October, 2011 | Self-Publishing Review

Review: Flat-Out Love by Jessica Park-Draft

In some ways, this was a modern tale of Mary Poppins, only this family is a bit more tragic. While Julie is seeking independence from home and moves away to attend college, she moves in with a family friend. Witnessing firsthand how far independence can push away people, how pain and time do stand still when not dealt with, and that people only see what they want, Julie faces some hard truths and realizes that nothing is ever at it seems.

I FLAT-OUT LOVE this book, love the characters, and thought the book dealt with issues everyone can resonate with. […]

lisa salazar2011-10-24T19:25:49+02:00October 24th, 2011|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Contemporary Fiction|

Kindle Fire HTML 5 Specs

Kindle has released its specs for the Kindle Fire and beyond, which now support HTML 5.

We’re pleased to announce a wide range of new features and enhancements – including HTML5 support – coming in Kindle Format 8 (KF8). KF8 is the next generation file format for Kindle books – replacing Mobi 7. As showcased on Kindle Fire, KF8 enables publishers to create great-looking books in categories that require rich formatting and design such as children’s picture books, comics & graphic novels, technical & engineering books and cookbooks. Kindle Format 8 replaces the Mobi format and adds over 150

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Henry Baum2011-10-22T21:22:46+02:00October 22nd, 2011|Categories: Resources|

eBook Marketing: What Goes Around Comes Around

To eBook authors, marketing can be a daunting task. Whether you’re an indie publisher or you are using a traditional publisher, the marketing is usually left up to you.

It is a digital world now and self-publishers are not tied to bookstores with limited shelf space and a revolving inventory. In fact it will be on sale for a very long time. With the longevity of your eBook’s life, you have the ability to try several different marketing avenues until you find one that works.

So where do you start with this marketing thing?

Your marketing goal should be to […]

James Moushon2020-02-21T03:57:06+02:00October 20th, 2011|Categories: Resources|Tags: Book Marketing|

SPR is Now Charging for Reviews

Believe me, I struggled with this idea for a long time. In a world where self-publishers get ripped off by shady print on demand outfits, there’s a lot of sensitivity to charging self-publishers any money. The main purpose of charging for reviews is not to make me money as editor of this site, but to attract a bunch of reviewers web-wide who might be able to review a greater variety of books – cookbooks, kids, romance, whatever it may be. I want this site to be able to cover every wing of self-publishing.

A while back when I was debating […]

Henry Baum2011-10-22T20:27:56+02:00October 19th, 2011|Categories: Book Reviews, News|

Review: Mississippi Flyway by Nel Rand

Nel Rand’s debut novel is a picaresque tale that takes the reader down the Mississippi River and through the haunted past of its main character, Ellie. Ellie is recovering from divorce when her estranged father, Tiny Moon, a 300-pound gambler and eating contest champion, re-enters her life. Despite her efforts to remember her deep-seated anger for Tiny, Ellie finds herself drinking wine with him and relaxing for the first time in months. When he asks her to join him on a trip down the Mississippi River, she readily accepts.

But she soon discovers that this is no vacation: Tiny is […]

BlueInk Review2020-02-21T05:41:28+02:00October 19th, 2011|Categories: Book Reviews|

Because You’re Not Worth It (Or, Why Friends Don’t Ask Friends To Work For Free)

I used to find this quote inspirational, but now it just seems puzzling…

“One man writes a novel. One man writes a symphony. It is essential that one man make a film.”

– Stanley Kubrick

Not to pick an undebatable point with one of the greatest creative minds in recent history, but having produced a novel (yes, produced – more on that later) it’s fairly clear that all the author traditionally does is put the words together pretty. Write the manuscript. What usually follows in the process is turning it over to proofers and editors, lawyers who vet the prose […]

Kian Kaul2020-02-21T07:18:07+02:00October 19th, 2011|Categories: Features, Member Blog|

Interview with Bestselling Indie Author Darcie Chan

After I wrote about the challenges of marketing literary novels (see my previous post here), I asked if anyone knew of an author writing a literary book that’s done what Amanda Hocking, J.A. Konrath, and other eBook superstars have done. A reader on Kindleboards told me about Darcie Chan and her novel, The Mill River Recluse, which, today as I post this, is #2 in Kindle sales and ranks as the #1 book on Amazon’s contemporary fiction list.

The story focuses on widow Mary McAllister. Disfigured by the blow of an abusive husband, and suffering her entire life with […]

Christopher Meeks2012-01-05T11:32:41+02:00October 18th, 2011|Categories: Interviews, Lead Story|