by Jay Hartman Imagine you’ve spent years building an impressive hardcover and paperback collection. You’ve got a library in your home full of bookshelves of all your favorite authors. You’ve…
by Jay Hartman Q: A few years ago, you wrote a column on getting your title into libraries. I tried following the instructions, but nothing appears the way you wrote…
Editor’s Note: Jay is currently on vacation. His column will be back in January. In the meantime, since we now have our first transgender member of the House of Representatives,…
by Jay Hartman Ah, November. The air to take a turn for the cold. People start thinking about holiday get-togethers, and the most important thing of all: holiday baking. Of…
by Jay Hartman I recently moderated a panel of editors for Desert Sleuths, a chapter of Sisters in Crime, for their annual WriteNOW! conference. I invited my fellow editor pals…
by Jay Hartman In 1965, The Rolling Stones released their hit song “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction.” 1966 brought the track “Paint It Black,” and in 1967 the world heard…
by Jay Hartman Happy Pride Month! June is a month of celebrating the LGBTQIA+ community and all of its accomplishments, community, and contributions to all aspects of society. “But Jay,”…
by Jay Hartman Over the weekend of April 20 and 21 I had the opportunity to attend the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books. It was my first official public…
by Jay Hartman April showers bring May flowers. What do May flowers bring? Pilgrims. That’s a very old (and very bad) dad joke, but timely. As we head into April…
by Jay Hartman Thanks for coming in. Feel free to lie down on the couch over there. Comfortable? Great. You’re in a safe space here. You can always speak freely…
by Jay Hartman Okay, here’s the thing about birthdays and celebrations. Either you really love them, or you come to loathe them. It depends on the individual. I have a…
by Jay Hartman The blank slate. There are few things more intimidating than a blank computer screen, pure white paper, a whiteboard begging to be written on and dry-erased, or…
by Jay Hartman Unless you’re writing or publishing for the sheer fun or joy of it, it’s a given you’re looking to make money doing it. Every author has that…
by Jay Hartman Normally, my column has a question about something going on in the publishing industry and I’m able to answer it from…well…a publisher’s perspective. I have a secret.…
by Jay Hartman Q: I’m pretty unhappy with my current publisher. I’m thinking I’d rather take the books the self-publishing route, or maybe find a different publisher instead. How hard…
by Jay Hartman Q: I’ve seen references lately to “slim volume books.” What are these? Is it something I should look for? A: You know the old adage “everything that’s…
by Jay Hartman Q: With the advent of ebooks and ebook readers, is there really any reason to make my book available in large print? A: Oh heck, yeah. One…
by Jay Hartman Q: Amazon announced they were raising printing charges. What does it mean for paperbacks I release through KDP? A: It’s time to revisit your pricing. It’s surprising…
by Jay Hartman Q: I heard that Book Depository is closing. What effect is this going to have on print sales internationally? A: Well, it’s not going to be good.…
by Jay Hartman Q: Can you explain what’s happening with magazines over at Amazon? A: Remember last month when I said you should pay attention to warning signs that Amazon…
by Jay Hartman Q: I read recently that Amazon laid off 18,000 employees. Does that have any effect on the publishing end of things, or is it mostly just corporate…
by Jay Hartman Authors and publishers are hypocrites. There, I’ve said the ugly part out loud that nobody wants to admit to, but let’s face it…we all know it’s true.…
by Jay Hartman Happy October to everyone! Here in Las Vegas it’s difficult to tell it’s fall with pumpkin season arriving, since we still have daily temperatures in the mid-90s.…
