I think the implicit point that Henry makes is valid. This is only ‘free’ to a select group of Apple users – meaning – it’s exclusive. Something free doesn’t come ‘exclusive’ to an OS or what software you have installed. If it’s free – my mind never touches my back pocket. But hats off to [...]

Good for you Matt! The end results of my promotion were priceless. My five day free run shoved me into the #8 best seller in historical romance. I had over 6,200 copies downloaded. Since the five-day promotion, it has increased my sales on all levels. I’ve had increased hits on my website, increased positive reviews, [...]

I use a website called Grammarly.com. It’s great for not only grammar, but it highlights text that matches anything on the Internet or elsewhere. It also gives you the reference to add, if you need to give credit where credit is due. It’s somewhat helpful.

Well, I for one was very skeptic over the KDP select. However, out of a moment of madness I pulled one book off Smashwords distribution out of my three fiction novels and opted into the game. Today started my free five-day promotion on my historical romance novel. This morning alone my book has been download [...]

“Most independent authors will sell less than 100 copies of their ebooks.” I hate to say it, but I’m somewhat sick of this figure. It gets carried over from article to article off of someone’s quote over average self-published author sales totaled up and divided by how many use some vanity publishing house. Is that [...]

I gave the ebook version the same ISBN as the print copy and they linked that way.

I like this method better, though.

You can email them through Author Central too. They are pretty responsive about fixing any problem.

The whole argument that traditionally published books are better than self-published is bogus. The gatekeepers in the romance genre let so much trash through their doors to make a buck selling sex, six-pack abs, exposed boobs and thighs, it’s nauseating. Some of the very popular romance writers churn out so many books each year it [...]

I don’t think it is too early to make that pronouncement. We are all in the same boat. In many ways, we’ve always been in the same boat. The best self-published books are about being in that boat, and that’s what the cream of them have been arguing for years. They have their tickets! What [...]

On the point of publishing convention, and what independence should mean – well, the biggest trap mainstream publishing has fallen into is to be simply be reactive. Mainstream publishing is struggling with a publishing ‘convention’ which doesn’t allow it to connect with readers as offering something new or refreshing. The structure of publishing – with [...]

An exceptional piece from Tom. And to be fair, I don’t think he is trying to give self-published authors a hard time, but rather, question the validity of the term ‘indie’, and what value it really has. I think for a long time, authors going it alone wanted to steer away from the ’self-published’ tag, [...]

I’ll admit to being puzzled at the f-word backlash my book has received. I’ve often wondered if it was because it was marketed as women’s fiction, that perhaps I’d broken some unspoken rule. But after reading about your experiences I’m forced to reconsider.

You are quite right about traditional publishers doing the same thing. I’ve downloaded free historical romance books on Kindle by big name publishers that were free. Everyone is “experimenting” if you will. I honestly don’t find anything inherently wrong with the practice. We all have our personal goals and ways of getting what we want [...]

It’s been interesting to read this string of opinions. In the end, I think it boils down to our individual goals as writers. I will admit right now I have an overwhelming need to be read. Giving my books away free on Smashwords this month has kept me continually in the top 10 best sellers [...]