Lead Story | Self-Publishing Review

Adventures in Innovation, Or: How To Make An Ebook You Can Feel (A Story of Snot and Letting Go)

Present

Returning to my last article on SPR, one year later, I’m struck by a comment left by a reader named Ron Fritsch. The article was about my self publishing experiment, the Bookdrive, and Ron seemed to really like my idea. He liked the potential of a multimedia reading experience provided by a USB Book. But naturally he had some questions.

There is one question in particular that, one year ago, I glossed over quickly in favour of the lower hanging fruit. After a tough year, and of a lot of hard work making my idea into reality, all […]

Mark Kowgier2012-11-29T14:28:39+02:00November 29th, 2012|Categories: Features, Lead Story|

Book Author: An Interview with Melissa Foster

Today I have a recent interview with award-winning author Melissa Foster. She is the author of three International bestselling novels and the founder of the World Literary Café, Fostering Success and the social and support network for women, the Women’s Nest.

Author Genre: Literature & Fiction, Mystery & Thrillers

Author Description:
Award-winning, bestselling author Melissa Foster is a touchstone for the indie publishing community and a tireless advocate for women.

She is the founder of the World Literary Café, Fostering Success, and The Women’s Nest , as well as a Community Builder for the Alliance of Independent Authors […]

James Moushon2019-02-18T12:12:24+02:00November 23rd, 2012|Categories: Interviews, Lead Story|

A Conversation with Boyd Morrison – An Early Adapter of Self-Publishing Gone Mainstream

Boyd Morrison fits no easy stereotypes for a novelist. With a BS degree in mechanical engineering from Rice University, he first worked for Lockheed and NASA on a space station and other projects. He returned to grad school to earn a Ph.D. in industrial engineering at Virginia Tech. His specialty in ergonomics led him to work on electronic program guides for TVs and digital satellite systems at RCA. When his wife, in becoming a physician, secured her residency in Washington State, Morrison found a dream job working at Microsoft in the Xbox division, helping create games. Handsome with piercing blue […]

Christopher Meeks2012-08-16T11:30:11+02:00August 16th, 2012|Categories: Interviews, Lead Story|

Interview: Fantasy Author Melissa McPhail on the Use of Languages

Melissa McPhail is a classically trained pianist, violinist and composer, a Vinyasa yoga instructor, and an avid Fantasy reader. A long-time student of philosophy, she is passionate about the Fantasy genre because of its inherent philosophical explorations. For this interview, we focus on the author’s selection and use of languages in creating a world for her fantasy series, A Pattern of Shadow & Light. Our story is set in the mythical realm of Alorin, three centuries after a massive war which almost wiped out an entire race called the Adepts.

SELF-PUBLISHING REVIEW: In my SPR review of Cephrael’s Hand[…]

Lela Michael2014-05-06T10:00:10+02:00July 13th, 2012|Categories: Interviews, Lead Story|

In Search of Free Images for Blog Posts and Book Covers

Whatever your budget, chances are you could do with a few free photos for your author blog or even your book’s cover. This article explores several websites offering the use of royalty-free images at no cost to you. You also need to familiarize yourself with different types of licensing when using royalty-free images.

DON’T GET SUED

Before you download an image from anywhere, including the websites discussed in this article, be aware that there are rules, regulations, and laws governing the licensing and use of images found on the Internet. Improperly (translation: illegally) using a photo on your blog […]

Lela Michael2012-07-10T13:19:47+02:00July 10th, 2012|Categories: Lead Story, Resources|

Creating a DIY Book Cover with GIMP

Doing your own artwork

Although I signed with a great publisher for my e-book, I opted out of print, deciding to self-publish a paperback edition of my novel. Doing my interior and cover design would allow me artistic control, for better or worse, of the product.

Having more time than cash, I wanted to see how much I could accomplish without spending any money. That meant doing everything myself.

What’s the goal?

One of the first things that struck me, while browsing book covers online, was how many were unreadable when displayed as icons. Not surprising, really, […]

Lianne Simon2020-02-21T03:23:01+02:00March 9th, 2012|Categories: Lead Story, Resources|Tags: Book Cover Design Tips|

Is a Self-Publishing Backlash On the Way?

It’s been a good run. 2011 was the year when self-publishing broke open with the successes of Amanda Hocking, John Locke, and JA Konrath. The stigma is gone. No one thinks a self-published book is bad just because it’s been self-published. But people are creative – there are some out there who actively want to dislike self-publishing, and will look for reasons to criticize. There are also plenty of people who still want to believe in the validation of a traditional publisher: if an agent and editor like it, I must be good. So now the stigma is not: self-published […]

Henry Baum2012-03-09T10:49:06+02:00March 3rd, 2012|Categories: Features, Lead Story|

The Smashwords/Paypal Debacle

Paypal hasn’t had a great few months of PR. First there was the Regretsy debacle, in which Paypal refused to process donations for kids:

PayPal demanded that Regretsy, an Etsy parody site, return its recent donations garnered to provide Christmas presents for disadvantaged kids. Though Regretsy functions primarily as a humor blog that mocks unfortunate-looking items on the craft site Etsy, it also allows Etsy sellers to donate their products to charity — and even to other sellers in need.

After the internet outcry, they reversed this decision, and finally decided to make donations of their own.[…]

Henry Baum2018-10-31T10:48:39+02:00March 2nd, 2012|Categories: Features, Lead Story|