Jennifer Lancaster

August 1, 2016

Print on Demand – Check your Pricing

Dear readers, if you’re self-publishing with Print on Demand, it is in your interests to seek out opinions and calculations on both the major POD options: Amazon CreateSpace and IngramSpark. (Although if you’re doing a full photography book then Blurb offers more bindings/paper options). Why would you consider IngramSpark? Backed by Lightning Source International, with a large-scale worldwide distribution network, the streamlined interface provided by IngramSpark (for Indie publishers) offers many benefits. Its pros I’ve uncovered are: For Australians, shipping can be a LOT less if printing in black & white, particularly for bulk print orders. For print-on-demand orders, Ingram/LSI have a worldwide network of printers (in most countries) which are utilised to access shorter delivery and cheaper shipping. (With CreateSpace, all shipments come from America, and minimum book shipping to Australia is US$10.49. For a bulk order of 100…

August 9, 2016

Course Content

The 3 Dont’s in Creating Online Courses

Online courses have grown to be very popular these days and with the increase in demand, comes a considerably large amount of supply… which is a good thing for people who are looking to sign up for a course to complement their learning style and budget. Not all online courses are created equal, and people have become more meticulous when it comes to choosing which course would offer them the knowledge and skills they need. If you are an industry expert who is planning to create a paid online course and share your knowledge and skills, here are a few things to avoid: 1. Very Long Videos If you want to keep your learners engaged, keep your videos under 10 minutes. Time is a valuable factor for your learners, who are either very busy with work or responsibilities at home,…

April 4, 2017

Book Marketing, Selling eBooks and Media

Book Marketing with Twitter

If you have a book to promote, then Twitter is something that can be easy to get started with. If you’re setting up Twitter just for your book marketing, then use your author photo and include your topic area in your summary. Twitter is a platform that is useful for short, clear messages, with a hash tag… with or without an image. You don’t have to pay, but you can also choose to pay to promote a particular “Launch” tweet. Tip #1 – Ensure you have a Keyword in Each Tweet So you love your book title, but does it describe your subject area? If your book is in say Marketing, make sure you put this in a hashtag, e.g. #marketing #books. Tip #2 – Direct to the Book Page Link If you use Freado’s Bookbuzzr it has a built-in automated tweet…

November 3, 2015

Personal finance and scams

Family Finances Not a Cause for Fury

When I think about my family finances, I do not get caught up in the emotional traps that others seem to. Perhaps because I believe that managing money has, at its base, simple accounting and mathematic principles. If you can understand what the words “income” and “expenses” mean, then you can probably manage a budget, if you don’t let emotions get the best of you. Some simply look at their income and unwittingly imagine that their entire salary is theirs to spend. Unfortunately, only a part of your gross salary is ever yours to spend. The rest goes in income tax, accounting fees, interest on loans, and all those fixed expenses. Justifying your shiny new car because of your high income/hard work is an example of letting your desires run away with you. (I wrote more about this trap in…

February 7, 2017

Personal finance and scams

How Easy it is to Get Scammed by Home Worker Offers

This morning I clicked on a pleasant-looking ad for working from home, claiming you can make $65 an hour without selling. It took me to a sales page for Online Wealth Markets trading, listing huge payout details in the thousands and ‘real user’ comments. It had a clever little ‘phone-shaped’ opt-in form to take credit card details and $5 ($7 Aus). Even though all the warning signs were there, I thought “let’s follow this white rabbit and see where it goes”. It might help somebody. Inside is a bit about ‘members’ binary options trading with James Ulrich. Googled his picture; just a stock photo. Googled James Ulrich; not much on him except a SEC record for insider trading in 2007 — however, due to legal ramifications I must state that this trading record may not be for the same person…

December 13, 2017

Self-Publishing

Claiming our Tax Treaty on US Withholding Tax

Australian authors, save yourself some time and trouble — I have researched about claiming the tax treaty on the 30% US withholding tax on US sales of books or ebooks. If you don’t recognise the platform name, then it won’t apply to you. Save up to 25% on taxes for American sales – as our treaty is 5%. Stop Press! Most Australians do not need to apply for an EIN or ITIN to claim the treaty. You will need to fill out the W8-BEN form or W8-BENE form (for entities) and send in directly to your royalty payment issuer. If you are an agent, then another form applies and you will need the EIN (apply by phone–see bottom of page). The AMAZON Tax Interview will inform you of the correct form to use. Amazon Kindle or CreateSpace Tax Form Take…