—Life Through the Eyes of Storytellers—
Book industry news & opinions
“Writing, at its best, is a lonely life.” - Ernest Hemingway Have you noticed how other people seem to achieve so much more than you feel you possibly ever could? Okay, that sentence sounds very jumbled, but what I’m asking is this: Have you ever felt like a loser who can’t get anything done?… Continue reading Writing, Productivity, and Solitude
"Of all human activities, creativity comes closest to providing the fulfillment we all hope to get in our lives." – M. Csikszentmihalyi The thought that creativity can bring fulfillment is lovely, isn’t it? And I believe it’s true . . . as strongly as I believe it’s that easy AND that hard. Where does creativity… Continue reading What Makes You a Creative Writer?
Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) announced their new Print-on-demand services. The announcement raises serious questions as to CreateSpace, Amazon’s POD subsidiary’s future role in the Amazon family. The details of KDP’s Print-on-demand (POD) services creates direct competition between two divisions that had formally stayed on their own sides of the house. At first glance, it hard… Continue reading Is Amazon Firing CreateSpace
Just when you thought Amazon couldn't do more for independent authors, it slaps us with KDP Print. A new Print on Demand service right on your KDP dashboard. The release of KDP Print happened back in September. But why haven't you heard of it? Well, they've kept it under the radar because it's still in… Continue reading Amazon’s Little Secret—A Treat for Independent Authors
Landing a spot on the New York Times Bestseller list is an author’s Olympic Gold Medal. It is one of the quickest ways to become a household name, and it’s a self-fulfilling prophecy. If you make the List and you’ll sell a ton more books. So how do you crack that code? What’s the secret?… Continue reading 7 Ways to Become a New York Times Bestseller
Amazon has announced a revision to their product review policy and the news has created an outcry from many sellers who feel the changes will have a negative impact on their ability to receive public feedback on their work or product. Amazon’s new guidelines revise the terms under which consumers qualify to leave a review,… Continue reading Amazon’s New Review Policy’s Impact of Authors
What is it? Self-published authors will soon have the opportunity to see their books on the shelves of Barnes and Noble. Why is it game-changing? This decision, not only opens doors for indie authors everywhere, but it's also the first move to offer real competition to Amazon. How is one Amazon bookstore to compete against… Continue reading Is Barnes and Noble Changing the Self-Publishing Game?
There is a celebration going on in the traditional publishing world. A danse macabre over the decline of e-books. It’s being touted as “digital fatigue” and a cursory glance at the numbers might appear to support the claims. According to a Publisher’s Weekly report, a survey conducted by the Association of American Publishers shows a… Continue reading The Decline of Ebooks? It’s not what you think
By Raymond Esposito Studies, specifically those conducted VIDA, a “non-profit founded to raise awareness of gender inequality issues in literary culture,” find an under-representation of females in publishing (books, articles, newsprint). By one account, males account for 75% of published material while females account for only 25%. Advocates for women suggest a bias in book… Continue reading Gender Gap in Publishing? Yes, there is.
What’s the deal? Unethical writers are using “click farms” to increase their earnings through Kindle Unlimited. Why is it important? In addition to robbing real authors of their potential share, these click-farms are getting unsuspecting and uninvolved authors banned from Amazon. Long Story Short The scam is called Prawning. An unethical writer publishes a book… Continue reading Amazon: The Games People Play
Writers After Dark 