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Self-Publishing News: 5.23.2016

This week in the world of self-publishing:

Author Solutions Announces Development Deal with Hollywood’s Legion of Creatives

First off, this little press release put out by Author Solutions on May 18th via PRWeb: the self-professed “world leader in supported self-publishing services” made an announcement last Monday to the effect that “it has entered a development partnership with immersive content studio Legion of Creatives. Through the relationship,” the press release goes on to state, “Legion will actively review indie book titles within the Author Solutions catalogue for possible film, television and digital adaptations.” For fans of Author Solutions this is pleasant news indeed, but the company has its fair share of detractors. Even critics have to admit, however, that the prospects for self-publishing as a whole are broadened by these kinds of pioneering partnerships–in the future, they are likely to not only be available to all self-publishing authors, but to be made much more affordable as the market broadens and competition increases. For the original press release, follow the link!

The Indie Author’s Guide to Hybrid Publishing

In this, the first of two articles put up by Publisher’s Weekly on May 20th related to hybrid publishing, contributor Nicole Audrey Spector puts together a comprehensive guide to getting started with hybrid publishing––much as we did with our March 2nd blog post. As Spector puts it, going hybrid is to seize upon a “third option”––an option “which fuses aspects of traditional publishing with self-publishing, often for an up-front fee. At least that’s one definition,” she writes: “as any author exploring the territory of hybrid publishing will find, it’s complicated.” It’s complicated in part because hybrid publishing is not the same thing as being a hybrid author––the former involves a specific publishing model which incorporates the flexibility and authorial rights of self-publishing with the resources of traditional publishing … and the latter is usually used to describe an author who has published through both the traditional and self-publishing models (and may also have dabbled in the hybrid one) or may have moved from one to the other. Spector goes on to describe the workings of various hybrid publishing companies and the experiences of several authors who have used them, and closes with this warning: “Hybrid publishing does have its drawbacks and is assuredly not for everybody.” The “key,” she writes, is “for authors is to do their homework, connect with peers who have published with hybrids, and determine their expectations and goals from the start.” Wise words all around, I should think. You can read the rest of Spector’s guide here.

What’s Next for Hybrid Publishing

Brooke Warner contributed the second May 20th piece on hybrid publishing to Publisher’s Weekly, and her interest isn’t in explaining the concept to beginners a la Spector’s piece, but rather to project a forecast for the hybrid publishing market over the coming years (an equally vital task, I think!). Says Warner, founder of hybrid firm She Writes Press, “Within hybrid publishing there exist many creative models, defined largely by what we’re not.” The struggle has been for self-realization and self-definition, and to exist at the center of their own narrative––that is, not on the fringes of the self-publishing vs. traditional publishing catfight. “As more hybrid publishers continue to enter the market,” she argues, “we need to start to define ourselves more by what we are, which requires certain standards to be adopted and certain industry practices to change.” How to go about oding this? Well, Warner has an idea––in the form of a brief manifesto:

Hybrid publishers ought to be meeting the standards of their traditional publishing counterparts—both editorially and in design. Hybrid publishers ought to have traditional distribution, or to find better inroads into the marketplace than currently exist in the self-publishing sector. Hybrid publishers ought to qualify to submit their books to be reviewed traditionally and to enter contests without being barred because of their business models. Their authors ought to qualify to join any professional organization they want without facing the discrimination that currently exists against any author-subsidized model.

Well, that’s a rallying cry if I ever heard one. And with a pedigree like Warner’s to back it up, maybe the various power-players will listen. Even if they don’t, Warner writes, “We’re tapping on industry doors and witnessing some acceptance and some pushback, but, since we’re here to stay, we’ll just let our books do the talking.” Powerful stuff. To read the rest of Warner’s article, click here.

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.

