Checking Your Passport: Profile

By Catriona Troth

Amazon Author Central

Once you have a book on Amazon, you will want to have an Author Page.

(For each country, you’ll need to create another version, by going to each version of Amazon. This excellent post by Karen Myers shows you how painless this can be.)

http://hollowlands.com/2013/07/setting-up-amazon-author-pages-internationally/

Sign in to https://authorcentral.amazon.com/using your KDP login. Follow the pretty self-explanatory instructions.

Note that you can add your blog to your Amazon.com Author Page, but not to the Amazon.co.uk version.

Facebook Author Page

A Facebook Author Page is a good way of keeping in touch with your readers, without annoying friends and family. People who ‘Like’ your author page can get news and updates about your books, appearances, reviews and insights.

Here is a guide: http://www.novelpublicity.com/2011/02/build-a-facebook-author-page-and-get-people-to-like-it-a-20-step-guide/

For more information, refer to chapter: Meeting People – Social Platforms. 4. Author Facebook Page.

Other places to gain author exposure:

- Goodreads (see Liza’s chapter on Making the Most of Goodreads)

- Indie Book of the Day: http://indiebookoftheday.com/

People’s Book Awards (you can nominate your own book): http://thebookawards.com/awards/

- EFestival of Words: https://www.google.fr/#q=EFestival+of+words+2013

- Writing Magazine Self Published Book of the Year Award: very reasonably-priced annual competition to enter, as opposed to most of the others, which are prohibitively expensive: https://www.writers-online.co.uk/Writing-Competitions/

- The Fussy Librarian: matches readers to the kinds of books they like http://www.thefussylibrarian.com/for-authors/

- Compulsion Reads: seal of approval and official reviews http://www.compulsionreads.com/

Copyright and Permissions

By Gillian Hamer
To substantiate the importance of the following article, let’s simply quote a Guardian headline from May 2010.

‘I still have invoices. For quoting one line of “Jumping Jack Flash.” £500. For one line of “Wonderwall.” £535. For two lines (eleven words) of “I Shot the Sheriff.” £1000. All plus VAT. Book total = £4401.75.’ 

If that doesn’t make you sit up and take note, nothing will. That cost could easily wipe out a typical advance from a publisher, and most likely wipe out all future profits from a single novel by an indie author.

And that was doing it right, getting permission from the required sources and paying for the privilege. Had the author chosen to ignore, or feign ignorance, of the law those costs could have been easily ten times more and would most likely have seen him on the wrong end of a scary lawyer’s summons and an even more costly day in court.

The article in question was written by author Blake Morrison, and related to a party in his novel, South of the River, at which the DJ’s somewhat dubious choice of music – and more importantly the context of the lyrics in relation to his novel – ended up costing the author dear.

Copyright and Permissions is a minefield. This obviously covers not only song lyrics, but use of images, letters, quotations, and extracts of prose or poems (more detailed list below).

In very simple terms, permission is required to quote any part of any work that is in Copyright. In the UK (and in most parts of the world) for most works this is until 70 years after the Copyright owner’s death.

So, how can a writer get around these permissions? Answer: you can’t. In the example above - you could safely name the song and/or the artist, but once you decide to put Bob Marley’s words down on paper and you can see no way around it that won’t ruin your novel – prepare to pay out.

You may argue that Bob should be grateful for the free advertising, happy that you may through your books, encourage a whole new generation to seek out his music. Good luck selling that one. It’s very unlikely his estate or his record company would agree. At a time when illegal downloads and sites like Spotify are eating into its multi-million pound profits, the music industry needs every penny and will have no hesitation seeking out a writer who breaks strict UK copyright law – even accidentally.

However, it’s important to take a balanced perspective. Your work should remain just that. And while permissions are big business now, not only within the music industry but also the literary world, the law is in place to protect you as the owner of your copyrighted work. Many literary agents and publishers have specialists who deal with permissions for their clients, and often you will see publishers have a section of their website that deals solely with these requests. For famous, best-selling writers, this can run into millions of pounds in potential lost income if not handled correctly. For example, imagine how many times Harry Potter may get mentioned or quoted, or have trademarks abused, and imagine how much money JK Rowling could lose without a band of eagle-eyed lawyers protecting her assets.

