Self-Publishing News: 8.30.2017 – October Round-Up

And now for the news!

Some highlights from this month in the world of self-publishing, wrapping up what’s new for you and yours in October 2017.

• How to Publish Your Book—Advice for Today’s Authors

Self-publishing can be a complicated process, as Desireé Duffy puts it in her latest article for the news blog Equities.com, but things are changing: “Self-publishing gives everyone the ability to unleash their opus to the masses,” says Duffy, launching into an interview with indie author, publisher, and radio host Gerald Everett Jones. Jones has been around long enough to attest to such changes, and the interview uncovers some genuine gems (including: “the noise level in the marketplace is higher than ever,” for example, due to the massive influx of new tools and texts). Jones and Duffy also work to hammer out a new definition of “success” which doesn’t conflate it with blockbuster publishing success, tackle misconceptions about self-publishing, compare the experience of going solo to that of sticking with traditional publishing, and list some tips and tricks for spotting the genuine article when it comes to self-publishing companies. They’re not all created equal, after all, and Jones knows. This lengthy interview is the perfect way to wrap up October!

• Talkback: Authors and booksellers on stocking self-published books

If you haven’t been watching the news from Down Under, you’ve been missing out: the Australian literary scene has been rich and textured for many a decade, but the last five years have seen a veritable explosion of great works in a variety of genres and categories, from crime fiction to young adult to fantasy to romance, and self-publishing has played a part in this larger conversation. Here, in this article for the Australian book industry blog, Books+Publishing, Andrea Hanke writes that “With a number of traditionally published authors moving into self-publishing, there’s never been a greater demand for bricks-and-mortar bookstores to stock self-published titles.” Hanke turns to hybrid author Ellie Marney and to Kym Bagley and Angela Crocombe, both of whom are booksellers, for their insights into how the self-publishing industry has evolved internationally to make more room for authors to experiment with form and content. It’s refreshing to read multiple perspectives on the same issue, with both authors and booksellers present on the page. Read the full article at the link!

• New Bowker Study Finds Increasing Growth in SelfPub ISBNs

Yeah, yeah, this shouldn’t be news to those of us who are really plugged into the self-publishing landscape–but it’s always nice to hear our anecdotal observations confirmed by third party research and statistics, isn’t it? So we come to Mercy Pilkington’s great piece for the Good E-Reader website, where she shop talks the numbers and what they actually mean for self-publishing authors today. Says Pilkington, “The rate of ISBN purchase for self-published books has increased by more than 218% since 2011, back when the digital revolution arguably took off.” That may sound like a huge number, but she’s careful to point out it hasn’t been a smooth increase; each year offers some new plateau or spike. The latest numbers, for example, suggest that “self-published print publishing is still on the rise, even though the number of self-published ebook titles are in slight decline.” Pilkington’s short piece serves as a great introduction to the Bowker report itself, which she links in her article.

As a self-publishing author, you may find it helpful to stay up-to-date on the trends and news related to the self-publishing industry.This will help you make informed decisions before, during and after the self-publishing process, which will lead to a greater self-publishing experience. To help you stay current on self-publishing topics, simply visit our blog every Monday to find out the hottest news. If you have other big news to share, please comment below.