Resources | Self-Publishing Review

Web Presence Checklist

You’ve spent months, perhaps years, writing your book. Did you do so for it to die in obscurity? Why then does its web presence not reach beyond the Lulu Marketplace? Why then doesn’t it even show up upon typing its title on Google? Why then does its Amazon’s sales rank sag below the 4 millionth mark? If that sounds anything like you, keep reading, for I’m about to list all those opportunities to broadcast your title and reach your target audience that you’re missing out on. To the extent that they’re inexpensive, easy, and of course applicable to your book, […]

Muriel Lede2011-10-08T17:26:53+02:00July 14th, 2010|Categories: Lead Story, Resources|

15 Questions About Google Editions

The e-reader price war has started. In a couple of hours the prices of major e-reading devices, Kindle and Nook, have dropped under $200. It’s not a coincidence that this is happening right now.

Google Editions will launch in a couple of days, weeks at latest. And when it happens, the world will receive a simple message: you don’t need to buy an extra device to read books, use your current one as long as it has a browser.

Opposite to iBooks/iBookstore which was a blank page with a list of 5 publishers, Editions will start with a strong context […]

Piotr Kowalczyk2011-10-08T18:22:35+02:00June 26th, 2010|Categories: Resources|

Interaction Among Readers and Self-Published Web Novelists Thriving

Anyone worried that text messages and tweets are destroying literacy will be heartened to learn that people are reading whole novels online. Self published web fiction in the form of web novels and online serials has been quietly connecting with an audience for years. Readers can easily leave a comment, ask a question, and sometimes even influence the story.

Fiona Gregory, now an editor at the Web Fiction Guide, started reading online fiction in 2001 when a search for free science fiction stories revealed the medium of online novels to her. “I love the opportunity to interact with the […]

Tracy Falbe2011-10-08T18:24:31+02:00June 18th, 2010|Categories: Resources|

Kickstarting My Book: Why I Chose to Crowdsource

The Story

I had a problem. After several months of work, I was finally ready to publish the second edition of my novel, A Life Transparent. The details were in place, the cover design tweaked, the revisions made. All of this was set up for a re-release in anticipation of the book’s sequel early next year.

I picked CreateSpace as my printer and publisher. I’d read good things. Their integration with Amazon was tantalizing, and the free ISBN was a perk. There was low cost involved, and I wanted very badly to get away from Lulu, whose rates spiked […]

Todd Keisling2020-02-21T07:53:48+02:00June 15th, 2010|Categories: Lead Story, Resources|Tags: Social Media|

Important Questions to Ask Before You Self Publish (and sign on the dotted line)

So many self-publishing houses; so many empty promises…

In the past year since my own self-published book, The Victor, was released, I have met many authors who have gone the self-publishing route and have learned many important things that they should have given thought to but didn’t even know to ask and are now kind of “stuck” after having spent A LOT of money. There are good companies to self-publish with and some horrible ones, so “buyer beware”! There are quite a few important things you need to ask and consider before deciding on which company to go with […]

Marlayne Giron2011-10-08T18:08:40+02:00June 11th, 2010|Categories: Resources|Tags: Book Distribution, Book Editing, Copyright|

Where’s the Digital Self-Pubbed Comic App?

This post is reposted from my website mispeled.net.

So, I’ve been diligently working on a comic book. It’s called Tune (part 1 of 5) and it’s awesome. The whole thing is written, the panels are laid out, and ten pages of art are done (out of 32). I’m having a goddamn blast. I’ve included a couple of teaser panels in this post to give you a taste.

(click on the image to see it better – the AA is junky shrunken down)

But I’m not really posting to pimp Tune – I’ll let it speak for itself when it’s […]

luke t. bergeron2011-10-08T18:10:45+02:00June 3rd, 2010|Categories: Resources|

Ten More Things Book Designers Probably Won’t Tell You

by Cathi Stevenson

My first article, Ten Secrets of Professional Book Cover Designers, discussed some of the nuances that give a book that polished look, so often missing from independent publishing projects. These “tricks of the trade” are not limited to the front cover of a book though, and there are many ways to enhance the look and readability of back cover text and interior layout.

1. Don’t make your line width too long. Many people assume the solution to too much text is to either drop the point size or extend the trim size or margins. This is not […]

Cathi Stevenson2011-10-08T18:32:36+02:00June 1st, 2010|Categories: Resources|

CD-ROM Copyright Infringement

So a CD-ROM version of my novel showed up on Amazon a day after I placed the book on Feedbooks and Manybooks. It’s listed as published by “The Again Shop” so be on the lookout. A Google search just came up with other examples of this. The novel is protected by a Creative Commons No Derivatives license, which reads: