Digital Pubbing

Exploring the ins and outs of the publishing industry

self-publishing

Marketing Tips for Self-published Authors

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As a publisher, I send our authors a checklist of things they can do to help promote their book. I think it's important to get our authors as involved as possible, partly because the more people helping out, the more people will be reached, and the more books we can potentially sell. Many of our authors have also published books or are in the process of publishing a body of … [Read more...] about Marketing Tips for Self-published Authors

Penguin Becomes First Big-6 Publisher to Disrupt the Book Business Model

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Pearson, the parent company of Penguin Group, acquired Author Solutions, a self-publishing platform, for $116 million. This makes Penguin the first of the big-6 publishing companies to provide full services, including editorial, marketing, and design, to self-published authors. Penguin will also be the first big publisher to start learning about customer acquisition and data … [Read more...] about Penguin Becomes First Big-6 Publisher to Disrupt the Book Business Model

EBook Conversion for Self-Publishers

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There's a wide range of ebook conversion services out there, from tools to let you do it yourself to companies that will produce the whole ebook for you. Below is a list. (NOTE: I have not used all of these services). Remember: it's important to test your files on all devices you use. Books will look different depending on format and device. Validating is also important. If a … [Read more...] about EBook Conversion for Self-Publishers

Self Publishing: Cover Design

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Book covers are the most important marketing aspect of a book. People will make impulse purchases if they like the book cover; the cover is what gets a book attention. Covers that are white backgrounds with large text tend to look amateurish. You also want covers that persuade people to buy the book, with good flap copy. Use the template from Para Publishing to write effective … [Read more...] about Self Publishing: Cover Design

An Interview with Mark Coker, CEO of Smashwords

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I was very fortunate to be able to sit down and talk with Mark Coker, CEO of Smashwords. Smashwords is a site where you can convert ebooks and distribute them through at least seven outlets, including the Smashwords ebookstore. We spent the last hour of BEA discussing self-publishing, the beginnings of Smashwords and where it's going, metadata, ebook distribution, and even the … [Read more...] about An Interview with Mark Coker, CEO of Smashwords

Writers, Readers, Publishers: Present Tense, Future Bold #2

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Last night's meeting for Present Tense, Future Bold featured guest speaker Rick Joyce, the chief marketing officer of Perseus Books. Perseus is a publisher and a printer/distributor for over 300 indie publishers. According to Rick the digital transition happened distinctly in each industry (music, books, etc.), and was not monolithic. But, the future of print books may not … [Read more...] about Writers, Readers, Publishers: Present Tense, Future Bold #2

Take my survey! (please)

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If you read my blog, then you know that I'm a grad student at NYU, in the publishing program. I'm in my last semester of the program, and to graduate I need to complete a capstone project. If you have 5 free minutes (really, it only takes 2), please fill out my survey. I'm doing research for a potential subscription self-publishing website. Here's the … [Read more...] about Take my survey! (please)

DBW12 – What publishing can learn from the romance genre

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The romance genre is an interesting one. Of all the genres, it sells the most ebooks, probably because you can read a romance book with some privacy on an ereader. The romance panel had some interesting insights into ebook publishing, which I think other publishers can learn from and apply to their own companies. The panel consisted of Lori James, Founding Partner and Chief … [Read more...] about DBW12 – What publishing can learn from the romance genre

The Future of Publishing…We’re In It

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Three interesting articles about the publishing industry caught my eye today. But first, I've found that reading and thinking critically about articles goes more smoothly with music, so I invite you to play the video below and enjoy the sweet sounds of "Stereo Love" while reading the rest of my post. (And yes, I may be a little obsessed with this song right now). First, … [Read more...] about The Future of Publishing…We’re In It