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How did you come to self-publish? Did you try to get published
traditionally?
I decided to self-publish after reading some horror stories about authors who go through traditional publishing houses, give up the rights to their works, and receive no support from the publisher post-publication. Self-publishing appealed to me because I […]
I caught up to the fact that Chris Kelly was having a blog carnival on Indie Publishing just as the deadline closed. However, after reading the blog posts of those who made it to the fair, and mulling over my reactions, I thought it would still be useful to post on this topic.
I have written previously on my blog about the path that lead me to self-publishing, which echoed other writers (disappointment with the traditional route, issues of control, greater financial opportunities, etc) so in this post I am focusing more narrowly on the most important personal reason I […]
1. How did you come to self-publish? Did you try to get published
traditionally?
I decided to self-publish because I heard about the long waits and difficulty of traditionally getting published. I always hear of new writers writing fantastic books, only to have them rejected by publishing agents! I just decided I would take a shortcut.
2. What self-publishing service did you use? Happy with the service?
I used CreateSpace, and I would say they do a good job. They help you from start to finish.[…]
I went on line late yesterday afternoon and was bombarded by the swirl of news and commentary about Dorchester Publishing’s decision to switch to an e-book/POD approach to publishing. At first I simply felt a wave of sympathy for those authors who found their familiar world swept away, particularly those authors who had books that were supposed to come out this fall and were in the middle of marketing campaigns designed around traditional trade paperbacks and brick and mortar stores. See for example the discussion on the Smart Bitches website.
Next I thought about what advice I would […]
This morning, NPR reported that the Wylie Agency, a top literary agency, has teamed with Amazon on a joint venture to electronically publish what’s known as ‘back-list titles,’ best-sellers written long before the age of e-books. The publishing industry wasn’t happy, particularly Random House. In a quintessential display of the kind of pig-headed mentality that has alienated authors (like myself) from traditional publishing, RH essentially blacklisted the Wiley Agency, refusing to enter into any future (English language) agreements with any of its clients. This act on their behalf has left some bloggers, that is Café Lopez, extremely […]
I recently self-published a new children’s book, “Ug Goes Out,” which you can read more about at http://uggoesout.blogspot.com.
So far I’ve spent $129 and have made a net profit of $11, mostly after selling books to friends, family, and coworkers. In this post I will explain my early marketing strategy, its successes and shortcomings so far, and my visions for its future.
1. Bookmarks
I am a middle school English teacher, and the neat thing about my job is that I have a captive focus group who can critique my work and maybe learn something in the process. After […]