The Independent Publishing Magazine

Bowker Finally Names and Launches Self-Publishing Service Portal

2013-05-21T11:33:00.000+01:00

Over the past year Bowker has been expanding its array of self-publishing services for authors and yesterday marked its full entry into the self-publishing service provider market with the launch of SelfPublishedAuthor.com. Bowker is widely known to US-based self-published authors as the place to go to purchase a block of ISBN's (it is the official ISBN Agency for the United States and its

Patchett Rallies Author Troops to Get Involved With Health of The Publishing Industry

2013-05-19T15:15:00.000+01:00

Every so often authors immersed in the traditional world of publishing pop their heads above the precipice and make grandiose statements about independent publishing, the retail book trade, and, in particular, self-publishing and self-published authors. Garrison Keillor tried it prior to Book Expo 2010 with an article for the New York Times, and last summer Sue Grafton tried her hand at making

Guest Post: Appearances Can Be Deceptive - Vincent Flannery

2013-05-15T16:31:00.000+01:00

The word appearance has two meanings: one literally means to appear; the other describes what something looks like. Let’s talk about the first meaning, which is the first thing a writer thinks about: how am I going to get this book to readers? Most writers will have gone through the arduous task of sending work out to agents or, in some cases, directly to publishers. (Though very few

Publishing Service Index - May 2013

2013-05-09T18:42:00.000+01:00

This is the PUBLISHING SERVICE INDEX for MAY 2013. This update reflects some review updates and the review of Llumina Press. TIPM continues to receive a regular feedback on services since the last index at the end of March, both positive and negative, and this is also reflected in the latest index ratings. CLICK TO ENLARGE (KEY) DIY - Do-it-yourself bespoke sevices ASS - Author

Class Action Complaint Against Penguin/Author Solutions - Part 2

2013-05-09T00:01:00.001+01:00

The class action complaint lodged with the New York court at the end of April alleges that ASI misrepresent its company and services with the intention of luring authors in with claims that its books can compete with “traditional publishers,” offering “greater speed, higher royalties, and more control for its authors.” The suit also alleges that ASI profit from “fraudulent” practices, fail

Class Action Complaint Against Penguin/Author Solutions - Part 1

2013-05-07T16:23:00.001+01:00

On April 26th US law firm Giskan SolotaroffAnderson & Stewart filed a class action complaint on behalf of three authors in the Southern District Court of New York. The plaintiffs have been named as Penguin Group (USA) and Author Solutions of Bloomington, Indiana. For the uninformed, you might wonder why a leading global publisher and the largest company of paid-publishing services are named

2013 Independent Publisher Book Awards (IPPY) Winners Announced

2013-05-07T09:38:00.001+01:00

The 2013 IPPY Award winners were announced last week and not surprisingly the extensive list of medal winners features an increased representation from micropresses and self-published authors. In fact the e-book section of the award is dominated by self-published authors. Compared to previous years, there is a distinct 'drop-off' in titles from authors using packaged self-publishing services.

Kobo Launch Global TV AD Campaigns

2013-05-02T21:48:00.000+01:00

It is not too often a self-publishing service launches a global TV campaign. Well, Kobo, the self-publishing and distribution platform for authors and publishers has done just that. The first of the advertising campaigns, entitled ‘Reader’s Passion,’ includes TV, online and print advertisements and recognises people who make reading a part of their daily lives. Toronto-based creative agency,

US Law Firm and Authors Instigate Suit Against Author Solutions

2013-05-02T20:14:00.000+01:00

Back in March TIPM reported that US attorney firm Giskan Solataroff, Anderson and Stewart LLP was carrying out an investigation into practices of the publishing industry’s largest self-publishing service, Author Solutions Inc. based in Bloomington, Indiana. Giskan Solotaroff Anderson & Stewart represent employees in employment and civil rights matters, consumers and small businesses in class

Bowker Partner With Smith Publicity To Offer Public Relations Service For Authors And Small Presses

2013-05-02T19:46:00.001+01:00

Bowker, provider of ISBN's (via MyIdentifiers.com), bibliographic information and research material for publishers continues to expand and establish itself as a service provider. Several weeks ago Bowker launched an ebook conversion service for authors and publishers, and today, announced a partnership with Smith Publicity to provide public relations programs for authors and small presses. The

Creative Writing Courses | BBC Radio 4 - You & Yours

2013-04-29T20:02:00.000+01:00

There was an interesting discussion on today's edition of the BBC Radio 4 consumer programme You & Yours about creative writing courses, and specifically those run by big publishers like Faber and Bloomsbury. Liz Thomson of Bookbrunch and Jason Cooper of the Faber Academy appeared on the programme and expressed very different views. Thomson considers some of these types of writing courses as

101 Best Website for Writers: The Independent Publishing Magazine

2013-04-25T16:48:00.000+01:00

The Independent Publishing Magazine has been selected as one of Writer's Digest 101 Best Websites for Writers in their May/June edition of their magazine. Delighted to get the recognition for all the work done at TIPM!

