I recently wrapped up a freelance project with a small publisher, where I uploaded/submitted ebook files and metadata to Amazon, Apple, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, and Google. In the process, I thought about the similarities and differences between how a self-publisher would go about distributing an ebook versus a publishing company that is submitting files themselves instead of … [Read more...] about Comparing the Ebook Submission Process: Self-Publishers v. Publishers
Barnes & Noble
Freebie Strategies for Indie Authors
UPDATE: Author David Gaughran has also kindly answered a few additional questions. Using free as a tool can be very beneficial to authors. When Amazon first started their KDP Select program, many authors were able to take advantage of the five freebie days offered during every 90-day exclusivity period, and shoot to best-selling status. However, Amazon has since changed its … [Read more...] about Freebie Strategies for Indie Authors
Inside Barnes & Noble
Last week I got to go to Barnes & Noble before the store opened and listen to two of their book buyers discuss how they decide which books to buy for which stores across the nation. Not going to lie, it was pretty sweet (even if I did have to be out of my apartment by 7 a.m.). Here's a list of some of the more interesting things I learned: Just because a topic is a … [Read more...] about Inside Barnes & Noble
Twitter News: Borders Files for Bankruptcy
Last week, Borders filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy. It had been a long time coming, but at least they avoided a Chapter 7, which would mean they basically would have been liquidated. About 200 stores of the 600 Borders stores will be closed. I imagine the bankruptcy of Borders worries many publishers. Borders and Barnes & Noble are still major outlets and one of the main … [Read more...] about Twitter News: Borders Files for Bankruptcy
This Week in Publishing
A U.S. judge dismissed a lawsuit that claimed J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series infringed upon Adrian Jacobs's "The Adventures of Willy the Wizard No 1 Livid Land," which was published in 1987. Scholastic, the U.S. Harry Potter publisher, said, "Judge Scheindlin clearly agreed... Scholastic will continue to vigorously defend any such frivolous claims challenging the … [Read more...] about This Week in Publishing
Barnes & Noble
Rumor has it that Barnes & Noble may no longer exist one year from now. In the meantime, I can enjoy their stores and Christmas decorations. And I can also play around with their Nook. The new color Nook was recently released. It uses LED like Apple's iPad, but it's formatted similarly to Amazon's Kindle--with a twist. There's an interesting feature that shows book … [Read more...] about Barnes & Noble
12/06/10: This Week in Publishing
It has finally happened! Google launched the Google eBookstore on Monday. The bookstore is an extension of Google's book project, "an effort that began in 2004 to scan all 130 million books in the world, by Google’s estimate." Because it is cloud-based, it is an "open-ecosystem," which means consumers can buy their books once through the eBookstore, store them in a "central, … [Read more...] about 12/06/10: This Week in Publishing
11/29/10: Publishing This Week
California, as a way to save money and improve education, is going to use open source, free textbooks (yay!). Since there's not enough money to give every student a laptop, there's some skepticism as to how well this will work. But it's the first state to try this and something is better than nothing (California K-12 education was ranked 49th in 2009). As a side note, Michelle … [Read more...] about 11/29/10: Publishing This Week