It’s true that authors have more information at their fingertips than ever before. Why, then, do authors keep falling for scams and schemes from the same exploitative companies?

It’s true that authors have more information at their fingertips than ever before. Why, then, do authors keep falling for scams and schemes from the same exploitative companies?
Vanity presses — predatory companies that sell authors worthless or overpriced services — profited mightily with the rise of indie publishing. The growth of that industry (or perhaps more accurately, the spread of that cancer) was aided by publishers who eagerly partnered with the worst vanity presses. Simon & Schuster (Archway), HarperCollins (WestBow), Harlequin (DellArte), […]
I have always loved that thing about doing something not because it’s easy but because it’s hard, not because it’s what everyone does but because it’s what no one has done. For me that’s what’s wonderful about being an indie writer. This is our chance to do something extraordinary. To write what no one else […]
This is the time of year when the lists, like the leaves two months ago, begin to turn. Already the best of what has been is beginning to fade, and the best of what is to come. As I did with lists, I will avoid personalised prognostications. But I couldn’t help noticing that this week’s […]
Love writing – detest editing? Among this week’s good news reports is that an innovative self-publishing tool is at hand for formatting and conversion – and it’s free. As for conflicting data on digital book sales, a new indie author-inclusive survey aims to give a fuller picture on the under-reported self-publishing sector. Elsewhere, no surprises […]
Publishers are still trying to get their heads around how to deal with self-publishing authors. The most recent attempt was Random House US’s new digital imprints Hydra, Alibi, Loveswept, and Flirt. They came into the market, offering a new kind of deal, one that might actually tempt a self-respecting indie over: 50:50 royalty split as […]