Author: selfpublishingadvisor

And now for the news.

Highlights from this month in the world of self-publishing:

• The Selfies Book Awards Kick Off in the U.S.

Awards season has officially begun, and not just for film and television–the publishing industry is in the thick of things with shortlists being announced left and right for the big ones: The Nobel Prize for Literature, the National Book Award, the Man Booker Prize, and many others. Self-publishing has a number of awards geared towards independent and self-published authors, with the Selfies being a great example. This week, Publishers Weekly announced the beginning of the awards process, with works under consideration, and the wheels grinding towards the announcement of a shortlist in May. The final winner will be announced in June. This is an especially exciting year for the Selfies, as 2020 marks the first year where an award will be offered for works published in the United States; up through 2019, the Selfies were a project specific to the United Kingdom only. For more about the Selfies, check out the original article (linked above).

• 73 libraries have loaned out 1 million ebooks in 2019

This from Michael Kozlowski of The Good E-Reader: 73 libraries around the world passed the 1 million mark when it comes to ebook checkouts in 2019–which is to say, EACH of those 73 checked out AT LEAST 1 million ebooks. According to Kozlowski, “Half of all the libraries that joined the club had more than 2 million checkouts in 2019. Collectively, this group amassed a staggering 174 million checkouts.” That is exceptionally good news for authors of ebooks, including self-published authors; as demand and usage both increase, libraries become more willing to experiment with new ebook-lending and collection development strategies. We’ve already seen some incredibly exciting experiments taking place, including one at the Multnomah Public Library in Oregon, as we’ve reported before. Kozlowski’s article breaks down just which libraries are seeing the most success.

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.

And now for the news.

Highlights from this month in the world of self-publishing:

• Select Book Conferences, Fairs, and Festivals in 2020

One of the most useful things to do early on in a new year is sit down with a calendar and plan out what to sign up for or prepare for and when. Publishers Weekly to the rescue! This article from last week lays the groundwork for the coming “big events” of the bookish world in 2020, from regional to national to international book fairs, festivals, and conferences–including several our blog contributors and fellow bookish folk shall be attending. The PW list has some quirks in organization, in that it is sectioned off by month, but within each month the individual events are organized alphabetically, not chronologically. (So be aware of that.) We were going to say something about how certain months look particularly busy, but in spending a little more time with the list, it’s fair to say that every month is packed full of potential opportunities.

• 4 Communications Tactics You Must Execute in 2020

It’s never too early to pick up some new marketing and communications tricks, and along comes Eric Fischgrund of Business 2 Community with a few ideas just as we’re unpacking the new yearly planner and our fresh pack of preferred pens. And Fischgrund? He gets us. Like, really gets us. And our busy schedules, and how easy it can be to distract us from our wonderful new goals with shiny cool new things or even just the complications of everyday life. Writes Fischgrund,

Marketing and communications programs often fall through the cracks, and ideas from December are cast aside by February when new corporate directives are pursued. But it doesn’t have to be that way.

He then goes on to list the four points indicated by the article title. Several are perhaps not specifically applicable to self-publishing, but points 2 and 3 are more or less exactly the enthusiastic reminder we needed to get started on our self-publishing goals.

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.

Goodbye, 2019! Happy New Year’s Eve.

And now for the news.

Highlights from this month in the world of self-publishing:

• 11 trends that changed the way we read this decade

This eye-opening article by Ron Charles in the Washington Post serves as a retrospective of the last decade in publishing, including insights into many encouraging trends as well as several ones that might serve as watchwords for the future. Charles covers the phoenix-from-the-ashes return of indie bookstores as well as the rise of audiobooks, graphic novels, and female authors. He also gives room to the politicization of both adult nonfiction AND children’s picture books–at the same time as a boom in the diversity of children’s book authors and characters, the popularization of erotic romance, and the surge in print-on-demand options and availability to readers and authors alike. The world of the gatekeepers (librarians and publishers among them) grew contentious, while television and film feasted on book adaptations for the big and small screens. Charles spends much more time on each of these points than our simple summary might imply, and we cannot recommend reading this article highly enough, as each and every one of those points has huge implications for self-publishing authors and their readers.

• How to Be A Successful Self Published Author

We are loving this article from Virtual Strategy Magazine‘s Allen Smith, which serves as a straightforward but delightful survey of all of the different steps one must go through before and after digging into self-publishing. The article is a relatively brief one, which makes it a good and quick browse for this holiday season.

• Not Ready to Be an Author? Think Again

Chandler Bolt contributed this excellent piece for Influencive, a website dedicated to “unconventional wisdom” and “influential minds.” He writes that “When we picture something as significant as writing and releasing a book, doubt starts to creep in. Our hardwired instinct to stay in our comfort zone and protect ourselves from failure is powerful and shouldn’t be underestimated.” But that protective instinct can often translate into a lack of confidence, and that lack of confidence can paralyze authors who are entirely deserving of being widely read. But there’s never been a better time to become an author, Bolt argues, in part because of the proliferation of possibilities and options and opportunities and services, including a number of self-publishing platforms that are easily available at the click of a button.

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.