Much of the ongoing drama between the self-publishing proponents and the traditional publishing industry boils down to one chief concern: money. With whole data sets dedicated to examining not only what self-published authors truly earn but also what traditionally published authors are (or more likely, are not) earning, the facts seem pretty clear:Authors who do the work of … [Read more...] about The Indie Author Dream: Fact or Fiction?
Bookselling News
Amazon Takes Over Textbook Business of the University of Massachusetts
Amazon has ironed out an agreement with the University of Massachusetts to take over the schools textbook business from Follett. Starting this fall students will be able to order print books and have them delivered for free to their homes or an Amazon-staffed storefront in the campus center that’s set to open in June.Each student will be available to save $380 each semester … [Read more...] about Amazon Takes Over Textbook Business of the University of Massachusetts
Amazon Announces a New KDP Select Perk: Amazon Marketing Services
Authors who've enrolled their books in Amazon's exclusive program KDP Select might have noticed a new feature in their dashboards, tucked in among the various clickable topics. Amazon Marketing Services allows authors to setup an ad campaign for their exclusive titles, one that is designed to put their books in little "ahem" boxes next to customers' selections based on either … [Read more...] about Amazon Announces a New KDP Select Perk: Amazon Marketing Services
Author Earnings 2015: Indies Are Still Winning, the Industry Still Doesn’t Believe It
You have to hand it to Hugh Howey and the elusive Data Guy: they do a great but thankless service for which they receive heaps of professional scorn, but they don't let that stop them. Every time they release a new Author Earnings report filled with charts and graphs and actual information culled over countless hours at the computer, I remember the scene from the film Day After … [Read more...] about Author Earnings 2015: Indies Are Still Winning, the Industry Still Doesn’t Believe It
Book Baby Just Broke the Internet for Indie Authors
Since the original innovations in digital publishing and self-publishing first came along, there have been a few upgrades and features added to the concept, but nothing that really shook up the process, at least not in the same way that self-publishing originally turned the publishing world on its collective head. But a new program from ebook and print distributor BookBaby … [Read more...] about Book Baby Just Broke the Internet for Indie Authors
New Report Uncovers China’s Book Sales
If there was every any doubt about the need for authors and publishers to distribute their books abroad, a new report on book consumption in China may have just put those thoughts to rest. While China does boast the largest single-country population on the planet, those numbers translate into an incredible amount of sales within the various provinces.What is more … [Read more...] about New Report Uncovers China’s Book Sales
Self-Publishing the Family Cookbook
When the digital revolution kicked off, it sparked a wave--for better or for worse, depending on which supporter or critic you ask--of self-publishing opportunities that many were quick to take advantage of. But there were key groups who were left out at first, namely children's book authors, graphic novelists, photo array creators, and similar content developers. But thanks to … [Read more...] about Self-Publishing the Family Cookbook
New Initiative Puts India Closer to Broader Digital Adoption
One of the early adoption markets for tablet use, K12 digital textbooks, and a thriving e-commerce site to offer ebooks was India, but recent reports have shown somewhat stagnant responses, which experts have attributed to a lack of reliable wifi and internet connectivity throughout the country, as well as concerns about posting credit card information on unreliable digital … [Read more...] about New Initiative Puts India Closer to Broader Digital Adoption
James Patterson Gives away 1,000 Free Copies of Self-Destructing e-Book
James Patterson has a new book coming out soon, Private Vegas and 1,000 fans will be given a free code to download it for free in the next five days. The catch? Users have 24 hours to read the new title before it self-destructs, disappearing forever.The 1,000 free e-Book titles will be distributed through a new iPad app and has a 24 hour timer when you open it for the first … [Read more...] about James Patterson Gives away 1,000 Free Copies of Self-Destructing e-Book
Barnes and Noble Retail Boss Leaves the Company
Barnes and Noble has been experiencing a dramatic executive shuffle in the last few years.  Not only has the Nations largest bookseller replaced the CEO of the entire company, but the entire Nook division has seen every single key person leave. Today, B&N has announced that Mitchell Klipper, Chief Executive Officer of the Retail Group, will retire by May.  The Company said … [Read more...] about Barnes and Noble Retail Boss Leaves the Company
Harry Potter Plot Outlined on a Hand Drawn Spreadsheet
The Harry Potter saga comprises of seven novels by British author J.K. Rowling.  Many kids grew up reading  these books in their youth and a soft spot remains for all things Potter.Do you ever wonder if J.K had any idea about Dumbledore’s Army or horcruxes when she wrote the Sorcerer's Stone? She planned ahead more then you think. A recent manual spreadsheet has just … [Read more...] about Harry Potter Plot Outlined on a Hand Drawn Spreadsheet
Chapters Flagship Vancouver Bookstore to Close June 2015
Chapters and Indigo have announced that the Vancouver flagship bookstore at Robson and Howe will be closing its doors on June 30th 2015.The Chapters flagship retail location has fallen victim to a high rental increase for the  50,000 square feet of space over three levels of retail, including a dramatic entrance with soaring ceilings. The ground floor features a Starbucks … [Read more...] about Chapters Flagship Vancouver Bookstore to Close June 2015
BookShout Brings in Key Players for New Print Distribution
BookShout, the ebook distribution platform that has seen a great deal of recent success in partnering with publishers to produce sales dashboards and seamless, device-agnostic file integration for ebook consumers, announced at today's DBW event that several industry veterans from across major publishers have joined BookShout's team for its new print distribution … [Read more...] about BookShout Brings in Key Players for New Print Distribution
Waterstones in Talks to Purchase Blinkbox Books
Waterstones is in desperate need for an e-Book solution that they can market in all 300 of their retail stores in the United Kingdom. The bookseller has not been directly selling content, but making thin margins on every digital sale people make from the Kindles they buy from the shops. Salvation might be at hand, as Waterstones is in negations with Tesco about their Blinkbox … [Read more...] about Waterstones in Talks to Purchase Blinkbox Books