ALLi’s Watchdog points out the hidden pitfalls of 12 services commonly marketed to indie authors.
Source: 12 Self-Publishing Services Authors Should Beware | Self-Publishing Advice Center
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IngramSpark vs. Createspace: Print on Demand Battle Royal
Dave Chesson of kindlepreneur has made a very handy list of pro and cons for IngramSpark and createspace, really the only two printers/publishers I would suggest anyone use. I have used both for my clients and myself.
I would have to agree that IngramSpark is not as user friendly for those unfamiliar with the publishing process, but would also agree that their quality is more consistent. The other thing that might throw a self-publisher is figuring out what percent discount to give the various distribution options that IngramSpark has. They say the standard is 55%, which is similar to selling a print book on Amazon. (I’m not sure the % createspace takes for its various distribution outlets, but I can’t imagine it’s different. If anyone out there knows, I’d love to hear!)
I have one book with IngramS at the moment (Will the Real Carolyn Keene Please Stand Up) and went with 50% vs 55% for US sales (less for international because of the cost) and I still get sales. I went with IS for this book because I wanted a hardcover and createspace doesn’t do hardcover (though I know some have managed it through them somehow). I also have a soft cover of the same book through them. Plus I wanted to see how my sales were on IS vs the couple books I have printed through createspace.
So far, I sell more print books through IS than createspace, but I’m not comparing apples to apples since they are different books and may interest different people (though they are both historical fiction books). And just so you know, IS distributes for Amazon, so any Amazon orders I get for a print book will be fulfilled by IS. And IS only has certain sizes for hardcover. My Carolyn Keene book is 5.5″ X 8.5″ which they do. My most recent MG book (Intrigue in Istanbul: An Agnes Kelly Mystery Adventure) is 7.75″ x 5.25″ which they don’t do, so I went with a local printer (Publisher Graphics) for that and they did a wonderful job. Now I have to decide if I want to do a soft cover with IS so I can get a wider distribution network or see if I can convince them do something custom for me. They have many size options for soft cover. And their shipping costs to me are less than createspace, but maybe that depends on where you live (I live in Wisconsin).
One more FYI. You can not use both companies. If you want to try IS and you currently have your book printed through createspace, you will have to take it off createspace before IS will print/distribute it for you.
If you have any other questions about either publisher, don’t hesitate to contact me. I’d be happy to help out.
Source: IngramSpark vs. Createspace: Print on Demand Battle Royal
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2015 Smashwords Survey Reveals Insights to Help Authors Reach More Readers
Mark Coker shared his Smashwords survey results. Always good to read for any writer who wants to self-publish or is already in the thick of things 🙂
Source: Smashwords: 2015 Smashwords Survey Reveals Insights to Help Authors Reach More Readers
Romance finally breaks The Post’s ‘No Self-Published Books’ rule
The first brick has fallen. More to follow. Just thought you might like to know.
Alisha Rai’s erotic novel ‘Serving Pleasure’ is named one of the best romance novels of 2015.
Source: Romance finally breaks The Post’s ‘No Self-Published Books’ rule – The Washington Post
Four Ways to Think Long Term in Indie Publishing | Indie Author News
Susan Kaye Quinn makes some good points about self-publishing, or any type of publishing really.
Four Ways to Think Long Term in Indie Publishing | Indie Author News.
My take on the subject: Persistence, persistence, persistence… That is persistence with writing, with marketing, with networking, with learning about the craft, with helping fellow writers…
10 Trends in Self-publishing
Mark is in the know in the self-publishing world. He delivers 10 tends – some of which are good new for authors looking to self-publish, some not so good.
Author Newsletter – September 2014
If you’re not on Goodreads, I highly recommend it. If you are and don’t get the newsletter, here is one I received recently that lays out some important things to do before publication.
Plus read farther down. In the author interview, Chuck mentions reading the “recent status updates.” I never knew what this was, but now that I do, I will definitely be reading and commenting on those. (apparently, sometimes readers make commen
ts on Goodreads about books they are reading and those comments are stored here. And you can comment on those comments.) It’s another great way to connect to readers!
I can’t say enough good things about Goodreads, really. And I want to thank Amazon for not messing it with it too much since they purchased it recently. Hopefully they know a good thing when they see it (and leave it alone!)
Best Websites For Self-Published Authors
Thanks, Molly for sharing some very good sites. I follow a few of these myself. If we stick together, we all can learn something!
Best Websites For Self-Published Authors | Molly Greene: Writer.
Amazon’s Hachette Dispute Foreshadows What’s Next for Indie Authors
If you haven’t read about the Amazon vs Hachette (a Book Publisher) dispute, you should take a look at the Mark Coker’s post below.
It seems to me that the agency model of publishing is on it’s way out, but only time will tell what will replace it. We (authors, indie-publishers) do work in a ever-changing field, and that’s going to be the status quo for some time, I’m sure of it.
Smashwords: Amazon’s Hachette Dispute Foreshadows What’s Next for Indie Authors.
Free ISBN or No Free ISBN? That is the Question
from qwentanner.com
I know I’ve posted information about ISBN’s before but Joel Friedlander on his website, The Book Designer, gives more detail than I’ve found in other blog posts before and is worth sharing if you’ve ever questioned whether you should accept that free ISBN from createspace or any other publisher. This post has information that should help you decide.
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