Features | Self-Publishing Review

What’s the Story?

When, a few years ago, I started writing a book, friends would ask me what it was about. I’d say it was about a lot of things – a world where no one believes in anything, conspiracy theory, drugs, the lost dreams of the Sixties and Seventies – but that wasn’t what they wanted to hear. They wanted to know what the story was. In truth, there wasn’t much of one. I thought I could write a novel based on ideas rather than character and story.

I may have been extraordinarily naïve, but it took me a while to come […]

Roland Denning2011-05-24T12:51:40+02:00May 24th, 2011|Categories: Features|Tags: Writing Tips|

The Pros and Cons of Independent Publishing

I published my novel, “Dead Spell”, myself and not necessarily because I had to, but because I wanted to. It’s niche genre fiction and has found its home in the horror community at large. Some of the reviews have been beyond my wildest dreams awesome and from their content, I can tell I really reached my readers on the intended deeply emotional level.

I’m a huge fan of the independent publishing movement, if it’s done right. Writing is a craft that one hones over years and years of practice and persistence. It requires a commitment to quality and form and […]

Belinda Frisch2014-05-05T22:36:44+02:00May 18th, 2011|Categories: Features, Member Blog|

Building Your Book Audience

(Excerpt from The Indie Journey: Secrets to Writing Success by Scott Nicholson)

There’s a common belief among writers that the route through New York and then to America’s bookshelves is the best way to build an audience. Certainly, there are plenty of advantages to letting someone else worry about all that paperwork, especially when they are earning most of the money.

But I don’t think we can automatically assume that being on store shelves is going to grow your audience better than self-publishing. In fact, I believe the exact opposite. I believe anyone wrapped up under contract for the next […]

scottnicholson2011-05-18T12:30:35+02:00May 18th, 2011|Categories: Book Excerpt, Features|Tags: Writing Tips|

Book Cover Design An Important Marketing Tool

Book covers are important marketing tools for publishers. It’s difficult to gauge actual sales made on cover design alone, but there have been numerous anecdotal stories from major publishers that clearly demonstrate the impact a strong cover design can have.

Penguin discovered the power of the cover in the late ’90s when the company hired several graphic artists to design new covers for its Modern Classics series. The experiment proved a huge success with the under 25 demographic. Sales soared.

In the March, 2006, meeting of the Association of American Publishers, Marcella Smith, director of small press relations for Barnes […]

Cathi Stevenson2020-02-21T03:41:40+02:00May 16th, 2011|Categories: Features|Tags: Book Cover Design Tips|

What Self-Publishing Isn’t

Here are four things I keep hearing about self-publishing. Unfortunately I don’t believe any of them are true.

1. Self-publishing is a way of opening the doors to the weird and the wonderful that otherwise wouldn’t be published.

Everyone knows that the easiest thing about self-publishing today is the publishing bit. The hard part is the selling. But here’s the rub: Self-publishing favours the familiar. It favours non-fiction over fiction, genre fiction over the literary.

Genre is giving people what they expect, literary novels are about giving people what they don’t expect. (I’m not making value judgements here, I enjoy […]

Roland Denning2011-05-12T15:00:27+02:00May 12th, 2011|Categories: Features|

Ebook Industry: Where Is Microsoft?

As the ebook industry progresses and the major players compete, it seems we are headed in several directions at once. Self-publishing authors are confused where to start with all the various formats and devices and platforms to publish on.

The major players are bent on keeping control of their domain as they clash with each other for control of the industry. You have Amazon and Barnes and Noble in a struggle for control of the online distribution business and the sale of low end ereaders.

Then you have Apple and the ipad and ibooks positioned a notch-up in price.

Following […]

James Moushon2019-02-18T12:21:31+02:00May 10th, 2011|Categories: Features|Tags: Amazon News and Tips|

Do Publishers Have a Purpose in the Digital Age?

The opening day seminar debate last week at the London Book Fair asked the provocative question: ‘Will publishers in the digital age soon be irrelevant?’ It was always a debate destined to be a little heated. It isn’t just provocative but also suggests there is an alternative destiny for the book publishing industry to the one envisaged by many commercial publishing houses.

The debate was hosted by Susan Danziger, CEO of DailyLit and organizer of the Publishing Point, and moderated by Michael Healy, executive director of the Book Rights Registry. Richard Charkin, executive director of Bloomsbury Publishing and Andrew Franklin, […]

Mick Rooney2011-04-28T10:06:05+02:00April 28th, 2011|Categories: Features, Lead Story|

My First Self-Publishing Experience

To introduce myself, my name is Ashly Lorenzana. I’m twenty-three years old and I live in Portland, OR where I’ve worked as an escort for over five years. Over these last several years, I kept a personal journal/blog about my life in general, both as an escort and a drug addict. I never thought anything of it, until I was contacted by a local published author (who wished to remain anonymous) who asked me if I’d ever considered publishing it. Surprised, I wrote him back and said no, it was just my silly journal. He told me he was even […]