If you're a self published author, get ready for some disappointing news. Your usefulness is coming to an end. Yes, you have all worked very hard for very little return in building an empire to be exploited by multinational enterprises, but sadly, your job is almost done and it's time now for you to be given the 'boot'.
DRM is an acronym for 'Digital Rights Management', and is something that all readers and authors of ebooks should understand. Sometimes called 'Digital Restrictions Management' by those who know how it works, it is a method used by retailers of digital products, including ebooks, to restrict the use of the file. Originally applied to music, [...]
Over the past few of weeks, Amazon Kindle has been making news for for two particularly onerous actions they have taken. Firstly there was the 'wiped' Kindle episode involving a Norwegian Kindle owner, who had all her purchased Kindle ebooks mysteriously deleted from her device by Amazon, and then just as mysteriously, after the news went viral, [...]
A Thoroughly Enjoyable Read. I couldn't help thinking about Indiana Jones while I was reading about Nick Palmer's adventures in The Forgotten Age by Jack Eason. If you have any interest in ancient myths, Egyptology or archaeology, you'll surely enjoy this new Nick Palmer story. A rollicking adventure of caves, tunnels, hidden entrances and unreliable maps [...]
While reading the following poem, which has always been a favourite of mine, I couldn't help but think of the similarity with the current debate and divide over self published books compared with traditionally published titles. It has become a bit city and the bush – New York and London against the world one might [...]
After almost a year, I've decided to end my enrollment in Amazon's KDP Select Program and return to publishing with Smashwords and perhaps other publishers. The reasons are many, but at the top of the list is the requirement of exclusivity by Amazon. Although Amazon offered Prime Lending and Free Book Promotion in return, neither really created the volume [...]
Promoting self published books and ebooks in an already crowded and competitive market is hard work. Unless you can get your book featured in The New York Times next week, it will take patience, a lot of work and of course a dose of old fashioned good luck to get anywhere near the top of [...]
Of Memories... As electric toasters go, it was a classic. All Australian mined metal and made by Aussies in blue overalls somewhere near Glebe probably. Weren’t they the days? When Aussies made stuff for Aussies and played for the local footy team on Saturday. I can only wonder now what ever happened to my Aussie [...]
I’m on a quest, asking the experts – people already in the industry – for publishing advice to writers… This week, I caught up with indie author (songwriter, singer, musician) Derek Haines to talk about the world of self-publishing. Fortunately for me, he is not only talented, prolific and friendly, he is a (generous) wealth [...]
What's wrong with the concept that self publishing is a business like any other and as such there are marketing expenses and without this investment, books struggle to sell?
