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Self-Publishing News: 4.4.2016

This week in the world of self-publishing:

Self-Publishing Platforms Deemed Distributors, Not Publishers in Privacy Suit over Unauthorized Book Cover

In the world of self-publishing, we know just how important precedents can be–and we have a lot to learn about and deal with when it comes to the legal ramifications of going solo. And well–another precedent has just been set, as reported in this April 1st article for the National Law Review by Jeffrey Neuburger, a Partner in the New York office as well as co-head of the Technology, Media & Communications Group and a member of the Privacy & Data Security Group. In short, Neuburger is an expert. He knows what he’s about, and he takes the conversation about self-publishing’s future seriously.

Writes Neuburger, “We live in a world that has rapidly redefined and blurred the roles of the ‘creator’ of content, as compared to the roles of the ‘publisher’ and ‘distributor’ of such content.” And what exactly is the nature of this precedent? In short: “This past month, an Ohio district court ruled that several online self-publishing services were not liable for right of publicity or privacy claims for distributing an erotic (and so-called “less than tasteful”) book whose cover contained an unauthorized copy of the plaintiffs’ engagement photo because such services are not publishers.” The plaintiff brought suit not just against the author but against Amazon’s Kindle Digital Publishing, Barnes & Noble’s Nook Press, and Smashwords. Luckily for self-publishing, the suit was dismissed on the grounds that the author had signed agreements with all three companies stating he owned the rights to all material he published–and therefore bore sole responsibility for violating the plaintiff’s privacy. But the implications, should a similar case be brought against self-publishing authors and companies in the future, are massive. And in an industry that is increasingly hybridizing–with companies offering book cover design packages among many others–the boundaries become even more blurred.

With Romance Novels Booming, Beefcake Sells, but It Doesn’t Pay

Have you ever wondered if there might be a hidden cost to the self-publishing industry’s near-rampant success? Well, there is one, but it might not be what you think: The rise of self-publishing and the high demand for uber-cheap stock photos of steamy men to grace the covers of new (self-published) romance novels has cut the bottom out of the industry that used to supply these photos. Or at least that’s what Laura Holson argues in this March 30th article for the New York Times Business Day.

The demand for steamy cover photos has never been higher–but indie authors aren’t willing or able to pay what traditional publishing companies have paid in the past, so the (mostly male) cover models make less per photo. Holson quotes Liz Pelletier, “the chief executive of the romance novel company Entangled Publishing” as saying: “I never thought I would say this […] but I am so tired of looking at men’s abs. I don’t know if these ones are sexier than those other ones.”

Most telling of all is the average income for these models, and Holson singles out a Mr. Baca to illustrate the difficulties facing them now: “Few romance models, if any, make enough money to eke out a living. Mr. Baca, for example, works at the Housing Authority of the Santa Clara County, Calif., as a customer-service clerk. And although he has an agent, he said he earned only $20,000 in his best year. This, despite the fact that he is a tireless self-promoter who fancies himself the next Fabio.” And appeared on the cover of Playgirl in 2004. While you may or may not be a romance novelist in addition to being a self-publishing author, Holson’s article serves as a useful reminder that every change in the status quo or in a market trend is bound to have some kind of human cost. To read the rest of Holson’s article, follow the link.

Roslyn Heights Author Shares Her Journey of Persistence

In his March 31st interview with self-publishing sensation Elyse Salpeter for The Island Now, Adedamola Agboola begins with the author’s rocky path to improvement. “I wasn’t always a great writer but I had great ideas,” Agboola quotes Saltpeter as saying, after recounting her early humiliation at the hands of an unkind schoolteacher. And more importantly, Saltpeter never gave up: “Since 2011,” writes Agboola, “Salpeter has self-published nine books in four different genres from thrillers, horror, fantasy to young adult novels.” Nine books! And all of them brought into existence as the final product of a creative mind set at liberty to realize its full potential–without the limitations and criticisms systemic to traditional publishing. But Saltpeter didn’t start with self-publishing; as Agboola recounts, she published her first book through the traditional imprint of Coolwell Press. But over time, her relationship with her editors deteriorated, and after they “trashed” another round of drafts, it took “almost 15 years to hit [her] strides” again–and she did so by going indie. While Saltpeter is honest about the challenges facing self-publishing authors in a crowded marketplace, she sticks by her decision. For more information about Saltpeter and her latest book, The Call for Mount Someru, you can access Agboola’s full interview 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