The Future of Publishing 2020: A Program for Publishers and Self-Publishers (Part 2)

2013-04-25T16:06:00.000+01:00

In January this year, as part of my series of articles on The Future of Publishing 2020, I finished with A Program for Publishers and Self-Publishers – Part 1. I looked at the role of self-publishing, its development and shift (or acceptance if you will) into the world of mainstream publishing, specifically through new imprints launched by traditional publishers like Penguin and Simon &

Yes, it's that Neil Gaiman Address at LBF Digital Minds 2013!

2013-04-19T16:35:00.000+01:00

Yes, it's that Neil Gaiman address at LBF's Digital Minds Conference...

Choosing a Self-Publishing Service - Book Launch | LBF 2013

2013-04-18T15:48:00.000+01:00

At London Book Fair 2013, the Alliance of Independent Authors launched 'Choosing a self-publishing service', written by Ben Galley and Mick Rooney of ALLi, the book is a must-read for anyone considering self-publishing. It helps navigate the fast-moving world of author services companies and contains the experiences of a lot of authors as well as advising on what to avoid., which is a

Digital Minds Conference - The Great Apocalypse! | LBF2013

2013-04-14T13:21:00.000+01:00

Today's Digital Minds Conference unofficially kicked off the London Book Fair 2013. Philip Jones' opening piece in The Bookseller reflects the mood and metaphors floating through the air. It seems the book industry moguls (and author, Neil Gaiman) consider us in the midst of a great apocalypse!From The Bookseller:"Books as sharks, publishers as dinosaurs, digital as climate change, and

London Book Fair 2013 | Authors and Self-Publishing Take Centre Stage

2013-04-12T00:11:00.000+01:00

We are just a few days away from the London Book Fair 2013, and like last year, there is not a dust cloud, volcano or strike in sight—fingers crossed. The Independent Publishing Magazine will, as always, be there to report and take in all that happens at LBF next week via our main magazine page, Facebook page and Twitter account. While the trade industry has been grappling with e-books and

Barnes & Noble Relaunch PubIt as Nook Press with a Little Help from Fastpencil

2013-04-10T21:32:00.002+01:00

Barnes & Noble has announced the rebranding of PubIt, its DIY self-publishing platform for authors wanting to publish their books on the Nook. The new platform will be called Nook Press and will have additional features in partnership with another self-publishing provider, Fastpencil. Nook Press still looks more like a rebranding than any real kind of wholesale revamp of PubIt. I think the

EU Commission Clears Random House and Penguin Merger

2013-04-06T15:43:00.000+01:00

As expected and reported on our TIPM Facebook page last week, the EU Commission has approved the Random House/Penguin merger. From the Press Release: Mergers: Commission clears creation of Penguin Random House, combining publishing businesses of Bertelsmann and Pearson The European Commission has cleared under the EU Merger Regulation the proposed creation of Penguin Random House,

Llumina Press - Reviewed

2013-04-05T17:24:00.000+01:00

Llumina Press is a small, Florida-based, assisted self-publishing service provided founded in 2000 by writer, editor and entrepreneur, Deborah Greenspan. The company was one of the early adopters of POD technology ahead of many established brands in this area. “I became a publisher because I noted that existing POD publishers were not doing anything to help writers make sure their works

Almost Half of Authors Unaware of World Book Rights Ownership | IPR

2013-04-05T12:05:00.000+01:00

Press Release: Almost Half of Authors Unaware of World Book Rights Ownership Almost half of authors (47%) have admitted that they did not know or were unsure if they owned the world rights to their book. See the full press release here (PDF) In the inaugural IPR License Author Index, published and aspiring authors were quizzed on their knowledge of the rights they hold to their work.

European Self-Publishing Providers Need to Look Beyond Localisation

2013-04-02T12:57:00.000+01:00

Publishing Perspectives this morning reports that German self-publishing platform, epubli, has expanded into the UK and English-speaking market. Epubli was originally founded in 2008 and is owned by the giant Holtzbrinck Publishing Group. The self-publishing platform allows works on a similar model to Lulu, Blurb and CreateSpace, only taking a share in author profits when a book is sold.

Amazon Acquires Book Review Community Goodreads

2013-03-28T21:03:00.000Z

Perhaps the biggest news so far this year in the book world is the announcement by Amazon late today that it will acquire Goodreads, the social media book review and recommendation community. Subject to some closing conditions of the deal (the purchase price has not yet been revealed), Amazon will acquire Goodreads in the second quarter of this year. Goodreads has shown extraordinary growth in

Publishing Service Index - April 2013 | TIPM

2013-03-27T13:38:00.000Z

This is the PUBLISHING SERVICE INDEX for APRIL 2013. This update reflects some review updates and the collapse of Vantage Press last November. TIPM received a very high volume of feedback on services since the last index at the end of January, both positive and negative, and this is also reflected in the latest index ratings. Though there are no significant changes in the top 20 positions, a

Self-Publishing Conference UK - Slideshow Presentation

2013-03-26T12:42:00.001Z

This is the slideshow from my presentation 'Choosing a self-publishing provider' presented on Sunday, March 24th, 2013 at the Self-Publishing Conference, University of Leicester.