In all of the attention given to Amazon and its fights with various companies, ebooks and their digital benefits, publishing and the revolution of indies, it's easy to forget to take notice of some of the most important and dynamic players in the industry: the local bookstores. These bookshops, mostly independently owned as a labor of love and not a retirement investment, … [Read more...] about Get Ready to Celebrate Indie Bookstores this Weekend
self publishing
What Happens when a Book Publisher Doesn’t Pay Royalties?
There is a growing cadre of publishers that have been not paying authors their royalties. There are many lawsuits currently in the works that seek to get compensation, but its a long and dark road. Hesperus Press has been ordered by a British High Court to stop selling digital and print copies of Jonas Jonasson’s smash-hit novel The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the … [Read more...] about What Happens when a Book Publisher Doesn’t Pay Royalties?
Self-Publish Your e-Books in Germany via Tolino
There once was a dream in Germany that local businesses could band together to combat the Amazon threat. The Seattle company controls 75% of the digital book market in the US and 95% in the United Kingdom. Germans did not want a foreign company to have that much clout and the dream was realized. Weltbild, Hugendubel, Bertelsmann Club, Deutsche Telekom and Thalia all formed a … [Read more...] about Self-Publish Your e-Books in Germany via Tolino
New Kindle Direct Publishing Dashboard to Help Indie Authors
Amazon is famous for surprising its authors with new features, new offers, and newly revamped designs, all while keeping quiet about it. Past moves have included adding whole new sales territories in foreign countries, and only revealing to authors that their books were available in Mexico, for example, when they found the country listed on their sales dashboards. It's akin to … [Read more...] about New Kindle Direct Publishing Dashboard to Help Indie Authors
Is the Traditional Publishing Industry Finally Catching Up?
Only a handful of years ago, self-published authors fought for legitimacy and respect while readers, retailers, and the traditional publishing industry scoffed at the notion that anyone would buy a book that hadn't been passed through the infamous "gate." Even with the names of early multi-million selling authors being thrown around, names like Amanda Hocking and Bella Andre, … [Read more...] about Is the Traditional Publishing Industry Finally Catching Up?
Libraries Opening to Self-Published Authors
There is no question that public libraries are in a difficult position. They're charged with providing valuable technology resources, learning opportunities, and of course, books to their communities while working within the most meager of budgets. As if those budgets weren't already spare enough, libraries are constantly under threat of further cuts, manpower and salary … [Read more...] about Libraries Opening to Self-Published Authors
What Rook Can Teach the Industry about Bookselling
There's a new app coming, and on the surface, it looks a whole lot like piracy meets FourSquare. Of course, the fact that a few smaller publishers have come on board and the nomination for a publishing industry innovation award lends a lot of credibility to the concept behind Rook, the free ebook reading app that lets users read any book they want for free, as long as they … [Read more...] about What Rook Can Teach the Industry about Bookselling
The Newest Indie Author Tool: Video Interviews
With so many positive aspects to self-publishing--complete creative and business control, lack of a gatekeeper, full retention of royalties--it can be easy to overlook the difficulties. While the overwhelming majority of traditionally published authors are still responsible for much of the legwork involved in reaching out to readers and generating book sales, all of that effort … [Read more...] about The Newest Indie Author Tool: Video Interviews
How Do Amazon-Publisher Disputes Affect Authors and Readers?
It was only a year ago that the publishing industry sat riveted as it waited to see how the storm between Amazon and publisher Hachette was going to play out. Hachette wanted new terms in light of the DOJ price fixing investigation, and Amazon wasn't about to budge. And with a 95% control of the ebook market, it's easy to see why Amazon didn't think freezing its sales of … [Read more...] about How Do Amazon-Publisher Disputes Affect Authors and Readers?
The Outdated Concept of a “Best Books” List
It doesn't really matter what the list is or what it's measuring, there's bound to be a critic and there's guaranteed to be a sore spot for a book, film, song, or other content that didn't make the cut. That's the sentiment behind a really insightful post on The Passive Voice over a list of the best children's books of all time. The post, which links to an article in The … [Read more...] about The Outdated Concept of a “Best Books” List