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

Self-Publishing News: 2.13.2019

February concept. stationery and notebook, business background

And now for the news!

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

While it’s difficult to tell if any article could really ever tell us everything we need to know about self-publishing, much less publishing at large, Forbes’ latest piece from Forbes Coaches Council member and contributor Divya Parekh makes an intense effort to do so. Fittingly for a website dedicated to more many more topics than publishing, Parekh’s article opens with a bit of framing discussion about content creation and personal branding generally, and what it is that draws consumers to content. Writes Parekh, “A universal truth for most people is that they have something in their lives they believe others would want to read. This is especially true of anyone who is successful in their profession and has a business or life philosophy they want to share with the world or a story to tell.” Parekh goes on to describe the high points about what has changed, what has stayed the same, and those misleading myths which have always swirled around book publication. For Parekh, writing a book isn’t just for those who have always had the itch and the urge to put pen to paper; rather, publishing is about spreading one’s brand and building one’s sphere of influence. “Like a snowball rolling down a hill that gathers speed and mass as it travels down the slope, your book will do the same for you in spreading your brand and message,” Parekh writes. To read more, follow the link.

Actor Laura Cayoutte, famous for her roles in films such as Django Unchained and Kill Bill: Volume II, is also a successful self-publishing author. According to Earl Hodges of NOLA, Cayouette has now self-published seven books (Know Small Parts: An Actor’s Guide to Turning Minutes into Moments and Moments into a Career perhaps her most widely known publication, while Lemonade Farm and her Charlotte Reade mystery series are also popular), and has scored celebrity reviews. Writes Hodges, “In her career as an actor and writer, Cayouette has learned a few things about taking risks and moving to the next level. And she generously encourages and shares with others who have dreams of their own that they are pursuing.” This article chronicles not just some of Cayoutte’s shared wisdom, but also the experiences of those who lucky enough to attend the January meeting of the South Louisiana chapter of Romance Writers, which also featured self-publishing author Farrah Rochon and SLRW’s president-elect, Devon Alexander.

spa-news

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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Book Reviews, Self-Publishing Book Review of the Week, Uncategorized, weekly self published book review

Self-Published Book Review: “The Master Hacker”

Book reviews are a great way for self-publishing authors to gain exposure. After all, how can someone buy your book if he or she doesn’t know it exists? Paired with other elements of your book promotion strategy, requesting reviews is a great way to get people talking about what you’ve written.
When we read good reviews, we definitely like to share them. It gives the author a few (permanent) moments of fame and allows us to let the community know about a great book. Here’s this week’s book review:

steve burkart the master hacker

The Master Hacker

by Steve Burkart

ISBN: 9781478786719

next generation indie book awards

Synopsis*:

There are hackers, and there is THE hacker … the one who can end warfare as we know it, or start a war only she can win. When SunHee Nham, a disaffected North Korean computer scientist working in China, decides to escape her conscription, she takes a few secrets with her. Her dream of living in freedom in the U.S. begins to prey on her mind when she thinks about the hardships under which her fellow countrymen are forced to live. After a chance meeting with John Darque, the head of a covert organization charged with maintaining the balance of power in the world, the two form a partnership to destroy a weapon system she developed for use against Western nations. When she becomes aware of pursuing Chinese agents, she knows her freedom will be short lived. To make matters worse, she realizes her association with Darque’s group will put it in danger of being exposed. SunHee’s noticeable depression changes for the better when Darque poses a plan to turn the tables on a group of rogue nations intent on using the technologies she developed to blackmail the rest of the world. She agrees to help Darque with his plan in the hope that the results will create the spark of change needed to better the lives of her countrymen. However, with change comes sacrifice, and sometimes the price of sacrifice can be very high.

