Tag: news from the self publishing world

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

Self-Publishing News: 9.3.2018 – The Company Files!

september

And now for the news!

Some highlights from this month in the world of self-publishing, specifically news from or regarding self-publishing companies!

This week, as Ellen Duffer of Forbes notes, times they are a-changing when it comes to partnerships between e-commerce platforms like Dangdang and entrepreneurs and self-publishers. Dandang, a Chinese giant who counts Amazon as one of its biggest rivals, has partnered this week with the self-publishing platform PublishDrive, a company which is little known in America at present but likely a rising star. This means that, for the first time ever, authors in the West (including the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom) will have the opportunity to make their self-published e-books available through the Dangdang & PublishDrive websites, opening up entirely new markets in China and beyond. Given the size of that market, this is good news for self-publishing authors–and as Duffer notes, this may be good news for readers in China as well. Says Duffer, “Beyond the fact that this partnership is important because of the fact that many books in China are the product of state-sponsored publishers, the Chinese e-book market is expected to grow around 30% annually for the next three years. That means a lot of potential eyeballs for writers in the West.” Read the full article at the link!

Did you know that Amazon recently banned a book from publication? This should have made very big waves on the Internet indeed, but many remain unaware of this act of censorship. Stephen Gutowski of the National Review is calling for greater awareness of the event, and of the company’s power to influence what gets sold and what doesn’t. As Gutowski points out, the book may or may not have included a downloadable file allowing 3D printer users to print guns on their machines … but we don’t actually know this, given that the book has been completely banned by Amazon, and Amazon has failed to give a reasoning for that ban. The hard copy, writes Gutowski, “consists of raw computer code for Cody Wilson’s single-shot, mostly-3D-printed firearm, a two-page assembly guide, and a one-page editor’s note.” The book’s publication has ignited controversy over the role of for-profit companies in censoring media. We’d love for you to weigh in!

On the positive side, Google’s done a good thing this week, according to Inc42. As the article explains, the tech giant has launched a new initiative called Navlekha specifically geared toward helping the many distinct linguistic and ethnic groups in India to “publish their content in regional languages.” They go on to explain: “Under this, a user is provider with a tool that uses AI to render any PDF containing Indian language content into editable text, which helps the publishers create mobile-friendly content.” (Emphasis theirs.) This is cool for a variety of reasons, not least the possible boost to preserving many languages on the brink of erasure, and to archival projects seeking to save and understand texts which have never been published in English. India, despite its long history with the English language and its robust English-speaking and English-publishing population, contains many cultures and people groups who deserve to see themselves on the page. For more on Google’s project, follow the link, above!

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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.

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

Self-Publishing News: 8.27.2018 – Publishing Trends Roundup

august month

And now for the news!

Some highlights from this month in the world of self-publishing, specifically regarding publishing trends within the publishing industry, and their implications for all authors!

This article from Dave Sutton of Business2Community is a study in expectations, met and unmet. It opens with the eye-catching line, “What do 99 cent romance novels and marketing strategies have in common? On Amazon’s Kindle Unlimited program, it’s more than you might think, and it all ties back to profit.” And the article only builds in intensity from there (not bodice-ripping intensity, though, despite its focus on romance-novels). Sutton does not go easy on the self-publishing companies which have, in many ways, enabled the ascendancy of Romance: “This microcosm of the publishing industry is a cutthroat example of what it looks like when profits cloud your view of everything else,” he writes, referring to unethical vanity publishing and self-publishing companies who are willing to milk customers for every last drop of profit. Despite his ambivalence toward self-publishing as a whole, Sutton does tackle important issues, including so-called “book-stuffing” (which we’ve discussed recently here). He also provides some real and positive solutions, including striving for real authenticity rather than just the monetized performance of self. His whole article is interesting, and worth a look!

