The number-fanatics behind the Author Earnings report have released another installment in their in-depth analysis of how book sales are taking shape across the publishing landscape. While there were very few earth-shaking surprises in the data this time around, it's more like enough proof that a few long-held beliefs about publishing can finally be put to bed. 1. There's no … [Read more...] about Author Earnings: “The Pool Is Open”
book sales
The Gatekeeper Is Back, Authors…
In the era of ebooks and at-the-touch-of-a-button access to hundreds of millions of titles, you'd think that the possibilities for both readers and authors would be endless. For years, that's actually been the claim; with the "take down" of the publishing gatekeepers and the widespread acceptance of indie authorhood, we've been told that anyone can write, publish, and … [Read more...] about The Gatekeeper Is Back, Authors…
KDP Offers Authors a New Sales Dashboard
There's little doubt that Amazon has been the driving force behind the digital publishing revolution, including its impact on self-publishing. The once-daunting process of being an author meant navigating some treacherous waters on both the creative side and the business side of things. But with the Kindle Direct Publishing platform, authors have enjoyed a fairly … [Read more...] about KDP Offers Authors a New Sales Dashboard
The Power of a Book Tweet
Self-published authors have resorted to "buy my book" tweets for so long that social media is a minefield of useless book commercials. But one purposeful--albeit off the cuff--tweet from an independent bookstore led to an exponential increase in sales. According to Book Web, Carmichael’s Bookstore in Louisville, Kentucky, reached out to author Shea Serrano after he directed … [Read more...] about The Power of a Book Tweet
Book Sales Remain a Closely Guarded Secret
One of the most frustrating aspects of being an author, publisher, or book retailer is the closely guarded, secretive nature of book sales figures. For some reason, unknown to many even in the industry, retailers and publishers typically do not disclose their sales numbers; at the same time, authors can have their accounts closed and their titles removed from retailers' virtual … [Read more...] about Book Sales Remain a Closely Guarded Secret
Down with eBooks, Up with Print
It's an old song, but it's still ringing out from the global marketplace: ebook sales are down, print sales are up, and we think the kids are to blame. In all seriousness, the very early days of the digital publishing revolution showed us that ebooks could hold their own in the book publishing arena, or at the very least come in a close enough second to not be scorned as a … [Read more...] about Down with eBooks, Up with Print
Clock Is Ticking on Goodreads Choice Awards
There are a number of prestigious book awards--and that number is exponentially dwarfed by the number of "fly by night" book awards that earn a profit off of the entry fees--that can do amazing things for increasing an author's credibility and a specific title's sales figures. The inherent promotion of the contest itself can increase a book's visibility, while the resulting … [Read more...] about Clock Is Ticking on Goodreads Choice Awards
Do Republicans Read?
There have been two major sales spikes in the past week, both of them noteworthy due to their unexpected rise in popularity and the fact that both of them were highlighted from the stage at the Democratic National Convention. The first was the "pocket Constitution," which Khizr Khan held up in defiance to GOP candidate Donald Trump; Khan offered to loan his dog-eared copy to … [Read more...] about Do Republicans Read?
New Kindle Direct Publishing Dashboard to Help Indie Authors
Amazon is famous for surprising its authors with new features, new offers, and newly revamped designs, all while keeping quiet about it. Past moves have included adding whole new sales territories in foreign countries, and only revealing to authors that their books were available in Mexico, for example, when they found the country listed on their sales dashboards. It's akin to … [Read more...] about New Kindle Direct Publishing Dashboard to Help Indie Authors
What Nielsen Can Tell Indie Authors
The kind people at Nielsen BookScan do a fairly decent job at uncovering consumer behaviors towards books, then compare that data year over year to highlight the trends in this ever-evolving market. But a lot of self-published authors--especially ones who limit their work to Amazon or who think they're not selling enough copies to even register as a blip on Nielsen's … [Read more...] about What Nielsen Can Tell Indie Authors