Digital Pubbing

Exploring the ins and outs of the publishing industry

books

Looking for Innovative Stories? Here’s a List of Ebooks, Apps, Websites, Games, and More

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Ebooks, or maybe I should say stories, come in all shapes and sizes: EPUB, apps, virtual reality, games, and more. If you want to see some exciting, innovative new forms of storytelling, check out this list (sure devices have some limitations and enhanced ebooks haven't exactly taken off yet, but there are ways to make ebooks great): Ebooks "A Digital Mozart Book That … [Read more...] about Looking for Innovative Stories? Here’s a List of Ebooks, Apps, Websites, Games, and More

What Games and Books Have in Common

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Games and books have a lot in common. They can be tools for learning, as well as avenues for entertainment (See the game/app Zombies, Run! for an example of a game that also motivates people to stay active). They can be physical and digital. And sometimes the lines between them can even be blurred. Because of all these similarities, there are a lot of book and game issues … [Read more...] about What Games and Books Have in Common

Indie Authors: A Look at What It Takes to be an Authorpreneur

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Indie author entrepreneurs, also known as authorpreneurs, are becoming more and more common. Being an authorpreneur means managing your own business, and in addition to writing books, includes design, marketing, converting to ebooks, selling, and even creating products around your books, such as online classes. Accelerator Programs There are now so many authorpreneurs that … [Read more...] about Indie Authors: A Look at What It Takes to be an Authorpreneur

Guest Post: Why Forgotten Books purchased 500,000 ISBNs

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By Elisabeth Forsythe - Head of Media and Public Relations, [Forgotten Books] International Standard Book Numbers, or ISBNs, are an important part of book publishing. They help with book discovery, and are used with each edition of a book. Elisabeth Forsythe explains why Forgotten Books, the world's largest online library, recently purchased 500,000 ISBNs, and what that means … [Read more...] about Guest Post: Why Forgotten Books purchased 500,000 ISBNs

CODEX Hackathon: Connecting People with Books

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Over the weekend, I participated in my first hackathon, called CODEX Hackathon. I had no idea what to expect; all I knew was the theme was "'connecting' — connecting around books, connecting readers and authors, connecting libraries." Things kicked off Friday night with an opening reception at Github, which has an amazing office space. I only saw the first floor, but … [Read more...] about CODEX Hackathon: Connecting People with Books

Indie Authors and Authorpreneurs: Teaching Online Courses

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To many people, self-publishing means producing ebooks. But nowadays, that’s a limited way of thinking. A lot of indie authors call themselves authorpreneurs, and at least some of them have expanded their business to include not only books, but other digital content such as blogs, podcasts, videos, and even online courses. Making and selling your own online courses is one of … [Read more...] about Indie Authors and Authorpreneurs: Teaching Online Courses

Guest Post: Global Fans? Get Global Links

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By Cole Lakes - Director of Operations, GeoRiot GeoRiot builds links that work "across countries, devices, and stores." The company also recently acquired BookLinker.net, which creates a universal link for a book "that works for all Amazon stores." If you’re an indie author, chances are you’re taking advantage of Amazon’s international online store to promote and sell your … [Read more...] about Guest Post: Global Fans? Get Global Links

Indie Authors: Gathering Data and Marketing Your Work

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You may already know, but I'm a big fan of data. It's so useful, and can help streamline and make book marketing so much more effective, among other things. One great way to collect data is to do surveys. One great example of how survey data pays off is musician Jim Bianco's album, Cookie Cutter. NPR reported that all 17 songs were inspired by a fan who filled out his 69 … [Read more...] about Indie Authors: Gathering Data and Marketing Your Work

What Indie Book Publishing and Indie Game Development Have In Common, Part 3

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A while back, I watched Indie Game: The Movie and was struck by how much indie game development and indie book publishing had in common. I had the pleasure of interviewing the talented and inspiring indie game developer, Jonathan Blow. Below is the second in a three-part series that discusses the similarities between developing games and publishing books as an indie. Read Part … [Read more...] about What Indie Book Publishing and Indie Game Development Have In Common, Part 3

What Indie Book Publishing and Indie Game Development Have In Common, Part 2

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A while back, I watched Indie Game: The Movie and was struck by how much indie game development and indie book publishing had in common. I had the pleasure of interviewing the talented and inspiring indie game developer, Jonathan Blow. Below is the second in a three-part series that discusses the similarities between developing games and publishing books as an indie. Read Part … [Read more...] about What Indie Book Publishing and Indie Game Development Have In Common, Part 2

What Indie Book Publishing and Indie Game Development Have In Common, Part 1

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A while back, I watched Indie Game: The Movie and was struck by how much indie game development and indie book publishing had in common. I had the pleasure of interviewing the talented and inspiring indie game developer, Jonathan Blow. Below is the first in a three-part series that discusses the similarities between developing games and publishing books as an indie. What do … [Read more...] about What Indie Book Publishing and Indie Game Development Have In Common, Part 1

2014 Year in Review: Taking Stock and Setting Goals

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Happy holidays and happy new year! As this will be my last post of the year, I thought now would be a good time to look back and see what progress I've made as a writer and ebook developer, and figure out my goals for next year. This year I kept a spreadsheet keeping a monthly track of some of my metrics, such as social media followers and how much money I've earned. I'm … [Read more...] about 2014 Year in Review: Taking Stock and Setting Goals

Indie Authors: Using 99 Designs to Crowdsource a Cover

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Last year, I published the first book in my series for beginners on how to make ebooks (currently working on the second, which will focus on fixed format, or children's books). It was my second book, and I had learned a few lessons from when I published my first book. This time around, I did everything right. Or so I thought. I had beta readers, a strong book description, a … [Read more...] about Indie Authors: Using 99 Designs to Crowdsource a Cover

Authorly, Turn Your Book Into An App

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Recently I learned about a new tool called Authorly, which can turn books into apps to sell in all the major app stores, including Google Play, iTunes, and the Amazon app store (see my post, "Turning Your Ebook Into An App"). Authorly allows authors to easily create apps for their books, and make them interactive. And although I like the service, I do want to point out that … [Read more...] about Authorly, Turn Your Book Into An App

Indie Authors: Formatting Books in InDesign

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Adobe's InDesign is a wonderful tool. The software is expensive, though if you are a student or teacher you can get a slight discount, but if you have access to it I highly recommend using it. InDesign can be used to layout a book PDF, as well as be the starting point for an ebook. Print books in particular require certain elements to make it look professional, such as page … [Read more...] about Indie Authors: Formatting Books in InDesign