Chris James, our regular Indie News Beat ace reporter, is away on hiatus. In the meanwhile, I’ll be stepping into the breach to bring you all the relevant news an exhaustive fifteen minute Google search can deliver.
I know I don’t have the same looks, youth, style, wit, charm, literary acumen, intellectual firepower, or raw sex appeal that Chris has, but…I kind of forgot where I was going with that. Now I just feel sad. Oh well, here we go…
The story that seems to be sucking up the most oxygen right now is the Apple Price-Fixing trial. Our own Lynne Cantwell posted on that story here. Business Insider takes a look at it here. Closing arguments were made late last week. I think it is safe to say that it may take a while after the decision to understand the full ramifications, and how the ruling will ultimately impact indies.
The Independent (UK) reports that best-selling author Barbara Taylor Bradford thinks E.L. James’ (no relation to Chris) 50 Shades Of Grey is a big old steaming pile of crap. I for one, am shocked – shocked, I tell you, to learn that an eighty year-old woman doesn’t like a book about rough sex. Well, it takes all sorts, I guess.
Forbes reports that Amazon Publishing has its first million-selling hit. News of this sort is bound to upset the old guard publishers, especially considering Amazon pulled a Roswell and scrambled to “clarify” a statement made by Amazon Publishing Top Dog Larry Kirshbaum that Amazon algorithms would favor books published by its own imprint. I’m sure nothing could be further from the truth (cough). Amazon using its search algorithms to favorably position its own books? That’s just crazy talk.
Another author walks away from big publishing. The reasons seem to be the same: big publishers don’t treat authors with respect and don’t come across with any marketing muscle. You have to wonder how big publishing, basically only a middle-man between the writer and the consumer, ever came to think so highly of themselves.
We were sad to learn of the death of Vince Flynn. At age 47, he left us too soon. Vince was the bestselling author of the Mitch Rapp series. His first novel, Term Limits, collected 60 rejections from big publishing. He decided to self publish and the book caught fire. Big publishing then roused itself off its fat behind to sign him. He sold millions of books in the series of fourteen titles.
That’s it for this edition of Indies News Beat. Join us next time, when we try to find out if this guy and this guy were separated at birth. Or something.
I appreciate your humor, Stephen.
Thanks Helen. 😉
Now get that tongue out of your cheek before you bite it. 😉
Here, Yvonne…I’ll stick it out at you! 😛
“Amazon using its search algorithms to favorably position its own books? That’s just crazy talk. ”
I am shocked, I tell you. SHOCKED. 😉 Thanks for the latest, EM.
Today I received a follow-up email from a different S&S staffer. It reads: Hi April, Veda forwarded your e-mail to me. I manage Archway Publishing for S&S, and would appreciate the opportunity to speak with you about the service. There are a lot of options available to self-publishing authors today, and we believe Archway delivers real value. Please let me know if you’d be interested in speaking, and we can schedule a time. Regards, [name, with a simon and schuster email address] And here is my response to that email: Unless one of those options is to detach AuthorHouse from Archway, I have no interest in hearing anything more you have to say. You cannot partner with Bernie Madoff to offer investment services and expect people to ignore the fact that your partner is Bernie Madoff. ——————— ‘Nuff said.
Good for you. 🙂
You did a fine job, Stephen, of filling in for Chris.
Thanks, Jac. It’s just not the same, though. *sniff*
I hope you’re taking an extra helping of gruel for you troubles, my friend… in fact I think you should have to extra helpings!
Nice job, Stephen.