ABOUT KELLY SCHUKNECHT: Kelly Schuknecht is the Executive Vice President of Outskirts Press. In addition to her contributions to the Outskirts Press blog at blog.outskirtspress.com, Kelly and a group of talented marketing experts offer book marketing services, support, and products to not only published Outskirts Press authors, but to all authors and professionals who are interested in marketing their books and/or careers. Learn more about Kelly on her blog, kellyschuknecht.com.

Kelly Speaks, news from the self publishing world, self publishing news, Uncategorized

Self-Publishing News: 5.16.2016

This week in the world of self-publishing:

How InkPop Went Bust and Inspired a Community of Writers

This piece–written by Tonya Riley for “The Kernel” on The Daily Dot for the week of May 15–explores the rise and fall of one of self-publishing’s most recent features: the community-ranked and community-driven sort-of self-publishing competition website. If you haven’t heard of InkPop, you might have heard of Figment or Swoon Reads, both of which operate on a similar principle: would-be authors upload their manuscripts for other authors and readers to vote on and rank, and the top-ranked manuscript goes on to sign a contract with a publishing house. In the case of InkPop, that was HarperCollins, a “Big Five” publishing house which went on to shutter InkPop in 2012 after publishing only two manuscripts through the platform. Riley takes an up close and personal look at why InkPop ultimately failed, despite all of the things it did right. She interviews author Wendy Higgins, one of InkPop’s two success stories, as well as other members of the InkPop forums. To read her entire article, follow the link!

Amazon launches video self-publishing, creating new frontiers in dinosaur erotica

[CONTENT WARNING: LANGUAGE]

“Sometime last decade,” writes Katie Rife for The A.V. Club in this May 12 news piece, “Amazon introduced Kindle Direct Publishing, which allows aspiring authors to upload their work to Amazon directly, spending less time dealing with the dinosaurs in the publishing industry and more time writing stories about dinosaurs f***ing people.” Rife, who eschews more politically correct language to make a point, is referencing an earlier article published by The A.V. Club about the careers of two authors of dino-erotica, one of the many subgenres (many of which are, one hopes, more innocently self-aware) that the self-publishing industry and Amazon in particular has made possible. (No, I won’t provide that other link here. Hop on Google if you must!) But Rife has actual news to share, news which has rocked the self-publishing and video communities: “Amazon, being the pervert that it is, isn’t satisfied. It wants video.” What she means is, Amazon has deliberately placed itself as a competitor to YouTube and therefore YouTube’s parent company, Google. Amazon’s new platform probably sounds very familiar: users upload videos to Amazon’s “Video Direct” service that they have made or at least own the right to, decide if they want the video to be free, rentable or purchasable, or free on Amazon Prime (which earns income dependent on performance). As Rife points out, the content of these videos will probably be determined by equal parts self-interest and the whim of the watching public, which could lead to some … er, interesting material.

Why Distributors Are Book Publishing’s New Gatekeepers

“As a former gatekeeper, I’m fascinated by the gatekeeper divide in book publishing, where the role gets falsely propped up by supporters of traditional publishing and completely dismissed by those who favor the indie space,” states Brooke Warner of She Writes Press fame in this May 12 HuffPost Books piece. She pits former Random House editor Daniel Menaker against self-publishing success story Hugh Howey, each of which paints their chosen platform with the language of perfection–particularly as regards “gatekeeping,” or the tendency of people in positions of authority and power to filter the tastes and interests of those under their influence. “I take issue with both extremes,” writes Warner, whose own website falls somewhere in the middle between traditional and self-publishing models. She rejects the sexism and predestinate careers of both parties and instead opts to argue that “there’s another gatekeeper arising in our midst that no one is talking about—and that’s the distributor. And while she goes on to make the contestable argument that self-publishing churns out inferior books, she follows this up by positing it may in fact be a problem of recognition: there is no system in place to ensure that high-quality self-published materials rise to the top and received the acclaim they deserve, raising the tenor of self-publishing overall. For more of Warner’s fascinating argument, check out the original article at HuffPost Books.

