There’s a supposedly new player today: Gatekeeper Press I know very little about them—just heard about them. But, it’s an interesting concept. As you know, I am basically against paying publishers anything without a very good reason. My books teach you how to publish for free, and I still think that’s the best route to go—IF you are willing and IF you are able. So, why do I mention Gateway Press? This just seems like another competitor … Continue reading →
I was talking to a friend a couple days ago. He mentioned the primary trouble he has in using InDesign to format his books: when he gets into InDesign he can’t remember how to use it. Suddenly, it dawned on me that this is a primary reason why writing in InDesign is so effective. Not only is writing fully formatted in InDesign the best method of communicating clearly with your readers [outside of excellent content], the simple act … Continue reading →
CC 2014 virtually redid ePUB export—adding fixed layout & radically improving reflowable ePUBs Indesign has always been the best software for publishing: print & ebook. I have already posted quite a bit about the new software. Most of the improvements seemed to be focused on we self-publishers. But my book is also redone— in places quite radically. A review by Mary Campagna Findley for the CS6 version “David Bergland has challenged me to think beyond the writing, editing, and cover design … Continue reading →
Mark wrote another strong article calling iOS8 a game-changer because iBooks will now be installed as part of the basic operating system. I doubt it—for a very simple reason. The iBooks Store is a lousy interface Let me just give you one example. My preferred genre is Christian epic fantasy. It’s not listed in iBooks genre so I try to search for books tagged like this. I get a list of heathen authors whose name is Christian [like … Continue reading →
Mark Coker makes the following prediction for 2014: Production takes on increased importance in 2014 – One of the most important secrets to ebook publishing success is to write more books. As a writer, your writing is your unique creation. It’s your product. Authors who write great books (and produce more of them), are the authors who build sales and platform the fastest, because each new book represents an opportunity to please existing fans and hook new … Continue reading →
Maybe you saw my unfounded rumor posting the other day. I simply seemed to me that Wal-Mart could do well to buy B&N and Smashwords. Since then I have seen two other mentions of the possibility of buying B&N. The most recent one was this morning from DBW. In a post entitled “Amazon: A Cheetah Hunting Gazelles (Publishers)” we read this Real Competition From Barnes & Noble? Industry consultant Joseph Esposito has also been studying Amazon and … Continue reading →
Yes, this is a totally unfounded rumor just started by me. But what if? Would this give Amazon some competition for Kindle? The iBookstore may be the best quality, but there is no indication that it will ever take off like the iPod did. It goes along with this other unfounded rumor. Why doesn’t Smashwords buy Nook? Other people are obviously having similar thoughts. God forbid that dying Microsoft would do it, or Google. So, what are … Continue reading →
It’s just a small opening, and it’s in California, but the news is good from DBW this morning. Some California library systems buying from Smashwords Coker seems to have the knack of being in the right place. That’s the main thing that keeps me in his world of restricted design capabilities. Getting two library systems to spring for $30,000 to buy Smashwords 10,000 best sellers looks really good. It remains to be seen if this builds into a … Continue reading →
This is really big news. This is especially true for someone who writes and works in InDesign. Up ’til now, I’d finish a book and spend a full day to: export the PDFs, export the KF8 file for Kindle, and export the various ePUBs for the iBookstore, Nook, and Kobo—then uploading to Createspace for print, Kindle KDP for the Kindle version, and Lulu, PubIt, and Kobo Writing Life. Then if I wanted to release at Smashwords, I’d spend … Continue reading →
This morning I am reading an article by Marc Coker (the founder of Smashwords) about what’s coming in near future for authors and publishers. He has some very good things to say. Here’s a quote that is particularly relevant to us. As a self published author, you’re the publisher. You’re running a business. The lifeblood of a business is profit, because profit generates cash. If you run out of cash, you go out of business. Since profit … Continue reading →