And now for the news!
Some highlights from this month in the world of self-publishing, specifically news from or regarding self-publishing companies!
The Kobo eReader is not quite the market force it used to be; these days, in a market crowded with both high-quality dedicated e-readers (think of the Kindle, the KindleFire, and the Nook) and high-quality tablets with e-reader capabilities (think of the iPad and the Samsung Galaxy Tabs) it is more or less impossible to reach dominance. The Kobo has been in trouble for a while, but now, as
Well, here’s some good news, at last, and it comes to us courtesy of this recent addition to PRWeb.com! Throughout the month of August, Outskirts Press, a well-reviewed self-publishing company based out of Colorado, will be providing “extra motivation [for authors] to realize their publishing dreams: $300 toward the product or service of their choice. Throughout the month of August, authors who publish using either the Ultimate or Full-Color publishing package will receive $300 promotional credit to spend as they wish.” And wishes, apparently, may consist of professional copy editing, digital editions, custom book cover designs, time with one of their Personal Marketing Assistants, a carefully-planned-out PR Publicist Campaign, the production of high-quality promotional materials, and access to optional publishing package upgrades, such as their Hardback Format, Espresso Edition, and Amazon Kindle Edition services. As noted above, eligibility is predicated on the purchase of one of their Ultimate or Full-Color publishing packages, so if you’ve been thinking of going indie this month, there might just be extra incentive to go with Outskirts Press!
In case you were at risk for thinking self-publishing was a strictly Western tradition with Western problems, here’s a fantastic article from Dakarai Mashava of Zimbabwe’s Daily News, published yesterday–on the challenges facing publishers there and potential ways to combat them! In a country where street vendors are more common than they are in America, says Mashava, “Some leadings writers say book publishers should work with street book vendors as a part of efforts to bring the prices of books down.” Mashava goes on to discuss the history and present state of book piracy, which at present is seen as “one of the key problems undermining the viability of the local book industry.” No matter where you live, piracy is a problem, and the local market is, in fact, the first and primary market that self-publishing authors must master in order to sell their books. Mashava interviews both Monica Cheru-Mpambawashe (author and vice chairperson of the Zimbabwe Writers Association) and Lawrence Hoba (author) and cites the opinions of novelist Tinashe Muchuri, playwright Aaron Chiundura Moyo, and Zimbabwe Publishing House (ZPH) CEO Blazio Tafireyi to enrich our understanding of the current situation in Harare and throughout Zimbabwe, a country known for its diverse and thriving literary scene. Moyo, specifically, expands upon its implications for self-publishing authors there: “The situation is worse […] because they don’t have enough money to print as many copies at a low cost which they can supply to vendors,” Mashava quotes him as saying. For more of this fascinating story, you can read Mashava’s article on the Daily News website!
Self Publishing Advisor 