Kelly Speaks, news from the self publishing world, self publishing news, Uncategorized

Self-Publishing News: 5.9.2016

This week in the world of self-publishing:

Through self-publishing, local authors take control of their literary fate

“‘I decided to choose my own magic and publish my book,'” writes Brittany Britto for the Baltimore Sun in this May 6th article, quoting indie author Elodie Nowodazkij, whose first self-published romance novel (One, Two, Three) hit the internet in 2014. Nowodazkij, who had queried at least thirty agents the year before and received so-called “kind” rejections across the board, is one of seven self-publishing authors, experts, and entrepreneurs whose journeys Britto anthologizes in her article. “The success of a self-published book, as with any book, can vary depending on any number of factors, including timing, topic and genre,” says Britto, citing marketing expert Penny Sansevieri. And while some indie authors still founder, an increase in the diversity of platforms available and the general maturation of the indie publishing impulse provides as many if not more opportunities than it does hazards. Britto’s article, while it uses local Baltimore authors as inspiration, forms a lengthy exploration of the topic on a national and even international scale, with many insightful references, anecdotes, and questions asked and answered. To read the full piece, follow the link.

How Joseph Devon Cornered the Self-Published Book Market Before it Was a Thing

In her latest addition to Inverse‘s “Job Hacks” series of articles (in which the media insight company “shake[s] down experts for the insights they cultivated on their way to the top of their field”), Lauren Sarner takes a look at the backstory of Joseph Devon, a “Self-published novelist before self-publishing was big, [and] co-creator of The Writer’s Arena, an iron chef-style competition forum for authors.” The interview, published on May 4th, delves into Devon’s approach to self-publishing before self-publishing even became (as the Tumblr kids put it) “a thing” … and he did it by giving everyone, traditionally published, self-published, and altogether new authors “an even playing field.” Engagement on The Writer’s Arena is up, with disagreements over winning pieces and authors thoughtfully fostered within healthy boundaries and managed by careful moderation. “I actually self-published way back in 2000, which isn’t that far but in the world of self-publishing, it is,” Sarner quotes Devon as saying. “But then as the internet came along, people starting creating more tools and it became a lot easier. There’s still a lot of challenges—it may not be for everyone—but I fell in love with the notion of how to create an audience and the marketing side of things.” Devon has been there from the beginning, as Sarner makes clear, and his evolution as an author/entrepreneur has deep ties to the evolution of the internet as a digital space. For more of his interview with Sarner, click here!

LinkedIn Exploring Its Own Version Of Facebook’s Instant Articles

“LinkedIn is considering introducing its own version of Facebook’s Instant Articles, a feature that would allow publishers to host content directly on LinkedIn instead of posting links that direct people back to their own sites,” writes Alex Kantrowitz in this May 5th piece for BuzzFeed News. We’ve written about LinkedIn Pulse here on Self-Publishing Advisor before, but this latest acquisition or evolution could provide indie authors with still more practical benefits. Quotes Kantrowitz: “‘Publishers remain a very important part of our content ecosystem and we are in regular conversations with them about new ways to work together,’ a LinkedIn spokesperson said in response to a BuzzFeed News request for comment on the effort. ‘Our goal is to ensure we get the right content in front of the right member at the right time to deliver the best member experience possible.'” This is good news for indie authors precisely because it provides access to a flexible, responsive platform for publication that allows for the distribution of timely written material–the arena of all things indie. You may or may not see any new end-user tools added to the existing Pulse platform, but the potential reach of posts to said platform may expand as partnerships with other publishing media develop. All the more reason to tap into this resource as soon as possible!

Kelly Speaks, news from the self publishing world, self publishing news, Uncategorized

Self-Publishing News: 5.2.2016

BLOGRUNNER’S NOTE:

Apologies for the late posting! This was scheduled to post in the early morning hours, but failed to do so (probably because of my poor wifi connectivity). We hope you find the information as rich and valuable in the moonlight as you would have in the sunlight–and we’ll be back on track for next Monday morning.

