Definitely, You Can Judge a Book by its Cover

Many persons interested in self-publishing spend a lot of time working on their manuscript. While that is all good, I must admit that significant time must also be spent on doing the book cover. There is an old adage that says, “Never judge a book by its cover.” However, in an authors’ world, you may want to relook that statement a bit.

Why a good book cover matters

Ideally, the cover is the first thing you see before exploring a book. So why not add good value to the book by ensuring that the cover presents all the crucial information that you need to ensure someone is converted to one, pick up the book and look at it. Then, two possibly browse inside. Lastly, persuaded to purchase it.

Should I design the cover myself?

As a self-published author, you may be working with a limited budget. As a result, DIY on your own cover is a good option. There are many free online design tools to help you with the process such as CANVA or Amazon Kindle Create. Just ensure you have the right book sizing taking into account the Trim size, Bleed and margins and you are good to go.

How to work with a designer

If you are eager to work with a graphic designer that’s also awesome. You should give the person clear directions for the vision of your book. If you have a sample image, sample book designs, key works or themes that can help them create a suitable graph then share those. Bear in mind that graphic artists are not intimate with your book like you are. So, provide clear information to help the process go smoother.

Placing content on your book cover

Your book cover should carry critical information legibly for your book to be properly published and accepted for sale internationally, even in libraries and bookstores. Key things to ensure your book cover carries are: Book Title, Name of Author/Publisher and ISBN Number in barcode format. Optional items include subtitles, selling price of the book included in the barcode, author profile/ biography, website, contact info for author/publisher and logos. Please ensure you display all information visibly on the book.

If you need book cover design services do not hesitate to contact Books by LR. We are here to help you through the process.

The Self-Publishing Road Map

The self-publishing journey is an interesting and fulfilling one. We, at Books by LR have made it our mission to help other Caribbean authors take their books from the first draft to published at an affordable price.

Our services are tailored to suit your specific needs and take you through all the steps necessary to publish your book. These can include:

  1. Assisting with writing your book;
  2. Editing your book;
  3. Designing your book cover;
  4. Assisting with securing your ISBN;
  5. Formatting your book; and
  6. Publishing your book on Amazon and other desired platforms.

Visit booksbylr.com/our-clients to see the exceptional Caribbean authors we’ve had the pleasure of working with thus far and how we can help you get your story out into the world.

If you need assistance with marketing, editing or self-publishing your book click here to learn more about our services or email us directly at booksbylatoyaaroberts@gmail.com.

Five Common Mistakes Persons make while (Self) Publishing a Book

Over the last year, I have worked with a variety of persons who are going through the self-publishing process. So here is my take on mistakes that persons frequently make on their journey to becoming a self-publishing author (especially if based in the Caribbean).

  1. Taking too long to secure an ISBN number. Unfortunately, if you would like to publish locally in the Caribbean securing your ISBN number does not take a click of the mouse as if you are based in the US and purchasing it from BOWKER online. Instead, you must go through your national library or authorizing body in your country and this process will take 4-8 weeks from submission of the request, payment for the services and returning a confirmed ISBN to you. So, ensure you apply early.
  2. Thinking that your Caribbean dialect or language is not good enough. I have had clients who stated that I need to make the language in their writing sound proper and not too much like a Caribbean author. My recommendation to writers is usually based on them really trying to define the audience and helping them realize that there is richness ad authenticity in the work when they keep some true Caribbean flavour in their writings.
  3. Not thinking that your book is ready to be published. Chances are you will never be ready to submit. Persons must acknowledge when they have reached a stage in their writing which is good enough to share with the market. It may never be perfect but with a great editor, we can ensure it becomes a piece of work that others will appreciate.
  4. Investing money and time to market your book. Unfortunately, self-publishing is becoming a growing field and in order for persons to see and view your work, money and resources must be put aside for marketing. Many times, persons are so concerned with just completing the book, however, they do not have a plan on how to get the book out there.  What people don’t know about they won’t buy.
  5. Thinking that the self-publishing process is cheap. Well, it is obviously cheap-er than going to a traditional publishing process. However, proper planning and budgeting must be still catered for; especially now that you will doing the work yourself it will take time, effort and resources to ensure that you book comes out just as competitive as the traditional book publishing route.

If you need assistance with marketing, editing or self-publishing your book click here to learn more about our services or email us directly at booksbylatoyaaroberts@gmail.com.

How to Have the Best Book Cover Design

Your book cover design is the first thing a potential reader sees when they spot your book in a bookstore or even online. Over the past month on the Books by LR Instagram  and Facebook I shared my five best tips on how to have a good book cover which I learnt while in the process of self-publishing my first book “Collection of Poems by Latoyaa Roberts“. Let’s dive into these tips a bit more:

BUY NOW

The first thing to consider for your book cover design is who will create it. Will you be hiring a professional or doing it yourself? I recommend that you find the best image/graphic, hire a professional if you have to. For my my first book “Collection of Poems by Latoyaa Roberts“ I opted to hire a professional to get the job done efficiently but if you’re on a tight budget Canva is a great place to start.

Next, consider the overall mood and attitude that you want your cover to portray to your audience and use the right colours to make your book pop.

You also want to be smart about your book title, make it attention-grabbing, memorable and searchable.

When you pair the perfect book title with the right font, colours and an attention grabbing cover image/illustration, you’re on the right track to a successful marketing campaign.

Remember, people do judge a book by its cover so ensure that it tells a story about what’s inside. If everything else fails, you can still do a simple and clean cover that appeals to many readers.

If you need assistance with marketing, editing or self-publishing your book click here to learn more about our services or email us directly at booksbylatoyaaroberts@gmail.com.

15 Book Recommendations To Read During Lockdown

This month on the Books by LR Instagram  and Facebook we explored book genres that may spark your interest in writing or reading. Here some book recommendations from these genres written by both local and international authors that I think you’ll enjoy during this lockdown period:

Memoirs

Becoming by Michelle Obama

In a life filled with meaning and accomplishment, Michelle Obama has emerged as one of the most iconic and compelling women of our era. As First Lady of the United States of America—the first African American to serve in that role—she helped create the most welcoming and inclusive White House in history, while also establishing herself as a powerful advocate for women and girls in the U.S. and around the world, dramatically … Read more

From Mason Hall to Whitehall by Dr. Keith Rowley

From Mason Hall to Whitehall: His name is Keith Rowley is the autobiography of Dr. Keith Rowley, the Prime Minister of Trinidad & Tobago. Rowley gives several anecdotes from his life’s experiences, with a healthy appreciation and fondness for Mason Hall, Tobago from which he came. Divided into five parts, these memoirs recount the details of Dr Rowley’s life and career from his humble beginnings in Tobago to the launch of his political career and … Read more

Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela

Nelson Mandela is one of the great moral and political leaders of our time: an international hero whose lifelong dedication to the fight against racial oppression in South Africa won him the Nobel Peace Prize and the presidency of his country. Since his triumphant release in 1990 from more than a quarter-century of imprisonment, Mandela has been at the center of the most compelling and inspiring political drama in the world. As president of the African National Congress and head of South Africa’s anti-apartheid movement, he was … Read More

Short Stories

Joebell and America by Earl Lovelace

The self confident gambler Joebell, in an attempt to escape the drudgery of life in Trinidad, schemes to find his way to the promise and fantasy of America. Each step of his journey uncovers him to himself and his island he had never really seen.

A poignant tale of love, ambition and self-discovery. Read more

Poetry

Selected Poems by Derek Walcott

Drawing from every stage of his career, Derek Walcott’s Selected Poems brings together famous pieces from his early volumes, including “A Far Cry from Africa” and “A City’s Death by Fire,” with passages from the celebrated Omeros and selections from his latest major works, which extend his contributions… Read more

Collection of Poems by Latoyaa Roberts

Collection of Poems by Latoyaa Roberts is not merely a book of poetry, but it tells an anthology of the author’s life through five distinct themes: women in society, civil society movements, inspiration and motivation, exploring the world and roots and identity. The five themes that cover forty-five poems is complemented by Caribbean art, through illustrations of Tomley Roberts that preface each section. This makes the book a wonderful piece for a coffee table or to be placed on bookshelf. Take a journey with… Read more

Cookbooks

The Multi-Cultural Cuisine of Trinidad & Tobago & the Caribbean by Naparima Girl’s High School

A collection of receipt reflecting the taste and culture of the diverse ethnic groups of Trinidad and Tobago. Many of the recipes have been handed down from generation to generation and have altered little with time. Recipes included are Creole, East Indian, Chinese, Spanish, English, Syrian Lebanese (middle eastern) as well as those of other Caribbean islands. With more than 500 recipes and 32 colored photographs, this book is a comprehensive guide to Trinidad and Tobago cuisine… Read more

Classics

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

Orphaned as a child, Jane has felt an outcast her whole young life. Her courage is tested once again when she arrives at Thornfield Hall, where she has been hired by the brooding, proud Edward Rochester to care for his ward Adèle. Jane finds herself drawn to his troubled yet kind spirit. She falls in love. Hard. But there is a terrifying secret inside the gloomy, forbidding Thornfield Hall. Is Rochester hiding  … Read more

Moby Dick by Herman Melville

Moby-Dick; or, The Whale is a novel by Herman Melville, in which Ishmael narrates the monomaniacal quest of Ahab, captain of the whaler Pequod, for revenge on the albino sperm whale Moby Dick, which on a previous voyage destroyed Ahab’s ship and severed his leg at the knee. Although the novel was a commercial failure and out of print at the time of the author’s death in 1891, its reputation grew immensely during the twentieth century. D. H. Lawrence called it “one of the strangest and most wonderful books in the world,” and “the greatest book of the sea ever written.” Moby-Dick is … Read More

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Pride and Prejudice is a novel of manners by Jane Austen, first published in 1813. The story follows the main character, Elizabeth Bennet, as she deals with issues of manners, upbringing, morality, education, and marriage in the society of the landed gentry of the British Regency. Elizabeth is the second of five daughters of a country gentleman living near the fictional town of Meryton in Hertfordshire, near London. Page 2 of a letter from Jane Austen to her sister Cassandra (11 June 1799) in which she first mentions Pride and Prejudice, using its working title First Impressions. Set in England in the early 19th century, Pride and Prejudice tells the story of Mr and Mrs Bennet’s five unmarried daughters after the rich and eligible Mr Bingley and his status-conscious friend, Mr Darcy, have moved into their neighbourhood. While Bingley takes an immediate liking … Read more

Action and Adventure

Harry Potter Series by J. K. Rowling

Orphan Harry learns he is a wizard on his 11th birthday when Hagrid escorts him to magic-teaching Hogwarts School. As a baby, his mother’s love protected him and vanquished the villain Voldemort, leaving the child famous as “The Boy who Lived.” With his friends Hermione and Ron, Harry has to defeat the returned “He Who Must Not Be Named.” … Read more

The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins

The thrilling trilogy expertly described by Suzanne Collins. You enter a future world where every year two tributes from each district are thrown into an arena expected to fight to the death or get knocked out by other means. Only one can survive… Read More

Science Fiction

Divergent Trilogy by Veronica Roth

Divergent: One choice can transform you. Veronica Roth’s #1 New York Times bestselling debut is a gripping dystopian tale of electrifying choices, powerful consequences, unexpected romance, and a deeply flawed “perfect society.” Insurgent: One choice can destroy you. Veronica Roth’s second #1 New York Times bestseller continues the dystopian thrill ride. As war surges in the factions all around her, Tris attempts to save those she loves—and herself—while grappling with haunting questions of grief and forgiveness, identity and loyalty, politics and love. Allegiant: The explosive conclusion to Veronica Roth’s #1 New York Times bestselling Divergent trilogy reveals the secrets of the dystopian world that has captivated millions of readers in Divergent and Insurgent… Read more

Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien

In ancient times the Rings of Power were crafted by the Elven-smiths, and Sauron, the Dark Lord, forged the One Ring, filling it with his own power so that he could rule all others. But the One Ring was taken from him, and though he sought it throughout Middle-earth, it remained lost to him. After many ages it fell by chance into the hands of the hobbit Bilbo Baggins. From Sauron’s fastness in the Dark Tower of Mordor, his power spread far and wide. Sauron gathered all the Great Rings to him, but always he searched for the One Ring that would complete his dominion. When Bilbo reached his eleventy-first birthday he disappeared… Read more

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

Guy Montag is a fireman. His job is to destroy the most illegal of commodities, the printed book, along with the houses in which they are hidden. Montag never questions the destruction and ruin his actions produce, returning each day to his bland life and wife, Mildred, who spends all day with her television “family.” But when he meets an eccentric young neighbor, Clarisse, who introduces him to a past where people didn’t live in fear and to a present where one sees the world through the ideas in books instead of the mindless chatter of television, Montag begins to question everything he has ever known … Read More

Whatever you choose to read, I hope it is able to take your mind off our current situations even for a little while. Perhaps one of them will inspire you to get started on writing your next book.

If you need assistance with marketing, editing or self-publishing your book click here to learn more about our services or email us directly at booksbylatoyaaroberts@gmail.com.

5 Things You Should Know Before Publishing Your Book

Before you publish your book there are a few things to consider and some publishing jargon that you should be aware of. This month on the Books by LR Instagram  and Facebook I shared some little nuggets about publishing your book that I learnt while in the process of self-publishing my first book “Collection of Poems by Latoyaa Roberts“ and I’m compiling them into one blogpost. Here are five things you should know before publishing your book:

  1. Get a new ISBN number for each version of your book e.g paper back, hardcover, ebook, updated editions.

2. Ensure that people respect the copyright of your book. You can do so by ensuring the author, year and the copyright can be found on your book usually at the copyright page.

3. Self-publishing online through platforms like Amazon makes it easy and reduces a lot of cost than traditional publishers.

4. Royalties is the price that a publisher pays an author for copies of a book sold. It is usually calculated as a percentage of the book sold.

5. If you work with A publishing company, there must be a signed contract and ensure you understand the fine lines of that contract.

If you’re still wondering where to get started with marketing, editing or self-publishing your book click here to learn more about our services or email us directly at booksbylatoyaaroberts@gmail.com.

How to Market Your Own Book

If you have been following us on Instagram or Facebook you would have seen us share  all the secrets on how to successfully market your book and all the ways that we can help you have the most successful book launch possible in smaller digestible portions throughout the month of March. I also did an entire live session with the Caribbean Books Foundation on this topic.

Here’s a compilation of what I’ve learnt in the process of self-publishing my first book “Collection of Poems by Latoyaa Roberts” and through my interactions with other authors and creatives:

Step #1 in Marketing your Book: Identify your target audience. ⠀
⠀
What is a target audience?⠀
Quickbooks defines a target audience as a specific group of consumers that is most likely to be receptive to your marketing campaigns. A business might have different target audiences for different products or services. Each target audience has specific needs, and business owners usually devise a specific marketing plan to attract them.⠀

Step #2 in Marketing your Book: Know your Market.

Who are you selling to? How do you reach them?⠀

Step #3 in Marketing your Book:  Expand your Network.

Join a new platform, connect with friends of friends; you’ve got to let the whole world know you wrote a book!⠀

Step #4 in Marketing your Book: Finalize your budget.

This is arguably the most important step in this process as it determines the resources that you will be using throughout your book launch. Here’s what I recommend:⠀
👉🏾Be realistic with what you can spend⠀
👉🏾Do your sales projection⠀
👉🏾Consider doing partnerships/collaboration to reduce costs⠀
👉🏾Look for some free platforms e.g podcast, blogs, webinars, national libraries, books clubs⠀
👉🏾For other platforms where you have to pay consider advertising bundles/ packages⠀

Step #5 in Marketing your Book: Tell your story

Let your audience know who you are.

Step #6 in Marketing your Book: Have a Social Media Strategy

Make use of the many marketing tactics that are available online or enlist help from professionals for an effective book launch.⠀

Step #7 in Marketing your Book: Face to face still works!

Go out and tell persons about your book, pass our flyers, visit bookstores, libraries etc.

Step #8 in Marketing your Book:  Choose and upload your eBook to online shop(s) ⠀
⠀
I recommend looking into Amazon – KDP (select), Splashwords, Lulu and Etsy⠀

Step #9 in Marketing your Book: Know your analytics

You must have a way to measure your performance: ⠀
-simple spreadsheet⠀
– google analytics⠀
-FB analytics⠀
-Amazon monthly sales report ⠀
– Simple questionnaire on your social media pages⠀

Final Step in Marketing your Book: Host author events for for new book launch⠀
These may be:⠀
-Book reading ⠀
-Book signing ⠀
-Book pop up shops ⠀
-Presentations at conferences/ libraries, etc
-Book displays -temporary ⠀
E.g library, bookstore, community outreach ⠀

If you need assistance with marketing, editing or self-publishing your book click here to learn more about our services or email us directly at booksbylatoyaaroberts@gmail.com.

Meet the Illustrator- Tomley Roberts

The Virtual Preview Session 4

For this session, Latoyaa Roberts entertained two guests, Ms. Juliet and Illustrator of “Collection of Poems by Latoyaa Roberts”, Tomley Roberts. Ms. Juliet, a broadcast media professional, was the reader for this session. Her choices were: The Voice of a Child, Road Trip to Victory and The Blackman – Tribute to Black Stalin. Juliete concluded her reading by saying “Latoyaa, I want to congratulate you on your book, you don’t get- you don’t see this very often and I think as a young woman, a Tobagonian, I really appreciate the fact that you took time out … to come up with a collection of poems based on your life experiences, your journeys, and society and what you see around you and it’s something that’s should be heralded.”

For the second part of this session, Latoyaa and Tomley Roberts, the author and illustrator of “Collection of Poems by Latoyaa Roberts” discussed the 6 art pieces in the book and the creative process it took to produce the pieces. They even gave a sneak peek of two pieces! Purchase the Book Here

Chill Vibes with Latoyaa Roberts and Xavier Edwardz

The Virtual Book Preview Session 3

For this third session, Latoyaa Roberts sat down with musician, Xavier Edwardz to read and discuss his three (3) favourite poems from “Collection of Poems by Latoyaa Roberts”. Xavier dropped little nuggets of wisdom and brought a cool ambiance throughout the session. His favourite poems were some very hard-hitters; Give Thanks, Online Advocacy and Glass Ceiling.

Xavier Edwardz, who also wrote the foreword for the book, said “It was really inspiring, to me, to go through those poems line by line and get a deeper insight into who you are.”

Purchase the Book Here

Latoyaa Roberts and Cindy Andrews Talk Women and GBV Issues

The Virtual Book Preview Session 2

In honour of International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women Latoyaa Roberts and Cindy Andrews hosted the second installment to the “Collection of Poems by Latoyaa Roberts”- Virtual Book Preview adorned in orange apparel where they discussed women and gender-based violence through 3 pieces from the book chosen by Cindy; Shrinking Civic Space, Is 10 Too Much and A Woman’s Role in the Home.

Cindy said, “For me, when I look at poetry- when I look at art, it always reflects society to some aspect. Art captures, it reflects, it tries to highlight and address different issues in society and this is exactly what this collection does. It has been sectioned into 5 different aspects but when you really look at the collection on a whole, it all comes together and you could see the interconnectedness of each story even if it exists within a different theme and it’s something that I appreciate”

Purchase the Book Here