Member Blog | Self-Publishing Review

Late to the Fair: Why I Became an Indie Author

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 […]

Mary Lou Locke2011-10-08T17:11:17+02:00September 2nd, 2010|Categories: Member Blog|

Getting Your Book Self-Published—Clear the Confusion and Focus on the Basics

As a writer, it is so easy to get confused and lose focus with all the talk about getting a book self-published these days. There are so many self-publishing, options and formats and e-book readers, from Kindles to i-Phones. For a moment, take a step back—and focus. Forget about how you are going to self-publish or where people will read your book. Concentrate on WHAT people will read—and make sure, as a writer, you provide a good quality book. At AuthorAssist, we coach our writers to adhere to the basic principles required for a quality book—and we have narrowed it […]

Patricia Benesh2011-10-08T17:11:49+02:00August 31st, 2010|Categories: Member Blog, Resources|

Interview – Wade Stabler, author of ‘Rootwork’

An interview with Wade Stabler, author of ‘Rootwork’ which you can find here.

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.[…]

Wade Stabler2011-10-08T17:19:48+02:00August 16th, 2010|Categories: Interviews, Member Blog|

Words of Advice for Dorchester Authors from an Indie Author

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 […]

Mary Lou Locke2020-02-21T03:59:15+02:00August 11th, 2010|Categories: Member Blog|Tags: Author Branding|

Wylie Agency Walking on the Wild Side

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 […]

Mark2011-10-08T18:03:26+02:00July 27th, 2010|Categories: Member Blog|Tags: Amazon News and Tips|

Establishing a Brand

I have been working my way through the Platform/Promo Lessons in Publetariat’s Vault University curriculum by April Hamilton and Zoe Winters (I was fortunate enough to win access to Vault University as a winner of Publetariat’s First Anniversary Contest.) While I don’t plan on revealing any detail on the excellent material presented in this curriculum (if you are interested, the fee is just $5 a month for monthly lessons, and I would highly recommend signing up and/or purchasing a copy of April Hamilton’s Indie Author Guide), I am using the subject headings of the sixteen “lessons” in the curriculum […]

Mary Lou Locke2020-02-21T03:34:35+02:00July 23rd, 2010|Categories: Features, Member Blog|Tags: Author Branding|

The Long Road to Publishing Success… Begins Now

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 […]

Eric Brinker2020-02-21T03:59:41+02:00July 7th, 2010|Categories: Member Blog|Tags: Book Marketing Advice and Tips|

It is All Right to Make a Profit with your Writing

The “starving artist” cliché has been used to describe those in the creative fields for quite a while. It has been part of history that artists of the past were never appreciated until they were dead, crazy, and usually some combination of both. Pieces of art that are worth millions now didn’t make their artists rich while they lived. History doesn’t bode well for what I’m about to talk about. Now, we come to authors.

Writing a novel, painting, sculpting, music, designing, are all creative works, subject to other individuals appreciation of them. They don’t serve the same kind of […]

James Ashman2020-02-21T03:59:50+02:00June 30th, 2010|Categories: Features, Member Blog|Tags: Book Marketing Advice and Tips|