This week in the world of self-publishing:

Lawyer spurned by publishing house started writing thrillers on his commute: Now they’ve been downloaded 1m times and he’s earning a fortune

“Mark Dawson’s life story should provide hope to the thousands of undiscovered authors around the world with half finished manuscripts under their beds,” writes Eleanor Lawrie for ThisisMoney.co.uk in this April 30th article that was then syndecated in the Daily Mail. Why? Lawrie goes on to state the bare facts: “The ex-lawyer and author of more than 20 thrillers has seen a million copies of his books downloaded in the space of a few years, and is now negotiating a film deal.” And of course, this kind of wildly unexpected success is not the result of a traditional publishing deal. Dawson initially tried the traditional route, but his book (The Art of Falling Apart) failed to make back its advance for a variety of reasons, and he stopped writing for years before returning to writing during his morning rail commute to work as a cross border fraud lawyer. His books, which feature government assassins John Milton and Beatrix Rose, have been distributed to around a million readers, though Dawson says about half of those were freely given digital copies. He still makes six figures off of his writing alone, enabling him to transition into a stay-at-home author and father, which he credits with improving his family life. One generally gets the feeling Dawson is just a phenomenally nice person, especially as regards building up his fan base. “One of the main reasons I’ve been successful is I’m very focused on developing my relationship with readers,” he says. “I reply to everybody, I don’t pay someone to do it for me. […] I try to turn readers into fans, into friends.” Now that’s a work ethic worth supporting. For Lawrie’s full article, follow the link.

Slings and arrows

In this April 29th retrospective for The Bookseller, Philip Jones reflects on the happy coincidence that the company’s latest issue pulled together a series of articles that both reflect on the current stigmas and progress made in the world of publishing, much of which comes out directly in support of self-publishing. “Some years ago,” he writes, “a meeting was convened with various communications chiefs and trade journalists to discuss how to improve the reporting of this sector as well as its general standing among peers across the media. It was foresightful: since that point the trade’s reputation has worsened each year. You do not now have to wander far on social media to meet our detractors—a Guardian piece on self-publishing will usually flush a fair number out, as will almost anything written about Open Access and science publishing.” And the legacy of publishing (and self-publishing) has been continuously riven with polarized opinions in the years since, and the industry’s response to an evolving market has often been behind the curve instead of ahead of it. As Jones puts it, “I recently asked a senior executive if they were comfortable with the way self-published authors were slowly taking over Kindle sales. The response—largely unsaid—revealed to me that they were not.” And while Jones may very well be right that traditional publishing caters to an “indifferent” supply chain, he is far more on point when he closes with a call to action: “by tackling the underlying insecurity of what a publisher does, we will better secure our fortunes.” For more of Jones’ retrospective and a fully hyperlinked list of The Bookseller’s latest articles, check out the original article here.

Joy of self-publishing

“The joy was not only in seeing my book but also in the feeling of its ownership,” writes Brig A N Suryanarayanan in this Apr 27th article for the Deccan Herald. Like Mark Dawson, Brig first tried the traditional publishing route–to no good end. It was, he writes, “published by a famous publisher but without any interaction with the readers.” But after Brig’s latest decision to pursue self-publishing, requests for copies have come pouring in–from a “motorparts Gujarati businessman from Jalgaon,” “an English professor from Thanjavur” as well as “a retired Indian colonel from the US […] and the son of an IAF Wing Commander from Johannesburg.” The list goes on, as does Suryanarayanan’s joy. Floods in Chennai and obstacles to translation to other dialects could not prevent the book from reaching its audience–in large part because of Brig’s dedication to getting the book where it needs to go. Brig hopes that his work (Many Laughs and a Few Tears), a collection of humorous short stories, will prove an inspiration to others. He writes: “I hope all this motivates the authors in you to get on with self-publishing!” For more anecdotes from Suryanarayanan’s journey from discouragement to joy, visit the Deccan Herald article here.