Self-Publishing News: 03.28.2016

This week in the world of self-publishing:

How self-published novel Jalan Jalan took flight with an Asian publisher

We’ve written before about how self-publishing is thriving in eastern markets, but the story of Jalan Jalan‘s author Mike Stoner might take the cake for success stories––as recounted by Tim Hannigan in this March 25th article for The Guardian. (Talk about fame and recognition––The Guardian has been a go-to resource for literary aficionados for decades.) Stoner’s novel––which “follows a heartbroken young Brit through Indonesia, where he finds himself embroiled in a murky world at the bottom of the expat barrel after accepting a teaching job at a dodgy language school after a five-minute telephone interview”––won The Guardian‘s much coveted self-published book of the month award in December of 2014, and it didn’t stop there. After a year or more picking up momentum in social media and overseas markets, Jalan Jalan found a second home with Tuttle and Periplus, one of southeast Asia’s biggest distributors of English-language books. If it seems like your average rags-to-riches indie-to-traditional stories, hold on a moment: Stoner says that he was only able to reach such a large audience because he first chose to self-publish. “I’d recommend self-publishing to anyone who writes and gets dejected about being rejected,” he says, “because you never know where it might lead. If I hadn’t made the effort I’d never have won the Guardian award.” For the complete article in The Guardian, follow the link.

Why I Decided To Self-Publish My Book

“In 2015, I celebrated my 18th birthday in quite an unconventional way: by debuting my first authored book on Amazon,” begins this March 25th article by Julia Schemmer for HuffPost Books. The teen entrepreneur continues: “I decided to take the road more traveled by self-publishing my work, 20 Seconds of Insane Courage instead of seeking a publisher and pursuing printed copies. Looking back, it is a decision I still stand behind, and am proud of.” If this seems like an unconventional way to begin a defense of self-publishing, chew on this for a moment, too: in a world where teens are constantly competing to be heard on issues ranging from the controversial to the mundane, self-publishing provides one of the few paths forward in the evolution from private to public voice. It would be easy to see Schemmer as an exception to the rule, a Truly Gifted Individual and not the exact model for many of her generation hope to do, but one of the largest demographic groups within the world of self-publishing authors is, in fact, teens. So when Schemmer speaks in defense of self-publishing, she’s speaking as more than just one teen who hit a lucky streak––she’s speaking as an advocate for many others. And what does she have to say? Quite a lot! With points ranging from creative control to broader access for readers, Schemmer’s article is well worth a read–and you can find it here.

Keep Your Eyes Open: Tips from an Indie Author

The conversation about improving diverse representation within the publishing––specifically, the self-publishing––industry is ongoing, but significant inroads are being made and there’s no better example of people leading the change through decades of hard work than 24-year publishing veteran Erika Berg, writes Drucilla Shultz in this March 21st article for Publisher’s Weekly. Berg, who crowd-funded and then self-published Forced to Flee: Visual Stories by Refugee Youth from Burma and launched a companion website, looks to use her experience and her skills as an author “as an advocacy tool for giving voice to refugees” and other often-silenced minority groups. Asked about her advice for other indie authors, Berg advises going “off the beaten path”:

When it comes to marketing, again, be alert to possible win-win partnerships. Forced to Flee’s most fruitful events haven’t been at bookstores; they have been hosted by school districts, universities, organizations, etc. that had even more to gain from a large turnout and media coverage than I did.

For more of her stellar advice, check out Shultz’s entire interview and article on the Publisher’s Weekly website.

