Author: Melinda Clayton

Melinda Clayton is the author of the Cedar Hollow series, as well as a self-publishing guide. Clayton has published numerous articles and short stories in various print and online magazines. She has an Ed.D. in Special Education Administration and is a licensed psychotherapist in the states of Florida and Colorado. Lear more about Melinda at her Amazon author page

Vanity Presses, Scammers, and Thieves, Part 1

scammer“I need to terminate contracts with my publisher,” an acquaintance recently said. “I never get a statement and I haven’t been paid.”

“You should check into my publisher,” another acquaintance said. “Their upfront fees are much lower than most.”

Wait…what?

In my self-publishing guide I said, “Hopefully by now it goes without saying that money should flow to the author, not from the author.” But I was wrong. Every week I read another post or article about someone either paying ridiculous amounts of money to sign on with a “publishing” company, or someone who signed with a company they’ve since discovered is a scam.

Because it bears repeating, because publishing scams still swindle naïve authors, and because I’m a graduate of the I Wuz Scammed School of Hard Knocks, a recap: Continue reading “Vanity Presses, Scammers, and Thieves, Part 1”

Goodreads for Beginners

goodreads logoMention Goodreads to an author and you’re likely to get a response like, “Oh, I don’t know. I’ve heard people are mean over there. I think I’ll pass.”

As a longtime user of Goodreads, both as a reader and an author, I’ve seen my share of skirmishes, but the problem, in my humble opinion, lies with misusing Goodreads. For those thinking of braving the waters, here are some basic Dos and Don’ts: Continue reading “Goodreads for Beginners”

The Authors Guild and Publishers Weekly for Self-Publishers

author guildAs the world of self-publishing continues to change the publishing landscape, two organizations that have traditionally been off-limits to self-published authors seem to have had a change of heart.

The Authors Guild

The Authors Guild bills itself as “the nation’s oldest and largest professional society of published authors, representing more than 9,000 writers,” and claims to have “achieved much for individual authors through the collective power and voice of their members,” including improving author contracts and royalty statements, and protecting authors’ rights under the First Amendment.

Members have access to various panels and programs as well as access to health insurance, legal services, media liability insurance, and low-cost website services. Continue reading “The Authors Guild and Publishers Weekly for Self-Publishers”

Promo Site Spotlight: BookSends

booksends_logoJason Letts is a writer who has been publishing for over four years now. He also happens to be the man behind the book promotion site BookSends. Jason is joining us today to talk about BookSends. Let’s give Jason a hearty IU welcome.

How long has the BookSends been in operation?
We started BookSends in early 2013 when it became clear that Facebook was no longer a sustainable place for maintaining an audience that could be reached on a regular basis. A lot has changed since we started, including the proliferation of similar sites and services, all of which have struggled to develop an audience since many of the usual channels have become expensive or ineffective. So what’s kept us going is authors who’ve had good experiences advertising with us who keep coming back and back. Continue reading “Promo Site Spotlight: BookSends”