 * courtesy of Amazon.com

Featured Review

In The Master Hacker by Steve Burkart, a Chinese aircraft had crashed while trying to land at a North Korean military base. The north blamed South Korea for the incident, heightening the existing tension between the two countries. Head of a covert organization, John Darque is intrigued by the news and decides to investigate it together with his team. When hacker SunHee Nham arrives in the U.S. and visits her cousin and uncle, Darque and his team’s involvement is sealed when they get rid of two Chinese agents who were on her trail. Now, SunHee has to decide whether she should trust Darque and cooperate with him to topple the agenda by several rogue nations while ensuring the success of her own plan.

The first chapter of this plot-driven espionage thriller delivers a great opening for the story concept, where protagonist SunHee flees her native country, and not without saying ‘goodbye’ to her military superiors as the plane she boarded takes to the air. It gives us the first insight into her persona and her skills. The plot is well-structured and there’s plenty of action. Characterization is solid, even though I relate more to SunHee compared to other protagonists. I found some parts of the dialogue a bit stilted and am slightly ambivalent about the monikers for some of the characters. That said, the dialogue as a whole is to the point, and the moral and ethical discussions between Darque and SunHee are interesting. All in all, The Master Hacker is engaging from start to finish, a riveting book with thought-provoking espionage and intrigue enough to make us question the ‘facts’ behind the news we receive from the media.

– Reviewed by Lit Amri for Readers’ Favorite

Other Reviews


John Darque and his team, a covert troop in charge of maintaining the power balance in world, will need every resource available to determine the cause of an international incident -the sudden crash of a Chinese aircraft attempting to land at a military base in North Korea.

SunHee Nham, a North Korean computer scientist working for the Chinese government, flees the constrictions of her life in China for the freedom offered in the United States. Though she doesn’t regret her decision to leave China, she is aware that her freedom will be short-lived because she knows too much. SunHee is plagued by the hardships suffered by her countrymen in North Korea and will do whatever she can to change the status quo.

The unlikely duo of Darque and SunHee, join forces and work together, albeit reluctantly, each with their own agenda. Each must consider at what point the stakes become too high for peace.

I really enjoyed The Master Hacker. It is energetic and thorough without being bogged down with overwhelming technical jargon. The story shines in the details of the covert operations and the advances made in technology. It’s frightening to think that the technological developments described in the story could ever be true; it certainly made me take pause. The author served 22 years in the military, most of his career as a counter-intelligence agent during the Cold War, and his expertise is clearly displayed in the intricate portrayal of events.

While the storyline was realistic and engaging, I personally would like to have seen greater focus on some of the characters. Though outwardly authentic and typical to the genre, I found myself yearning for a deeper connection with the characters, which would have generated a greater interest in their cause. Perhaps readers learned more about protagonist John Darque in Burkart’s first novel, The Orchestration. As well, some of the nicknames held by certain characters caused a few eye rolls – Glitch, Yoda, Bugs, etc., but I found the reasoning behind the names quite entertaining.

Overall, I found The Master Hacker by Steve Burkart to be a highly entertaining espionage thriller with lots of action, and a major plot twist I never saw coming.

– reviewedby Sheri Hoyte on Seattle PI

Espionage genre with a contemporaneous twist

– reviewed by Chuck on Amazon

 

tuesday book review

Thanks for reading!  Keep up with the latest in the world of indie and self-published books by watching this space!

Self Publishing Advisor

selfpubicon1

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

Self-Publishing News: 2.5.2019

February concept. stationery and notebook, business background

And now for the news!

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

In past weeks, we’ve revealed some rather … mixed … information on the state of self-publishing, with some researchers arguing that sales are way up, and others insisting that actually they were completely terrible. In the interest of covering all of our bases and ensuring equal coverage for all concerned, here’s an article from Books + Publishing this week covering Amazon’s newly released sales figures. The most pertinent details? Writes the article author:

For books, authors earned more than US$260 million (A$359m) from the Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) Select Global Fund in 2018, totalling more than US$840m (A$1.16bn) since the launch of Kindle Unlimited. Amazon said, ‘hundreds of thousands of authors have self-published millions of books through KDP since launching the service in 2007’. Amazon said that ‘thousands’ of authors earned more than US$50,000 (A$69,000) from KDP royalties in 2018, and more than 1000 authors earned over US$100,000 (A$138,000).