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

Self-Publishing News: 03.21.2016

This week in the world of self-publishing:

Kondo Association: House & Home Books, 2016

In this March 18th article for Publisher’s Weekly, contributor Jennifer McCartney compiles a list of the titular “house and home” books published so far in 2016 in the tradition of Marie Kondo’s decluttering handbook, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up––a book which became a massive bestseller after its release in 2014. Of more specific interest to fans of self-publishing, however, is McCartney’s use of an indie favorite to provide context to her list: Francine Jay’s 2010 self-publishing phenomenon, “the minimalist lifestyle guide The Joy of Less,” which according to McCartney “has sold almost 25,000 copies in paperback.” While Jay’s book has “found a home” with the traditional publishing label Chronicle, and will be releasing a hardcover edition under that same label in April featuring new material, it had its start in the world of self-publishing. “Like many decluttering proponents,” writes McCartney, “Jay is fond of acronyms and advocates the STREAMLINE approach: start over; trash/treasure/transfer; reason for each item; everything in its place; all surfaces clear; modules; limits; if one comes in, one goes out; narrow it down; and everyday maintenance.” Fans of the original indie pick may be interested to know that the new edition includes a “five-step program” called “the clutter-free family,” which by all accounts “addresses readers at various stages of life, from a newly cohabitating couple to a household that includes teenagers.” McCartney’s list does not, disappointingly, include any other self-published titles, but you can find out more about The Joy of Less at the book’s Amazon bookpage!

First awards for Canadian self-published books to debut at Whistler Writers Festival

Becky Robertson, in this March 18th article for Quill and Quire, gives a much-needed update on the inaugural Whistler Independent Book Awards, “jointly produced by the Whistler Writing Society and publishing and editorial services company Vivalogue Publishing.” While Quill and Quire, which self-describes as “the magazine of the Canadian book trade,” remains a subscription-only magazine, the full details of the Whistler Independent Book Awards are available from the Tidewater Festival website. Tidewater, “the first book festival exclusively for independent and self-published authors in western Canada,” now assists in organizing events for the indie publishing across the entire nation of Canada, including the aforementioned Whistler Independent Book Awards, which aim “to recognize excellence in Canadian independent publishing,” and will offer prizes in four categories: fiction, non-fiction, crime fiction and poetry. According to the website, there will be a “single winner in each category, with two additional finalists.” The awards close for entries on June 3rd, with finalists announced on July 15th and winners announced at a “Literary Cabaret event held as part of the Whistler Writers Festival” in October. If you’re a self-published author of Canadian extraction and are thinking of applying, we’d love to follow your journey! For more information including eligibility requirements and prize details, follow the link.

The medium is the message – the power of public poetry

Taking somewhat of a different tack in her view of self-publishing, Guardian contributor Marta Bausells takes on a specific brand of poet in this March 20th article focusing on Scottish poet Robert Montgomery, who has “consciously made an ‘awkward space’ for himself in between artistic categories.” As Bausells reports, his work “puts poetry in front of people in eye-catching visual formats: from advertising billboards he has covered with poems, to words he has set on fire or lit with recycled sunlight in public spaces––including the Sussex seafront and a Berlin airport.” Of more recent interest, says Bausells, Montgomery has been working “on tomorrow’s World Poetry Day ‘Pay with a poem’ campaign, through which customers can get coffee in exchange for poetry in cafes across the globe. Montgomery will then collect the public’s poems to create an installation in a secret location.”

3881 — From Bausell’s article: “The People You Love at the De La Warr Pavilion in Sussex, in 2010.”

Fascinating stuff, and definitely of an “indie” bent, but more relevant to us here on Self-Publishing Advisor is Montgomery’s words on self-publishing. As Bausells puts it, he “celebrates the fact that self-publishing is becoming essential online, and that these peer-to-peer demographics mean poets garner audiences that ‘bring their work alive’ before they get a chance to get published.” Public poetry, according to Montgomery, is at its best when the barriers between poet and public are finally broken down–and there’s no better manifestation of this trend than in self-publishing! We encourage you to read Bausell’s full article on Montgomery’s rise in popularity here.

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

Self-Publishing News: 3.14.2016

This week in the world of self-publishing:

Publishers Petition White House to End Cuba Book Embargo

It’s not often that self-publishing makes a mark on a major East Coast newspaper, especially one known for covering international politics and economic affairs, but this week self-publishing is the byword everywhere, including this March 10 article by Jeffrey Trachtenberg and Felicia Schwartz that appeared in the Wall Street Journal. Why the big fuss? Well: “Three major U.S. book publishers, several trade groups and others in the publishing industry have signed a petition urging the White House and Congress to end the Cuba trade embargo for books and educational materials.” So far you might be forgiven for thinking that the Big Five were the driving force behind this petition, but bear with me for a minute. “The petition,” write Trachtenberg and Schwartz, “argues that the embargo ‘runs counter to American ideals of free expression’ and lifting it would be ‘consistent with the will of the American people.'” This, of course, is fully in line with the independent streak so fiercely guarded by the anti-gatekeeping indie publishing movement, and as it turns out, self-publishing authors have come out in force to support the petition.

