Wattpad announced a new acquisition to its growing family, this time in the form of traditionally published author community Red Room. Not to be confused with the reference from Fifty Shades of Grey, Red Room served as a bridge to connect readers and authors in a space that welcomed discussion surrounding books. With this acquisition, Wattpad welcomes the Red Room readers … [Read more...] about Wattpad Acquires Traditional Author Community Red Room
indie authors
Hugh Howey on Writers’ Unions: Who Really Speaks for Authors?
There are a few groups out there that claim to be the voice of advocacy and support for authors. Chief among them is the Author's Guild, an organization that actively works to block self-published authors from its inner sanctum by imposing hefty sales requirements before indie authors can join, thus making them a retailer's guild, rather than an author's guild. There's also the … [Read more...] about Hugh Howey on Writers’ Unions: Who Really Speaks for Authors?
Crowdfunding Opportunities for Authors Evolve with Pentian
Crowdfunding has grown into a popular method of securing much-needed financial backing for countless startups, charities, and projects, but the concept has already developed a few bugs, notably that there are a lot of options to choose from when looking for this kind of financial launchpad. Companies seem to be springing up overnight in an effort to capitalize on the percentage … [Read more...] about Crowdfunding Opportunities for Authors Evolve with Pentian
eBook Pricing: What’s Wrong with Free?
Once publishers began to truly embrace ebooks as a viable business model for their content, the next great debate became how much to price them. Numerous studies and surveys have been conducted that look for consumer behavior where price is concerned, and a few logical guidelines have come about as a result. One thing that still riles both publishers and authors is the … [Read more...] about eBook Pricing: What’s Wrong with Free?
Twitter Mute is a Savior from Spamming Indie Authors
Twitter is often a vehicle employed by self-published authors to promote their eBooks. Thousands of Tweets are sent out everyday with no value other than the desperate attempts to sell a few copies of their Book on Amazon. Twitter is seeking to save us from the maelstrom of spam with the advent of a new Mute function. Twitter Mute is a new software enhancement that will be … [Read more...] about Twitter Mute is a Savior from Spamming Indie Authors
The Bullies Win: Authors Abandoning Publishing Over Online Behaviors
Good e-Reader has given extensive coverage to a situation plaguing the publishing industry, both from a self-publishing standpoint and a traditional one: author bullying. While information has come out that some authors have engaged in less-than-professional tactics, particularly where book reviews are concerned, the situation has escalated to the point that some well-known … [Read more...] about The Bullies Win: Authors Abandoning Publishing Over Online Behaviors
Indie Authors are being Preyed Upon
Self-publishing is a polarizing topic in the publishing world. There is no denying that the sheer amount of titles has dramatically increased in recent years. The average bestseller list on the New York Times, or Amazon normally has 3-4 indie titles in the top 25. One of the side effects of more people self-publishing is the sheer number of people preying on … [Read more...] about Indie Authors are being Preyed Upon
New AuthorEarnings Report Highlights B&N Sales
Massive change is being sparked in the publishing industry, thanks to the enterprising--and exhausting--work of authors who've taken it upon themselves to share sales information with the intention of helping authors make informed decisions where publishing opportunities are involved. Authors like HM Ward and Hugh Howey have been as transparent as they can be about their own … [Read more...] about New AuthorEarnings Report Highlights B&N Sales
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
Sales Down for Barnes and Noble, But How Bad Is Bad?
While consumers might be alarmed by headlines that blare dire warnings about corporate downfalls, it's important to take closer look at what constitutes a "bad" holiday sales season and what the reasons for a decline might be. News has broken of Barnes and Noble's recent drop in sales compared to the previous year, and--coupled with news of stores closings, including its … [Read more...] about Sales Down for Barnes and Noble, But How Bad Is Bad?
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
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
Amazon Australia a Source of Concern to Booksellers, Publishers
Every time Amazon branches out into a new territory, concerned booksellers, publishers, and industry watchers voice their opinions on how the online retail giant is going to impact books in the area. This should be nothing new to locals, but with last month's launch of Amazon Australia, the same criticisms that have been thrown about for several years resurfaced. Certainly, … [Read more...] about Amazon Australia a Source of Concern to Booksellers, Publishers
Smashwords Adds Dropbox Delivery for eBook Reading
Along with the incredibly wide variety of devices that ebook distribution platform Smashwords' customers can choose from is a new offering, Dropbox. By selecting the "Send to Dropbox" feature when they buy ebooks, readers can access their ebooks on any compatible device, including iPad and most smartphones. Interestingly, this new feature will be compatible with ebooks that … [Read more...] about Smashwords Adds Dropbox Delivery for eBook Reading