Good news for Amazon, obviously, but how reliable are these figures? And how do they compare to other indie publishers and self-publishing companies? We’ll have to wait for comparative reports, it would seem.

More industry coverage comes from the Locus magazine for science fiction and fantasy, one of our favorites of the genres. This article ties into the report we mentioned last week in our Self Publishing News section, and provides further insights, specifically calling out the report for including zero-earnings authors who may not yet have published or not published recently, or who have not made self-publishing a dedicated part of their lives. Says the article,

It’s hard to tell how meaningful the data is, since the 5,000 respondents (drawn from the Authors Guild membership and nearly 20 other organizations and self-publishing platforms) are not necessarily a complete cross-section of the writing community. Fully a quarter of those surveyed reported receiving zero income from books or writing-related activities in 2017, which does tend to drag aggregate numbers down. Counting only those writers who actually made book-related income in 2017 (63% of those surveyed), the median income was over $20,000, and average income was over $43,000. A total of 38% of respondents also earned writing- related income apart from book royalties or advances, mostly from events and appearance fees, freelance journalism, and teaching writing. Given the increasing numbers of self-published authors and “hybrid” authors who self- publish and use traditional publishing too, one inarguable conclusion is that more authors are being paid – at least a little – than ever before.

Accounting for the zero-earnings authors provides a much rosier outlook than the naysayers previously have given, and tempers the worst of the emotions swirling around the Author Earnings report.

spa-news

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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Advocacy in Self-Publishing, Alternative Marketing Methods, Book Marketing, elizabeth speaks, in your corner, Marketing Your Self-Published Book, Uncategorized

In Your Corner: The Polar Vortex of Marketing

 

winter storm cat book

Are you managing to survive the current polar vortex sweeping across North America? (If you live in the southern hemisphere and are currently toasting your toes on a beach somewhere … is your suitcase large enough to stuff an adult human into? Asking for a friend.) This is the time of year—after the holiday magic has well and truly worn off, and before the rejuvenating effects of spring have kicked in—when we start feeling truly down and out. And of course, since everything is connected, our self-publishing adventures tend to suffer just as much as our general mood and the cleanliness level of our kitchens. (What? Your kitchen is still tidy? What’s wrong with me?) This is the time when we need a touch of encouragement to make it through the polar vortex, or whatever interminably cold and barren patch of ground we face.

It’s probably no secret at this point that I love Goodreads, the hybrid social media site for dedicated readers and book reviewers; it’s how I track what I’m reading, especially when my to-read pile (it’s actually an entire bookshelf, plus an extra coffee table, now) gets a little bit out of control. (Who am I kidding? It’s always out of control.) Well, back in October of 2016, the Goodreads blog hosted a series of posts that may prove to be exactly what you need to read right now, as a self-publishing author facing the doldrums yourself. The first post to catch my eye included a series of quotes from popular self-publishing authors such as Hugh Howey, such as:

hugh howey quote

colleen hoover quote

and …

andy weir quote

 

The post was titled “Advice for Aspiring Indie Authors by Successful Indie Authors” and I highly recommend that you check it out, as well as its sequel, “Indie Authors Share Their Secrets to Creating Successful Self-Publishing Careers,” which features much more lengthy insights from a number of others. As authorities on the subject, sometimes writers such as Weir and Hoover and Howey have the power to both inspire us and flip that emotional switch buried deep inside us, the one that gets a bit, ahem, iced over with repeated disappointment or from lack of use. If you’re at all like me, this is the time of year when my creative energy is at its absolute lowest, and I sometimes don’t even realize what all is possible, I’m so swept up in the blues. A wise word or two acts like a shock to the system, reminding me that, yeah, actually, I *can* do this thing I’ve been meaning to do, but have been feeling too anxious and self-sabotaging to get started on.