This article comes to us from The Times of India, by way of the Business Standard, and it tackles some of the broad-brush-strokes, big-picture situation elements of self-publishing that are easy to lose track of when you’re in the midst of it, and grappling with one’s own personal place in the industry. It’s also a portrait of an author who’s making it big in self-publishing, but who hasn’t yet reached “household name” status on this side of the pond: Vineet Bajpai. While we may be more familiar with the trials and travails of American- or British-based self-publishing authors, Bajpai brings a whole different side of the experience to light: what it’s like to self-publish in a country where distribution networks are not available to sell your book. According to the article, Bajpai “could sell his books only via American online retail channels such as Amazon.com (as the India channel did not exist) and BN.com and his titles remained unavailable in India” for much of the earliest part of his publishing career. This made for some disconnect between his ideal audience–which is global, and partially if not significantly rooted in India–and the readers he could actually reach–which were based in highly specific Western countries, like America and Britain. But Bajpai has found a way, and is now seeing success in selling his books. How did he do it? I’ll leave that explanation for this most fascinating article, which we highly recommend you take a look at.

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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.

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

Self-Publishing News: 8.20.2018 – New Releases!

august month

And now for the news!

Some highlights from this month in the world of self-publishing, specifically new releases written by self-publishing authors and published by independent presses! Today we’ll be featuring brand-new releases in the Outskirts Press Bookstore!

Here’s a debut for the ages! In The Escapee: Happiness in a Bottle, setting and timing is everything. It is New York City, May of 1950, and Hollywood screenwriter Harrison Harper is in turmoil—devastated by the death of his fiancée, Amelia, and torn by his feelings for the newest woman in his life, film star Venus Kingsley.  Struggling through alcoholism, Harrison suddenly finds himself being blackmailed by a mysterious stranger who claims to know the truth behind Amelia’s death—a truth that Harrison has kept secret for two agonizing years. As dangers rise and situations worsen, Harrison must conquer his vices and his enemies, and overcome the agony of lost love, all the while trying to resist the call from a bottle of liquor … and to stay alive in the process. This book is packed with tension, texture, and thoroughly researched details of the time and place. If you’re a history buff, or like a good star-crossed romance, or a hero in the process of bec;oming, this is the novel for you!

Looking for a magical tale to take home to the junior reader in your life? This may just be the perfect book for you and your preteen to enjoy together. Its fascinating premise, replete with the titular dragons and fairies, begs one very important question: What does the Queen want most of all? Welcome to the Kingdom of Ing, where dragons are playful and kind, and where fairies surround the land with enchantment. It should be the very happiest place—but King Alexander and Queen Arabella are downcast because they don’t have a baby dragon. Time is passing, and the kingdom needs a prince or princess. Night after night, the Queen can be heard sighing and weeping. The queen dreams of a baby to love, and somewhere, an orphaned baby dreams of her. Can the queen of the fairies and her very best team work their magic to bring a bundle of joy to the Kingdom of Ing? This book carries you along as their two stories dovetail. With delightful rhyming lyrics focused on words with “-ing” endings, this imaginative fable is fun to read aloud, while providing opportunities for early reader, vocabulary, and counting skills. With its whimsical illustrations and heartwarming story, this tale of a mother’s longing for a child is sure to become a family favorite.

Are you feeling stuck and looking for a way forward? Or, are you looking for a way to boost your already existing mindfulness practices over the coming months? This book is for you, and for anyone interested in understanding themselves and their place in the world a little better. The authors, each of whom is in possession of a lifetime of rich experience and expertise, have painstakingly created a one-year, one-a-day template for writing about your thoughts and feelings as well as a nice mix of active, hands-on exercises to keep it interesting and to help you avoid the so-called “journal fatigue.”

All three of the authors have been working with individuals, including students and adults, with mental health concerns; their clinical and practical expertise includes peer mentoring, stress management, mood and anxiety disorders, and life coaching as well as mentoring. This is a guided journal with specific application in those circumstances, as well as a broader appeal based on shared and universal human experiences. So, as the sales copy encourages you to do: find a comfy chair, grab your favorite hot beverage, a good pen and start journaling!

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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.

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

Self-Publishing News: 8.13.2018 – The Interviews!

august month

And now for the news!

Some highlights from this month in the world of self-publishing, specifically interviews with or articles written by self-publishing authors and experts!

