Derek Haines

English teacher, writer, and author. Passionate about grammar, creative writing, and self-publishing. Always exploring new tools and tech to help writers succeed.

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Spend Wisely To Promote Your Book

Do You Spend Money On Book Marketing To Promote Your Books?

Every business, whether large, small, or sideline, has expenses. One of the essential costs for authors and publishers is to spend money on book marketing. The only problem is deciding how to spend your money wisely to promote your book. It doesn’t need to be a hefty sum. But relying on success coming to you for…

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Exclusivity Or Open Publishing

Smashwords vs Amazon KDP Select Exclusive Self-Publishing

There is a lot of discussion about Smashwords vs. Amazon KDP Select exclusivity, especially among indie authors. A blog post by Mark Coker from Smashwords sparked a debate about the pros and cons of open publishing versus Amazon KDP Select exclusivity. It is well worth reading and especially the comments on his post. Amazon exclusivity…

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Writing Income Can Be More Than Self-Publishing Fiction

Self-Publishing Fiction? Try Nonfiction Writing

If you are currently self-publishing fiction, have you considered the potential of nonfiction writing? When most authors dream of making an income from writing, they immediately think of the next great novel. It’s a natural assumption, especially since publishing ebooks and print books on platforms like Amazon KDP or Draft2Digital is so easy. However, while…

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International Self Publishing Author Hurdles

Tax And Book Royalty Hurdles For Non-US Authors

If you are not a US author, self-publishing has some impediments to jump before you can receive your book royalties in full. You certainly need to check the Amazon tax information for non-US authors. International self-publishing requires overcoming several financial, legal, and logistical obstacles before you can expect to make money from ebook and book…

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Publishing A Book For Your CV

You Can Improve Your CV When You Publish A Book

One practical way to improve your CV and future career prospects is to publish a book. When you add a publication to your list of achievements, it can boost your CV and enhance your professional profile. It also adds credibility and commitment to your professional background. Linkedin is a ‘go-to’ platform for employers, HR companies,…

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Promote Your Ebooks Without Social Media

Promoting Books On Amazon Without Using Social Media

Social media is often ineffective in promoting books on Amazon. Using social media such as Facebook and Twitter to help advertise books and ebooks is extremely time-consuming. From my experience, social media is becoming less effective in increasing book sales. When I started using Twitter (X) and Facebook in 2010, there was definitely some benefit.…

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Free Ebooks A Dead Giveaway

Is Giving Away Free Ebooks A Dead Giveaway For Book Promotion?

Everyone wants something for nothing, so giving away free ebooks seems logical. But is it worthwhile? Many sites that offer lists of free Kindle ebooks are doing it to attract traffic for pay-per-click advertising on their website. Or they are trying to make Amazon Associate income from paid book sales and luring traffic by listing…

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