This week, take a moment to witness and absorb the wise words of these authors and remember what got you into self-publishing in the first place. Remember the joy that comes with carving out a space for yourself in the world of words, and seeing something you’ve written out there, changing the lives of those lucky enough to find it.

Now we can get started thinking about how to help more people be that lucky, right?

More on that next week!

You are not alone. ♣︎

Do you have ideas to share? Please don’t hesitate to drop us a line in the comments section, and I’ll make sure to feature your thoughts and respond to them in my next post!

Elizabeth

ABOUT ELIZABETH JAVOR: With over 20 years of experience in sales and management, Elizabeth Javor works as the Director of Sales and Marketing for Outskirts Press. The Sales and Marketing departments are composed of knowledgeable publishing consultants, customer service reps and book marketing specialists; together, they all focus on educating authors on the self-publishing process to help them publish the book of their dreams. Whether you are a professional looking to take your career to the next level with platform-driven non-fiction or a novelist seeking fame, fortune, and/or personal fulfillment, Elizabeth Javor can put you on the right path.

 

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

Self-Publishing News: 1.29.2019

January, illustrated name of calendar month, illustration

And now for the news!

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

We’ve been following the evolution of Wattpad for some time now, and the latest news is BIG: Wattpad, known far and wide as a host and home for free self-published digital stories, is now opening their very own publishing imprint for print books. This update, from Kidscreen contributor Alexandra Whyte, covers the basics. Writes Whyte:

The new division plans to leverage the company’s human editorial resources and its Story DNA machine learning technology to identify and publish stories that stand out from the  565 million-plus titles that are uploaded on its platform. Wattpad Books will also use audience data, along with global reading trends, to find international hits on the platform and some hidden gems to publish.

Its first YA six offerings will span fantasy, romance, mystery and more. Titles include: The QB Bad Boy & Me by Tay Marley (26.3 million reads), available on August 20; Trapeze by Leigh Ansell (2.5 million reads), on September 10; What Happened That Night by Deanna Cameron (one million reads), on September 17; Cupid’s Match by Lauren Palphreyman (46.4 million reads), on October 1; Saving Everest by Sky Chase (17.2 million reads), on October 8; and I’m a Gay Wizard by V.S. Santoni (400,000 reads), on October 29.

Much of our coverage on Wattpad here in the blog has been tied to Wattpad’s many successes, but it’s worth noting that many (if not most) of the stories uploaded to the site do not see blockbuster breakout success the way that the above have. Many of the most successful Wattpad stories seem to benefit from the same systems that underpin successes in other indie environments: authors who are engaged, social media savvy, and inventive marketers. We look forward to seeing how Wattpad’s latest venture goes! Also worth noting: The Verge also covered Wattpad’s big news, and you can read that article [here].

We can’t think of anything more quintessentially British than the boy who lived than, perhaps, the name Adam Croft. Croft, whose books are published exclusively online and distributed digitally, was “at one point […] earning an incredible £2,000 a day in royalties from his books, making him one of the world’s most successful independently published authors.” This comes to us by way of Express contributor Alice Pulham, who writes to argue that Croft’s example provides “an inspiring story for anyone who wants to be a writer but fears that the world of traditional publishing isn’t for them.” Pulham’s article covers Croft’s rise from obscurity over the last decade to become a force to be reckoned with in the wordsmithing community; he has now published upwards of 16 books, one of which (Her Last Tomorrow) sold “an amazing 150,000 copies in just five months.” Says Pulham, “Adam’s success shows just what can be achieved by authors with the drive and business sense to self publish, and is refreshingly direct about the book market. ‘Ultimately, the market will decide what books they want to buy, rather than publisher A or B.'” We couldn’t agree more, and we look forward to hearing more from this iconic British self-publishing author in the future.

spa-news

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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