lulu | Self-Publishing Review

Vanity Publishing in the Age of Celebrity

One thing that puzzles me about the criticism that any type of self-publishing is a kind of vanity publishing is the fact that vanity is actually rewarded in so many corners of our culture. Here’s a small taste of the insanity that passes for mainstream American culture:

Perhaps I am shooting fish in a barrel by pointing out the vapidity that is the heart of celebrity culture, but that you see there? That’s vanity. A writer trying to get the word out by publishing his book that (maybe) will be read by 100 people is not vanity. It’s hope. It’s […]

Henry Baum2011-10-08T18:58:17+02:00July 21st, 2009|Categories: Features|

Writing As A Hobby

What may be missing from the self-publishing debate is the fact that there are a lot of self-publishers who just aren’t that interested in a career in writing – whether it’s via a New York contract or selling books independently. Consider this an addendum to the Two Wings of Self-Publishing post – add a third wing: people who publish for the hell of it. If they get a few reviews, that’s great, but if they don’t it’s not a problem.

These writers might not care as much about the book cover or having a book properly edited. Personally, I don’t […]

Henry Baum2019-07-25T12:41:09+02:00July 13th, 2009|Categories: Features|

Do Self-Publishing Services Take Advantage of Writers?

One of the major criticisms of self-publishing is that self-publishing services take advantage of authors – promising them a quick route to success that is wholly unrealistic. I’ve argued that a lot of this falls on the authors themselves, not on the subsidy service. Authors have to do some research on costs and what can realistically be achieved through self-publishing. This came to light in a recent comment on SPR’s AuthorHouse review. A writer said he poured his limited savings into his AuthorHouse book and received little in return. The commenter – who goes by “Feeling Cheated” – said:[…]

Henry Baum2011-10-08T20:40:29+02:00July 2nd, 2009|Categories: Features, Lead Story|

Introducing: Backword Books

This will repeat some of the information mentioned in the inaugural post of Backword Books – an experiment in self-publishing. Backword Books is a compendium of self-publishers – a kind of hybrid of self-publishing and the traditional literary press. It’s not a press that uses POD technology because the difference is that each writer on Backword uses a different method to print books – iUniverse, Lulu, Lightning Source, and so on.

The idea of the site is to start small and grow from there – selecting a few strong, well-reviewed self-published writers and seeing where it takes us. Even though […]

Henry Baum2011-10-08T19:01:10+02:00June 16th, 2009|Categories: Lead Story, Publisher Reviews|

A Slideshare Presentation: Today's Book Consumer

Here is a fascinating study about today’s book-buying habits. For fiction – mystery and detective novels comprise the greatest percentage of book purchases, and the internet is gaining as a place where people buy books exclusively, especially for older readers:

4- Making Information Pay 2009 — GALLAGHER, KELLY (Bowker)

View more presentations from bisg.

On a completely unrelated note, the Self-Publishing Review is now the fifth listing in Google for the term self-publishing, above Xlibris and below Lulu. In my other life, I’m an SEO writer so I pay attention to these things and Google just did a […]

Henry Baum2011-10-08T19:06:25+02:00June 1st, 2009|Categories: News|

An Interview with Matty Byloos, author of Don't Smell the Floss on Write Bloody Press

This is the first interview on the site about a book that has crossed the line from self-publishing to micro publishing: there is a difference. However, the founder of Write Bloody puts out his own books on the press/the press uses print on demand/writers are responsible for editing and submitting the ISBN/writers retain rights to their books/and the press lays the marketing on the writers. So there is an element of self-publishing to the press – and SPR’s definitely a supporter of this type of hybrid publishing.

Generally, I think there’s a little too much of an us vs. them […]

Henry Baum2011-10-08T19:07:00+02:00June 1st, 2009|Categories: Interviews, Lead Story|

Getting an Account with Lightning Source

Originally posted at Kreelan Warrior, the site of Michael R. Hicks, author of the science fiction series, In Her Name – “Fans of epic fantasy as well as science fiction lovers will find an enjoyable read here, particularly those who love to visit unique worlds with some seriously beautiful worldbuilding.”

For those who may be thinking about Lightning Source (LSI), I wanted to give you a quick rundown on what it takes to at least get your foot in the door and get an account.

The first thing you need to keep in mind is that Lightning Source […]

Guest Post2011-10-08T19:54:36+02:00May 29th, 2009|Categories: Resources|

No Advance or Be Damned

I am going to say something which may ruffle a few feathers, both from traditionally published authors and authors who have self-published but are looking to break into mainstream publishing through their own endeavours.

Your prospective publisher declares ‘NO ADVANCE OR BE DAMNED’.

Would you politely decline the publisher’s contract offer without any advance and show yourself to the door? Perhaps you would if the offer came from ACME Publishing or some other publishing shack up the road. Let’s say the offer came from an imprint of Pan Macmillan or HarperCollins. Would you then stop and think twice?

I believe […]

Mick Rooney2011-10-08T19:56:14+02:00May 26th, 2009|Categories: Features|

Where to Find an Editor for a Self-Published Book

Take a look at our editing packages here.

There’s been a lot of talk on this site about why editing is important to the quality of self-published books, and how poor editing is the reason self-published books are not taken seriously. One could imagine the impulse of some writers: well, the book’s already been bought, so what does it matter if there are some typos inside – the sale has already been made. Bad impulse – if you’re at all interested in generating good reviews and for gaining any kind of reputation to sell books in the future.

OK, […]

Henry Baum2020-02-21T06:47:00+02:00May 20th, 2009|Categories: Resources|Tags: Book Editing Tips|

iUniverse Review

Frankly, I’m surprised that so many self-publishers use a service like iUniverse. I’m an advocate of using a self-publisher that doesn’t call attention to the fact that it’s a self-publisher. Though many people familiar with self-publishing immediately know the difference between iUniverse, AuthorHouse, Lulu, and so on, there are many more people who do not know the difference – especially readers who are not also writers.

Your least savvy reader is going to know that a publishing entity called iUniverse is not your typical press. It has something to do with printing a book via a computer. Right off, […]

Henry Baum2011-10-17T04:11:09+02:00May 5th, 2009|Categories: Publisher Reviews|