A post by Shannon of the DuoLit team from earlier this year rings true, especially during the busy last-minute holiday shopping season. In the post--which got a surprisingly low number of critics in the comments section--the writer points to the need for authors to only advertise two retailers for their ebooks and one retailer--Amazon--for their print editions.The writer … [Read more...] about Too Much Choice Can Impede eBook Sales
Indie Author News
Ebook Bundles Add Value, Discovery to Authors’ Works
As authors and publishers clamor to help their titles be found in an ever growing ebook market, one source of promotion and increased revenue has come in the form of ebook bundling. Some publishers were early experimenters with the concept in its early form, which included titles such as Hilary Jordan's When She Woke being offered for one price in both print and digital by … [Read more...] about Ebook Bundles Add Value, Discovery to Authors’ Works
New Book Discovery Engine Novelry Aids Searchability
One of the key issues plaguing an admittedly glutted ebook market is the need for better searchability, especially for self-published and small press books that don't come with the publicity teams reserved for bestsellers from the Big Five. Even as readers reach out to support the efforts of indie authors, book discovery still remains murky.But a new book search engine is … [Read more...] about New Book Discovery Engine Novelry Aids Searchability
Scribd, Smashwords Partner to Put Indie Authors’ Work in Subscription Service
This might be a biased statement given the amount of news that crosses the Good e-Reader desk concerning ebook distribution and self-publishing platform Smashwords, but it's a pretty safe bet that Smashwords has done more to further the cause of self-publishing than any other platform available to authors. Certainly companies like Amazon, Barnes and Noble's Nook Press, and … [Read more...] about Scribd, Smashwords Partner to Put Indie Authors’ Work in Subscription Service
Vellum Self-Publishing App for Mac Aims to Do It All…
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…
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
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
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
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
Book Riot Readers Select Their Favorite Books of 2013
Book Riot, a site for all things book love, polled its users and asked for their top three nominations for best book published in 2013. While the list had some issues when readers weren't always on top of what month a book was published (and therefore affected the year of publication), over five hundred readers nominated a total of 473 unique titles to the list, of which users … [Read more...] about Book Riot Readers Select Their Favorite Books of 2013