Category: Publishing Industry

  • Neil Gaiman on Piracy

    People often ask me about piracy issues and digital rights management (drm) concerns. I can’t say it any better than Neil has. Good stuff. —-{—-{@ All our books are DRM free. What are your thoughts on the issue of piracy and DRM?

  • Posting Challenge 2011

    In 2009, I posted something everyday over on our old blog. That is until I got really, really burned out sometime in October. Then in 2010, my posting was very sporadic as I recovered. Now in 2011, I’ve stepped up my blogging again. For the past several weeks, I’ve been blogging three times a week,…

  • Emerging Author Spotlight: Evelyn Lafont

    With some luck, and perhaps copious amounts of chocolate and coffee (perhaps even some vodka), I will have a new independent author to spotlight every Wednesday for Twitter’s #WW #WriterWednesdays. I’d like to start this weekly tradition off with a really fun author I met via Twitter: Evelyn Lafont, the KeyboardHussy. Evelyn’s first novella, Vampire…

  • Self-Publishing’s Golden Goose

    If you pay attention to the publishing world at all, then you have heard the name Amanda Hocking. You likely have also heard the name J. A. Konrath. They are currently the greatest self-publishing success stories circulating cyberspace, but others are not far behind. Amanda Hocking is 26-years-old and lives in Minnesota. She has already…

  • Are You Rich?

    Often times at our events, I get asked this same question (usually by tweens) when they find out I’m an author. They ask, “Are you rich?” I have to really, really try not to laugh at that question. Really. Really. Try. Sure, it’s the kids who actually ask, but I don’t doubt that many, many…

  • Stay True to Your Reader or Sell Out?

    In the writing business, we often get conflicting advice from our readers, other writers, and industry professionals like agents and editors. Agents advise us to write what’s in our hearts, but they can only sell what the editors want. The editors want more of what is already selling, limiting their risk in this fast-changing business.…

  • Mandatory Returns & Kindle

    Back in November 2008, we had a great book signing (one of our first ever) at the Borders in Collin Creek Mall (Plano, TX). We sold 13 books! Whereas most authors sell an average of 1-5 books, 13 is pretty great! Over the holidays last month, I found myself back at Collin Creek Mall for…

  • Amazon & the Future of Publishing

    This issue keeps popping up on my radar. Even on Twitter, and through the recent #140 character conference, the question remains on what will happen to big publishing if they don’t change. At BEA in 2009, it was noted that big publishers are in greater financial dire straights than the little indie publisher. The NY…

  • I’m A Writer.

    “I’m A Writer.” Guest essay by Maxwell Cynn to appear in the Author Essay section my forthcoming book Publishing and Marketing Realities for the Emerging Author. —-{—-{@ “I’m a writer.” A lot of people say that. But I don’t write to make a living, I live to write. It’s like eating, sleeping, or sex. Being…

  • eReading Trends

    Very interesting, but not surprising. The ABCs of E-Reading Snippet: “A study of 1,200 e-reader owners by Marketing and Research Resources Inc. found that 40% said they now read more than they did with print books. Of those surveyed, 58% said they read about the same as before while 2% said they read less than…