National November Writing Month 2013 Winner Certificate #FernandoLachica

Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW): The Game of Life

I received my certificate from NaNowriMo 2013 which I really appreciated it with vigor. I never imagined that I could write the novel that I thought it'll never happened in my whole life. I dedicated this to all bloggers and writers who in one way or the other inspired me to go on. I valued this forever. Thank you.











12 comments :

Optimize Your Amazon Associate Campaigns #FernandoLachica






Optimize Your Amazon Associate Campaigns #FernandoLachica


The affiliate program offered by Amazon is by far the best and the most reliable one out there. Amazon affiliates are quite happy with the way the company provides so much support as well as resources. You will have to be prepared and learn how to do things the right way as there are more than a few Amazon associates out there.

There is no shortage when it comes to product selection at Amazon for affiliates. If you visit marketing forums you will find a range of opinions concerning how to select products and markets. You never want to promote any product of questionable quality.

It is always the best policy to only promote products that have good quality. You will discover this on your own, but if you promote the wrong products, then the result will be poor sales. Every category sees sales at Amazon, but there are some categories and products that do sell better than others. One thing that not many Amazon affiliates do is, show your visitors that they have the ability to pre-order products on Amazon. Amazon often creates sales pages for products before they're available, and you can use these to promote products and pre-sell them. That's why you should remember to look for an Amazon page for any new item you want to promote. If there is a page, then you can make sure that you mention it on your site or your blog that it's already available to pre-order from Amazon.

You will be able to increase your conversions with products that have coupon codes available or are on sale. Of course you can do this to offer your visitors a better deal, and that is fine if it works for you. When people see that a certain product has a discount or they are getting more value out of it, they will buy it. You need to learn as much as possible because there are so many other things you can do to help you earn more. There are so many excellent products you can find, and often they are priced for less.

If you want to succeed with the Amazon Associate program, then roll-up your sleeves and get to work on it. If you are brand new to the Amazon Associate program, then start slow and build in a consistent fashion. Do keep learning because this article is just the tip of the iceberg.




2 comments :

Why You Need a Book Cover Design Brief #FernandoLachica






Why You Need a Book Cover Design Brief #FernandoLachica


If you are writing a book - be it is an ebook, paperback or hard cover - and you really are serious about publishing and making money from it, then the cover will be a key element in its success. Think about one that caught your eye when you last went into a bookshop, or even looked at some on Amazon. Generally ebook covers are flat images (which online stores might use), together with an alternative 'curved cover' for a sales website display. These can be easily prepared using free software and a little learning.

Cover Design Complexity

However, if you want to see your books on prominent display and you are considering using a print-on-demand ('POD') company, then you will need an outstanding cover that sells first to the bookstore and also to manage the design process yourself. There are many items that need to be added in, such as a barcode and ISBN. There are very tight technical specifications to be met if it is to get through the POD printing cycle without additional expenditure. If you want a really outstanding cover image, then unless you are a graphic artist with the requisite eye for design and skills, get it done by an expert. Once you have located a professional, then you should provide clear instructions on what you want.

To minimize misunderstandings, prepare a Book Cover Design Brief. You can refine it with your designer, but at least you will both be working with the same cover requirement.

Your Basic Ideas

The cover artist will need to start somewhere, so a book synopsis will need to be included, and you may have views on an overall design concept. Some flexibility is desirable - the designer is the expert and don't constrain his or her artistic vision excessively. The classification should fall out from the synopsis, but do be clear. 'Mediterranean Cookery' would probably be a cookery book, but could be a travel guide, even a piece of fiction. Consider this when you select your designer, as some specialise in particular genres.

If relevant, it can be helpful to the designer to include brief descriptions of the principal character(s). Will this be the first in a series?

The Main Elements of a Cover Design Brief

As a start, you should specify the 'trim size' of the book - its final format - as this will dictate the amount of space the artist has for layout. If you want a hardback cover, then you may need a dust jacket design and the particular thickness of hardcover will be important.

The final version of the brief will need to be specific about page count (exact), ISBN, cover price, binding format and a host of other items, but the designer can prepare some rough layouts whilst you are collating these details.

What about Reviews - maybe newspaper, other authors (usually, though not always, on the rear cover)? These can be an important part of marketing and you will need to advise the artist on this, so that the provision for some reviews can be included in the overall design (though the reviews themselves may not be available at the time of initially commissioning the design work).

Your design brief must specify the print-on-demand company you intend using. Each has its own technical requirements that a final cover design must adhere to (by satisfying a 'pre-flight' test which software such as Adobe Professional offers). Re-work can be very expensive if you miss a print deadline say for the Christmas gift sales peak.

You may need images for marketing, for email, and for book catalogues. Will you be producing a Kindle ebook? If so you will need a cover picture, and you may even choose to add a rear cover image within your ebook.

These are just a few of the specifications that your Cover Design Brief must include. There are many more, but once you have your first template brief, then you can improve and recyle it for your next book with the obvious changes.



0 comments :

My personal blog about life, everything and anything in between.