This week in publishing (April 4 to April 10)
Posted By Sue Collier on April 11, 2011
Here’s some of what’s happening in publishing right now:
From Writer Beware Blogs: Lies (dishonest) fee-charging publishers tell
This blog post was inspired by a recently-seen “acceptance letter” from a fee-charging publisher (which doesn’t admit its fees on its website; writers don’t find out about them until they’ve actually submitted). The arguments below are commonly used by less-than-honest fee-chargers to distract authors from the fact that they’re being asked to pay several thousand dollars for publication.
From Forbes: Advice for Amanda Hocking from authors and agents
When Amanda Hocking, the 26-year-old poster girl for self-publishing, revealed her $2 million book contract with St. Martin’s Press, she defended the deal on her own blog to legions of fans and militant, mystified indie authors.
From Self Publishing Review: A new resource for indie authors? Foozago book and indie books
I came across Foozago Books: Indies while searching for indie book stores for my self-published non-fiction book. Then I came across them again on the discussion of Joel Friedlander’s (The Book Designer) post indie bookstores vs. indie publishers. Basically they are a little amazon, but you have to print and send them your books. They’ll list them and give you 60%.
From the Huffington Post: Honor your readers—hire an editor
I received an email this week from Smashwords. The ebook publisher is celebrating the 40,000th book that was entered into its catalog last week. It warms my heart to read about the success of this publisher. Smashwords’ success means that a lot of self-published authors, such as wiz kid Amanda Hocking, now have a voice. No more dependency on the big guys!
From ABCNews.com: Ebooks—could you be the next self-published superstar?
Until she hit her early 30′s, Zoe Winters’ resume was a list of odd jobs: candle maker, Avon lady, waitress, hotel night auditor. But when she finally turned her attention to writing, the self-published author of paranormal romance novels stumbled upon success – all on her own. Just two years into her 10-year plan, Winters said, her ebook sales have put her on target to make her first six-figure salary, without a literary agent or big-name publisher.
From Publishers Weekly: Borders to pitch skeptical publishers
At a meeting with publishers set for Wednesday morning, Borders Group will unveil its long-awaited restructuring plan, but unless it contains substantial new information, publishers are likely to remain skeptical about its chances for success. According to sources, Borders’s conduct since it has filed for Chapter 11 has only served to deepen publishers’ distrust that the chain can remain a viable company.
From Nathan Bransford: Who deserves the indie label—self-publishers or small presses?
A new term has been cropping up in writing circles, posts, and Forums lately. The self-published author is no more, and from its ashes has risen the terms “Indie Author” and “Indie Publishing” (often presented in opposition to “Legacy” publishing, aka traditional publishing).
very insightful and inspiring. i found you via thebookdesigner.com; look forward to reading more. i have hopes of publishing my first book in the next year or so. your tips give me a sobering view of the type of planning i need to do. thanks!
Glad you found my blog, Betty! Hope you’ll be back. Thanks for commenting.