Category Archives: Self Publishing

eBook, Success Stories

Fact: Self-publishing my non-fiction as ebooks makes sense

Posted on by Shawn E. Bell

“Having registered that digital is the busy end of the business, I realised I could do more, and faster, on my own”

Anthony Hayward posted on The Guardian today about his adventures in self-publishing.  From the article:

Last year, ebook sales in the United Kingdom more than doubled, as did their share of the entire books market – to almost 15%. Despite an understandable reluctance on the part of many readers to join this revolution (and in time it might well prove to be that) ebooks are here to stay – so why not embrace them and discover the advantages?

As a journalist and author myself, I have done just that. After writing more than 20 books, with major publishers behind them, I have found it increasingly difficult to get new ideas accepted. It is also frustrating as a writer to have a non-fiction book that is up-to-the-minute when “completed”, only for it to come out maybe nine months later and seem slightly dated.

Continue reading →

eBook

Bowkers continues to fight it’s growing marginalization by publishing silly fact-light statistics

Posted on by Shawn E. Bell

Yes, another quarter … another weird Bowkers “report.”

On October 9, 2013, Bowkers issued a ‘report’ with gems like:

“…The analysis shows the growing prominence of a handful of companies that offer publishing services to individual authors.  More than 80 percent of self-published titles came to market with support from just eight companies, including Smashwords and CreateSpace…”

and

“…Ebooks continue to gain on print, comprising 40 percent of the ISBNs that were self-published in 2012, up from just 11 percent in 2007…”

You can read the whole “report” HERE.

It’s important to note, however, that ebooks sold through eRetailers like Amazon don’t require ISBN numbers.  The vast majority of ebooks on Amazon – the world’s largest retailer of ebooks – use ASIN numbers, which are Amazon’s own internal numbering system.

Continue reading →

Dead Tree Books

Free – Expanded Distribution Options for CreateSpace Members!

Posted on by Shawn E. Bell

From Createspace:

We’re excited to announce Expanded Distribution is now Free. You can make your books available through more channels including: online retailers, bookstores, libraries, and academic institutions within the U.S. at no cost. Enable these distribution channels today so you can reach a wider audience and increase the discoverability of your books. 

Createspace normally lists your book on the Createspace website as well as Amazon.

Continue reading →

eBook, Writer Reference

France Passes New Law With Higher Tax Rate for DRMed eBooks

Posted on by Shawn E. Bell

Nate Hoffelder is reporting on his Digital Reader blog that France is going to be lowering taxes on DRM-free ebooks:

Hardly anyone likes DRM on their content, and its various opponents respond in various ways, whether by public advocacy or by voting with their pocketbook. And then there is France, which decided to express their displeasure with a new tax law.

France has amended their tax laws with a new lower tax rate for DRM-free ebooks (or a new higher rate for DRMed ebooks, depending on how you look at it). The new law won’t go into effect until 2015, but once it does Amazon, Apple, Kobo, and all the other major ebookstores will all be penalized for selling DRMed ebooks to French customers.

Under France’s new tax laws, DRMed ebooks will be taxed at a higher rate (currently 19.6%), while DRM-free ebooks will be taxed at the lower 5.5% rate.

You can read the whole post HERE.

You should really visit Nate’s blog; it’s chock full o’ useful eBook information!  You can visit it HERE.

 

eBook

Calvin and Hobbes FINALLY available as eBooks

Posted on by Shawn E. Bell

Thirty years.  It’s taken Thirty FREAKIN’ years, but Calvin and Hobbes is no available in eBook form!

The Essential Calvin and Hobbes, The Authoritative Calvin and Hobbes, and The Indispensable Calvin and Hobbes. Books I proudly have in my physical book collection can now be read on your Kindle, iPad, Nook or tablet.

Sorry, Scientific Progress Goes “Boink” isn’t available … yet.

The weekday comic strip has been available on gocomics for awhile. These new books, though, are the first time the books have been available to eReaders.

So take a trip down memory lane and relive a childhood memory today.

The books are available through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Apple’s iTune bookstore.