Self-publishing: is it killing the mainstream?

In genre fiction, going it alone is beginning to look a much more dependable route to successBrenna Aubrey self-published her debut romance novel At Any Price on the Amazon Kindle on 9 December 2013. One month later At Any Price had netted a total profit of £16,588. Aubrey's success is far from unique – 2013 was a breakout year for "indie authors" led by the phenomenal success of Hugh Howey. But Aubrey is among the first in a wave of authors to do what, until very recently, would have been unthinkable; turn down a $120,000 (£72,000) deal from one of the big five publishing houses and decide to do their job herself."Ebooks have changed everything and the traditional publishing establishment is not quite keeping up," Brenna Aubrey answered when I asked her about some of the negative responses to her decision from traditionally-published authors. "I also think that in some ways authors who have been chasing their own dream deals take my rejection of the dream deal as a rejection of their core values and aspirations."The six-figure deal has been the aspiration of many authors for decades. A major advance – such as the $2m deal announced for Garth Risk Holdberg – can cement a literary career. But the reality is that advances for mid-list writers are often no more than $5,000. Aubrey's deal of $120,000 was significant, but would have been split across three novels, divided with her agent and paid in instalments. When she cranked the figures Aubrey realised that – even as a... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2014-02-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
News tagged with: #stieg larsson #dragon tattoo #digital sales

Other Publishing stories related to: 'Self-publishing: is it killing the mainstream?'


Encyclopedia Britannica once published a catalogue of humanity’s ‘102 Great Ideas’ – and it created more questions than answers

Mid-century encyclopaedias claimed the power to decide what counted as knowledge and what didn’t – much as online publishing platforms and social media companies do today. Continue reading at The Conversation

[ The Conversation | 2024-01-09 17:02:30 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #encyclopedia britannica #online publishing


Publishing Industry Sales Rose 1.8% in October

Results were buoyed by strong sales in higher education course materials, which were up 17.9%, and at religious presses, which saw a 12.2% bump, in conjunction with a 1.5% increase in sales of adult books. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-01-09 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #strong sales #higher education #religious presses #5% increase #adult books


Publish Nazi newsletters on your platform, Substack, and you will rightly be damned | John Naughton

The online publishing service has been criticised for the way it has allowed extremist propaganda to flourish on the siteIt’s funny how naive smart people can be sometimes. Take the founders of Substack, a US-based online platform that enables writers to send digital newsletters directly to... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2024-01-06 16:00:14 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #ve found #earn money #issues raised #online publishing


What Booksellers Can Teach Us About Reading, Writing and Publishing

My longtime girlfriend is a longtime bookseller. Her relationship with bookselling predates ours three times over. It is a surprisingly taxing career path—one that asks of the body, and of the mind. There are the bad days, where she brings home the classic bookseller gripes: failed hand-sells,... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2024-01-05 09:56:55 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #longtime bookseller #bad days #bookseller


Praveen Madan Named CEO and Publisher at Berrett-Koehler

Madan, a former chair of Berrett-Koehler's board of directors, comes to the publisher from Kepler's Books in Menlo Park, Calif., where he has been CEO since 2012, and where he cofounded the bookselling initiative Reimagining Bookstores. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-01-04 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #menlo park


Publishers Weekly’s 2024 Book Business Events Calendar

Our new Google calendar, to be updated throughout the year and to which readers can subscribe, keeps track of the dates of select trade shows, book fairs, and awards and prizes in 2024. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-01-02 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #book fairs #book business


Apple is reportedly looking to team up with news publishers to train its AI

Apple has been noticeably missing in the list of companies with their own generative AI product, but based on a new report by The New York Times, it's looking to change that real soon. In recent weeks, Apple has reportedly started negotiating with major publishers and news organizations to ask... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2023-12-23 07:43:48 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #news articles #legal issues #generative ais #rights holders #john grisham #novelists


Skyhorse Expands Its Footprint in Conservative Publishing

An independent publishing company known for releasing books with opposing political viewpoints is buying Regnery, a well-known conservative press. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2023-12-22 15:21:07 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #conservative publishing #releasing books #conservative press #independent publishing


Colm Tóibín! Geraldine Brooks! A guide to killing time! 19 books out in paperback this January.

