Digital publishing and ebook retailing are still quite the numbers game, as ongoing reports on book sales can clearly demonstrate. But what is less obvious in this topsy-turvy industry is just how much of the game is being manipulated behind the scenes by artificial factors. Case in point: earlier this summer, author David Gaughran highlighted an ongoing scam in which … [Read more...] about Bookselling 2017: What’s Amazon Up To?
publishers weekly
Is Crowdfunding Your Book Worth It?
There's little doubt that crowdfunding has reshaped the way we function as a society. A study last year from the University of Pennsylvania found the popular site Kickstarter has had economic impact in the billions of dollars, and created more than 300,000 jobs since it launched. Competitor sites like TeeChip and IndieGogo surely have similar functionality, even if the sheer … [Read more...] about Is Crowdfunding Your Book Worth It?
Pokemon Go and the Book Marketing Angle
As Pokemon Go continues to take over social media and gamers' lives--in all the best ways, of course--industrious authors and booksellers alike have found ways to capitalize on the game's popularity and online clickability in order to entice new customers to give them a look. Some explanations for the game have compared Pokemon Go to geocaching, in that both activities rely … [Read more...] about Pokemon Go and the Book Marketing Angle
Five ABNA Category Winners Annouced
The end is almost near for this year's Amazon Breakthrough Novel Awards, hosted by Amazon and CreateSpace. A contest that began in January with 10,000 entries from authors across a spectrum of genres has now been whittled away to just five finalists. At each stage in the contest, the field of entries is narrowed dramatically, leading up to today's announcement of the five … [Read more...] about Five ABNA Category Winners Annouced
PW Launches BookLife Self-Publishing Platform
While the company website is a little stark right now, make no mistake that the people behind Publisher's Weekly are going to unveil something big. Set to launch during this year's BookExpo event, BookLife will not only help authors with the usual suspects like vetted professionals for cover design, editing, and formatting, but will also work to offer promotional tools that … [Read more...] about PW Launches BookLife Self-Publishing Platform
PW Interprets Print Sales Data
One of the most common misconceptions surrounding writing and publishing relates to book sales. From the well-meaning outsiders who blithely ask, "You're a published author...are you rich?" to the industry-wide belief that bestseller status, especially for traditionally published authors, equates to being able to quit one's day job, sales figures are an elusive data set for … [Read more...] about PW Interprets Print Sales Data
James Patterson Provides $1M to Save Indie Bookstores
Talk of the effects of digital publishing on indie bookstores has been happening in the background of the book industry since the current digital revolution first took off. When stores like the Borders chain collapsed or when B&N's sales figures plummet, concerns are raised about what ebooks and online retailing is doing to bookstores, but that discussion largely focuses on … [Read more...] about James Patterson Provides $1M to Save Indie Bookstores
The Self vs Traditional Publishing Debate Continues
While authors and industry experts on both sides of the table have almost come to a consensus that there are benefits to both self-publishing and traditional publishing, it almost feels as though some more hardcore fans of either side still won't lay to rest their original sentiments about the other camp. Publisher's Weekly took note of a recent promotion by Amazon of a … [Read more...] about The Self vs Traditional Publishing Debate Continues
Classics Illustrated Comes to Tablet
Many a student's grade in high school English was saved by the comic book-style Classics Illustrated, and even more student simply enjoyed the link drawing illustrations and original graphic novel adaptation of some of the most famous works of literature ever written. Unfortunately for fans who are fond of the nostalgia of the pocket-sized books, the collectors items are now … [Read more...] about Classics Illustrated Comes to Tablet
Self-Publishing Gains Ground, Acceptance
Publisher’s Weekly posted a recap article of the recent Miami Book Fair, and went to great lengths to expand on the importance that was placed on self-publishing at this year’s event. As one of the most respected book events in the country and celebrating almost thirty years of books and authors, featuring information sessions on a publication process that was once relegated to … [Read more...] about Self-Publishing Gains Ground, Acceptance
Breakdown of Aptara’s Ebook Publishing Study
Digital Book World posted a comprehensive peek at Aptara’s and Publisher’s Weekly’s April survey on how ebooks are faring in the publishing market, and the results came as no surprise to anyone who thinks digital reading is here to stay. Almost 900 publishers from publishing houses of every size range responded. Some of the surprises in the study, though, included most of … [Read more...] about Breakdown of Aptara’s Ebook Publishing Study
File Scanning Service 1DollarScan Causes Fear of Piracy
On the surface, the concept behind San Jose-based file scanning company 1DollarScan is both simple and practical. Send a piece of print material to the company, and upon signing the user agreement and making payment, the company will send back a PDF of the material sent. This is an ideal service for companies with large volumes of documents that need to be stored, newspapers or … [Read more...] about File Scanning Service 1DollarScan Causes Fear of Piracy
DRM, Compatibility, and Myth
To the average reader who owns a brand-specific device and only shops for books through the device’s parent company, concerns about things like cross-platform compatibility and DRM status might not really be on the radar. And for a large portion of the reading population, that may be the case; browse for a book on your favorite retailer’s site, click the Buy button, and wait … [Read more...] about DRM, Compatibility, and Myth
More Publishers Experiment with eBook-Only, eBook-First
An original piece in Publisher’s Weekly revealed that more and more traditional publishers are trying out the ever-growing publishing tactic of digital only books, or at least digital first. Over a year ago, traditional publishers like Harlequin made headlines and raised eyebrows by announcing the formation of imprints within their publishing houses that were dedicated to … [Read more...] about More Publishers Experiment with eBook-Only, eBook-First