#IndieHero: David Gaughran

indie heroes logo darkFrom the time I started publishing in 2012, I was aware of David Gaughran, first through his historical fiction, then through his two self-publishing how-to books. Over time, I grew to admire him because he seemed to be putting more time and energy into helping others than he did himself. Plus, he has tackled scummy vanity presses like Author Solutions. Here’s an interview I did with my favorite muckraker, David Gaughran.

Shawn: You’ve written two books to help indie authors – Let’s Get Digital, and Let’s Get Visible. You released a second version of Let’s Get Digital, but as fast as our publishing world changes, are you anticipating writing a new version of either any time soon? Continue reading “#IndieHero: David Gaughran”

How To Avoid Publishing Predators

Predatory Publisher Month at Indies UnlimitedGuest Post
by David Gaughran

I have been campaigning against exploitative services like Author Solutions for a few years now, and it’s clear that the business model of such predators is to target the inexperienced and uninformed.

Some blame the victims, suggesting they didn’t do enough research, but this is more than a little unfair. These companies are extremely skilled at targeting writers before they discover the self-publishing community, and use a variety of deceptive means both to ensnare writers and to ensure that they don’t discover genuine reviews.

Also, the lines between traditional publishing, self-publishing, and vanity publishing are more difficult to define every year. Part of the reason is that vanity presses have now rebranded themselves as “self-publishing service providers” and they are often owned by traditional publishers.

Confusing already, isn’t it? Here are five ways you can cut through the crap and avoid predators: Continue reading “How To Avoid Publishing Predators”

Indie News Beat with Chris James

IndieNewsBeatwithCJThe news you read may not be the news you need.

The big story over the last few weeks also happened to be an almost non-story, but this is what makes the internet such a remarkable thing. On the one hand, sudden global exposure can give an important but off-beat issue the publicity it truly deserves, while on the other hand, less important news gains more notice than it can justify. This is caused by journalists having to meet a constant demand for new content, and these stories tend to follow a similar viral pattern.

Thus it was last month with the great Amazon vs. Hatchette bake-off. Continue reading “Indie News Beat with Chris James”

LynneQuisition: David Gaughran

My LynneQuisition victim – er, guest – this month is David Gaughran. David probably needs no introduction to this crowd. He’s the author of a couple of novels and a short story collection, as well as the bestselling Let’s Get Digital about the nuts and bolts of indie publishing (which, as it happens, is 99 cents at Amazon this weekend). His new book, Let’s Get Visible, is all about marketing, which the gods know I need help with.

Buy Let’s Get Digital from Amazon US or Amazon UK. Buy Let’s get Visible from Amazon US or Amazon UK.

So David, thanks very much for writing this. Nearly all of the “how to” books about making money at Amazon are from the P.A.C. (Pre-Algorithm Change) era. I get the sense that you still think Select is worthwhile — at least for some authors, or for authors in some genres.

Continue reading “LynneQuisition: David Gaughran”