April, 2011 | Self-Publishing Review

Ereaders are a Planet Killer?

On Facebook, Writer Beware linked to this thought-provoking, and pretty depressing, article about ereaders.

The New York Times recently calculated that the environmental impact of a single e-reader—factoring in the use of minerals, water, and fossil fuels along the manufacturing process—is roughly the same as fifty books. At first that sounds encouraging; after all, even the smallest personal library contains fifty volumes. But the real problems come in lifespan. At present, the average e-reader is used less than two years before it is replaced. That means that the nearly ten million e-readers expected to be in use by next

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Henry Baum2011-04-11T21:19:10+02:00April 11th, 2011|Categories: Features|

Publisher’s Cooperative Established in Edmonds, WA

Edmonds authors announce formation of publishing cooperative

Two Edmonds authors have announced the formation of a publishing cooperative for fellow writers.

“The economy, diminished shelf space, and other money-squeezing factors affect the ability of authors to get their work published,” said Emily Hill, author of “Jenkins: Confederate Blockade Runner” and owner of A.V. Harrison Publishing, which assists authors in self-publishing their works. ”The situation worsens as Borders and IndieBound bookstores close, one after another. These dynamics make finding an agent and publisher more difficult for emerging authors because agents and publishers are risk-adverse to spending the money to promote […]

Emily Hill2011-04-11T16:49:15+02:00April 11th, 2011|Categories: News|

Author Interview: Jim Wills

I’m new here, but not to Indie publishing. As an introduction, answers to the questions on this site follow.

I worked as a developmental trade editor, professional business writer for more than twenty years; got me nowhere in fiction land, so I went Indie.
Started with Amazon/Create Space, then Smashwords; so far, so good. Smashwords is very impressive.
I’ve used every marketing venue out there, including radio interviews, book readings, local print advertising, library services. Working on a trailer.
I was compelled to write A Few Men Faithful: A Kavanagh Story I by my lifelong interest in Irish history, mythology,

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Jim Wills2011-10-09T19:29:48+02:00April 11th, 2011|Categories: Interviews, Member Blog|

Interview: Theresa Moore

1. How did you come to self-publish? Did you try to get published traditionally?
When I was a teenager I started writing short stories and did not think about getting published until I was about 18. I studied up on the principles of publishing and sent my first manuscript off to an agent. After that I started getting rejections, but real life got in the way and I put it aside. I spent about 20 years doing something else, which never made me happy. Then I started writing again when I joined a fan club, and have been writing ever […]

Theresa M. Moore2011-04-08T18:52:28+02:00April 8th, 2011|Categories: Interviews|

We Work For Money

“Write without pay until somebody offers to pay” – Mark Twain

There are a lot of writers who attempt to produce “art.” It is polished. Loved. Studied in-depth and then gently caressed into the beautiful flower the author has nurtured in their heart.

But as any good gardener knows, you can’t pop a hot-house orchid outside on the first night of spring. You have to harden it. Put it out a little at a time. Get it ready to face the grim realities of wind and weather. Granted you don’t do so with orchids, but you get the […]

Allison D. Duncan2020-02-20T13:17:43+02:00April 8th, 2011|Categories: Features|Tags: Writing Tips|

We’re All Indie This Together – a reply to Dan Holloway

Dan Holloway wrote a very interesting piece questioning the ‘success’ of indie authors. I have a lot of respect and affection for Dan’s work, but he left me scratching my head at one point. For a start, I’m not really sure what ‘indie’ writer means. Nor am I convinced by his distinction between ‘mainstream’ and ‘edgy’.

The concepts of ‘underground’ or ‘counter culture’ or even ‘alternative’ don’t really apply today – there are just various levels of distribution. To quote from Mark Fisher – ‘alternative and ‘independent’ don’t designate something outside mainstream culture; rather they are styles, in fact […]

Roland Denning2011-04-08T14:57:05+02:00April 8th, 2011|Categories: Features|

A new resource for indie-authors? Foozago books and the indie book event.

I came across Foozago Books: Indies while searching for indie book stores for my self-published non-fiction book. Then I came across them again on the discussion of Joel Friedlander’s (The Book Designer) post indie bookstores vs. indie publishers.

Basically they are a little amazon, but you have to print and send them your books. They’ll list them and give you 60%. Joel and others point out that this isn’t a great way to make money – and it isn’t, not in the long term. But in the beginning, it isn’t about money, it’s about exposure. It’s about being everywhere. And […]

Derek Murphy2011-04-06T14:21:41+02:00April 6th, 2011|Categories: News, Resources|Tags: Book Promotion Articles|

Ebook Authors: The Kids Are Coming

One of the great opportunities ahead for ebook authors is the wave of new readers entering the digital book world. These gadget centric-readers are kids and young adults. You know the ones that don’t shy away from a computer screen or the digital world. With their cell phone or ipad in hand, they are going to drive the ebook industry to new heights in the near future.

This wave of new readers is going to create a new wave of authors. These writers are going to write directly to the ebook platform, bypassing the current paper to digital conversion process. […]

James Moushon2019-02-18T12:21:48+02:00April 4th, 2011|Categories: Features, Member Blog|