Tag: indie publishing

New Resource: I’ve Written a Book, How Do I Publish It?

confusedHere at Indies Unlimited, we strive to provide resources to authors at all stages of the publishing process. We are working hard to set up a library of resource pages to make information faster and easier to find.

Recently, we have received a large number of queries from authors about to dive into the publishing process for the first time. To help those newbies, we’ve put together the I’ve Written a Book, How Do I Publish It? page.

Please feel free to direct anyone who needs guidance in the process to this page. We’ll be adding new articles to it from time to time. Best of luck to everyone in their publishing journeys.

Throw Me to the Wolves and I’ll Return Leading the Pack! (part 1)

Wolf-1Guest post
by Nicole Storey

I saw this meme on Facebook and thought it perfect to use for the title of this post. Why? Because it expresses how I’ve felt for the past two months. It’s difficult to be shoved into turbulent waters just for making a decision someone else didn’t approve of. It’s even harder to keep your head above water while trying to find a way out. But it isn’t impossible. It can be done.

Two years ago, I was a budding new author who just finished my first book. Like many others who begin this long road without a map, I automatically took what I thought was the safest route. I signed with a small press publisher. Now, before I go any farther and some readers get their undies in a bunch, let me say that this is my story, my experiences, and they are in no way definitive. However, every day I hear from more and more writers who managed to get off at the intersection of Scam and Misrepresentation and have their own dark stories to tell. You may want to pay attention. Trust me, once you turn down the wrong road, it can take years before you find another byway. Think Twilight Zone. Continue reading “Throw Me to the Wolves and I’ll Return Leading the Pack! (part 1)”

Do Authors Need Publishers?

Do authors need publishers?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?”

Free CreateSpace! (Free Expanded Distribution, That Is)

Oh, come on. You had to know I was going to use that headline, if you’ve heard about CreateSpace doing away with its fee for expanded distribution.

In the past, CreateSpace would distribute your paperback to all the Amazon platforms automatically. But paying the freight for expanded distribution would get your paperback into a number of channels that were difficult to access otherwise: bookstores like Barnes & Noble’s online store, distributors like Ingram, and resellers through CreateSpace’s own wholesale website. It would also get you a listing on Baker & Taylor, which is where libraries and academic institutions shop for books.

All that used to cost $25 per book. Now it’s free. Continue reading “Free CreateSpace! (Free Expanded Distribution, That Is)”