February, 2009 | Self-Publishing Review

How to Get a Self-Published Book into Libraries

One of the major ways that mainstream authors sell books is to library chains across the U.S. Even if a traditionally published novel does not sell to the reading public, libraries can significantly make up the difference. There are over 16,000 public libraries, plus thousands more university and specialty libraries in the U.S., so this comprises a significant sales opportunity. Though libraries buy on a discount, let’s say libraries buy a $16.00 self-published book for half price. The resulting figure is hundreds of thousands of dollars if the book is widely bought by libraries.

That’s the good news – and […]

Henry Baum2011-10-13T00:35:37+02:00February 4th, 2009|Categories: Resources|

Luggage By Kroger by Gary Taylor

Remember the movie “Fatal Attraction”? And the movie “Basic Instinct”? And the movie “Play Misty For Me”? Toss all three of the movies in a blender, hit frappe and stand back. What comes out would be Gary Taylor’s new book – Luggage By Kroger.

LBK is the story of Gary’s intimate relationship with Catherine Mehaffey, which began way back in 1979. As the story opens, Mehaffey is suing her live-in lover for half of everything he has. No, they weren’t married. Mehaffey claimed they were some bizarre version of common-law husband and wife, therefore, she was entitled to sue […]

Randall Radic2011-10-08T19:33:25+02:00February 4th, 2009|Categories: Book Reviews|

Wordclay Review

Wordclay publishing offers similar free self-publishing tools similar to Lulu. Of course, there’s no such thing as free self-publishing, as you’ll have to pay for each book, which can be more expensive than printing in bulk or using a service like Outskirts Press, which will design a book cover and cost less per book. In my own experience, I went with Lulu to save money on going with an entire publishing package, but when all was said and done – after hiring a designer for the cover, ordering books, and marketing, it might have made sense to go […]

Henry Baum2011-10-08T19:33:39+02:00February 4th, 2009|Categories: Publisher Reviews|

The Past, Present, and Future of Ebooks

In Andrew Sullivan’s follow-up to his post about print on demand, he links to this excellent quote by Edgar Allen Poe, predicting and advocating self-publishing:

… authors will perceive the immense advantage of giving their own manuscripts directly to the public without the expensive interference of the type-setter, and the often ruinous intervention of the publisher. All that a man of letters need do will be to pay some attention to legibility of manuscript, arrange his pages to suit himself, and stereotype them instantaneously, as arranged. He may intersperse them with his own drawings, or with anything to please

[…]

Henry Baum2011-10-08T20:44:22+02:00February 3rd, 2009|Categories: Features, Lead Story|

Andrew Sullivan on Print on Demand

Andrew Sullivan, political blogger for The Atlantic, weighs in on print on demand. He says,

My own view is that the publishing industry deserves to die in its current state. It never made economic sense to me; there are no real editors of books any more; the distribution network is archaic; the technology of publishing pathetic; and the rewards to authors largely impenetrable. I still have no idea what my occasional royalty statements mean: they are designed to be incomprehensible, to keep the authors in the dark, to maintain an Oz-like mystery where none is required.

The future

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Henry Baum2011-10-08T20:42:03+02:00February 1st, 2009|Categories: News|

Interview: Mark Coker, Founder of Smashwords

Mark Coker, founder of Smashwords.com, talks about his ebook directory and the future of ebooks. Check out Self-Publishing Review’s post about places to list an ebook for other ebook sites.

Self-Publishing Review: First, what is Smashwords?

Mark Coker: Smashwords is a digital publishing platform and online bookstore for self-published authors and their readers.

Authors upload their manuscripts as Microsoft Word files and then we automatically convert them into nine different DRM-free ebook formats, ready for immediate sale online. Authors set the price and determine the sampling percentage, and receive 85 percent of the net sales proceeds from their books.

SPR: […]

Henry Baum2011-10-08T20:31:17+02:00February 1st, 2009|Categories: Interviews, Lead Story|

Broken Bulbs by Eddie Wright

One of the interesting things about buying a book site unseen on the internet is that when the book arrives it can be much different than what you might have pictures. How many people check the dimensions of a book before buying it? Broken Bulbs is a small book – 4 x 6 and only 132 pages, but the writing itself is anything but small: it’s as authentic as they come, experimental without trying to be intentionally obscure, dark without making you doubt humanity, smart and energetic. In short, it’s great writing.

Anyone who doubts the usefulness of self-publishing need […]

Henry Baum2011-10-08T20:31:33+02:00February 1st, 2009|Categories: Book Reviews|