Summary of Material Requiring Permissions

- quotations of over 300 words from a book

- quotations of over 50 words from a journal, newspaper, or magazine article

- reproduction of certain works of art

- photographs

- charts, tables, or graphs

- reproduction of web pages or screenshots

- any third-party software used in a CD, DVD, or website supporting an author’s work

- film stills and film grabs

- reproduction of advertisements

- certain trade mark usage

- certain photographs containing recognisable people

Summary of Material not requiring permission

- in ‘fair dealing’ cases (see below reviews and critiques)

- excerpts falling within the STM Guidelines for Quotation and Other

- Academic Uses of Excerpts from Journal Articles (provided that the relevant publisher is one of the signatories to the Guidelines)

- direct quotes from interviews (conducted by the author)

- facts or ideas

- public domain information

- Crown copyright material covered by a Click-Use licence or waived by OPSI (Office of Public Sector Information, formerly HMSO) – for more details see www.opsi.gov.uk/click-use/index.htm

- certain use of trademarks, logos, and company names

- mathematical and chemical equations

- substantially modified material (just credit the source)

- useful forms

Where can authors look for advice?

The first place to turn for advice prior to publication would be The Society of Authors. They have detailed guidelines on Permissions and Copyright and Moral Rights.

The use of images, quotations, extracts of prose or poems has rules concerning ‘substantial’ extracts that requires detailed study. Copyright of song lyrics gets a special mention, as the music industry has a reputation for rigorously defending its rights. And the Society makes it very clear that it is you, as the author and owner of your work, that must take responsibilities for any permissions required.

Another area that needs highlighting is the use of quotes in reviews or critiques. This is another trap you may fall into unawares. The subject is covered by what the SOA call ‘fair dealing’ – allowing the use of a single extract of up to 400 words, or a series of extracts (none of which exceeds 300 words) to a total of 800 words from a prose work, or 40 lines from a poem that does not exceed a quarter of the poem. If the law is so complicated when simply looking at reviews of a copyright work, you can probably see how stringent it is when quoting another person’s work in your own novels.

The SOA Permissions guidelines are substantive and worth a read, covering areas like: Who obtains copyright permissions? Who or what to ask? When do I need permission? How much will it cost?

They also supply a comprehensive list of agencies to contact if seeking copyright permission is difficult, and they’ve produced a Model Permission Licence Letter in this regard.

These guidelines are available free to members and for a nominal charge to non-members – please contact the SOA via their website for more information.

More sources:

Another useful source of advice and information in this regard and others is the Writers & Artists Yearbook, which can now be found online. They have a section on Rights & Legal Advice that deals with Copyright issues, as well as financial advice on granting permissions and who to contact if you do find yourself in breach of the law. The website is a useful resource for a community of writers, offering a wealth of advice on all aspects of writing and getting published, the opportunity to gain feedback on your work and access to regular writing competitions.

Another superb resource for writers can be found in The Writer’s ABC Checklist (written by Lorraine Mace and Maureen Vincent-Northam) which also has a helpful, regularly updated blog that keeps writers up-to-date with changes that may affect them. They have an in depth section on Copyright in the handbook (available as an eBook or paperback) that puts to bed myths like “passing off”, copyright in names and titles, how to handle copyright with co-authors and the use of the registered © symbol. They have written a blog detailing the tough stance taken by the music industry about use of song lyrics.

There is also a list of useful resources that offer specialist assistance for writers in a variety of areas which is well worth studying.

The Paperwork: ISBNs, Tax and Legal Deposit

The sexiest blogpost title ever?
You need to know this stuff. So stop fiddling with that thing and pay attention.



ISBN - International Standard Book Number

An ISBN identifies your book, like a fingerprint. If you want your own ISBNs, you need to buy them. In the UK, this means going to Nielsen.

In order to buy your first batch of ISBNs, you will need to be able to enter the following information for at least one book. Unless you have already completely formatted your print book, this will usually mean entering info about an eBook edition, as for a print book you have to enter number and size of pages WHICH CANNOT BE CHANGED LATER.

Publisher, Imprint etc: as an independent author/publisher, then you retain the rights to your book, so use your own name or the name of the publishing company you have created for yourself. They will also ask you for the draft title page and title verso. Don’t panic about how this is going to be laid out in the final version. What matters is:

- the title page shows the exact title and the author’s name and nothing else

- the title verso shows the copyright and publisher contact info – example below



Copyright page

Copyright © 2012 by JJ Marsh

The moral rights of the author have been asserted.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher, addressed “Attention: Permissions Coordinator,” at the email address below.

Cover design: JD Smith

Published by Prewett Publishing.

All enquiries to admin@beatrice-stubbs.com

First printing, 2012

ISBN 978-3-9523970-1-5



The form will also ask you for the short description of the book – which here is NOT the blurb, but closer to what elsewhere might be called the keywords and something called the BIC code.

BIC codes are the way that traditional publishers have been classifying books for years. (See Metadata in the Wish You Were Here chapter for more information).

When you are ready to attach ISBNs to further titles/editions of title, you can download the new title form from http://www.nielsenbookdata.co.uk/controller.php?page=88#New_Title_Form

NOTE: YOU CANNOT USE THE SAME ISBN FOR PRINT AND EBOOK EDITIONS OF THE SAME BOOK, NOR FOR DIFFERENT EBOOK FORMATS OF THE SAME BOOK.

In Britain, you have to buy a batch of ten ISBNs. The US, Australia and Switzerland allow you to buy individual ISBNs but do remember that you will need a different number for each format, paperback, Kindle eBook, Smashwords eBook.

UK site: http://www.isbn.nielsenbook.co.uk/controller.php?page=121

US site: https://www.myidentifiers.com/

Australian site: https://www.myidentifiers.com.au/

If you come from somewhere other than the above, find your site here: http://www.isbn-international.org/agency

Do I need an ISBN?

No, not necessarily. Amazon offers a free ASIN (an Amazon identifier), which identifies Amazon as the publisher. Smashwords and Lulu likewise. You receive all your royalties, naturally, but will be ‘published’ by those organisations.

If I have an ASIN, can I get listed in the Nielsen catalogue?

A spokesperson for Nielsen Bookdata UK says: “For Nielsen, an Amazon identifier is not sufficient. Most international bookdata handlers require an ISBN.”

And finally, does the ISBN have a future?

The Economist says it’s questionable, Laura Dawson (Bowker) says yes.



Tax

US Tax Exemption

If you are publishing in the US and are not a US resident, you will need to send US tax exemption forms to Kindle and Smashwords. Smashwords is the only one that will warn you about this.

The link below gives an excellent step by step guide to exactly what you need to do. Read it and follow it to the letter:

http://catherineryanhoward.com/2012/02/24/non-us-self-publisher-tax-issues-dont-need-to-be-taxing/

In summary, the key things you need to know are:

Before anything else, you need to telephone the IRS in the US and obtain an EIN number. Once you have this, keep it somewhere safe.

For each company with which you are publishing in the US, get a copy of the form W8-BEN.

Fill that in (in Blue Ink), ticking ‘individual’, and EIN and entering that all-important number.

Send ORIGINAL copies of the form (not scans or photocopies) to each of the companies. The addresses are given in the link above. Do it ASAP.




Legal Deposit
The Laws on Sending a Copy to National Libraries

UK

Publishers are obliged to send one copy of each of their publications to the British Library, free of charge, within one month of the date of publication. The other five libraries (see below) have the right to request the deposit of publications, free of charge, within a year of the date of publication.

Legal Deposit creates many advantages for the author and publisher, including the preservation of their work for future generations, recording the publication by online catalogue and listing on the BNB (British National Bibliography) a system used by librarians and the book trade for stock selection.

National Libraries: The British Library , Bodleian Library (Oxford), University Library (Cambridge), National Library of Scotland, Library of Trinity College (Dublin) & National Library of Wales

More information here: http://www.legaldeposit.org.uk/

Switzerland

Rules vary regarding legal deposit from canton to canton, but the ISBN Office advises you to send a copy to the Swiss National Library and send you the forms to do so with your ISBNs.

Swiss National Library
ISSN Centre Switzerland
Hallwylstrasse 15
3003 Bern

France

Legal deposit by the publisher

(The term "publisher" is deemed to cover any professional publisher or any natural or legal person acting as such (printer, association, trade union, civil society, self-publishing author, main depositary of imported works, or public administration).

One copy must be sent to the BNU (Bibliothèque Nationale Universitaire) at the address below.

Bibliothèque Nationale de France
Dépôt légal des livres
Quai François-Mauriac
75706 Paris cedex 13
Tel: 01 53 79 43 37
Fax: 01 53 79 46 00
Email: depot.legal.livres@bnf.fr

POST FREE! The items may be sent post-free on condition that they clearly bear the following indication: "Franchise postale - Dépôt légal - Code du patrimoine art. L132-1"

USA

All works under copyright protection that are published in the United States are subject to the mandatory deposit provision of the copyright law (17 USC section 407). This law requires that two copies of the best edition of every copyrightable work published in the United States be sent to the Copyright Office within three months of publication. Works deposited under this law are for the use of the Library of Congress. Mandatory deposit applies to works first published in a foreign country at the point at which they are distributed in the United States.

