Should I Purchase Book Promotion Package or Try to Promote Myself?

I am often asked this question from many authors who are in the process of self-publishing or planning to self-publish in the near future. I am of the opinion that whether the book promotion is done by the professional or it is done by the author, it must be done. The most important result which we try to achieve through book promotion is an online book presence.

There are multiple ways in which it is done and all the means need to be carried out simultaneously. No one will really guarantee book sales but what is really guaranteed is an awareness among the potential reader about a book which may be of value to them. So, the key is to identify the potential readers and then sharing as much information as possible with them. This increases the chances of book sales, which may not take place immediately, but it brings your book into the notice of a potential individual or a group.

Making use of online platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google+, Good reads, Library thing, Wattpad, Pinterest etc is very important because these platforms have millions of people who are potential readers of your book. Targeting them is very important, and you can create a set pattern in which you reach out to them and get your book noticed.
Other ways could include a radio interview, a press release or a media interview. Having your book showcased in one of the book fairs (Bologna, London book fair, Paris book fair etc) is also a good strategy.

I would like to touch the traditional way of promotion also where the author may do physical promotion by reaching out to various communities like the schools, colleges, religious gatherings, own community meetings etc. Reaching out to friends and family is also a sure shot way to at least get started.

In the end, we always must remember, a thing is remembered, only and only if, it is seen or noticed by us. The best way to get noticed is being online as you get noticed by millions of readers in an instant.

The writer is S Shekhar, who is an expert in Children’s book publishing and has helped hundreds of authors worldwide in getting published. He is a consultant and authors coach.

How to Choose Right Illustrator- Rks illustrators

Children books are an essential part of every child’s upbringing, and they enjoy reading them or looking at their pictures. It is a fact that the children books intended for the age group below 5 years are mainly dependent upon the illustrations, primarily because kids are more interested in looking at the illustrations, and they have the capacity to imagine things and the pictures which help them imagine things and make them ask questions are a hit with them. Stories do play a very important role for kids above 5 years of age. Illustrations play an important role in all kind of Children’s books. If you ever happen to ask any kid, what you like about a book the most, the reply will be the pictures or the illustrations. If you have done a lot of hard work thinking about the theme of the book and writing it, then you should keep in mind that illustrations will be equally important.

The Next question that arises in your mind is, how to find one. The answer is to this question is start finding. You can take help from the internet and google “illustrator” and you will find a lot of links to various websites or individual illustrators. You can have a look at their work and decide if their style suits your story. Then you can discuss the pricing as well as the other important points which should come in the contract. Yes, “Contract”, it is very important to have a contract signed and all the terms and conditions properly mentioned in that. Many times a lot of issues arise, and you may find yourself on the losing side if the illustrator is causing unnecessary delays or asking for a fee raise in between the project. It’s best to have an agreement in effect before starting the project. 

The Style of illustration shown by the illustrator can be verified by getting a sample made first, and it can be a paid sample, this is very crucial because the sample can give clarity about the suitability of the illustrator for your project. The sample should ideally be made before signing the contract. Based on the sample, you can decide if you want to award the contract to the illustrator or not. You must discuss the time line in which the illustrator will complete your story and also make sure that whenever you are required to give a feedback to the illustrator, you are quick in doing that. Any unnecessary delay from author’s side must be avoided for the benefit of the book. 

Once you are able to choose the right illustrator, keep the illustrator motivated by telling that you like his/her work and also share your concerns if you are not happy about something in the illustrations. Having a good relationship with the illustrator of your book can be very helpful because you will not have any stress because of interpersonal relationship and both of you can completely focus on the book. Keep reviewing the illustrations as you start to receive them and also show it to others for their feedback, but don’t keep passing each feedback to the illustrator, only share those feedbacks which actually makes sense and are in the best interest of the book. Always appreciate the fact that creating illustrations to an illustrator is what writing a book is to you, so when two right professionals form a team, the result will be great.

7 Illustration Styles Tips You Need To Learn Now.

The illustration is an art of creating and delivering messages through various styles. They are used in magazines, books, advertisements, storyboards, video games. It is an important tool for marketing. It takes reading to a different level of refreshment and pleasure.

There are various illustration styles which are adopted to refresh the readers, few of them are:

1. Pen and Ink Illustration:

This is the most widely used, easy, and affordable style of illustration. This is done by using the link on a light surface and the contrast of this light and dark makes the illustrations bold and fetching. The use of ink and strokes of the brush give the alluring effect to the illustrations.

2. Collage Illustration:

Collage means ‘to glue’. This is one of the most popular styles of illustration. Collages are made by assembling different forms of pictures and material and pasting them together to make large artwork. They are made by keeping some themes in the mind and working upon them. In collage, various things are collected to make one whole thing to give a message.

3. Digital Illustrations:

Digital illustrations use digital tools and techniques and create art directly from the artist’s hand. It displays the work of the artist digitally. Artists change their method from drawing directly on the paper to the digital canvas with the help of styles.

Some tools have a stylus to draw on the digital canvas and if it is missing then there are certain applications that can be downloaded to facilitate digital illustration. Vector Graphics and Bitmaps tools are various types of digital illustrations.

4. Photographic Illustrations:

The Artist uses photographs to draw the exact image of it. They draw the picture and put the colors of their choices, they also use their imagination for their artwork. Artists use airbrushing hand painting with acrylics, and oil paints for their pictures.

5. Information Graphics:

These are visual representations of information. These are used to make understand the complex and difficult text. Ex. Graphs, Tabular formats, statistical representations, etc. These graphics help to access what the author has written. These graphics provide information and knowledge. These also include data visualization, information architecture, statistical graphics.

6. Children’s Illustration:

Children’s Illustration has a major share in the world of illustration style. They are used in children’s books, magazines, comics, stories. These illustrations help them to understand the text easily and rapidly. Colorful illustrations and bright characters attract them to read books. Illustrations are developed by keeping in mind the age group of a group of children. There is a wide range of children’s illustration styles.

7. Illustration and Design for Branding and Logo:

While developing a logo for a brand, the illustrator needs to be reasonable and specific. Illustrations created need to be informative, appealing, and easily recognizable. They should be designed to leave a long-lasting impact in the minds of customers. Logo designs need to be simple and effective.

8. Conceptual Illustrations:

This style involves concepts and ideas to frame illustrations, these two are the most important elements of the conceptual artwork. Artists do the required planning and decision work before the execution of the artwork and the real picture is given to the thoughts and ideas.

These were the various styles of illustration we had tried to cover, many of the styles fall under the subcategories. Each and every design has its own independent style one needs to know it, as some of them intersect many times.