Author Archives: Shawn E. Bell

Dead Tree Books, eBook, Self Publishing, Success Stories, Writing

From Alli: How Indie Authors Can Get Their Books Stocked in Bookshops

Posted on by Shawn E. Bell

ALLi is the Alliance of Independent Authors, the professional association for self-publishing writers.  They host an EXCELLENT self-publishing advice blog HERE.

Roz Morris has posted an article about how she got her book into brick-and-mortar bookstores.  From the article:

Indie author Roz Morris explains how she got her novel stocked by bricks-and-mortar bookstores – and how self-published books meet independent booksellers’ needs.

Like many indie authors, I wasn’t sure I’d ever get my books into shops. I made print editions because it was unthinkable not to, and I did what I could to get widespread distribution. So I was all ready to be stocked… if bookshops knew to look for me. Always the hardest part.

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Dead Tree Books, eBook

Literary Agents Reaching Out to Self-Published Authors

Posted on by Shawn E. Bell

Self-publishing can be an uphill battle. If you’re an author – not a publisher – you’ve had to either develop a whole new set of skills, or settle for only selling your work to relatives. That is, until now.

Dystel & Goderich Literary Management has announced that they’re now working with self-published authors to get their work digitally published. According to D&GLM, “we have been following developments in e-publishing with great interest. As an agency that has prided itself on being a bit of a maverick among the stodgy old guard, we have always been more intrigued than scared about this new world of e-books. The consensus among us, even after listening to the doomsayers, has been that e-publishing will re-energize our business and create more readers.”

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Dead Tree Books, eBook, Self Publishing, Writing

DBW: Ebook Revenues Rising Abroad For American Publishers

Posted on by Shawn E. Bell

Yep, even as ebook prices take a weekly tumble – or momentary rise – on the rollercoaster of retail sales, American publishers are reporting that the revenues coming in from ebook sales continues to rise.

Digital Book World is reporting that there are double-digit percentage increases in revenues for ebooks, while physical book revenue rose a far more modest 1.3% internationally.

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Dead Tree Books, eBook, Self Publishing, Writing

Forbes: Quick-To-Market Ebooks Now Norm, Not Exception

Posted on by Shawn E. Bell

Forbes has taken note of how quickly eBooks can rise up the charts, and – as better and better tools become available through places like Vook, Division, and Byliner – we will see books hitting the eShelves as fast as the authors can type them.

In the example cited, it took the author 72 hours to write the eBook, 36 hours to produce it, and less than 24 hours to publish it (between you and me, though, I if he’d REALLY pushed it, he could have had a physical book out through Createspace, too!).

Authors: the world is your oyster.  Get your fingers typing, and use all of the tools in your arsenal to get your work into the hands of your readers.

From the article:

Linsanity, as the craze surrounding him became known, also swept the publishing industry. Half-a-dozen books were scheduled to be published when his compelling story reached national prominence, none more stunning than Linsanity: The Improbable Rise of Jeremy Lin.

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eBook, Self Publishing, Writing

Barnes and Noble puts brakes on Nook tablets

Posted on by Shawn E. Bell

Barnes and Noble announced some significant changes with the Nook today, following the press release of their fourth-quarter and full-year earnings reports. They took a beating, but they’re going to pivot.

Barnes and Noble will stop manufacturing the Nook tablets after the holiday season, but will continue to make eReaders.

From the press release:

The company plans to significantly reduce losses in the NOOK segment by limiting risks associated with manufacturing. Going forward, the company intends to continue to design eReading devices and reading platforms, while creating a partnership model for manufacturing in the competitive color tablet market. Thus, the widely popular lines of Simple Touch and Glowlight products will continue to be developed in house, and the company’s tablet line will be co-branded with yet to be announced third party manufacturers of consumer electronics products. At the same time, the company intends to continue to build its digital catalog, adding thousands of eBooks every week, and launching new NOOK Apps.

With the discounting of Nook tablets, now might be a good time to pick one up…

You can read the full press release HERE.