Kelly Speaks, news from the self publishing world, self publishing news, Uncategorized

Self-Publishing News: 4.25.2016

This week in the world of self-publishing:

Indie Author Finds Niche with Geek Cookbook

Once upon a time, Chris-Rachael Oseland turned to self-publishing for the same reasons as many other authors: she faced a litany of rejections from the world of traditional publishing for creating work that was “too niche” in its content, and decided her work deserved to see the light of day anyway. And what a vindication! Unlike many other authors who find incredible success in self-publishing, Oseland has decided to stick with indie. As Jennifer McCartney writes for Publisher’s Weekly in this April 22nd article, Oseland’s “self-published Dining with the Doctor: The Unauthorized Whovian Cookbook has sold more than 35,000 print copies.” In addition, McCartney writes, Oseland “went on to publish a Hobbit-inspired cookbook (An Unexpected Cookbook) as well as one inspired by the Settlers of Catan board game (Wood for Sheep). Her books have been featured by Paste Magazine, Wired, Nerdist, and the Daily Dot.” That’s a lot of acclaim. But McCartney’s article isn’t just a record of Oseland’s accomplishments: it’s a record from the ever-evolving front lines of publishing, where Kickstarter and niche content is king, where readers can participate in and interact with their favorite authors’ projects from conception through funding through publication and purchase. You might not be interested in cooking Deadpool’s chimichangas, but it’s well worth checking out McCartney’s article for its insight into what’s next for Oseland and innovative self-publishing authors at the link!

Opening up scientific publishing for the Flickr generation

“For an aspiring scientist, being published in a creditable journal is a major step towards gaining respect in the field,” writes Jon Card in this April 21st piece for the Guardian. “But for Mark Hahnel, founder and CEO of Figshare, this old system was drastically in need of an update. ‘The internet was built for sharing academic data but the way scientific papers are published had hardly changed since the early days of the printing press,’ he says.” But Hahnel, writes Card, was able to dream up and bring to fruition a plan for mixing things up–and providing an innovative new platform for scientists and college students in the sciences to publish, share, and access scientific documents without having to cowtow to the traditional publishing rigamarole. Inspired by websites like Github and Flickr, Hahnel created Figshare to be a multimodal platform, friendly to various forms of non-written media including videos and audio files, as well as intuitive to use and capable of adapting to the ever-changing landscape of the internet. Broken links? Not a problem, according to Card. Figshare has code that will take care of those so that the article’s author doesn’t have to. “But the most important aspect of Figshare,” writes Card, “is that it has created a model that disrupts the current method, where universities pay publishers to see the work that they have created.” Food for thought, right? And there’s a lot more to chew on in the original article, which you can find here.

Indie Authors Business Guide

“With the recent end of tax season, many self-published authors have likely done some thinking about whether they could be saving more money or better protecting themselves from IRS scrutiny,” begins Alex Palmer’s April 22nd article for Publisher’s Weekly. And according to Palmer, “becoming a limited liability company (LLC) or Subchapter S corporation (S corp) can provide distinct tax benefits, but can carry added costs and potential inconvenience.” Palmer goes on to analyze several pertinent elements of such a decision at length, including tax advantages (and disadvantages) as well as the effect it can have on an author’s “legitimacy” in the eyes of third-party businesses (such as those selling ISBNs) or in a courtroom. Palmer breaks down the three major types of business entities open to self-publishing authors: sole proprietorships, limited liability companies, and subchapter S corporations. His article provides a balanced perspective on both the pros and cons of each, and altogether makes for a great starting point for those interested in taking the plunge but who are looking for a few of the basic facts, carefully considered. You can find the whole of Palmer’s business guide for indie authors at the link.

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