Features | Self-Publishing Review

The Brontë Sisters – Self-Publishing Pioneers

Did you know the Brontë sisters were pioneers in self-publishing? In this look at their lives, vanity presses, underhand dealings, and ripoff merchants play in their rise to literary legend.

Patrick Brunty was an Irish clergyman from humble beginnings. Subtly changing his name over time to “Brontë,” meaning “the sound of thunder” in Greek, to suit his loftier academic leanings, he had married and had six children, with Charlotte (1816–1855), Patrick Branwell (1817–1848), Emily (1818–1848) and Anne (1820–1849) surviving the deaths of their mother from cancer and their two older sisters Elizabeth and Maria from suspected consumption.

Patrick had […]

Cate Baum2017-04-24T08:54:40+02:00April 24th, 2017|Categories: Features, Success Story|

From George Eliot to JT LeRoy – The Female Author Problem

It’s Post#MeToo. And woman writers are still a niche.

Amazingly, we still seem to be using the term “female author” or “woman writer.” Amazon has a category, “Women’s Fiction.” There are a lot of niche prizes out there for “Women Authors.” None for “Men Authors.”

Being a woman still “poses issues” for those marketing fiction, and it seems to be not going away. Instead, women seem to have accept their Etsy, craftsy, whimsical lot, we’re buying knitting needles, pastel-colored cake mixing machines, and romance novels like it’s 1952, and we’re facing what can only be called a backpedaling down into […]

Cate Baum2018-10-28T07:33:20+02:00April 4th, 2017|Categories: Features|Tags: Women's Fiction Book Reviews|

How Authors Can Use Amazon Smile to Raise Money For Charity

When it comes to charity, we’re adept at giving online, especially when it doesn’t cost a dime to support your favorite cause. Amazon Smile is a tool that authors can leverage to sell books at the same time as making some money for just about any organization there is.

Amazon Smile is a subdomain of Amazon that sells exactly the same products, but gives users the opportunity to choose a charity to support.

“AmazonSmile is a simple and automatic way for you to support your favorite charitable organization every time you shop, at no cost to you. When you […]

Cate Baum2020-02-20T13:30:15+02:00March 28th, 2017|Categories: Features|Tags: Amazon News and Tips, Book Promotion Articles|

3 “Great” Book Marketing Ideas That Were a Waste of Money

Indie author Duke Diercks talks about Facebook Ads, digital marketing, and how he “stalked” Adam Sandler…

If you’re paying attention, I put the word great in quotes. That’s because perhaps I alone thought these ideas were great – at least one of them anyway!

Here’s the deal: as a newly self-published author, I was eager (read: desperate) to get my book noticed. I also have a background in digital marketing so I am familiar with certain online advertising avenues. Immediately, I came up with two ideas to get some exposure:

Facebook Advertising
Advertising on a High-Traffic Blog

The third idea[…]

Duke Diercks2018-05-26T15:50:28+02:00March 23rd, 2017|Categories: Features, Member Blog|Tags: Book Promotion Articles|

3 Golden Rules For Your Amazon Author Page

A Guest Post by Kindlepreneur’s Dave Chesson on the importance of the Amazon Author Page.

In the increasingly crowded world of self-publishing, it’s important for authors to do everything in their power to stand out from their competitors.

Of course, a quality book is always the best way. There is no substitute for a carefully crafted, well-edited book with an attractive cover.

While an author’s book is and always will be the main way to attract sales and fans, it is far from the only way. In fact, as more and more self-published authors up their game in terms of […]

Dave Chesson2020-02-08T16:01:03+02:00March 13th, 2017|Categories: Features|Tags: Amazon News and Tips, Book Promotion Articles, Dave Chesson Articles|

The Baum Indie Book Prize 2017 Open For Entries!

With a book deal from Kwill Books worth over $3000 in publicity, editing, and reviews, it’s a prize open to any independent author looking for a boost for their new work!

Henry and Cate Baum have been working with indie authors at Self-Publishing Review and Kwill Books for a decade, offering author advice and services. This new prize seeks out new talent and both Henry and Cate will be working with the winner to launch their book at Kwill Books in October 2017. Authors who cannot afford to publicize their book professionally now have a chance to win a massive […]

Cate Baum2017-03-06T07:42:43+02:00March 6th, 2017|Categories: Features|

Mythbusting The Amazon Algorithm Part III – Verified Customer Reviews and the New Amazon Guidelines

There are some home truths we need to examine that authors are not really grasping about the Amazon Algorithm since I started this series. So in this installment of “Mythbusting,” I’m going to get into what the algorithm’s new Machine Learning model and new Amazon Guidelines mean for Verified Customer Reviews.

MYTH 1 – By figuring out what keywords people search for you can get customers to find your book

TRUTH – Meh. Here we go again. My answer to this is “Are you a robot?” You would have to be Hal 9000 since the new algorithm came along. Let’s […]

Cate Baum2020-02-20T13:25:23+02:00February 23rd, 2017|Categories: Features|Tags: Amazon Algorithm Tips for Authors, Amazon News and Tips, Book Promotion Articles, Book Reviews|

Are All Book Printing Services The Same? POD vs Offset Options for Authors

So many authors end up buying boxes of pre-printed books without understanding why they have now got these wretched masses in their closets and garages. Looking at the different types of print output will help you choose the right method to sell your book without felling trees and buying extra coat rails just to sell books.

Differences Between POD and Offset Printing

Print On Demand printing means you are running a digital print from the PDF file of your book. This is usually done on trade-quality paper, either white or cream, with standard inks.

Offset printing means the printing expert […]

Cate Baum2017-02-05T11:30:19+02:00February 5th, 2017|Categories: Features|