In more dark news for the publishing industry, media mainstay GalleyCat has announced that it will be closing its doors. The site, one of several under the umbrella of AdWeek, covered publishing industry news and offered reviews of upcoming books. According to a blog post signed by both Dianna Dilworth and Maryann Yin, "We thank you for your support and readership over the … [Read more...] about GalleyCat Closes as Industry News and Review Site
self publishing
The End of IndieReader
The publishing revolution has been a long and winding road, but through it all, there have been some powerhouse companies--both large and small--that have worked to bring books of every kind into the spotlight. One company, IndieReader, launched in 2009 with a very specific goal: the fan the flames of an indie book movement that had the same credibility and following of the … [Read more...] about The End of IndieReader
Lulu Launches Academic SelfPub Branch Glasstree
It's been a long time since something truly innovative happened to digital publishing and indie presses. Just in time for one semester to end and another to begin, though, self-publishing company Lulu announced the launch of something that might finally be a disruptive force in publishing. One of the much-anticipated and completely disappointing aspects of the digital … [Read more...] about Lulu Launches Academic SelfPub Branch Glasstree
Amazon Marketing Services Open to All Authors…Sort Of
Amazon has rolled out a new offer for authors whose titles are published through the Kindle platform: Amazon Marketing Services. Basically, this is an additional layer of potential promotion that the retailer has given authors, letting them pay for per-click advertising on their self-published titles. "Wait, Amazon's done that for ages. Why is this news?" Well, they've sort … [Read more...] about Amazon Marketing Services Open to All Authors…Sort Of
IDPF Approves Measure to Join W3C
A highly contentious move in the world of digital publishing has resulted in a combination of forces between the International Digital Publishing Forum (IDPF) and the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), a move that has caused no small measure of division among members and stakeholders. The IDPF proposed the measure last May at BookExpo, and the backlash was swift and loud. One … [Read more...] about IDPF Approves Measure to Join W3C
NaNoWriMo: But Did I Win?
With the excitement of NaNoWriMo firmly grasping authors everywhere, it's easy to forget that there are newcomers each year who are still a little perplexed by the whole process. The concept of writing the actual 50,000-word novel is already daunting enough, but then the notion of what to do with it when finished is somewhat harder. The first thing to remember about NaNo is … [Read more...] about NaNoWriMo: But Did I Win?
NaNoWriMo: One Week In…
Okay, don't panic... it hasn't been quite a full week since NaNoWriMo kicked off. You've still got plenty of time. National Novel Writing Month--NaNo, to the veteran participants and tweet-watchers--kicked off this past Tuesday with all the fanfare that only the great collective writing event could produce. But what does it really take to participate? Backing up, NaNoWriMo … [Read more...] about NaNoWriMo: One Week In…
The Indie-Library Relationship
As the worlds of publishing, digital publishing, and self-publishing continue to evolve, there are some unfortunate sources of stagnation. The education sector, for example, is still waiting for the long-promised digital textbook revolution that was going to not only dramatically reduce the costs associated with book purchasing, but also increase student engagement and success … [Read more...] about The Indie-Library Relationship
The Paradox of the Publishing Industry
We can't have it both ways, yet that's how some industry experts want to spin it. First, the statistical news: the overall sales figures recorded a 7% decrease in sales across all books, while ebook sales for traditional publishers were down 22% year-over-year in an AAP Statshot for its most recent numbers, April 2016. There were some modest numbers in specific formats or … [Read more...] about The Paradox of the Publishing Industry
Penguin Random House Finally Seeks Unheard Voices
When self-publishing first began to take off in a big way a few years ago, the very common favorable argument was that the publishing industry was based on a centuries-old model that failed its authors. The cringe-worthy royalty splits and little to no return for the author were bad enough, but the most profound argument was that authors were tired of executives in conference … [Read more...] about Penguin Random House Finally Seeks Unheard Voices