News | Self-Publishing Review

Penguin Random House Sells Author Solutions

Penguin Random House is no longer in the self-publishing business. From Publisher’s Weekly:

Penguin Random House has sold its Author Solutions division to an affiliate of the Najafi Companies, a private investment firm that at one point owned Bookspan and made an offer to buy several hundred Borders outlets after the chain filed for Chapter 11. Terms of the deal, which closed December 31, were not disclosed.

In a brief letter to employees, PRH CEO Markus Dohle said with the sale of Author Solutions, a leader in supported self-publishing services, that “we reaffirm our focus on consumer book publishing

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Henry Baum2016-01-06T05:19:28+02:00January 6th, 2016|Categories: News|

Audiobooks.com Debuts New Audiobook Distribution Service: Author’s Republic

In a bid to be a hybrid of of Amazon’s ACX and an ebook distributor like Smashwords, Audiobooks.com has revealed their new distribution service called Author’s Republic. Unlike ACX, which distributes to Amazon, Audible, and iTunes, Author’s Republic has a longer list of distribution partners. From the press release:

Most notable about the new service is the extensive retail and distributor network made available to authors who use it. Author’s Republic will submit titles to over a dozen merchants including Audiobooks.com, Audible, iTunes, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Scribd, Downpour, and tunein, as well as library providers like Findaway and

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Henry Baum2020-02-20T13:28:59+02:00November 20th, 2015|Categories: News|Tags: Amazon News and Tips|

Draft2Digital Offers Mailing List Service: Books2Read

Draft2Digital has released a hands-off mailing list subscription service as an add-on to their distribution service called Books2Read. From their blog:

Starting now, you’ll see a new option on the Layout page whenever you edit a book at Draft2Digital. Not only will we provide you with easy, one-click store-specific Also By pages, teasers, and About the Author pages, but we will also embed a New Release Notifications sign-up page in the back of your book if you ask for one.

Readers who click the link on that page will end up at a new landing page on our

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Henry Baum2020-02-21T05:50:35+02:00November 13th, 2015|Categories: News|Tags: Newsletter Campaign|

Smashwords Announces Distribution Agreement with Gardners Books

Smashwords is expanding its global marketing reach in a partnership with the UK’s Gardners Books. From the Smashwords blog:

On October 22 Smashwords will begin delivering 230,000 ebooks sourced from the over 100,000 indie authors and small independent presses to 400 ebook stores powered by Gardners operating in 32 countries and serving customers in 138 countries; 2,000 public libraries in the U.K.; and 400 academic libraries in the UK, Europe and Middle East. The agreement excludes Smashwords erotica titles…

Notable retailers with ebook stores powered by Gardners include www.hive.co.uk, www.books.telegraph.co.uk , www.indieebook.co.uk in the UK, www.bokus.com in

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Henry Baum2015-11-19T07:16:31+02:00October 15th, 2015|Categories: News|Tags: Smashwords Tips and Articles|

New SPR Publishing House Kwill Opens Its Doors To Indie Authors

SPR has launched a publishing house, Kwill Books, to meet the demand for indie authors who want the perks of self-publishing without the hassle of doing everything for themselves. Here, Cate Baum, founder, explains to SPR reviewer Lysa Grant why she and co-founder, husband Henry Baum, embarked on this exciting venture.

How did you come up for the idea of starting your own press?

When we came up with the idea for Kwill, we were finding that our clients at SPR were asking for more and more services for their books that were not being met at a reasonable, […]

Cate Baum2015-09-09T07:48:47+02:00September 9th, 2015|Categories: Features, News|

Kobo Now Offering Author Services

Kobo is expanding into author services, separating itself from Amazon KDP. From the Kobo blog:

Many of you have noticed a new “Author Services” tab popped up in your dashboard. This is a project we’ve been working towards for several years: offering a list of recommended professional services – cover design, editorial help, print on demand, and more – that we trust and believe offer good value for independent authors. When possible, we’ll negotiate a great discount so you’ll get more for your money.

As they make clear on the blog, this is a work in project, as they’re […]

Henry Baum2015-11-19T07:36:20+02:00August 27th, 2015|Categories: News|

Amazon Announces New Author Earnings Model And $7.8 Million Bonus on KDP Select

Amazon today shared a new model for KDP Select Earnings, along with multi-million dollar bonuses for the next few months. What this means for authors isn’t clear yet, but you can read more on Amazon’s site on the link below.

Today we have a few exciting announcements to share related to the KDP Select global fund. The first is that we’re adding a bonus of $7.8 million to the May KDP Select global fund on top of the previously announced $3 million base fund, bringing the total fund to $10.8 million. We are also pleased to report that:

• KDP

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Cate Baum2018-10-29T12:13:23+02:00June 15th, 2015|Categories: News|

SPR Announces Winners Of The SPR Awards 2015

With a strong competition and plenty of entries this year, Self-Publishing Review announced today the winners of the three categories of Fiction, Non-Fiction, and Short Fiction of the SPR Awards 2015. To see the books that won, click here.

SPR will be awarding the Grand Prize of a Kindle or iPad Mini to one of the lucky first-prize winners, and reviews of winning books will be featured on the site in the next few weeks.

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Cate Baum2019-04-12T14:12:08+02:00April 1st, 2015|Categories: News|Tags: SPR Book Awards|