Features | Self-Publishing Review

The Duality of “New” Media for Writers

For nine years I worked for an online publicity firm for authors. The company was one of the first, if not the first, dedicated solely to online publicity. When I joined them, in 2000, none of the major publishing houses had online publicity departments. Some of them didn’t yet have company email or Web sites. It sounds archaic, by today’s standards. Publishing, as an industry, had not yet seen the potential for online book marketing, or the migration that media was making to the Internet.

What a difference a decade makes. By the time I resigned in 2009, we were […]

Jeffery Anderson2020-02-21T03:57:39+02:00June 30th, 2011|Categories: Features|Tags: Book Marketing Advice and Tips|

Reaching 1,000 Ebook Sales a Month: What I’ve Learned

When I e-published my first ebook last December, I, like many, harbored secret hopes for overnight success. I think I sold about 25 copies that first month, and half of those were pity buys from friends and relatives. I know some of you can relate!

After realizing I wouldn’t be a NYT bestseller by the end of my first month, I gave myself a more modest goal: get to the point where I’m selling 1,000 ebooks a month by this time next year.

As it happens, that point came in May, my fifth full month as an indie author. I […]

Lindsay2011-06-22T12:33:46+02:00June 22nd, 2011|Categories: Features|

Ebook Publishing: Are Traditional Publishers Sitting on a Pot of Gold?

The prospects for an explosion in the ebook market are growing every day. Once traditional publishers realize the ebook-only market is a huge opportunity, they will embrace it and they will realize that they had a pot of gold right in front of them all the time.

Current Publishing – Are things panning out with ebooks?
Traditional book publishing is built on speculation and profit predictions. They control the system and the popular authors. They have been sitting at the end of the rainbow for a very long time.

Then along comes this ebook thing with a slick delivery system […]

James Moushon2019-02-18T12:19:54+02:00June 22nd, 2011|Categories: Features|

I Take Thee … Making That Commitment to Your Book

“Congratulations on your book.”

People are impressed with anyone who has completed the task of writing a whole book. There are thousands, if not millions, of people who have sat down to a keyboard to start writing a book but never finished it.

The first hurdle that most encounter is what I call the Forty-Page Block. It’s not always page forty. Sometimes it’s page twenty-five or page one hundred and twenty-five. Whichever page number it is, at some point there’s a block that separates the authors from the wannabes.

At this hurdle, many writers will simply throw in the towel […]

Lauren Carr2020-02-21T06:46:19+02:00June 16th, 2011|Categories: Features|Tags: Book Editing Tips, Writing Tips|

Self-Publishing Hoaxes: Fictional Blogs

A pretty huge self-publishing story was revealed yesterday regarding the blog “A Gay Girl from Damascus” – a blog about the Arab uprising from the perspective of a gay woman in Damascus, Syria. Last week she went missing – reportedly kidnapped. A picture was reported along with the story who turned out to be a non-Syrian woman in London, who was understandably troubled.

And finally it was revealed that the gay girl in Damascus is actually a married guy in Scotland. And it also turns out to be a significant self-publishing story with implications for how blogs are read […]

Henry Baum2011-06-15T13:25:04+02:00June 14th, 2011|Categories: Features|

There Is No Such Thing As a Good Book, Only A Good Brand

Originally published on The Nerd Connection, my home site.

Over Memorial Day Weekend, I was privileged to attend the Balticon Convention with its many wonderful panels and panelists. I went to a panel that included Tan Nguyen and GK Parish Philp, the founders of BackMyBook.com [formerly of DivX]. ARealGirl, and Scott Sigler filled up the rest of the panel as they all have a lot of book branding expertise.

Unlike the first panel I have blogged about, this panel was all about books and branding yourself in relation to the book you are selling. The first panel [[…]

Allison D. Duncan2020-02-21T03:32:25+02:00June 8th, 2011|Categories: Features|Tags: Author Branding|

To be an authoritative reference on publishing requires allowing all voices to be heard

There once was a time when Absolute Write stood as a beacon to protect authors from unscrupulous business people and practices. But they have become so entrenched with how publishing has operated in the past, that they are disallowing individuals from sharing their experiences with new models and opportunities. I’m referring to a recent incident where I and author Kevin O. McLaughlin were banned from that site. A post in the Self-Publishing and POD section posed the following question: Can I try and traditionally publish after making a kindle/e-pubbing? Several people pointed out that since the first publication rights had […]

Robin Sullivan2011-06-08T15:24:53+02:00June 8th, 2011|Categories: Features, Member Blog|

eBook Authors: Render Thy eBook or Miss The Boat

I am a non-fiction and technical book reader at heart. Lately I have become addicted to ebooks. I like the ability to get the ebook anytime and anywhere and read it anytime I want. Recently a historical fiction hardcover book was passed to me. A book about Elizabeth 1 of England and the period in history called the Tudor dynasty.

Sometimes I like to read a good historical fiction novel and this turned out to be a good one. After I was about half way through the novel, the analytical part of me took over. This hardcover book was the […]

James Moushon2020-02-21T03:37:44+02:00June 2nd, 2011|Categories: Features|Tags: Book Formatting Tips|