Links of Interest

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Self-Publishing Tips
"One thing I've changed is that now I'll take one copy of any self-published book on consignment. This involves no risk on my part and it allows your book to spend some time on the shelf."

The Slow, Moronic Death of Books (as We Know Them)
"year's BEA felt less like a convention and more like a funeral: Last fall's recession triggered perhaps the most dismal year in the history of publishing in America."

The smell of desperation
"Authors complaining that they can't afford to buy their own books for review. And they expect readers to somehow afford those books, then?"

Dear Self-Published Author
"If you have managed to write a book then you must have a brain. So why, oh why, does that brain stop functioning when it comes to selecting a cover for this magnum opus of yours?"

Indie Books Top Oprah Winfrey's Summer List
"Seven independently-published books topped Oprah Winfrey's 25 Books of Summer list this year...."

Comments

Jim Murdoch said…
Some interesting stuff there. I was particularly struck by 'The Smell of Desperation'. Maybe I'm naive or just plain old but this sounds like cheating on exams and I've never understood that either. Like you I review books on a regular basis and I would never consider not reading the book cover to cover before I put pen to paper.

There's a lot to be said for an honest review from a site one can trust.
12:05 AM
Cheryl Anne Gardner said…
Agreed Jim. But most of the authors we are talking about here really have no interest in a serious critical review. I know this for a fact because Emily and I often put out open calls in the Lulu Forums and in the Createspace forums. What sort of queries do we get? Few to non. Why? Because these aren't serious Indie authors. Most don't know what a query is or how to write one properly. The good thing is, most of the books produced by this sort of author don't garner much attention beyond their circle of friends, so, they are usually one bookers. Once the intitial thrill wears off and they discover that it's actually work, they move on to the next fad.

That's why we don't review a lot of Lulu or Createspace books. They don't submit to us because of the query process.
6:47 AM
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