Find out more here: http://www.copyright.gov/

Australia

Legal Deposit is a requirement under the Copyright Act 1968 for publishers and self publishing authors to deposit a copy of any print work published in Australia with the National Library and when applicable, the deposit libraries in your home state. Legal Deposit ensures that Australian publications are preserved for use now and in the future. Please send a copy of your work to the National Library of Australia as soon as it is published:

Legal Deposit Unit
National Library of Australia
Canberra ACT 2600

Telephone: 02 6262 1312
Fax: 02 6273 4492
Email: legaldep@nla.gov.au

Researching Historical Fiction

by Liza Perrat

I am only on my third historical fiction novel, so I’m far from an expert on researching historical fiction, but this is what I’ve gleaned so far.

It seems that very few historical fiction writers have university degrees in history. Authors of historical fiction are, first and foremost, novelists who must master the craft of fiction in the same way as any other novelist. Learning how to write a good story that hooks readers and keeps them turning the pages is as vital as getting the historical details right.

Yet those period customs and technological details must be nailed. Historical fiction falls flat on its face when the characters jump off the page as modern-day people disguised in period garb. But these days, with all the historical resources available, not to mention the internet, authors can usually unearth those nuggets that will breathe life into their story.

However, public archives, the web, old letters, postcards and diaries aside, there’s nothing more inspiring than spending time in the place in which your story is set, trying to imagine how it might have looked, felt and smelled, in the past. Even if your story takes place centuries ago, sensing the spirit of a place –– the trees and flowers, the seasonal light, the scents –– pulls a reader into a story. People are quickly bored with history lessons though, so the historical fiction author also has the task of knitting this detail into the narration, so it doesn’t come across as a textbook.

A walk around the rural village in which I live gave me the idea for Spirit of Lost Angels, the first novel in my historical series, published under the Triskele Books label in June, 2012. On the banks of the Garon River sits a stone cross named croix à gros ventre (cross with a big belly). Engraved with a heart shape, it is dated 1717 and commemorates two children who drowned in the river. Who were they? How did they drown, and where are they buried? I felt the urge to write the story of these lost children –– to give them a family, a village, an identity.

Historical monuments and structures also evoke the past and I like to study them as closely as possible, taking photographs from all angles (preferably minus the tourists!). For Wolfsangel, the second in my series, I visited the haunting memorial of Oradour-sur-Glane, site of a tragic WWII massacre.

If you are fortunate enough to live in a historical place, local fairs, festivals and events also provide great sources of inspiration for the historical fiction novelist. A local one I know well is the annual Bush Peach Festival. But what’s so historical about this succulent fruit with flesh the colour of blood? Well, the bush peach has long been grown alongside grape vines. Susceptible to the same diseases as the vines but quicker to develop the signs, vine growers plant peach trees next to their vineyards to warn them of potential problems. The bush peach has thus been part of the arboricultural patrimony of this region since the seventeenth century so, despite its questionable history as martyr, even the humble peach is firmly anchored in the village history.

Local people can also provide insight into past professions. One of the characters in Spirit of Lost Angels is a rémouleur –– an itinerant knife-grinder, and local resident, Georges, is a vestige of this profession that dates back to 1300. Lugging his odd-looking bicycle along to the marketplace every Saturday morning, Georges sits amidst the convivial banter, punnets of raspberries and strawberries, the boudins and saucissons, cycling in earnest to sharpen our knives and scissors.

Historical fiction has become a hot genre in recent years, with many historical novels featuring on bestseller lists, but many more contemporary novels appear. So, it seems that to interest a publisher, or to gain a readership for self-publishers, a historical novel must encompass those same qualities as a contemporary novel –– well written and highly polished –– coupled with historical accuracy.



