decide where your book shows up.

For print books, for example, it means going from your printer to a retailer or directly to your reader.

In the case of ebooks, this can entail sticking to Amazon exclusively or using an aggregator like Draft2Digital to make your work available at a variety of stores, including Barnes and Noble, Apple iBooks, and Books-A-Million.

For distribution to bookstores,* small publishers and self-publishers do not typically have the manpower to use a full-service distributor like traditional publishers who can warehouse and distribute large book print runs. Thus, we usually opt for a wholesale distributor such as Ingram because it is best suited to print-on-demand (POD) printing.

*Having your book on Ingram Spark does not necessarily mean bookstores will order copies of your self-published book from Ingram.

The best practice is to self-publish through Amazon’s KDP for Amazon and then publish separately through Ingram and other platforms.

In other words, you don’t have to be concerned about someone stealing your book concept. Every book has already been written. Your perspective is the key ingredient. The way you write it is what makes it unique. Nobody else can write like you. Additionally, your book was already protected by copyright when it was written. For more security or peace of mind, you can also purchase a copyright through copyright.gov.

Check out more Indie Author Basics articles here.

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Yecheilyah’s Book Reviews – In Search of a Salve: Memoir of a Sex Addict by KE Garland

Title: In Search of a Salve: Memoir of a Sex Addict

Author: KE Garland

Publisher: ‎ New Reads Publications

Published: September 26, 2023

Pages: 326

“I was nine years old when I figured out that if I squeezed my legs together hard enough, it would create the most electrifying pulsation, in the general area my mother, her mother, and her mother called our “killa cricket.”

-KE Garland

In Search of a Salve snatches us into the author’s world with the rawness of a Sister Souljah book. Like Winter Santiaga, KE Garland has no sugarcoated, watered-down stories to tell you.

Unlike Winter, Kathy’s story is no fairytale.

The author takes us through the series of tragic incidents that led to her preoccupation with sex, including child-on-child molestation, car accidents, and the death of her adoptive mother. Garland expertly reveals how she utilized sex as a salve for a wound she wasn’t completely aware even existed, leading her down a path of multiple sex partners and abortions.

However, don’t assume this book is about the author’s naughty antics. This memoir stands out because it doesn’t only list regrettable events and bad decisions. What’s important is the linkages between how trauma impacts the body, permeates the mind, and results in addiction.

“I didn’t cheat because I had a vanilla sex life. I cheated to escape the discomfort of trauma.”

-KE Garland

We learn how cognitive therapy helped the author to pay more attention to her thinking and the meaning of key terms like exhibitionism or the urge to show yourself to others in public. These explanations helped me better understand the author’s actions beyond the physical, such as the disconnect that exists when the mother-child bond is broken early in life, resulting in a dysregulated nervous system.

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“No oxytocin. No emotional bonding. No maternal attachment. Emotionally dysregulated….I began life, like most babies, listening for the sound of my mother’s voice and never found it, and I’d never stop longing for her.”

-KE Garland

This book prompted me to have more compassion for the lived experiences of people who struggle with addictions that society has deemed as nothing more than an immoral decision, but that is much more layered. As Garland searched for a salve, I, too, discovered insight into questions about my own trauma, belonging, and motherhood.

“I was motherless and it hurt whenever I didn’t have one to show up for me.”

-KE Garland

KE Garland courageously uses her story as a catalyst for further instruction about not only sex addiction but addiction in general.

In Search of a Salve will break your heart, pierce your soul, and then soothe you with knowledge about sex, trauma, despair, and the root of these behaviors beyond poor life decisions.

Ratings:

Strong Introduction: 5/5
Authenticity / Believable: 5/5
Organization: 5/5
Thought Provoking: 5/5
Solid Conclusion: 5/5

Overall: 5/5

It’s Release Day!!

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*Books are read in the order they are received.

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The Power and Necessity of Community

I enjoy the changing seasons the most. Summer is alright, but my favorite part of the year is when summer gives way to autumn. Georgia’s temperature is 80 degrees, yet the sun is not intense, and the way this wind blows feels like my skin is drinking a cold glass of water. It is refreshing.

That’s why I’m typing this at the kitchen table with the door open to the back porch.

As I sit here, I cannot help but think about how much of a blessing this blog (which is to say, the people who follow this blog) has been to me.

Despite the fact that I had been writing and publishing books since 2010, it was when I started this blog in 2014 (after my first two attempts had failed) that it became a platform where I could share my work and receive helpful feedback in return. As a result of this feedback, three published books were born, all inspired by blog posts.

