Member Blog | Self-Publishing Review

Publishing Progress – The Highs and the Lows…

Writers, almost all of them, want to be published. Not so many years ago, the only way to be published that let the multitudes receive your work was to find an agent and have them present your work to editors who then might decide to work with you toward publishing.

There are many stories of writers’ works being published in forms that they really didn’t like; yet, they really wanted to be published so they caved…

To be fair, most respectable publishers worked hard to bring the manuscript to a form that was marketable as well as true to the […]

Alexander M Zoltai2020-02-21T07:17:56+02:00January 19th, 2014|Categories: Member Blog|

Reader, Writer, Publisher ~ Wearing Three Hats Can Be Dangerous

Do I really mean that being a reader/writer/publisher is dangerous? Well, when I look at the word history of dangerous, I see that it comes from roots that mean the power of a lord…

And, “lord” comes from roots that mean “one who guards the bread”…

So, yes, if you’re contemplating using your experience as a reader to power your writing as you promote your way toward self-publishing, you’re becoming the lord of the process and guarding that bread can become dangerous.

Lest I overlook that word “bread”, let’s hope that this dangerous process leads to a very nourishing food […]

Alexander M Zoltai2020-02-21T07:17:59+02:00January 15th, 2014|Categories: Features, Member Blog|

What’s The Writer’s Job? Recording Or Creating?

I’m venturing into dangerous territory with the title of this post…

Let me clarify the exact bit of territory I want to defend.

First, when I ask if the writer’s job is recording or creating, certain easy and obvious answers come up:

* Journalists mostly record, though they can do it creatively.
* Essayists and article writers can slide back and forth between recording and creating.
* Fiction writers create, though there may be a bit of recording in some of their work.

In this post, I’m only going to talk about fiction writers and the specific territory I want […]

Alexander M Zoltai2014-01-11T17:07:02+02:00January 11th, 2014|Categories: Member Blog|Tags: Writing|

The Dawn Of The Self-Published Critic

Cate Baum muses over the state of the self-publishing industry as sales figures show that consumers have indeed taken over the asylum.

In the days of traditional publishing, pre-internet – and even some time past the internet really kicking in around the end of the 20th century, the days of hovering in bookshops on word of mouth hunts for gems still existed. Pre-dating sites, potential lovers would sift through Proust and Kundera to up their game, whilst pre-Facebook, glossy hardback photo books remained the only true way to connect with subcultures and style.

Newspapers such as The Guardian in the […]

Cate Baum2014-01-08T13:46:04+02:00December 26th, 2013|Categories: Lead Story, Member Blog|

Interview With Thomas L. Hay

Thomas L. Hay is the author of The Comeback Kid series. The Comeback Kid is the memoirs of Thomas (Tommy) Hay, written from cradle to senior citizen. From a US Navy sailor to an International Airline employee. From puppy love to an International playboy. From marriage to divorce. From UFO’s to alien abductions…

So Thomas, please, tell us a bit about yourself!
I’m married to Karen, the ‘love of my life’. My favorite place in the world is in my bed, fast asleep. It’s where I dream and come up with my imagination. It takes me to places where no […]

bitemybook2013-10-25T10:42:56+02:00October 25th, 2013|Categories: Interviews, Member Blog|

Line up at a Book Fair to Get Your Share of Readers!

Are you a bookworm? Do you obsess over what is the latest book on the stands or who is the most popular author currently? Some people are such nerds that a life without books seems dull and listless to them. They would rather visit a book fair than visit an art gallery or watch the latest movie. If you are one of them, don’t be disheartened as a book fair is not less grand or glamorous an event nowadays.

Book fairs are commonly held to promote new books and increase the sale of old books. If you are a novice […]

combinedbook2013-10-25T09:56:49+02:00October 25th, 2013|Categories: Member Blog|

How To Sell Books With Amazon Reviews

There are tricks of the trade to ensure the sale of your book via Amazon reviews. Here are our tips for making the most of these.

When someone reviews your book (Self-Publishing Review ranks high – profile here) make sure you click ” Yes” to “Was this review helpful to you?” Amazon ranks its reviewers by helpfulness, so boosting those who review your book will help your review get seen by more people.

Pick the Hall Of Fame reviewers who like your type of book and ask them to review it. You can do this by looking at reviews […]

Cate Baum2014-01-14T20:11:39+02:00October 24th, 2013|Categories: Member Blog|

A Self-Publishing Romance

I know there are a few of you out there who are very pleased to hear that me and Henry Baum are getting married this weekend. But I don’t know if many people know how we met.

It’s a self-publishing love story, basically.

On September 11th, 2011, I was researching my self-published novel (not yet available) when I realized I needed to read more about The Tibetan Book Of The Dead. I was interested in the breaths of death for a particular scene in my ghost story. Long story short, I started looking on Kindle for books of the dead. […]

Cate Baum2013-10-12T11:57:34+02:00October 12th, 2013|Categories: Member Blog|