I often talk to authors who are shopping their latest work around to agents and publishers. Many get disillusioned about the whole traditional publishing game, because it isn’t really interested in unknown writers. The point at which writers contact me is when they start to consider self-publishing.

This past weekend, Dan Poynter – a legend in the self-publishing and small press community – was on NPR on a program entitled “The Future of Children’s Books.” He said all children’s publishing will transition over to tablet-based e-readers. I had been pondering a response to his thesis, which I think has some merits, but [...]

We took a look at what goes into a print bid in Print Bids – Parts I and II. Now let’s look at the information we get back from the printers.

Regular printing still happens more often than not – especially when we’re talking about color printing, which is still not practically priced in the POD realm. I thought I’d show what goes into a print bid and how to evaluate the responses you get back.

Stop worrying about “Is Publishing Going to Die?” or “Are Books Dead?” Instead, focus on what your market needs. And recheck every couple of months. Be the expert, rather than the follower in your genre.

Starting a publishing company is a non-trivial task. It takes planning, the development of a vision and persistance. It’s frustrating, time-consuming… and about the most fulfilling thing I’ve ever done in my life!

This posts comes from an exchange I had on the SPAN Self-Publishing Discussion List with a new self-publisher who was becoming confused about the difference between Distributors and Wholesalers. But then I saw an opportunity to point out the flaws in the system.

An interview with The Book Designer, Joel Friedlander, about my thoughts on book distribution and self-publishing.

You’ve followed my simple instructions on Basic Twitter Tips for Authors and you’re thinking, “Now what?” Well, now we get to the stuff that makes you more effective than 90% of Twitter users who don’t do much with this important tool!

I didn’t start out to be a publisher, book packager, book shepherd, editor or distributor. All I wanted was to see my novel in print.