by Kathleen Marple Kalb (aka Nikki Knight) It’s something that doesn’t usually happen even to big-ticket bestselling authors, but it happened to me: two books coming out on the same…
by Dave Chesson When Edgar Rice Burroughs published The Princess of Mars in 1917, the copyright belonged to the publisher and made absolutely no mention of the author’s name. In…
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 Eric Schumaker I realize this is a controversial subject. Consider this: What we are discussing is machine learning. It has been branded as AI to obfuscate the fact there…
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…
From the press release: 260,000 Draft2Digital Authors and Publishers Gain Convenient Access to Thousands of Original and Affordable Premade Cover Designs July 24, 2023—OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLA.—Draft2Digital (D2D), LLC, which powers…
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.…
reprinted with permission 2022 revision improves on the 2018 original and provides greater clarity on what’s expected of reputable hybrid publishers. To promote greater clarity of understanding and encourage a…
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.…
by Gabi Coatsworth, reprinted with permission Most writers dream of being published by a major traditional publisher and becoming a bestselling author. It takes a while to realize that the…
by Jay Hartman Happy September, and welcome to that time of year kids hate and parents love—Back to School! We send the little urchins off to…err…urchin… in the classroom while…
by Jay Hartman Untreed Reads purchased ad space for August with IBPA to promote their mystery short story anthology Peace, Love, and Crime: Crime Fiction Inspired by the Songs of…
It’s been a little over four months since Smashwords and Draft2Digital merged into one big, new, industry-changing company. In that short time, we’ve worked behind the scenes to integrate the…
by Jay Hartman In a popular game called “Two Truths and a Lie.” the idea is to make three statements, and the person guessing must figure out which of those…
by Jay Hartman Q: I read recently it’s not possible to buy ebooks through the Amazon app if you’re on Android. Can you explain what that means? How does it…
by Jay Hartman As we start experiencing flowers, heat waves, and allergies, there’s no doubt Spring is upon us (well, in most parts of the U.S.). And the spring months…
by Jay Hartman Happy April! It’s hard to believe we’re going into the fourth month of 2022 already, when it seems as if we just got done packing away winter…
by Jay Hartman Many years ago when we first started out, one of our authors experienced a horrible situation where her home caught fire. With so much loss, we decided…
by Jay Hartman The month of February is a time for celebration around Untreed Reads, and this year we have even more reason to be happy. First, we’re looking back…
by Self-Publishing Relief—Tips from Writers Relief Not wanting to be at the beck and call of traditional publishing houses, many writers, both new and established, turn to self-publishing to get…
by Jay Hartman As I sit and write this month’s column, my desktop is littered with enough Excel spreadsheets and Word documents to make an office assistant want to make…
by Sherry Harris on December 2, 2021. Reprinted with permission. I can’t believe today is the seventh anniversary of the release of my first book, Tagged for Death. There are…
by Jay Hartman Q: With the holiday season here, I want to make sure I’m promoting all of my books to get the most sales possible. What’s the most effective…
by Jay Hartman Q: I see my local library offers eBooks to patrons. How can I go about getting my library to carry my title? R.S., Salem, Oregon A: 2020…
by Jay Hartman There’s no question the pandemic has caused all sorts of upheaval in the shipping of goods worldwide. Whether it’s a lack of raw materials to make items,…
Integrity Guidelines, along with tips for submitting successful content. To our valued customers, We appreciate you being a contributing member of our IngramSpark community. We are dedicated to offering our…
by Jane Friedman, reprinted with permission. Since 2013, I have regularly updated this informational chart about the key book-publishing paths. It is available as a PDF download, ideal for photocopying…
by Daryl Bolicek Wild Horse Recording, LLC is a full-service tracking and recording studio that specializes in audiobook production, music scoring, audio editing, podcasting and live tracking. Music has been…
by Richard Helms As I mentioned in last month’s article, on the eve of releasing my nineteenth novel (Paid in Spades, Clay Stafford Books, March 2019), I realized that almost…
by Richard Helms I became one of the early adopters of POD-based self-publishing, when I formed my own publishing company (Barbadoes Hall Press/Back Alley Books) in 2001. At the 2006…
by Tammy Ditmore Review of The Nonfiction Book Publishing Plan: The Professional Guide to Profitable Self-Publishing by Stephanie Chandler and Karl W. Palachuk. (Authority Publishing, 2018). 281 pp. Kindle, $2.99;…
by Pat Brooks Challenging, vexing, rewarding; publishing my first book could be called “Miss Pat’s Wild Ride.” I have written magazine and newspaper articles and a gazillion news reports during…
by Tammy Ditmore That was the challenge given by Angela Bole, CEO of the Independent Book Publishers Association, to the hundreds of publishing aficionados gathered for the opening of the…
Which came first, the book or the movie? Usually, it’s the book. However, Guest House Books made the film first and has now written the book. Guest House Books is…
by Naomi Long Eagleson Founder & Editorial Director, The Artful Editor Before self-publishing exploded and transformed the book industry, most authors published their books by traditional means. You either got…
by Rhonda Rees "Back before the Internet, we had a name for people who bought a single copy of our book and lent it to all their friends without charging;…
by Libby J. Atwater Publishing presents enough challenges to first-time authors, but even veterans like me can be surprised when a publisher announces he’s selling his company only a few…
When Elena Favilli and Francesca Cavallo wanted to publish the kind of children’s book they wished they had had when they were growing up, they turned to Kickstarter to fund…
by Ivor Davis You risk being swallowed up whole, maybe never to be seen again, if you venture to the annual Book Expo America without a serious game plan. In…
by Jay Hartman Publishing is very much about lessons you learn as you go along. Sometimes you hit something out of the ballpark and sometimes it's a swing and a…
by Patricia Fry I get requests for interviews from newspaper reporters and radio show hosts to talk about my venture into fiction writing after writing nonfiction for so long. I…
by Tammy Ditmore That was the underlying message of speaker after speaker at the Independent Book Publishing Association’s Publishing University 2015. In large-group presentations, small-group breakout sessions, and one-on-one conversations,…
I’m looking forward to soaking up some wisdom at the Independent Book Publishing Association’s Publishing University in Austin, Texas, this month. Attending this annual conference will give me a chance…
by Helen Gallagher Literary merit is a core requirement for any prize-winning book. After succeeding as an author, book reviewer, and publishing consultant, I was pleased to be asked to…
By Patricia L. Fry Self-publishing can be a daunting undertaking. It's easy to be overwhelmed in the process of setting up a business, writing a book, producing the book and…
The decision to self-publish a book is very exciting. It causes the creative juices to flow and the eyes to light up. But wait–before you begin the self-publishing process, know…
