Celebrating Independent Authors
It seems like every couple of days, we hear about a new venture aimed at helping authors strut their stuff. One new kid on the block is Tugboat Yards. Lydia Laurenson, who does publisher development for the venture, agreed to take a seat in the comfy chair (all together now: “Not the comfy chair!”) and answer a few questions.
First, Lydia, where did the tugboat thing come from? Continue reading “LynneQuisition: Tugboat Yards”
A number of websites and e-mail services have popped up in recent years that are designed to help readers find new books to read. Some, like GoodReads and Shelfari, are designed to foster community and get people talking to one another about the books they’re reading.
But you know, sometimes you just want to cut through the chatter and find something to read already. In that case, WhatShouldIReadNext.com could be just the ticket. Continue reading “What Should I Read Next?”
Personal appearances are great for selling autographed copies of your print books. But if your tour budget is similar to mine, it can be more practical to offer signed books a different way. Say, through your blog.
I have a Blogger blog – that is, one whose URL ends in blogspot.com – and on it, I have a page called, “Buy My Books Here!” I built the page using my own cover images and PayPal “Buy Now” buttons. You can do the same thing with a WordPress blog or site – setting up the PayPal button is the same, regardless. You’ll need a PayPal business account, but that’s easy to set up, and very similar to setting up a personal account. At the top left of the PayPal home screen, click “Business,” and they’ll walk you through it.
Once you’re logged into your business PayPal account, you’re ready to set up your button. Click the “Merchant Services” tab and then click on “Make payment buttons for your website.” Continue reading “How Do You Want That Signed?”
I’m feeling a little sorry for Steven Zacharias. He’s the CEO of Kensington Publishing, a family-owned publishing company in New York, and this week he wrote a blog post for the Huffington Post about how authors still need publishers. You know, because they offer us so many benefits, like great editorial support and help with publicity.
Yeah, I laughed when I read that, too.
Then I asked him to clarify the following statement: “From what I’ve read, some e-books are quite good but, for every one of these are many more that aren’t.” I wasn’t sure from that whether he had read many indie titles, or whether he was just going by hearsay. Turns out it’s the latter. Mr. Zacharias told me, “I’ve only read a handful of indie published books because it’s natural for a reader to go to the bestsellers where publishers have spent a lot of money marketing that author or book.” Hmm, well, I’m a reader, and I don’t read many bestsellers at all. It’s been years since I’ve found much of anything on the bestseller lists that interested me. Okay, I take that back. I really liked Hugh Howey’s Wool. Oh, that’s right – Howey self-published the series first, didn’t he? Continue reading “Do Authors Need Publishers?”