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And now for the news!

Some highlights from this month in the world of self-publishing!

• Fake book makes it onto Amazon’s bestseller list in UK prank

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.

• Meet ‘Chula’ Author Amanda Alcántara: Self Empowered by Being Self-Published

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.

And now for the news!

Some highlights from this month in the world of self-publishing!

• Amazon’s Control Over Books Shows the Perils of Tech Power

(Proviso: This article is behind a paywall; subscribers of The New York Times can access the article in full.)

You might have seen this article around, being discussed both by literary elites and by the average Twitter user, in part because it says quite a lot of things about self-publishing, particularly as relates to Amazon’s self-publishing platform. On this blog we have over the years represented a range of opinions about Amazon’s offerings and customer service and central ethic, and we’ll refrain today from passing judgment on the whole—but it’s worth noting that for many of The New York Times‘ thousands of subscribers who trust the paper’s research ethic, opinions about Amazon and opinions about self-publishing are often one and the same thing. This June 24 article by David Streitfeld is intensely critical of Amazon, particularly how the company renders many of the authors who publish through it’s self-publishing arm vulnerable to copycats (and therefore copyright violators). The dangers are well-known, Streitfeld implies, but many authors and small presses feel as though they don’t have a choice other than to work with the problematic industry titan if they want wide distribution. Streitfeld makes no direct statement about the self-publishing industry as a whole, but the bread crumbs dropped throughout the article build to a general negative picture due to the widespread association between the two, and the assumption seems to be that self-publishing leaves authors and readers alike open to exploitation. Which … yes, that’s certainly worth keeping an eye on. But it’s not the only story worth telling on The New York Times broadsheet; it is, instead, a timely reminder that those of us who self-publish works outside of Amazon may need to help advocate for other authors, and raise the profile of alternatives for those seeking to break away from Amazon’s monopoly.

• Of publishing, self-publishing and the reading habit

On a different note, this week’s article on Gulf Today by contributor Birjees Hussain serves as a different kind of reminder: That our access to works, whether self-published or traditionally published, hinges on a nascent awareness of what’s out there and how to find it. Hussain’s article serves as both an explanation of why some libraries are disappearing as well as a rallying cry for readers not to despair over the presumed fate of readership at large—routes to publication and options for purchasing and reading books are diversifying, Hussain implies, rather than simply dying out. Hussain’s argument jives nicely with industry reports on the percentage of readers who are sticking with print copies and the percentage switching to digital formats, and the continued relevance of indie bookstores to contemporary readers. Nothing has been lost, but a lot has been gained, Hussain implies. Now that’s an attitude we can support!

• 5 Reasons Why Authors Today Must Possess Entrepreneurial Skills

We’d bet that you can name at least one of them! Entrepreneur.com‘s Antar Atreya summarizes the changing definition and role of an author as such:

ow, who is an author? A couple of decades ago the definition of an author was purely one dimensional; a person who writes a book and is published by a publisher. However, the definition has now changed. Today an author creates his product; which is her or his manuscript, ensures that it will give readers some value and finds, connects and interacts with the potential target readers. So essentially this is how an author is an entrepreneur. This change is large because publishing tools, scopes and expertise are now easily available. Concepts of self-publishing companies and print on demand have also given an opportunity for authors to get their work published easily. But at the same time, they have to take greater control over their book and use different routes to reach the target readers.

What follows is a concise and useful list of reasons why entrepreneurs ought to be paying attention to self-publishing and authorship, as well as reasons why self-publishing authors ought to be paying attention to entrepreneurship. We highly recommend this read!

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.