By “controversial” I mean, “books I can’t imagine traditional publishers taking a risk on in this dicey economy.” Waiting for Karl Rove is one of those books. It’s irreverent satire, chock full of politically incorrect content, and the “characters” (aside from ourselves) are public figures, mainly in the political arena. Not to mention that it’s [...]

James Frey (A Million Little Pieces) has self-published his most recent novel.  Not really a POD/Kindle kind of venture – more like a boutique, art book, but a novel.  Significant because self-publishing is no longer just a fall-back plan, or even a way to make more money, but it’s a way for writers to experiment. [...]

The giant fell face down in the snow and slid down the slope a dozen feet. He lay still, not moving for a few seconds. Then he let out a roar. He lurched to his feet and wiped snow and blood from his eyes. He looked up at the form of Anabar streaking away from him. The giant growled and headed back up the slope, his eyes locked on Anabar. His rage gave him the energy to charge up the steep incline, stomping his feet deep into the snow with each step. His speed increased as he pounded up, a grizzly bear chasing its prey. So focused was the giant on getting to Anabar, he failed to notice the cracks appearing in the snow around him.
Anabar felt the snow beneath him starting to slide, and then something dropped down the slope from above, uncoiling like a dark snake as it neared him. He saw it was a rope, and he dove for it, as the entire mountain seemed to vibrate under his feet. He caught the rope and pulled it close to his body. The snow accelerated down and away from him and he gripped the rope, his fingers turning white from the effort.

I’m new here, but not to Indie publishing.  As an introduction, answers to the questions on this site follow. I worked as a developmental trade editor, professional business writer for more than twenty years; got me nowhere in fiction land, so I went Indie. Started with Amazon/Create Space, then Smashwords; so far, so good.  Smashwords [...]

1. How did you come to self-publish? Did you try to get published traditionally? When I was a teenager I started writing short stories and did not think about getting published until I was about 18. I studied up on the principles of publishing and sent my first manuscript off to an agent. After that [...]

Q. How did you come to self-publish? A. When I completed By the Light:  A Novel of Serial Homicide, I merged into the insane traffic on the traditional publishing highway.  My thought at the time was that the only way I could validate myself as a writer would be to entice an agent to represent [...]

My novel ‘Joe is Online’ is probably the first piece of fiction in the world which was written FOR e-readers.  It works on a Kindle – in fact it looks great on a Kindle and an iPad.  ‘Joe is Online’ consists entirely of digital documents – blogs, emails, webchat logs, diary entries and websites.  It tells a [...]

Articles and short documents are often overlooked as a way to self publish on the Kindle. There are some rules of thumb on how to present and format an article, as compared to a book.

You never know where a connection may be lurking. I have Moo cards of all my books, with the front cover on one side, in full color and almost exactly the same aspect ratio as the finished book, and my website and email address on the back. I’m far too willing to ask people, after [...]

Andres Dubois, the Welcome speaker had asked the sea of 500 writers how many had found their agent that year…he waited for the response, scanning the audience. Five writers raised their hands.