self-publishing

And perhaps that’s where it should stay, because not everyone has a good book in them. The ease and affordability of self-publishing means the shelves are, at least figuratively, sagging with the great unreadables. Yet, this same ease and affordability is available to the truly talented as well. So perhaps the occasional gem is worth the overload.

For the first time, a self-published author has made it onto the shortlist for the prestigious PEN/Ackerley prize for memoir and autobiography. Jane Haynes's Who Is It That Can Tell Me Who I Am? is an unflinching journal of her life a psychotherapist.

In an open letter to the industry, Amazon sugar coats…er…clarifies its intentions with regard to its demand that self-published authors use their POD, BookSurge, if they want to be listed on the world’s largest book retailing site. Ah yes, it’s all about the customer experience. It’s all clear to me now.

Click through for the actual letter.

It’s no secret that the self-publishing industry is on the rise, but it’s a bit of a surprise to learn just how much it’s rising. Industry pioneer Lulu is doubling in size every year and publishes 4000 title each week, for example. That the publishing industry is becoming peopled with common folk is changing the order of things, taking power from the elite and leveling the playing field.

Rather than chase after a publisher, Brunonia Barry self-published The Lace Reader. Buzz about the book reached the mainstream publishers, and a literary auction saw the book—along with another one—sell for $2m. It’s a story to give hope to writers, and it’s an indication of how the rules of publishing have changed.

One side says it was wrong for self-published author Troy Tompkins to sign a fake name to a press release he wrote about his own book—a release that got the attention of a major publisher. The other side is saying Tompkins landed his deal with Simon & Schuster because he was a tireless promoter and his book was great. So, what do you think?

Book Review: A Complete Guide to Promoting and Selling Your Self-Published Ebook by Dorothy Thompson

Colleen Dunn Bates has managed to build a small empire on a single, self-published and self-distributed travel book. Hometown Pasadena is a travel guide for people who live in the city, and it’s become highly popular. It has sold 10,000 copies in the first year and is available in chain and independent bookstores and at Costco. I can get inspired by something like this.

An over achiever addresses mediocrity and fluffy feel good critiques, warning amatuer writers that the literary world is a tough business.

If you’ve a history of writing ‘helpful’ reviews, you can now get advance copies of books from Amazon Vine through their new galley program. Amazon has also announced that its on-demand publishing services will now be free of charge and the self-published works can be printed and sold on the site. Cui bono?