This blog put me on by introducing me to a larger audience, and together, we blossomed into a community.

We had so much fun in the early years. I miss it.

With Elon Musk now contemplating charging X (Twitter) users to use its platform, assuming other social media platforms will eventually follow is not too far-fetched.

They do seem to copy each other. Reels were created to compete with TikTok, and Threads is just Instagram’s version of Twitter.

After thinking of this, I began to consider the significance and necessity of creating our own communities, both online and offline. If we take the time to create them, we may soon be forced to seek solace in our own isolated areas of the globe.

Just as this wind is blowing the trees, which will soon let us know how beautiful it is to let go when its leaves fall, I sense a change is coming.

Just my Thursday thoughts.

Thoughtful Thursdays. Hmm. Got a nice ring to it.

Dear Self-Published Author, You Have Options!

While Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing is excellent, there are other options for print-on-demand publishing that self-published authors can explore.

Draft2Digital

Draft2Digital is a gem. D2D is an aggregator that distributes your books to major retailers online, from Barnes and Noble to Apple iBooks to Baker & Taylor. They have merged with Smashwords and now also offer a paperback option. The upload procedure is simple and efficient. Your only issue is if your book still needs to be formatted. You should finish, edit, and format your text before uploading it.

I have only used their ebook service so I cannot comment on the quality of the paperback, but it is an option for self-publishers who don’t want to use Amazon. Also, the speed of making your book available everywhere online is top-tier.

Ingram Spark

Ingram is another option, although the upload process is slightly more complicated. However, it is set up that way because Ingram is a distributor designed to get your book into bookstores.

During the process, you’d want to think about things like your wholesale price (usually 40%), and you will need an ISBN. While Ingram does offer a free one, I highly recommend Indie authors own their ISBN.

Buying them in bulk (assuming you will self-publish more than one book) from Bowker can save a ton of money. I haven’t had to buy one in three years. I am using Ingram for the hardcover version of my book (which requires a different ISBN than the paperback), and I was able to use one of the numbers I still have left.

Note: Do not give away your ISBNs unless you are a publisher. Your number is like your book’s social security number and is attached to your name or the company you registered under. Thus, you will be the publisher of the record.

An exciting thing about Ingram Spark is its choice of paper. As experienced self-publishers know, you can choose your paper, usually white or creme, during uploading on Amazon. However, with Ingram, you have another choice. You can select Groundwood, an eggshell paper typically used in traditionally published mass-markets.

Note: I recommend using Amazon separately.

Upload your files for ebook using Kindle Direct Publishing like you normally would to put your book on Amazon. Then, use the other programs for the other retailers. If you do this, do not check the expanded distribution box on Amazon.

Example: If using D2D or Ingram and your ebook is already published on Amazon, you do not need to check the Amazon box during set-up.

Bookbaby

For independent authors who want to self-publish but don’t have the time to look for editors and cover artists, Bookbaby is a possibility. By offering you publication packages for cover design, ebook conversion, ISBN, and even marketing, Bookbaby serves as a self-publisher assistant or vanity publisher.

Any publishing that demands payment is regarded as vanity publishing despite being verified and far more professional. Pay attention to the features supplied with each tier when using Bookbaby because it is also rather pricey and not all packages include editing. Remember that even if they include books with each bundle, ordering your own books through Amazon’s KDP or Ingram will save you a lot more money.

I’ve seen from other authors that their print quality is pretty good. So, though I have not used them, and have my concerns about their prices, they are an option.

Lulu

Lulu is a possibility. However, it’s not my first pick. Early on, I utilized them for The Stella Trilogy and my volumes of poetry. Your book can be distributed via Lulu to several online retailers. The pricing of the books is substantial, and I don’t like their customer support method. The paperbacks’ quality is great and solid, though. Additionally, their upload procedure is quite simple. Again, they are an option, albeit I wouldn’t make them my first pick.

48 Hour Books

Now 48 Hour Books is what I like to call a hidden gem. They are an organization that prints bookstore-quality books. They work as a book printer and offer book templates, editing resources, self-publishing, and more. Imagine if Amazon’s KDP went down; 48hr books would be a great resource for printing your books. They also sell ISBNs and Barcodes, though I only recommend buying ISBNs from Bowker.

I have not used them, but I want to in the future to investigate their quality. From what I see, the paperbacks are top-notch.

Remember that you are not limited to the mainstream or most popular option when you embark on your self-publishing path. You may always assess what best aligns with your vision and objectives. You are not constrained to a single viewpoint either. Whether you hire a publisher or outsource, you are free to publish your book however you see fit.

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