A new self-publishing app for Mac by software veterans Brad Andalman and Brad West, both of whom are former Pixar designers, is trying to make the self-publishing process for ebooks even easier and more streamlined than it already is, at least on the surface. The app, Vellum, is supposed to make the entire formatting and distributing process even easier and more … [Read more...] about Vellum Self-Publishing App for Mac Aims to Do It All…
E-Book News
How to Self-Publish or Create an Audiobook
The audiobook industry is starting to undergo dramatic shifts in their content delivery methods and major publishing companies are now investing millions of dollars into expensive productions. The entire audiobook industry is currently worth around 1.6 billion dollars and that figure should climb further. The main reason? Audio book producers have been increasing their output. … [Read more...] about How to Self-Publish or Create an Audiobook
iStoryTime Announces Children’s Enhanced eBook Giveaways
One of the first companies to begin producing high-quality, interactive ebook apps for the little readers among us was zuuka's iStoryTime, who has produced many of the licensed movie adaptations on the market. Through agreements with companies like DreamWorks, iStoryTime has released exciting renderings of storybooks to go with popular titles like Kung Fu Panda, Shrek, Rise of … [Read more...] about iStoryTime Announces Children’s Enhanced eBook Giveaways
Smashwords Unveils New Website, New Features
It's a testament to the company model that self-publishing platform and ebook distribution company Smashwords hasn't changed its website since it launched in 2008. Rather than throw around flashy landing pages that don't really do anything, the site has spent the last several years sticking with its tried-and-true site while it focused on more important factors, such as ease of … [Read more...] about Smashwords Unveils New Website, New Features
Amazon Indie Authors Now Get Paid in Full Every Month with No Minimum
Amazon has changed the terms of their author payout system for Kindle Direct Publishing. Indie authors that self-publish eBooks and receive their royalty payments electronically will now be paid in full every month for all their sales without any minimum thresholds for payout. This gives authors greater access to their earnings and a more reliable payment schedule, 60 days … [Read more...] about Amazon Indie Authors Now Get Paid in Full Every Month with No Minimum
Apple iBooks Now Allows for eBook Gifting
Apple has just released a new feature for the iOS and MAC version of iBooks that allows customers to gift an eBook to a friend or loved one. This new service only works domestically, so if you live in Canada and want to gift someone also in Canada, you are good to go. Gifting an eBook does not work internationally.Gifting in the iBookstore works identically to Apple's … [Read more...] about Apple iBooks Now Allows for eBook Gifting
Kindle Worlds Releases Work by Howey Based on Slaughterhouse Five
When Amazon Publishing announced the creation of its fan fiction publishing site Kindle Worlds, one of its first and most vocal supporters was bestselling author Hugh Howey. The author of the Silo Saga has been an active proponent of the idea that fan fiction--when readers take authors' story lines or characters and craft their own unique tales with those elements--is both a … [Read more...] about Kindle Worlds Releases Work by Howey Based on Slaughterhouse Five
Amazon’s List of Bestselling Titles of 2013
While retailers around the world--both in the book industry and out of it--tend to carefully guard their actual sales numbers, bestseller lists are a different idea altogether. Amazon has released the lists of books by category and by overall sales rank that have sold the most so far this year.While most of the top twenty titles came as no surprise, there were some … [Read more...] about Amazon’s List of Bestselling Titles of 2013
Is the Publishing Industry Wasting Its Time on Tablets?
One of the anticipated major trends of 2013, at least according to the companies showcasing their platforms at last January's Digital Book World event, was supposed to be online retail stores branded specifically to publishers and authors, essentially letting publishers cut out the retailer altogether when it can to ebooks, audiobooks, and other downloadable content. The move … [Read more...] about Is the Publishing Industry Wasting Its Time on Tablets?
eReatah changes name to Entitle
A number of companies have experimented with the subscription model for digital reading, but there have been some factors that have stood in the way of launching a viable and productive reality surrounding pay-as-you-go reading. Publishers have expressed serious and very real concerns about ensuring their authors are fairly compensated for content read under subscription, and … [Read more...] about eReatah changes name to Entitle
Without a Blockbuster Title for the Holidays, Indie Authors Can Step Up to the Plate
The past few holiday shopping seasons have seen a good-sized upswing in sales for the book industry, but consumers have had recent out-of-the-park blockbuster titles to purchase for their own holiday downtime or for gift giving. Books like new Stephen King and Neil Gaiman releases, and trilogies like The Hunger Games or Fifty Shades of Grey secured publishers' and booksellers' … [Read more...] about Without a Blockbuster Title for the Holidays, Indie Authors Can Step Up to the Plate
All’s Not Well at Amazon Germany
Just in time for the holidays, workers at several Amazon retail distribution centers situated throughout Germany have staged a series of one-day strikes in an effort to force the retail giant's hand in terms of labor disputes involving pay rates and working conditions within the factory-like centers.According to the German-based ver.di union, as many as 1,900 Amazon … [Read more...] about All’s Not Well at Amazon Germany
Resurgence of Indie Bookstores Means They Have a New Role to Fill
A number of articles have been written lately, like this prominent one from the Washington Post (love how the article in a paper owned by Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos actually has the words, "Amazon is king."), about the slow-but-serious growth of independent bookstores, both in terms of launches and in sales. Data from the American Booksellers Association actually points to both … [Read more...] about Resurgence of Indie Bookstores Means They Have a New Role to Fill
How Tumblr Turned a Book Into a Bestseller
In early 2013 Yahoo purchased social media website Tumblr, and many people thought it was a bold move. The a community of millions add 75 million daily posts about everything from politics to pets. Few people saw Tumblr as a promotional and marketing tool, but the online service turned Zeus Grants Stupid Wishes by Cory O’Brien into a viral sensation and overnight … [Read more...] about How Tumblr Turned a Book Into a Bestseller