Ah, who can forget only a couple of weeks ago when a romance author destroyed any hope of having a career and a dedicated following by being a jerk to other authors? Dubbed #cockygate, author Faleena Hopkins filed a dubious trademark-slash-wordmark on the word "cocky" as it pertains to her Cocky Brothers book series. She then moved forward with threatening other authors who had … [Read more...] about Another Romance Author In #CockyGate-Level Move
self publishing
Bronx Book Festival Highlights Bigger Problems For Readers
LitHub recently profiled the amazing story of Saraciea Fennell, a publicist for a Big Five publisher, who took on a seemingly impossible task for the best of reasons. After seeing the lack of attention her home in the Bronx receives on the literary radar, she set about creating the Bronx Book Festival. The daunting task has been a labor of love, and thankfully, has … [Read more...] about Bronx Book Festival Highlights Bigger Problems For Readers
#CockyGate Continues With Cringeworthy Victim-Blaming
Authors and readers alike have been following the saga of #cockygate, the internet-blowup surrounding one author's attempt to bully other authors into changing the names of their books. Author Faleena Hopkins first wordmarked her romance series title as it appears in a logo, but then may or may not have trademarked the word "cocky." As such, she began reaching out to authors … [Read more...] about #CockyGate Continues With Cringeworthy Victim-Blaming
Is Amazon Destroying Indie Authors Careers?
Ask any self-published author about their thoughts on Amazon, and you're likely to get one hundred opinions from one hundred writers. For some, the retail giant represents the gateway to opportunity, options for publishing that were never before available in history. For others, Amazon is symbolic of everything wrong with corporations: arbitrary rules, hoops to jump through, … [Read more...] about Is Amazon Destroying Indie Authors Careers?
Publishing Suicide: Indie Authors Turn into the Bullies
Over the years, this news site has covered far more news of author bullying than any site should ever have to. The articles on bullies who turn on authors--especially indie authors--never fail to draw the trolls and naysayers out of the woodwork, and this article will most assuredly be no different. This time, it's different, though. Rather than the poor creative who's faced … [Read more...] about Publishing Suicide: Indie Authors Turn into the Bullies
Traditionally Published Authors Want What Indies Have
When self-published authors like Amanda Hocking became book industry names, it was for reaching incredible sales figures on the fairly new Kindle e-reading platform. After reaching newsworthy levels of success, Hocking and others like her attracted the attention of literary agents and publishers looking to reach consumers. Experts would often question why an author who was … [Read more...] about Traditionally Published Authors Want What Indies Have
Is Audible Romance Ripping Off Authors?
When Amazon launched ACX, its KDP or CreateSpace-style self-publishing platform for audiobooks, it was seen as a great equalizer for both authors and readers. Audiobooks can be prohibitively expensive, so much so that only a fraction of books (even traditionally published books) makes its way into audio. With the ability to record your own audiobook file, hire a narrator … [Read more...] about Is Audible Romance Ripping Off Authors?
Amazon Review Fraud Hits New Categories
Authors have been accused of buying reviews of their books for years. At the very least, there have been accusations hurled of authors building up lists of people to pad their review counts, a practice that is not at all in violation of Amazon's terms so long as the reviews are genuine and mention is made of the free book the reviewer received. But one couple has come forward … [Read more...] about Amazon Review Fraud Hits New Categories
New Amazon Scam Hits Authors and Consumers
It's tax filing season for US consumers, so all across America, paperwork has filtered into households with the residents' income statement. These documents reflect their total amount of wage earnings, as well as the amounts that are withheld or are still taxable. Unfortunately, one security researcher has uncovered a scam that has increased the reported amount of income that … [Read more...] about New Amazon Scam Hits Authors and Consumers
Fifty Shades of Bad for You?
Whether you're a fan of the books and movie franchise or not, there's little doubt that 50 Shades and its complete line of products has made an impact. Some can argue that it brought not only indie authors but also fan fiction into the more respectable mainstream, although a growing number of critics are pointing to the unhealthy dynamics in the book as everything wrong with … [Read more...] about Fifty Shades of Bad for You?