fbpx
skip to Main Content
Bookshop.org

Bookshop.org Expands into Ebooks, Opening New Doors for Indie Authors: Self-Publishing News with Dan Holloway

Bookshop.org is, you will recall, the platform that enables people to buy books wherever they are based and direct a slice of the sales to a local independent bookstore of their choice. It gained publicity and traction during the pandemic, and that has continued—but until now, the focus has been on printed books. Now, Bookshop.org is moving full-on into ebooks.
Read more
Reading Skills

Creative Thinking and Curiosity on the Rise, but Reading Skills Decline: Self-Publishing News with Dan Holloway

Last week saw the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, which brought some concerning insights about reading skills. I wish I could report that publishing was front and center of the global agenda—or even that a swathe of AI discussions zoomed in on copyright-adjacent themes. Of course, that wasn’t the case. But it was the case that one of the key annual reports to accompany the event has some interesting (alarming or encouraging or both, depending on which side of the fence you fall—or, indeed, whether you prefer your fence ride to be astride) findings for us.
Read more
AI Summit

AI Summit Planned at Bologna Book Fair: Self-Publishing News with Dan Holloway

If the TikTok drama has done one thing, it has been to keep AI stories at bay. Though the news that tech giants are combining their efforts behind a $500 billion new AI venture unpretentiously monikered Stargate won’t have gone unnoticed. But AI is definitely not off the menu for 2025. We learned this week that the Bologna Children’s Book Fair, the event that traditionally kicks off the global conference calendar, will be scheduling in a whole day for an AI Summit. Astute observers and satirists alike will no doubt have noted with wry interest that the event is timetabled for April 1st.
Read more
TikTok’s Near Ban

TikTok’s Near Ban and Crackdowns on Scams: The Self-Publishing with ALLi Podcast Featuring Dan Holloway

On this episode of the Self-Publishing with ALLi Podcast, Dan Holloway covers the latest developments around TikTok, including its near ban in the United States and the uncertainty it has created for BookTok creators. He also reports on the arrests of individuals behind PageTurner Press and the investigation into Publishing.com, marking significant moves against self-publishing scams.
Read more
TikTok Switches Off

TikTok Switches Off Then Back On (for Now): Self-Publishing News with Dan Holloway

As storytelling goes, the “what will happen with TikTok?” saga would probably get the editorial note, “one damn thing after another,” with a request to “slow down already. It’s been a more than busy few days. The long and the short of it is that, contrary to the expectations of many observers and the expressed wishes of both the incoming and outgoing administrations, TikTok did indeed “go dark” on Sunday.
Read more
Publishing Scam

Publishing Scam Exposed as Libraries Shape Audiobook Trends: Self-Publishing News with Dan Holloway

Let’s take a pause from talking about TikTok bans (I will inevitably be back there on Thursday when we find out more about the actual new landscape). First up, an opportunity to celebrate some good news: the exposure of a major publishing scam. It’s always satisfying to report on the downfall of a scam, and thank you to Victoria Strauss at Writer Beware for such a detailed account of three arrests and charges for people allegedly behind a multimillion-dollar scam masquerading as publisher services.
Read more
Supreme Court

Supreme Court Upholds TikTok Ban as Creators Face Uncertainty: Self-Publishing News with Dan Holloway

As I write, the Supreme Court has just unanimously upheld the ban that would see TikTok disappear in the U.S. this Sunday. Over the week following the Supreme Court hearing, it has become clear that Justices of all stripes would actually be happy for the ban to come into force, as they seemed unconvinced that freedom of expression rights applied through the Chinese-owned app, and they also seemed assured that any switch-off could easily be reversed if the situation changed and ByteDance divested.
Read more
Print Book Sales

Print Book Sales Rebound, Spotify Adds Author Tools, and Taylor Swift’s Self-Published Success: The Self-Publishing News Podcast with Dan Holloway

On this episode of the Self-Publishing News Podcast, Dan Holloway explores new data showing a resurgence in print book sales, with adult fiction leading the growth and young adult fiction seeing a decline. He also highlights Spotify’s new Wrapped feature for authors, providing audiobook creators with detailed insights into their listeners’ habits. Plus, Dan reflects on the impact of Taylor Swift’s self-published Eras Tour Book, which sold over 1.2 million copies, showcasing the power of self-publishing on a massive scale.
Read more
Created By Humans

Created By Humans Launches; Print Book Sales Rise in 2024: Self-Publishing News with Dan Holloway

Created By Humans has launched. I will confess, I thought it had done so already—the hype around the AI rights site has been so great. For those who are unaware (though all readers here will be familiar), this is a site where authors can register their copyrighted works if they are interested in controlling and potentially monetizing the use of their copyrighted work. The site, founded by Scribd’s Trip Adler and Jen Singleman, is the rights partner organization for the Society of Authors.
Read more
Romantasy

Hot Fae in Hot Water—Romantasy Runs Into Rocky Ground: Self-Publishing News with Dan Holloway

You will remember just a week or so ago I was writing and talking about how I expected the Romantasy (inter alia) genre to continue to flourish and provide opportunities for indie writers and their voracious fans well into 2025. When I said I thought Romantasy would continue to make the news, I didn’t quite have in mind the kind of brouhaha I have seen over the past week.
Read more
Piracy Websites

Authors Fight Back Against Piracy Websites: The Self-Publishing News Podcast with Dan Holloway

On this episode of the Self-Publishing News Podcast, Dan Holloway covers the UK High Court’s decision to strengthen enforcement against piracy websites, Japan’s use of AI to combat manga piracy, and Spotify’s new partner program for podcasters. He also highlights authors recognized in the UK’s New Year’s Honours list and a new opportunity for contributors to the New Publishing Standard.
Read more
Back To Top
×Close search
Search
Loading...