Self-publishing is a complex niche that forces authors to deal with all sorts of barriers and challenges. The industry has become extremely competitive, with the number of reported self-published titles going well over 1 million. No matter how skilled or experienced you might be, there are always a lot of new things to learn and…
Publishing Service Index: October 2019 [with notes]
This is the PUBLISHING SERVICE INDEX for 2019. Our previous one was released last year in November 2018. So we have seen almost a full year past by. I am switching to releasing it just once a year. The index takes a great deal of work, and while there are some moderate changes, even a…
What is Your Biggest Problem with Self-Publishing? – Joseph McLean | Guest Post
Everyone who’s getting into the self-publishing game is probably going to face a lot of problems. The self-publishing industry has become extremely competitive. As of 2017, the number of reported self-published titles went over 1 million. Now, as of 2019, the numbers may have doubled or tripled up. Nevertheless, one thing is certain: the self-publishing…
Reasons Why Many Self-Published Books Fail and How to Fix That – Gary Peterson | Guest Post
Many self-published books fail because authors tend to overlook the basic rules of publishing a new book. Authors who are fairly new to publishing get many things wrong, and the result is typically low sales. Publishing your book and selling it on Amazon should be the last step in the whole process, not the initial…
Do Traditional Publishers Hate Self-Published Authors? – Joseph McLean | Guest Post
As far as sticking points go in the literary world, publishing tops the list of controversies. Why? Well, to put it mildly, some authors simply want to be able to publish their works, or self-publish as it’s commonly called, while others hold the notion that literary works have to follow the ‘normal’ or traditional route…
Self-Publish or Not: Advice from a Traditional Publisher – Joseph McLean | Guest Post
Only a couple of decades ago, book publishing used to be a long and challenging process. But the situation has changed drastically thanks to the rise of digital technologies, so now almost anyone can choose to publish a book on his/her own. Self-publishing has become a major trend in the literary universe. The latest studies…
The Decision to Become an Author – Anthony Sciarratta | Guest Post
Every person faces a time in their life when they decide whether or not to pursue their dream. The fear of failure can consume one’s soul, but the amount of pain felt after giving up on your dream would be greater. I made my decision in August of 2017, while vacationing in Mexico. It was…
7 Things Authors Should Not Do on Instagram – Lauren Adley | Guest Post
In case you didn’t know, Instagram has over1 billion active users. Half of them, 500 million people, are using the app every single day for various purposes. Many authors have already started leveraging Instagram to expand their brand’s awareness and enhance their book sales performance. The reason why that happens is that after Facebook and…
Kicking Off My First Book with Kickstarter – Jonas Ressem | Guest Post
By the spring of 2019, I had received 17 rejections from the publishing industry. No literary agent wanted to consider my work, or me. I kept hearing, “It’s not the right fit.” Although this particular outcome wasn’t too surprising, as I’ve heard all about how tough the publishing industry can be, I nevertheless felt like…
CJK Group Agree to Purchase of Printer and Self-Publishing Service Provider Thomson-Shore
Following a March Chapter 11 filing for bankruptcy, the CJK Group has agreed to the purchase of the assets of Michigan-based printer and self-publishing service provider Thomson-Shore. The employee-owned company has been in existence for 47 years and over the past ten years has expanded far beyond printing services into an array of offset, print-on-demand, handcrafted books, pre-production, and distribution services for large traditional publishers, small…