2o24 is approaching! It’s hard to believe that 2023 is over, but a new year means new possibilities (always), new resolutions (maybe), and new books (once again, always). But it also means a new chance to pick up some excellent reads from 2023 that you might have missed when they first came out,... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-12-22 14:01:02 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #colm tibn #geraldine brooks


Skyhorse Buying Regnery Publishing

After a deal to sell Regnery Publishing appeared to be dead in November, Salem Media Group has signed an agreement sell the conservative publisher to Skyhorse Publishing. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-12-22 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #conservative publisher #skyhorse publishing


AAP Honors Brave Publishing Around the World

The Association of American Publishers is giving its International Freedom to Publish Award to all publishing houses in multiple countries and regions of the world that continue to publish despite increased government pressure, harassment, and threats. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-12-19 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #publish award #american publishers #publishing houses


Five years and 2m copies later, self-published author lands UK book deal

Norfolk-based crime writer JM Dalgliesh topped the Amazon and Kindle bestsellers before being signed by a traditional publisher In 2018, JM Dalgliesh was a stay-at-home father when he sent his first crime novel to six literary agents, only to receive polite rejection letters – or no response at... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-12-17 09:00:23 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #2m copies #literary agents #traditional publisher #kindle #uk book #self-published author


E-readers were supposed to kill printed books. Instead, they're booming

When e-readers like the Amazon Kindle burst onto the scene, they were predicted to bring about the death of the print book — and maybe the independent bookstore too. But publishing sales data and on the ground observations from booksellers indicate that neither prediction has come true. Continue reading at CBC

[ CBC | 2023-12-17 09:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #independent bookstore #print book #kindle


How Publishers Can Navigate the AI Revolution

Despite the hype, publishing is still looking at what impact large language models and similar technology may bring. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-12-15 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #ai revolution


Deals by KKR Led Publishing Acquisition Action in 2023

Many of the mergers and acquisitions in the year centered on book manufacturers, but the two biggest deals both involved private equity firm KKR. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-12-15 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #biggest deals #book manufacturers


Penguin Random House Acquires Self-Help Publisher Hay House

Hay House, founded by the late Louise Hay and acquired by Penguin Random House, has offices in Australia, India, the States, and UK. The post Penguin Random House Acquires Self-Help Publisher Hay House appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2023-12-13 03:58:01 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #hay house #penguin random house #random house


Publishing Sales Up Just a Smidge Through First Nine Months of 2023

Publishing stayed roughly flat in the first nine months of 2023, inching up 0.8% at the 1,225 publishers that report to the Association of American Publishers' monthly StatShot program over the comparable period in 2022. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-12-12 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #american publishers #publishing sales


Read these great books published by Lit Hub staff members in 2023.

As you probably know, Literary Hub is produced by a small staff; most of us are writers, and/or moonlight as editors on other projects. This year, four of our number—that would be 36% percent of full time Literary Hub staffers, not too shabby—published books, which is certainly worthy of... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-12-11 17:52:31 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #literary hub #small staff


Morry Schwartz steps aside as chairman of independent publisher Schwartz Media

Publisher of the Monthly and the Saturday Paper says he will no longer be involved in day-to-day operationsFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our morning and afternoon news emails,free app or daily news podcastMorry Schwartz has given up his leading role at the company he... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-12-11 06:44:11 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #step back #saturday paper #latest updatesget #free app #leading role #decades ago #independent publisher


Children’s Books: Publishers Discuss the Mexican Market’s Evolution

At the 2023 Guadalajara International Book Fair, three Mexican children’s publishers discuss what they describe the sector’s boom. The post Children’s Books: Publishers Discuss the Mexican Market’s Evolution appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2023-12-08 19:37:01 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #mexican children #post children #publishers discuss #mexican market