Create a MiniBük: Fifth of 5 easy ways to give away samples of your writing

Well, we did it. We’ve been discussing 5 easy ways to give away FREE SAMPLES of your writing to readers and prospective readers. First, we learned how to create a zine. Next, we learned how to format your sample chapter(s) as an eBook. Then we focused on marketing options available on Amazon. Next we went through the steps involved in putting your chapter(s) on a CD. Today is the fifth – and final – installment in this series, and we’ll be discussing the MiniBük as a way to give away sample chapters of your book.

This one is perhaps the most complicated of all the options and is the most like creating a “real” book, because you are creating a miniature version of a real book. The MiniBük is a small book or booklet, the size of a traditional index card. Because if its tiny capacity, the amount of text and number of pages you can include are limited.

You will need a word processing program whose files can be converted to PDF, cover art if you choose, and an Internet connection.

At this point, I have a mea culpa. I have never used the MiniBük program, but I have copies of a couple of them, given to me by someone who has created her own MiniBüks.

As you know if you’ve been reading this series, I include step-by-step instructions for each of the techniques I am recommending. Right now, however, I am quite cranky. I discovered the problem as I was putting this blog post together: the MiniBük website is deficient, in that it completely ignores the final – and seemingly most important – step in the process: submitting your files. So … I wrote the MiniBük people a letter expressing my irritation [indignation?]. I was hoping to hear back from them so I could provide a helpful answer, but there has been no response as of yet.

I was so cranky about this oversight by the MiniBük people that I was tempted to cancel this post altogether. BUT, that seemed petulant and unwise, as I do believe the MiniBük is quite a valuable tool for promoting sample chapters of your book. So, I leave it to you to decide. If you would still like to pursue the creation of a MiniBük, you can get everything ELSE you need from their site: www.MiniBük.com. The highlights:

• 48 pages, max, for a saddle-stitched book
• 64 pages, minimum, for a perfectbound book
• Use a 20-pt font
• Use an 8.5 x 11 layout with 1.5-inch margins on the sides and 1-inch margins at the top and bottom
• Create a PDF of your interior pages
• Create a PDF of your cover

And that’s all I know.

Now, there is a fee for creating these books. I want to clarify that this is a way for you to give away chapters at no cost to your readers – but you will have to pay anywhere from 53 cents each to $2.25 each for the MiniBüks.

So there you have it. Five ways to give your readers and prospective readers a look at your writing before they buy your book(s). And there are dozens of other ways, too. Sites like Scribd, Helium, and Figment allow you to post your writing. StumbleUpon and other social bookmarking sites enable you to recommend your blog or site with excerpts. The ideas are nearly endless. Put on your SBM* thinking cap and discover some new ones of your own!

If you come up with any great new ideas, please feel free to share them in the comments section! And, if you’ve got sample chapter(s) you’d like me to share, please send me a link and I’ll create a category called MARCIE’S READERS WRITE.

MARCIE

*Savvy Book Marketer

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Please contact us if you need help with any of the 5 methods of giving away your writing to  your readers and prospective readers. Free 30-minute consultation when you mention this post ($99 value).

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We welcome and encourage your thoughtful, courteous comments below.

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Additionally, Marcie would be happy to make a guest appearance on your writing/self-publishing/book marketing blog. Just let us know the theme or your idea (preferably including a 6-panel concept), and we’ll see what we can draft for you.

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PREVIOUS POSTS

Monday, August 22 – Put Your Book on a CD: Fourth of 5 easy ways to give away samples of your writing

Thursday, August 18 – Amazon’s Author Central: Third of 5 easy ways to give away samples of your writing

Monday, August 15 – How to Make an eBook: Second of 5 easy ways to give away samples of your writing

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