Tate Publishing Execs Arrested for Fraud, Extortion

In the vanity press business, there are a few honorable exceptions to…
AI and Book publishing

Book Publishing in Modern Times

Traditionally, authors would pass through judgements in the publishing world for getting…
Inkitt Self-Publishing

Inkitt AI Self-Publishing Platform Nabs $37M

  Image credit: Inkitt Inkitt is a brand-new self-publishing platform that allows…
MindStir Media

MindStir Media: Pioneering Self-Publishing in the USA

MindStir Media is the leading provider of self-publishing and book marketing services…
e ink and publishing

Increase in Self-Published Creators: Blessing for the Industry

The increase in self-published creators within the Japanese manga industry marks a…
Publishing trends

4 Book Publishing Trends for 2023

When it comes to the publishing industry, the domain has seen several…

Audiobook Scams Highlight the Issues in Self-Publishing

From the earliest days of self-publishing, scammers have been looking to make…

Big Changes that May Save Barnes and Noble

Everyone is talking about Barnes and Noble CEO James Daunt’s keynote address…

Should You Start an Author Podcast?

Podcasts are nothing new, but it may have taken a devastating global…

KDP Change Means No More MOBI Files

Uploading self-published or small press titles to Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing platform…

B&N Press Just Sweetened Its Deal for Indie Authors

One of the most important things about self-publishing has always been that…

Self-Publishing increased by 40% in 2018

Self-publishing grew by a rate of 40% in 2018 and it will…

A New Indie-Like Day Is Dawning for Barnes and Noble

If you’re lucky enough to live in a town with a thriving…

Wattpad’s 10th Anniversary Watty Awards Now Open

Whatever your summer plans were, put them on hold. If you’re an…

IndieReader Announces Winners of 9th Annual IR Discovery Awards

Ever since the self-publishing revolution began, companies have come and gone that…

Move Over New Adult, There Are New Stories to Tell

“Against YA: Adults should be embarrassed to read children’s books.” –Slate, June…

Big Changes at BookBaby

In the world of self-publishing companies, there are more than a few…

Predators Ripping Off Authors Are Worse than Ever

Imagine building a company slowly, one that is intended to give authors…

Reedsy Launches Book Discovery Platform for Indie Authors

Since the the dawn of the current indie publishing revolution, startups across…

Is the Dream of a Traditional Book Deal Dead?

There was a time when self-publishing your book through a vanity press…

Indie Bookshops Are Back from the Brink

The meteoric rise of Amazon into a global retail empire has hit…

Tate Publishing Crooks Receive 20 Years, Nearly $1M in Restitution

In a victory for indie authors, the founder and CEO of vanity…

Where Would We Be Without Amazon? Buying Books on Smashwords

There’s little doubt that Amazon has changed everything about publishing. It’s not just a matter of opening the doors for indie authors, producing a viable e-reader device and then creating a platform for content to fill it, or leveraging the power of enhanced searchability to give authors potential visibility. Amazon has even sparked change in traditional publishing, such as prompting some companies to rethink the ridiculous wait times for royalty payments and upping the percentage of royalty share that authors traditionally received. But Amazon has also led to the death of a number of companies who simply couldn’t keep up. Smaller presses, literary agents, and countless brick-and-mortar bookstores are gone, unable to stay afloat in a world where one-click book buying, free two-day shipping, and 70% author royalties are considered normal. But what do we do when Amazon is no longer there? It’s not that far-fetched a possibility, as author David Gaughran’s recent post about books disappearing from international consumers’ sales shelves highlighted. At any given time, every author who sells exclusively on Amazon via the KDP platform could wake up to find their livelihood and fan following are gone. Luckily, Amazon isn’t the only game in town, despite the pop culture belief that it is. B&N is still stubbornly hanging on, Kobo is reaching more international markets than some major-name retailers, and Smashwords just released the news that there are now half a million titles available on its platform. As a company, Smashwords and its founder have been an interesting site to watch. At the risk of insulting a business model that has existed in the wings for ten years now, it’s the Little Engine That Could of ebook self-publishing. Founder and CEO Mark Coker has sat for interviews with this site several times, but the quiet bookish demeanor is not to be dismissed. Coker has long been an outspoken critic of book sellers who are too big for their britches and shutting out all other competitors for this exact reason: what will happen to books when (not if) Amazon fails? Fortunately, just because a household name is well-known, that doesn’t mean it’s the only option after all. Readers and authors alike would do well to explore their options on other platforms and keep the books coming in.