Tag: self publishing news

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!

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.

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.

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.

This week in the world of self-publishing:

• A Busy International Book Fair Season

“The past few weeks have been a busy period for the publishing industry,” write Publisher’s Weekly correspondents Jim Milliot, Andrew Albanese, and Diane Roback in this April 15th article. Milliot, Albanese, and Roback report from the far afield as they cover the events taking place at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair and the London Book Fair as well as the 28th Independent Book Publishers of America (IBPA) Publishing University, held in Salt Lake City. While the book fairs are not themselves specifically focused on indie, hybrid, and self-publishing authors, certain self-publishing-related events proved extremely popular, “with the popular Authors HQ once again facing overflowing audiences for its presentations on best practices and services, how to find an agent, and more. Emerging technology was also prominent, with sessions on virtual reality, and on artificial intelligence,” write Milliot, Albanese, and Roback. The IBPA’s Publishing University, unlike the two book fairs, is all to do with independent publishing–and “approximately 230 independent publishers and self-published authors turned out,” cutting across all demographics and disciplines.  Newbery-winner Kwame Alexander delivered a keynote on his own road to success as a self-publishing author running his own small press.  For the full report from Publisher’s Weekly on these international book festivals, visit the original article here.

• Meet Mark Dawson, the literary sensation you’ve never heard of

“Everybody has a novel in them, so they say,” begins this April 15th article by Guy Kelly for the Telegraph: “Yet even if the idea for a book comes easily, the challenge of having that dormant masterpiece accepted by iron-clad publishing houses has long seemed a Herculean task, even for the most promising manuscripts.”  Kelly goes on to explain how this landscape is slowly but irrevocably shifting under the influence of self-publishing, a process which removes obstacles and allows “anybody to become an entirely self-reliant, published author in a matter of minutes. And if you’re prepared to be shrewd about it, the move could prove extremely lucrative.”  He goes on to paint a portrait of Mark Dawson, a 42-year-old self-publishing author whose books have been downloaded over two million times, and whose sales are in excess of six figures–each year. Dawson, writes Kelly, has now launched something called “The Self-Publishing Formula, a range of courses designed to advise others on how best to monetise their writing in the modern, internet-driven world.”  His journey to success was a long one, giving him plenty of insight into the traditional publishing model which he left in order to pursue his own course.  To follow that entire journey, follow the link.

• Book publishing is a resilient business according to CEO

In this April 15th article for the South China Morning Post, contributor CNBC writes that “The e-book business is thriving, despite the competition between digital, print and audible books, according to the boss of an e-reader company.” The “boss” CNBC mentions is Michael Tamblyn, the CEO of Kobo, “which sells e-reader apps and devices, as well as e-books.” And importantly, the market CNBC mentions is the international e-book market, giving us insight into a world much larger and much more diverse than the standard American publishing outlook.  Tamblyn, according to the article, “also discussed the increasing success of self-published books on the market. Last year, 22 per cent of e-books sold in the U.K. were self-published.” 2015 was in many ways a recovery year for the international book market–not just in terms of ebooks, but in terms of overall print and digital sales, traditionally or independently published–after a two-year slump. “Agents and publishers still dominate the market but self-published has become a real, viable channel,” CNBC quotes Tamblyn as saying: “More often than not the customer who’s buying this doesn’t necessarily know they are buying a self-published book. They are so well produced, so well edited, so well designed that they just sit on the shelf with everything else.” The fact is this: self-published books are beginning to lose their stigma, and that’s a very good thing for everyone.  Well, everyone who is invested in making sure authors get their due.  For more of CNBC’s article, you can find the South China Morning News piece 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.