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Why pair these two together? Once in a great while, the letters to the editor can be just as interesting if not more interesting as the article which inspired them, and that is certainly true here. Which isn’t to say the original article, written by Atlantic contributor Alana Semuels, is somehow not good or not interesting itself; the article tracks book sales on Amazon and delves into the oft-fraught history of the relationship between Amazon and books, and between Amazon and self-publishing. Semuels writes about Mike Omer, an author whose books have sold more than 10,000 copies and been rented 10,000 times through Amazon Kindle Unlimited. Omer’s own thoughts serve as a tether, or an anchor, for this article, and as a reminder that all of these discussions are moot if they’re not rooted in the experiences of those who are most affected: the authors themselves. Semuels is interested in how Kindle Unlimited does and does not support authors, self-published and traditionally published. Interestingly–for Semuels, if not the authors themselves–Semuels dedicates the vast majority of her article to the ways in which Amazon, now a self-publishing giant, has undercut traditional publishing and the ways in which it exploits its authors. As Semuels puts it:

Omer’s experience has been like a dream, he told me. But for people in the publishing industry, it may seem more like a nightmare. He sidestepped the traditional gatekeepers to publish his books online on Amazon, gaining thousands of readers. He ignored big publishing houses in favor of an imprint run by Amazon, attracting thousands more. He has little interest in the traditional publishing industry at all, in fact. He’s a successful author, and his whole world is Amazon.

Authors had their own thoughts, though, and they made them known to the Atlantic, and the Atlantic decided to collect together these letters and release them on their own, from those which are mostly interested in amplifying the negative aspects of Semuels’ story, including one by Douglas Preston, to those who have found a home in self-publishing when traditional publishing failed them, such as Wanda Fries. As Semuels points out in an afterward to the letters, the problem isn’t that self-publishing is a success, but rather that traditional publishing has missed an opportunity and alienated a generation of writers instead. “Rather than just rejecting many of the works that come in,” she writes, “traditional publishing houses could have launched their own self-publishing platform, which would have allowed them to keep an eye on promising authors as Amazon now does.” There’s an opportunity in there, and we hope traditional publishing recognizes it.

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 every Monday to find out the hottest news. If you have other big news to share, please comment below.

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

Self-Publishing News: 8.6.2018 – The Company Files!

august month

And now for the news!

Some highlights from this month in the world of self-publishing, specifically news from or regarding self-publishing companies!

This month has been a quiet one on the self-publishing front, at least in terms of news from the top. (Next week we’ll be giving over more page space to the many fantastic authors who, as always, inspire and encourage us.) But here comes an interesting article by Shana Lebowitz of Business Insider on eleven CEOs and business founders who somehow managed to save their companies from complete failure; true to form, one of these CEOs has a self-publishing connection. Twitter founder Evan Williams was also the founder of Blogger, now a subsidiary of Google. But early on, Blogger ran into trouble–enough trouble that Williams was forced to lay off all of his employees. How did Williams–and Blogger–pull through? A whole lot of elbow grease, as it turns out: Williams worked on his start-up alone for three years before Google started paying attention … and making noise about buying the start-up.  The other founders in this list have fascinating stories, too, but it’s refreshing to know that at least at Business Insider, self-publishing platforms are one of many platforms giving voice to the average person that is getting serious treatment.

The short answer is … yes. Yes, the hashtag #Bookstagram, most popularly used on Instagram and Facebook (which owns Instagram), is indeed changing the way that we read. According to this article by Veronica Walsingham for Inverse, over two million posts have been tagged with this hashtag, which for many Instagram users is as much about aesthetic as it is about the books themselves. But make no mistake–it’s also definitely about the books! For those who haven’t used hashtags before, the humble pound sign (#) has become an engine of discovery on social media platforms as diverse as Twitter and Tumblr and YouTube and Instagram. It serves as a collector, a kind of vehicle for ideas, in that anyone who tags their post with that hashtag will be gathered together into a separate feed when users click on it. Walsingham’s article is interesting, of course, not just for its exploration of the kinds of content which makes it into the #Bookstagram hashtag, but for its identification of who, exactly is using it. And guess what? Self-publishing authors and the companies which get them onto the shelf are among the many! Read the full article for more.

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 every Monday to find out the hottest news. If you have other big news to share, please comment below.

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