While only WSJ subscribers can read the full article, the story has been picked up by a variety of other news outlets, including the Huffington Post, specifically this HuffPost Books article by Mark Coker, the founder of SmashWords––a distributer of independently published ebooks––and a driving force behind the petition. As he earlier wrote on the SmashWords blog, Coker says the petition was inspired by a visit to Cuba, where he discovered that “it’s extraordinarily expensive and difficult for Cuban publishers to gain access to even the simplest raw materials of bookmaking, such as paper and ink. And for self-published authors, even if they had access to self-publishing services or book printers, the set-up fees of such print services would be prohibitively expensive.” Says Coker, “Cuba has an adult literacy rate that is nearly 100%. Compare that to the the US where adult literacy is only about 80%. Cuba has a rich literary heritage. They value books.” To deliberately quash literary entrepreneurship in Cuba is to suppress a priceless literary heritage––as well as future potential. To read more about the petition, you can visit the WSJ article here, the HuffPost Books article here, the SmashWords blog here, and the corresponding public White House petition here.

The New Indie and the Self-Publishing Revolution

“Independent publishing doesn’t mean what it used to,” writes Brooke Warner in this March 11 for Publisher’s Weekly. She goes on to explain that today, “when people talk about ‘indie’ authors, they’re talking not about authors published on small presses but about a thriving movement of self-published authors who are green-lighting their own work and riding the wave of a movement that’s far from peaking.” This movement is so distinct, she argues, that it well deserves the title of “revolution”! “Self-published authors have been working for years to improve their own standards, and the results are impressive,” writes Warner, who publishes via She Writes Press and SparkPress, is president of Warner Coaching Inc., as well as an independently published author herself. As such, she’s perfectly positioned to declare with authority: “If the past 16 years are any indicator of what’s to come, we better hold on. We’re in the middle of a sea change, and indie authors and publishers are not only forging new territory, they’re leading the way.” For the rest of her piece, visit the original article here.

Here is the Full Author Earnings Report from DBW 2016

You might have heard the name “Data Guy” floating around during conversations about the digital book market, particularly in the context of Author Earnings, an annual report and nonprofit organization run by said Data Guy. Well, in this March 13th article by Michael Kozlowski for the Good e-Reader, Kozlowski records the keynote presentation to the 2016 Digital Book World conference as given by the heretofore anonymous Data Guy, including screenshots of each slide. (You can also view the original presentation on the Author Earnings webpage.) Aside from some necessary boilerplate material and a couple of unabashed slides dedicated to justifying the work done by AE, Data Guy spent the vast majority of the presentation focusing on how the current market statistics on ebook sales as given by Amazon and other retailers skew indie authors’ expectations and, possibly, undercuts their ability to contextualize their experiences within the framework of a larger, more realistic, picture. As it turns out, the shift from print to digital poses a significant challenge to data collection, given that sales have largely shifted from the Big Five traditional publishing houses to a new monopoly held by Amazon, Barnes & Noble, the Apple Store, and Kobo … or so they would have us think. As it turns out, a large proportion of ebook sales and distribution is now happening independently of these sites, and these sites are famous for underreporting relevant information to begin with. Data Guy demonstrated how greater transparency and advocacy can do a world of good for indie authors, and I highly recommend reading his full keynote at the link!

