Is it worth it to pay to publish? Six ways to recoup your investment, beyond the bookstore

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If you’re thinking of investing money in publishing your book through a hybrid publisher or by self-publishing, you’re likely trying to work out whether you’ll get a strong enough return on investment to make the endeavour worthwhile. And rightly so: publishing a book to a professional standard is a significant investment, especially if you are considering using a ghostwriter.

Most authors think online and in-store book sales will be their primary revenue stream, an understandable but overly limited assumption. There are many other ways in which your book-publishing venture ca... keep reading

The Sacred Path of the Soulmate: An Interview with Existential Philosopher Gerald Sze

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At any moment, millions of women and men are ending romantic relationships. This made Gerald Sze wonder: “Where did the passion go?”

Gerald understands passion. An award-winning spirituality author and existential philosopher, Gerald has studied and conducted research in the fields of spirituality and existential philosophy for nearly 30 years. Not only has he written the book on love—The Sacred Path of the Soulmate—his own passion was the driving force behind its publication.

The Sacred Path of the Soulmate comes from Gerald’s studies on the nature... keep reading

LifeTree Media to Publish Self-Help Book for Type-A Professionals by CEO Claire Booth

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Hybrid publisher LifeTree Media has signed Claire Booth, CEO of market research firm Lux Insights, for her upcoming self-help book, tentatively titled MEsearch: An Entrepreneur’s Guide to Letting Go. The book is scheduled to publish in fall/winter of 2018/19.

MEsearch follows Claire, a type-A market research professional driven by ambition, competition and goals, as she attempts to understand why she never seems able to simply find joy in her outwardly suc... keep reading

Footnotes vs. Endnotes: How to Choose and How to Use

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There are four ways to deal with citations, explanations and references: In the text, in footnotes, in numbered endnotes, and in contextual endnotes. Most publishers have a house style and preference for how and when they use each method. It’s useful for you to understand the difference and determine your own preferences, especially if you are self-publishing.

In text: Writing a reference directly into the text itself is the most reader-friendly way to cite your sources. This works best when the reference is simple and easy t... keep reading

How to Write a Killer Book Introduction

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Of all the book chapters you will write, your introduction is likely to confound you the most. What should go in it? How long should it be? Is anyone even going to read it? Most authors find themselves scratching their heads over questions like these. I hope to answer them here.

A book introduction isn’t strictly necessary in every book, but most non-fiction books will benefit from having one. If you’re going to include one, it’s critical to get it right. Potential readers often skim the introduction to help them decide whether or not to buy a book. An introduction that’s eng... keep reading

LifeTree Media’s 2016 Holiday Gift Guide, Reader Edition

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We get it–holiday shopping is hard. Clothing sizes change. Technology becomes outdated. Gift cards are impersonal. And chocolate… well, chocolate is okay with us! But if you want to give a gift that won’t go out of style, you can’t go wrong with a good book. We’ve rounded up some of our favourite titles to help you cross off your Christmas list.

New releases

The gift of life: keep reading

Great Minds: Barack Obama

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Bestseller lists are filled with politicians-cum-authors, many of whom publish their memoirs in the twilight of their careers to cash in on their fame (or infamy). But there is a noble quality to those who first express their ideas in print even before they have constituents to cater to, such as the President of the United States, Barack Obama.

Before Obama first took a public office in 1996 he had already penned Dreams from my Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance. In it, Obama searches for meaning as a black American who was raised by his white mother, covering hi... keep reading

Resolve: an Interview with Negotiation Expert and Psychologist Hal Movius

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If you dread conflict, you’re not alone.

Research suggests that interpersonal conflict is the biggest daily stressor we face. Whether you experience it when buying a car, asking for a raise, haggling on Craigslist, or even deciding who’s going to take out the trash, our lives are steeped in uncomfortable conflicts, and it often feels like the only way to avoid that discomfort is to avoid the conflicts entirely.

But Hal Movius, PhD, knows that conflicts are an unavoidable part of life, and that there is a better wa... keep reading