And now for the news!
Some highlights from this month in the world of self-publishing!
If you needed a laugh (that’s also, admittedly, kind of a groan), check out Kelly Burke’s article on 7News.com.au (an Australian news website), in which she covers the duplicitous exploits of “contrepreneur” and “demotivational speaker,” Mike Winnet. Winnet, who more or less makes his living (or earns his street cred) from similar pranks and social media efforts, set out to tackle Amazon’s self-publishing process this time around. His prank was simple: self-publish a book (titled How to get a #1 Amazon best-seller) that contains nothing but blank pages, and see what happens. In this case, the system, which is designed to pick up on fraudulent sales of this nature, missed the mark and Winnet’s book became listed on Amazon as a best-seller, even though it sold fewer than 50 copies. The book was only pulled from distribution after Winnet ‘fessed up on social media, which begs the question of how closely Amazon is actually watching its self-publishing platform, and what sorts of legitimately fraudulent activity may be taking place on the site. This may or may not impact authors’ decisions to publish or not publish through Amazon, but it’s worth keeping an eye on.
To end this week’s news post on a positive note, cast your eyes toward author Amanda Alcántara, whose most recent book Chula inspired this article by Erica Nahmad of BeLatina.com. Writes Nahmad, Chula is “an autobiographical look at her childhood as a Latina in the Dominican Republic and later in the United States, is exactly as inspiring and entertaining as you might imagine.” What follows is a resoundingly positive and lengthy look at Alcántara’s background and the details of the book proper, as well as the author’s decision to self-publish. Says Nahmad, “Author Amanda Alcántara had a story to tell, a story that could not wait and that needed to be shared. And despite the typical obstacles in getting a book published, she took matters into her own hands and told the tale she was born to tell.” Later in the article, Nahmad includes a lengthy section titled “How Alcántara was Empowered by Self-Publishing Her Debut Book,” in which she details Alcántara’s experiences. Writes Nahmad:
“I didn’t want to wait one year to find an agent then one year to find a publisher. I didn’t want to wait three years to publish my book,” she told People En Español. “I didn’t want to compromise on the Spanish and English or the format.”
And that creative control allowed her to preserve the very personal tone and also ensure that she built a team that was connected to her vision and her experiences — the editorial team, cover illustrator and photographer are all of Dominican heritage.
How cool is that?
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 each month to find out the hottest news. If you have other big news to share, please comment below.
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