Features | Self-Publishing Review

Epitaph: Paying for Reviews

Full disclosure: SPR charges for reviews. People hate this, and don’t necessarily differentiate between paid good reviews and paid reviews in general, especially with the current controversy of paying for 5-star reviews. Since SPR started charging, we’ve been able to review many more books than before, and pay reviewers for their time. So I do think there’s a difference between what Kirkus, or SPR, does, and guaranteeing a block of 5-star reviews without even reading the book. Even so, people are now decrying the entire paid review model. This may seem like self-protection, but I don’t think the paid […]

Henry Baum2012-08-27T13:29:00+02:00August 27th, 2012|Categories: Features|

Lendink: The Age of Knee-Jerk Vigilance

“With great power comes great responsibility.”

If you are new to the Lendink story, here’s the lowdown. A website that lends out ebooks was shut down by a gaggle of indie writers who thought this was an example of piracy no different than Napster. Really, it’s totally legitimate, as lending ebooks is part of publishing on the Kindle. Books aren’t downloaded, they’re lent for a set period and the writer gets paid. In short, it has nothing in common with Napster.

It’s understandable if writers are a little twitchy about piracy. It also makes sense that people like being […]

Henry Baum2012-08-10T19:22:13+02:00August 10th, 2012|Categories: Features|

Invaluable Reddit AMA from Author Hugh Howey

There’s a huge amount of self-publishing wisdom in this Reddit AMA from Hugh Howey, author of the Wool series (here’s the lowdown on a Reddit AMA). The main takeaway is that writers need to be patient. With all the overnight successes in self-publishing (Amanda Hocking), one might be led to think that’s the way you become successful as a self-publisher. But that’s not really the case. It’s not even the case for the heavyweight JA Konrath, who’s been writing and publishing for years.

Really, self-publishing isn’t much different than traditional publishing. Some people get lucky with a 6-figure book […]

Henry Baum2014-02-12T13:31:40+02:00March 17th, 2012|Categories: Features|Tags: Articles about Hugh Howey|

Should Authors Comment on Reviews?

Taleist has a nice posting asking the question: Should You Comment on Amazon Reviews?

My books’ pages on Amazon aren’t my pages, and readers don’t go there to find me. In my opinion readers should be able to browse a bookshop without bumping into authors fussing and preening next to their books; thanking kind reviewers and gently pointing out errors in less good reviews.

But sometimes, just sometimes, I wonder about my decision in the case of the factual errors. I’d hate to think someone wasn’t reading my book because they read something untrue.

Personally, I’ve come pretty close. […]

Henry Baum2017-03-24T07:40:13+02:00March 16th, 2012|Categories: Features|

How I Funded a $2,700 Kickstarter Project in 24 Hours

The Kickstarter “crowd-funding” site has taken off in popularity in the last year, with lots of independent artists, musicians, and authors (like myself) using the platform as a way to finance projects. You can post your project, and people can pledge money to help out and receive rewards (as an author, you might offer signed paperbacks, advanced reader copies, the ability to name a character, etc.).

In my case, I was looking to use Kickstarter to get a little help paying for the creation of the next audiobook in my Emperor’s Edge fantasy series.

I decided on a goal […]

Lindsay2012-03-08T13:44:06+02:00March 8th, 2012|Categories: Features|

Is a Self-Publishing Backlash On the Way?

It’s been a good run. 2011 was the year when self-publishing broke open with the successes of Amanda Hocking, John Locke, and JA Konrath. The stigma is gone. No one thinks a self-published book is bad just because it’s been self-published. But people are creative – there are some out there who actively want to dislike self-publishing, and will look for reasons to criticize. There are also plenty of people who still want to believe in the validation of a traditional publisher: if an agent and editor like it, I must be good. So now the stigma is not: self-published […]

Henry Baum2012-03-09T10:49:06+02:00March 3rd, 2012|Categories: Features, Lead Story|

The Smashwords/Paypal Debacle

Paypal hasn’t had a great few months of PR. First there was the Regretsy debacle, in which Paypal refused to process donations for kids:

PayPal demanded that Regretsy, an Etsy parody site, return its recent donations garnered to provide Christmas presents for disadvantaged kids. Though Regretsy functions primarily as a humor blog that mocks unfortunate-looking items on the craft site Etsy, it also allows Etsy sellers to donate their products to charity — and even to other sellers in need.

After the internet outcry, they reversed this decision, and finally decided to make donations of their own.[…]

Henry Baum2018-10-31T10:48:39+02:00March 2nd, 2012|Categories: Features, Lead Story|

eBook Industry: Does Amazon Have a Winning Hand or a Dead Man’s Hand?

Does Amazon have a winning hand or do they need to draw more cards to stay ahead in the game? Amazon is the dominate player in the ebook industry, hands down. In fact, they are so strong that they can sell some products at a loss and still win the hand.

They can do this because ebooks have a very high profit margin. Check this hand out. I can buy an ebook from Amazon and it’s never touched by human hands. No shipping. No warehousing unless you want to count their file servers. The first physical action is when I […]

James Moushon2020-02-21T03:31:03+02:00February 28th, 2012|Categories: Features|Tags: Amazon News and Tips|