Despite the fact that Fifty Shades of Grey is old news--at least the book, the film doesn't release until Valentine's Day next year--and the door to free publishing of adult content has been thrown wide open since EL James' book took newsstands by storm, critics are still claiming the downfall of human society due to the abundance of explicit content. Interestingly, it seems … [Read more...] about The Stigma Around Erotica Continues
HM Ward
HM Ward on Literary Agents and the Indie Author Industry
Even though the "indie author revolution" and self-publishing as a valid form of content distribution are currently enjoying a never-before-seen rate of success and acceptance, the landscape itself is still evolving as players from every aspect of the industry still work through the system. Of course, as the publishing industry itself evolves and new forms of expression and … [Read more...] about HM Ward on Literary Agents and the Indie Author Industry
Fan Fiction Romance Comes to Kindle Worlds
Amazon launched its Kindle Worlds fan fiction platform just over a year ago, and the concept has been a great success for both the rights holders who license content to the site and the fans who adore the concepts and story lines of their favorite authors. These reader fans have often taken to writing their own continuation of the stories once the book ends, largely due to the … [Read more...] about Fan Fiction Romance Comes to Kindle Worlds
HM Ward on the Aftermath of Her Book Deal Decision
With so much debate currently raging about both book pricing and book deals--especially where indie authors are concerned--it's good to hear some concrete news that worked in an author's favor. While pioneers like Hugh Howey continue to release minutely specific and incredibly detailed reports on book sales for both self- and traditionally published authors, other authors are … [Read more...] about HM Ward on the Aftermath of Her Book Deal Decision
Anti-Transparency: Why Are Book Sales a Secret?
The book industry has certainly been overwhelmed since the beginning of 2014 with information gleaned from author surveys on their satisfaction with publishing, in all of its forms. The first survey, conducted by Digital Book World and Writer's Digest magazine, already contained a mild slant given that the thousands of survey respondents were subscribers to a decidedly … [Read more...] about Anti-Transparency: Why Are Book Sales a Secret?
Transparency: Author HM Ward Discusses eBook Sales and Pricing
A number of authors, including JA Konrath and Hugh Howey, made international headlines this week with their open discussions of what is wrong with ebook pricing and sales data. The lack of open access to the information, guarded like a state a secret by the online retailers, presumably don't help authors know which publishing decisions are right for them. Without accurate data, … [Read more...] about Transparency: Author HM Ward Discusses eBook Sales and Pricing