"When I was first starting out, I dreamed of being sent on a book tour. I'd travel around the world-at my publisher' expense, of course-and hit the major bookstores, where I'd do readings and signings for standing-room-only audiences," says Jackie Morse Kessler, the author of a four-book YA … [Read more...]
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The Book Deal
The Viagra Diaries: A self-publishing mega success story
"Barbara Rose Brooker is fearless. The Viagra Diaries does for single seniors what Helen Gurley Brown's Sex and the Single Girl and Erica Jong's Fear of Flying did for the women's sexual revolution in the sixties and seventies." -- Entertainment Tonight It's a blurb to die for, and well … [Read more...]
Fear of editors
Are you a writer who worries about working with a developmental editor for fear of losing control over the project? You're not alone If so, you’re not the only one. One writer put it this way recently on an online forum: “I worry that an editor will erase my voice.” Another said, “I fear I’ll … [Read more...]
Great book jackets: Tips from 4 design pros
Every good book needs a great cover. It's a powerful billboard for conveying the spirit and content of your book. So, you'll need a good graphic design belfast company or somewhere more local to help you bring the cover of your book to life. An eye-catching cover can persuade readers to pick … [Read more...]
Getting published: The inside scoop from 3 top editors
Despite all the excitement about self-publishing these days – and I'm a big proponent --many writers still dream of being published by a big house like St. Martin's Press or a prestigious literary publisher like Algonquin or Bloomsbury. "I want the pride of making a major-league team with … [Read more...]
Good day sunshine for writers
This is the best time ever to be a writer. Especially for those in the vanguard: the self-publishing writers at the cutting edge of the brave new turbulent world of literary art and commerce. I say that with some authority. As a worker bee from deep within the trenches of the book publishing … [Read more...]
Is there gold in your backlist? Self-publish and find out!
If you're an author of books that have gone out of print, you could be sitting on a goldmine. Savvy writers – especially those with an online following -- are reveling in unexpected profits by self-publishing their defunct backlist titles as new e-books. If you think you don't have the money, … [Read more...]
Advice for Amanda Hocking from authors and agents
When Amanda Hocking, the 26-year-old poster girl for self-publishing, revealed her $2 million book contract with St. Martin's Press, she defended the deal on her own blog to legions of fans and militant, mystified indie authors. "I only want to be a writer," Hocking said. "I do not want to spend … [Read more...]
The last laugh: If self-published authors owned the midlist
Mega publishers like Simon and Schuster and Random House could someday cede the midlist to a vast army of self-published authors. In that scenario, they'd focus instead just on blockbuster books by brand-name authors and celebrities. All the rest -- the literary fiction, the cookbooks, the … [Read more...]