Major publishers’ e-book sales stagnate as overall market grows

As a counterpoint to certain points made by Data Guy in his keynote presentation as reported above, Ángel González of the Seattle Times reports in this March 9th article that “Sales of e-books from major publishers have waned since 2014, the year in which many of them gained the right to price their digital titles sold through Amazon—and jacked up prices.” Says González, “Those moves suddenly made books printed on dead trees a better deal. But that doesn’t mean the e-book market is stagnant. Far from it.” As González goes on to say, many of the Big Five traditional publishers are publishing their quarterly sales figures along with announcements that they are seeing a drop in digital sales after Amazon and Hachette resolved their price-fixing dispute last year, and as a result print sales are up. The general consensus seems to be that if you can buy a book in physical form off of a bookstore shelf for roughly the same price as purchasing an ebook online, why not cave to the superior attractions of a full bookshelf over a full iPad? And while many indie authors do sell their books in multiple formats, including print, many focus their efforts on the digital market for obvious reasons of economy of launch funds and ease of distribution. In short, these sales figures have great significance for many indie authors. Somewhere between the Data Guy’s optimistic keynote and González’s report on the dire predictions out of the traditional sector, we must be able to find a balance.

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

Self-Publishing News: 3.7.2016

This week in the world of self-publishing:

Top 3 Amazon Alternatives for Kindle Writers

“Not happy with your Amazon royalties? Not thrilled with Amazon’s latest strategy to pay self-published borrowed books is a pool based on pages read?” asks Liesha Petrovich for HuffPost Business on March 3rd. Answers Petrovich: “You’re not alone.” And indeed, as she points out in her article, a number of high-profile as well as mainstream self-publishing authors are growing dissatisfied with Amazon’s offerings, services, and standard of treatment for its customers––readers and writers alike. And just because Amazon may appear to have a stranglehold on the indie publishing marketplace doesn’t mean that it’s the only option available; as Petrovich writes, “If you’re a current or future writer, with dreams of making a living writing, Amazon isn’t the only path to self-published success.” Her suggestions are threefold, and they don’t rely on switching companies––such as leapfrogging from Amazon to Kobo, or some other platform––but rather upon changing the sales paradigm altogether. Her recommendations are to:

Sell from your own site
Sell on other platforms (such as the Apple store, or through B&N), and
Create your own path to publishing success.

“You’re not limited,” says Petrovich, “and you may have to try a few [options] before you find the results you’re looking for. Just remember you choose to go independent for a reason, and not to increase Amazon’s profits.” Amen to that. For the rest of Petrovich’s article, follow the link!

13 Self Published Books You Won’t Find At A Book Store, But Need To Read

Says Meg Kehoe of the Romper in another article from March 3rd, “The amazing range that self-published books provide can be hard to navigate, but thanks to sites like Indie Reader and Goodreads, the world of books becomes slightly less daunting.” Kehoe herself is a handy resource for readers looking to break into the world of ebooks but find themselves without a map or compass. Her list of books you can’t afford to miss includes Jabberwocky by Theodore Singer (CreateSpace)––with obvious ties to Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland series, just in time for a new movie coming out this summer––and Jack Hammond Junior’s The Last Hanging in Scots Bend (Lujack Press), Nina Ansary’s Jewels for Allah (Revela Press), and Russell Newell’s The Boy and the Bastard (Dog Ear). I don’t know about you, but after perusing Kehoe’s list and reading her summaries of each, I definitely feel like cracking open a few new ebook covers (figuratively, at least) this next week! You can view the entire list here.

The teen author bandwagon

Sometimes, it’s nice to hear from the very demographic we write so much about here on Self Publishing Advisor, and in his March 2nd column for The Beacon, the official (online and print) student newspaper of the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, Mitch Chapman speaks up for teen authors everywhere––and what he has to say may come as a surprise, in that he asks for us to stop defining teen authors as “teen authors” and instead define them simply by what they do (write) and how well they do it. Says Chapman, “even before the rise of self-publishing platforms such as CreateSpace and Lulu, there has been an unusual fixation towards teenage authors that sometimes bleeds into college life.” He goes on to argue that, although the phenomenon of the teen author pop icon has its roots in a fascination with the gifted youngsters among us, it has created a culture which commoditizes and monetizes an author’s age … and by turning age into currency, we of course perpetuate an opportunity for unhealthy exploitation. The label “teen author” also has the undesirable side effect of following young writers into adulthood, and diminishing the true value of what they do. Chapman concludes that, “At the end of the day, what matters is not your age, but the quality of your work and your personal integrity.” Wise words for us all. You can find the rest of his article at the MCLA Beacon website.

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