Member Blog | Self-Publishing Review

Book Publishing: A Tale of Two Authors

In the last month or so I started researching the controversy over the sale of the eBook A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens and Amazon pulling a copy with a price from its store and substituting their own free copy. I was curious about the rendering of the replaced book and whether the author had actually added value to the eBook.

I was struck by the parallel of the Dickens novel and the struggle between the French peasants and the aristocrats and the current book industry. Dickens’s initial paragraph reads like he is writing a blog on the […]

James Moushon2019-02-18T12:24:05+02:00January 19th, 2011|Categories: Member Blog|Tags: Writing|

To Self-publish or Not? That’s the question!

Recently a writer asked, “Should I self-publish or should I seek a deal with an established publisher?”

That depends. You might want to go with a traditional publisher if your topic is too hot for you to handle alone. For example, if I were Valerie Plame Wilson and had just been outed by the White House as a CIA agent, I would go for lucrative book and movie deals.

Do you have a strong marketing platform? Publishers would love you, but as John Shore wrote in The Huffington Post,

Anyone who is so famous that they can sell 40,000

[…]

Donna Marie Williams2011-10-08T16:34:33+02:00January 7th, 2011|Categories: Member Blog|

Get the Write Focus

Every day I’m reminding someone in my life to focus. If it’s not my children or my students, then it’s my husband.

When it comes to writing, we have to find a way to focus on the writing we want to produce. But in reality, “focus” can be challenging, especially when your days and nights are full. The distractions are real and unavoidable, but so is your desire and passion for writing.

As I reflect on my journey in completing “The Second First Lady,” I somehow found my focus. So here are some tips that I hope will […]

Vanessa W. Snyder2011-10-08T16:37:16+02:00January 7th, 2011|Categories: Member Blog|Tags: Writing|

Smashwords as Dirty Book Store

Do you ever go to the Smashwords.com website, and find the first page makes you want to puke? I mean, with great regularity, Smashwords is making itself, not the Grove Press of the 50’s and 60’s, but the Adult XXX Open All Nite of the 21st century. Freedom of the press is a dead issue. Selling porn is a business. I’m seriously considering joining many other writers, and telling Smashwords to go away. Not over Kobo or discounts or any other issue. Over aesthetics.

I don’t want to send readers there, to be confronted with “Knocked Up And Ready For […]

Neil Crabtree2011-10-08T16:39:44+02:00December 16th, 2010|Categories: Features, Member Blog|

One Book – One Gazillion Reactions…

It’s only a little over three months before I publish my first novel. I’ve known from my other writings that people can vary widely in their response to any given set of words. Even calling my next book a novel has varying reactions. It will top-out at about 45,000 words. Many people will tell you that a “novel” has to be at least 50,000 words.

Well, as it seems to be with all things written, there are exceptions to the “rules”. One famous author, Samuel Beckett, wrote a “novel” called Mercier and Camier that’s 128 pages long. That’s […]

Alexander M Zoltai2020-02-21T06:51:49+02:00November 30th, 2010|Categories: Member Blog|

My Free Book – Fryupdale

Hi, I’m Mark Staniforth, a writer from North Yorkshire, England. I’ve recently self-published my FREE collection of short stories, ‘Fryupdale’ on Smashwords.

Here’s my intoductory Q and A:

1. How did you come to self-publish? Did you try to get published traditionally?

I’m still trying. I assume most self-published authors wouldn’t especially mind an offer from Hachette dropping on their door mat. That said, I think the traditional publishing model needs to evolve. I’m excited by the emergence of e-books, and sites like Smashwords that facilitate their growth.

2. What self-publishing service did you use? Happy with the service?[…]

Mark Staniforth2011-10-08T17:13:51+02:00November 11th, 2010|Categories: Interviews, Member Blog|

10 Authors in 10 Days. Terrific Variety of Indie Writers at Smashwords

I’m doing a project: 10 authors answer 10 questions in 10 days. What a great variety of writers! Today I feature J. Alexander Greenwood, who sent me a press release, a video trailer, links to a dozen websites, and a complete bio. He provided coupon’s for his book, Pilate’s Cross, a thriller involving the assassination of a college dean. Everyone interested in self-publishing should take a look at his story.

Each day, I’m looking not at individual books, but at individual writers. How do you get readers to buy your book? What are you working on?

Where are your books […]

Neil Crabtree2011-10-08T17:14:25+02:00November 4th, 2010|Categories: Member Blog|

Sarah Ettritch – Author Interview

1. How did you come to self-publish?

It’s an exciting time for self-publishers right now, especially in the digital arena. Not long ago the traditional route was the clear choice for fiction, but with the rise of online bookstores and now eBooks, it’s a tougher call. Since my book The Salbine Sisters has well-defined target markets, self-publishing was the natural choice for me.

2. What self-publishing service did you use? Happy with the service?

I don’t use a self-publishing service. I created my own imprint (Norn Publishing). I hire the editor, the cover designer, and anyone else I need to […]

Sarah Ettritch2011-10-08T17:14:43+02:00November 4th, 2010|Categories: Interviews, Member Blog|