Some resources I have found useful for writing historical fiction:



BLOGS:




Historical Novel Society




Historical Novelists Center




Reading the Past




History and Women




Historical Tapestry




Passages to the Past




Novel PASTimes




Historically Obsessed




Historical-Fiction




Writing the Renaissance




BOOKS:




How to Write Historical Novels by Michael Legat




The Art and Craft of Writing Historical Fiction by James Alexander Thom




Writing Historical Fiction by Marina Oliver

Out There: eBooks

By JJ Marsh and Liza Perrat

We all made the decision to handle our own eBooks, and not to use a self-publishing service. Why? Between us, we have the expertise as editors, proofers, formatters and entrepreneurs, plus we’d rather stay in control. Not to mention the money-saving aspect. But many people would recommend using a self-publishing organisation. http://ow.ly/pElCv

Here’s what we did, step-by-step.

Content
Make a new WORD document/file and include the following documents:

- Title page

- Copyright verso (we did two: one for Amazon, one for Smashwords, Nook and Kobo)

- The final, edited, proofed manuscript, all in one document

- Dedication

- Acknowledgements

- Contents

- If you enjoyed this book ... page

- Blurb for next in the series

- Blurb & cover for other Triskele releases

The only things at the front are the title and copyright, so readers browsing a sample can get to the story fast. Everything else goes at the back, unlike the order for a paperback.
(Note: all Triskele titles are fiction – with non-fiction books, it might make more sense to have the contents at the front.)

Formatting

Thankfully, JD Smith is not only a cover design genius, but an extremely capable interior formatter. We sent her a zipfile with all the elements above and she did the rest for a very reasonable fee. Our advice: pay someone professional and forget the stress.

But it is possible to do this stage yourself, if you have the time and patience – have a look at Guido Henkel’s guide: http://guidohenkel.com/2010/12/take-pride-in-your-ebook-formatting/

Now here’s where you need to make a choice. Do you want to sell exclusively via Amazon, or do you want your ebook available on readers such as Kobo, Nook, Sony, Apple and Diesel? If it’s the former, you only need format the book for Kindle.

If the latter, you’ll need to format the book for Smashwords (the easiest way to access all the platforms above). Download the free Style Guide and get to work: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/52

Post-formatting checklist

- Transfer formatted Kindle version to your Kindle/iPad. How does it look?

- Is the ISBN number correct for each version?

- Are chapter indents OK?

- Ensure scene breaks have no chapter indent at beginning of new scenes.

- Italics are where they should be and nowhere else.

- Words don’t look “bunched up”, ie, correct spacing in between.

- Correct chapter chronology and chapter numbers appear in centre of page.

- Correct page number chronology.

- No breaks in narrative from page to page.

- eBook: “Contents” page links work + chronology in book matches “Contents”.

- Paperback: check ‘Drop Caps’ - bigger font for first letter of each chapter

- Are clickable links working properly?



All done? Right, you’re ready to start the upload process. For that you’ll need:

- Formatted interior

- Cover

- Blurb


Blurb is vital

Your blurb, along with your cover, is what will sell your book. Work at it. Study others in the genre. Get feedback. Hone it. Include Keywords (see Metadata section in Wish You Were Here chapter). Every single word counts. End on a punch. Make sure it’s perfect before you even think about uploading.

Advice from Pioneers

When it came to navigating the upload process, all of us at Triskele used the idiot-proof guide Let’s Get Digital, by David Gaughran. He advises on publisher name (we each created a Publisher Name which was different to that of the author), Pricing, DRM (we chose not to enable – see Snapshot 10), Categories and Keywords, and International Rights. Amazon will assign you an ASIN, which you can use alongside or instead of an ISBN.

Now, open your Amazon KDP account and add your book.

If you’re sticking with Amazon only, you might want to enrol in KDP Select. You can do this for three months at a time, with the option to re-enrol automatically. This scheme gives you a variety of advantages such as five days when you can offer your book free and a lending library for enhanced revenue.

If you want the book available to a wider range of ereaders than Kindle, consider Smashwords. The Style Guide above will help you get the formatting right, and opening an account is easy. Once approved, your book is available to all other ereading devices.

At Triskele, we chose to upload our books directly to Amazon, Smashwords and Kobo. Although Smashwords distributes directly to Kobo, it’s an easy and speedy process to join Kobo Writing Life. We are also curious about the Japanese company Rakuten’s takeover of the Canadian company and the mission to promote Kobo in Asia.

eBooks are updateable

If the odd typo comes to light, a research fact changes or you want to shuffle the contents, it’s simple to update the content on all the platforms above, and the new, improved version will be available the next day.

eBooks can also be iterative, which opens all sorts of intriguing possibilities: http://publishingperspectives.com/2013/03/tips-for-technologists-12-the-iterative-approach-to-publishing/