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?'


Publishers, libraries poke fun at the cold

The publisher Consortium Books posts its own video of hot water being tossed in the air in frigid weather, while a library recommends keeping a book at hand when it's cold outside. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2014-01-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #hot water


New York Times Redesign Points to Future of Online Publishing

The last time The New York Times embarked on a wholesale redesign of its Web site, in 2006, the iPhone wasn't on the market. Tablets like the iPad were still years away. So the new design that The Times is unveiling Wednesday is generating mu ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher

[ Editor & Publisher | 2014-01-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #online publishing #web site


Why Don’t More Bookstores Stock Self-published Titles?

Bricks-and-mortar bookstores are missing a huge opportunity by failing to take advantage of the self-publishing revolution, argues Tanja Tuma. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-01-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #bricks-and-mortar bookstores #huge opportunity #self-publishing revolution


January’s Top Reviews of Self-Published Books from BlueInk Review

This month’s starred reviews of self-published books includes a pair of notable new novels, one about dysfunctional childhood in Western and another about a busy single mother. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-01-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #top reviews #self-published books #blueink review #starred reviews


Should Australian newspapers publish climate change denialist opinion pieces?

Should Australian newspapers, like Fairfax, publish opinion pieces that deny or seek to cast doubt on man-made global warming?Should Fairfax — or other media publishers — give a platform for climate change denialist opinion pieces?The most recent example is Fairfax publishing a piece by John... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2014-01-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #effectively banned


Four iPad Stats Every Publisher Should Know

In late December, an eMarketer report confirmed that the long awaited mobile ad spend boom had finally arrived. Mobile, the report said, drove nearly all digital advertising growth in 2013. And the mobile pie is expected to grow by another $5 billion in 2014.For publishers looking to capitalize... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2014-01-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #late december #$5 billion


Byliner Publishes New Elmore Leonard Stories

The two stories were written in 1958 while the late writer was working at a Detroit-based advertising agency. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-12-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #late writer


'Shelf-help' books set to fill publishers' coffers in 2014

New 'intellectually credible' self-improvement books set to outsell celebrity biographies in 2014Sir Alex Ferguson may have the coveted Christmas number one spot with the record-breaking sales of his memoir, My Autobiography. But not even celebrity memoirs are likely to match the publishing... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2013-12-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #ve made


The Greatest Magazine Ever Published

Last summer in a used bookstore, I happened on an enormous, bound volume of Life magazine, from July–September 1945. I opened to the very first story in the first issue, July 2, 1945. The headline read:   Continue reading at Slate

[ Slate | 2013-12-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #life magazine


Ebooks: self-publish and be annotated

One might not be able to share an ebook, but it's possible to highlight and annotate them for all to see.There is a moment in The Confessions when Saint Augustine is astonished to find another scholar, Saint Ambrose, reading silently to himself. This quiet encounter 16 centuries ago might be... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2013-12-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #library book


‘Twas the Night before Christmas’ at the Book Publisher

Clement Clarke Moore's famous holiday poem re-imagined by a book publisher on a bit of a bender. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-12-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #book publisher


A Chinese Publisher in New York

While George Zhu, founder of CN Times Books, the newly launched U.S. subsidiary of Beijing Mediatime Books, is impressed by the “professionalism” of U.S. publishing, he’s also surprised by American inefficiency. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-12-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #chinese publisher #newly launched


The publishers' year: hits and misses of 2013

Publishers choose their books of the year, and the ones that got awayRobin Robertson Deputy publishing director, Jonathan CapeThe book that made my year: Many years ago, I was sitting in Blake's bar in Enniskillen with John McGahern and he recommended an American novel from the 60s, written by... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2013-12-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #annie proulx #eimear mcbride


Screw magazine publisher Al Goldstein dies aged 77

Publisher who helped break down legal barriers against pornography dies in Brooklyn after long battle with illness Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2013-12-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #long battle


Ebyline Launches Pitch Board to Better Connect Seasoned Freelancers and Publishers

It can be hard out there for a freelancer. The avalanche of emails, stiff competition, low pay and ignored invoices all make it a real challenge. That’s why Ebyline, a conduit between digital publishers and writers, works to connect tho ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher

[ Editor & Publisher | 2013-12-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #digital publishers #stiff competition


Times publisher reports pre-tax losses of £24m

Times Newspapers Limited pays out £14m to departing directors, including chief executive Tom MockridgeThe publisher of the Times and the Sunday Times has reported a pre-tax loss of £24m, as payouts to departing directors hit £14m, according to financial filings for the year to 30 June 2013.Times... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2013-12-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #forseeable future


Independent bookstores and self-published authors are increasingly teaming up

Previously, independent bookstores tended to stay away from marketing self-published authors, but in the age of Amazon, some are embracing local authors no matter how they released their work. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2013-12-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #independent bookstores #self-published authors


Sun publisher posts £75m pre-tax loss

News Group Newspapers took charges related to the phone-hacking scandal of almost £90m in the year to 30 JuneThe parent company of the Sun and Sun on Sunday has reported a pre-tax loss of £75m in the year to 30 June, after taking charges of almost £90m in relation to the phone-hacking... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2013-12-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #publishing rights #virgin media


Quercus to publish fourth book in Larsson's Millennium series

Quercus will publish a fourth book in Stieg Larsson's Millennium series, to be written by... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2013-12-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #stieg larsson #millennium series #fourth book


Apollinaire publisher on trial in Turkey

Turkish publisher and translator of French writer's Les Exploits d'un Jeune Don Juan accused of corrupting public moralityA publisher and a translator are to go on trial in Istanbul for corrupting public morality – for publishing a book written more than 100 years ago.Les Exploits d'un Jeune Don... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2013-12-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |