Editor’s note: This is an updated version of a post originally titled 36 Great Blogs for Self-Publishers. I’ll be taking the next a couple of days off. I wish you and those close to you a fulfilling holiday, and I’ll see you on Friday. Thanks for reading!
I guess the first really “social” media was blogs. Blogs were an early sign of a fundamental shift in the media firmament. The idea that the broadcaster (the blogger) would interact directly with the audience (the readers) was explosive. And given the chance, we became social to an extent undreamed of before social media roared to life.
Blogs have become one the largest sources of news, information and opinion in the media landscape. There are few newspapers, fewer television stations. But there are millions of blogs.
Blogs for Self-Publishers
For the latest news, trends and analysis In self-publishing, support for writers, insight into the publishing process, and the transition to digital books, these are the blogs I read. No, they aren’t all self-publishers or even self-publishing advocates, and their appearance on this list doesn’t imply any kind of approval on their part.
No, I’ve curated this list myself. We need a lot of perspectives to really see the field of indie publishing. Change in the publishing industry is accelerating. Every blog on this list teaches me about how to publish, what to publish, and what’s coming in indie publishing. I hope you enjoy them.
Because you may want to click away from the list to visit these blogs, here’s a link you can bookmark when you want to come back:
52 Great Blogs for Self-Publishers
Here’s a short URL: http://ht.ly/3e4sd
Have a great time!
Note: The blogs do not appear in any particular order. If I’ve missed a blog that should be here, would you be so kind as to leave me a comment with the url and I will have a look.
This is a clickable list. Just click each graphic to visit that blog.
Well, that’s the 52 blogs, as promised. But, if you include this one, there’s actually 53:
So go forth and read, read, read. The publishing world is changing so fast no one person can keep up with developments. It’s through the combined work of all these dedicated bloggers that we can at least know we’re keeping up with the leading edge of change.
Image licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License, original work copyright by Titanas, http://www.flickr.com/photos/titanas/528117800/
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{ 47 comments… read them below or add one }
Joel, I now know what I will be spending my whole day doing. :) (Hey, it’s research, right?) Thank you!
I take full responsibility, Rima. Enjoy your day!
THIS WAS AWESOME UPON AWESOME!!!
Thank you for this list that is very valuable!!
Glad you like it, Sylvia. It was awesome fun to put together.
Hey Joel,
Great list. I am missing a lot of those from my RSS reader. You wouldn’t happen to have an OPML file of those subscriptions would you? That would rock!
Thanks
Sure, Doug. Didn’t know about OPML files until you asked, but I’ll look into it. Thanks for the suggestion.
I actually ended up subscribing to all of them manually, but yeah for future reference they’re great for big-time blog subscribers like myself. With 300+ blogs in my reader OPML files can be really handy.
Thanks again for putting together this list!
Great additions, Joel! I’ll be checking my own blog roll to add some of these. And thanks for including me again. =)
My pleasure, thanks for all you do, Sue.
There are some blogs on this list that I don’t know about. I’ll have to check them out. Thanks.
Thanks for including the Smashwords Blog, Joel! I’m honored to be included with such a fabulous group of people.
mark
My pleasure, Mark. Smashwords is a key resource for more and more self-publishers.
WE have a site dedicated to the education and help of ePublishing. Please take a look, as we would love to be on your list.
Thank you,
UnrulyGuides.com
Suzanne, thanks for bringing the Unruly Guides to my attention, I’ll keep it in mind when we revise the list again.
Thanks for the shout-out Joel! This is a great list and seems to get better every time you add to it.
Thanks for including the BookBuzzr blog into this list. It has inspired us to go out there and further improve the quality of our content.
Fantastic resource :)
My feed reader is getting fat.
It’s important to remember you can be fit at any size, Mark, so keep feeding that baby.
Enjoy your days off Joel!
A year later, and still relevant :). Thanks, this is such a comprehensive list — I’ll definitely be adding the feeds that I don’t have already to my reader as well.
What a great resource! Thanks for compiling that for all of us. Since blogging is a big part of promotion for self-pubs, I’d like to throw out a link to http://www.problogger.net which offers a lot of helpful and practical tips.
Thanks, Tim. I’ve learned a lot from Darren Rowse, the original Pro Blogger.
Hi Joel,
I took a look at all the sites on your list, and thought you might appreciate some feedback:
IndiePubJournal.com and The Publishing Maven (selfpublishingreview.blogspot.com) does not exist anymore.
JA Konrath from A Newbie’s Guide to Publishing is no longer actively blogging (announcement made on 6 Oct ’11). He made an open call for freelancers to contribute though, so things might not change too much.
Kindle Nation Daily’s address has changed. It is now KindleNationDaily.com.
I have subscribed to all the blogs (except for 6 that don’t have [working] RSS feeds) and Doug Lance’s comment about OPML files made me curious. Long story short, I created an OPML file of the entire list which is available here for download, if you want: http://www.box.net/shared/khzfzcby6im31jjdzx6y
Thank you for the list. I have visited quite a few of these, and they are very good. I am looking forward to visiting those I am unfamiliar with.
Best wishes to all self-pubbers! :)
This is a Suuuuuuper collection. Thank you, Joel.
Colin Dunbar bro Super collection and also Super Feedback ?
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Awesome list, Joel! Thanks for taking the time to compile it.
This is a great list… thank you so much for providing this…It’s bookmarked for sure! Thanks Again!
The Book Deal is absolutely awesome! Rinzler is the best.
Thanks a million Joel, this is a great list. Helps us gain valuable insights in providing our customers with better services. I would like to share a link you might be interested in http://www.publishing-next.com/.
Thanks once again.
Shameless plug: I’d like to suggest my own blog for your list. Although I work for a publisher, my blog is read by authors with other publishers, as well as those who are self-published. It covers a wide range of book marketing topics and questions about the publishing industry, and I frequently answer questions posted to my blog or emailed to me. Thanks!
Quote: “I guess the first really “social” media was blogs.”
This gruesome first sentence could scarcely be worse.
Firstly it’s a grammatical obscenity. Both blogs and media are plural nouns.
Should be: “I guess the first really “social” media were blogs.” That’s were were WERE.
Secondly, the use of quotation marks around the word social is imbecilic. What are you trying to say, that social media is so-called social? Social media is well-accepted term and putting it in quotation marks makes you seem semi-literate, like the uneducated half-wits who put quotation marks around every second word in their “ad copy” to try and, you know, “sell” you know “things” with their “words.”
Quotation marks are used for verbatim quotations or in rare instances to demonstrate the dubious nature of the enclosed term.
Thirdly, the words “I guess” at the start of your assertion make whatever you have to say seem . . . aw just forget it, I don’t even know why I’m wasting my time giving out free editorial lessons.
Ninety-nine per cent of these self published “writers” – now there’s some correct usage! – should quit worrying about publishing and start getting a basic education in the craft of writing but they’re not going to do that because it’s hard, and it requires a level of intelligence they don’t possess, not to mention a tiny little thing called talent which by definition belongs to a tiny gifted minority.
The world needs more appreciative audiences and less wannabe hacks spewing their textual garbage all over the net.
I have to take issue with your comment, Joseph Stalin.
“Ninety-nine per cent of these self published “writers” – now there’s some correct usage! – should quit worrying about publishing and start getting a basic education in the craft of writing but they’re not going to do that because it’s hard, and it requires a level of intelligence they don’t possess, not to mention a tiny little thing called talent which by definition belongs to a tiny gifted minority.”
Where are your facts to back up your claim? What have you written? Are you a best-selling author? What are your credentials in holding judgment over others?
Your comment is rude, harsh and prejudicial. I’ll grant you that some people are better at grammar and spelling than others. An editor is an important tool for a writer. It would be nice if everyone took advantage of that tool. However, I’ve found many typos in traditionally published books, as well. Editors are human and can miss errors, too.
You would do well to learn how to be respectful of others. Giving an opinion is acceptable. Trashing a huge group of people or someone’s blog is totally unacceptable behavior. You earned yourself no traffic to your own website and, certainly, no friends.
To Joel: This person was so abrasive and disrespectful to you that I had to say something. I apologize if my own comment doesn’t sit well with you or your readers.
Marcia,
No problem, and I appreciate your comment, so thanks. I don’t generally respond to anonymous posters, so I’m kind of glad you took the trouble to do so.
Nice list, but I think you’ve missed two very important blogs:
http://www.thepassivevoice.com/
and
Kriswrites.com (Her Thursday Business Rusch post)
Hi Libby,
Thanks for the additions, both of which I also read. You probably noticed this list was last updated in late 2010, and there has been a lot of activity in this area since then. Later this summer we’ll be completely revising the list and soliciting input from readers.
This is a website for authors (agent-back or self-publishing) to post the first five pages of their literary work and get feedback and comments from literary contacts, their friends and family. Getting onto the site is easy, just contact the site owner Tabitha by sending her an email at tabitha_short@hotmail.com and she’ll tell you what information she needs to post the story. Stories stay posted as the Featured Story for a week and remain on the site indefinitely unless directed otherwise. There is NO FEE for this site and they also will run a contest for authors during their Featured week. Check it out, I’ve found a number of authors who found this site useful and even made quite a few sales from it.
Hi! My name is Annie and I have tried to compile a blog reviewing the different Self Publishing Companies. My blog is not as informative as the blogs I’ve looked over on this site but it can be used as a reference guide to pricing or available packages being offered by different Self Publishing Companies. You can visit my blog at: http://anonymousann.blogspot.com/. Thank you everyone! :)
Amazing list of awesome blogs. I read every single one of these on this list. I am starting my own self-publishing eBook store and this article has been of tremendous help. Thank you very much!!
- Colton Joseph (CEO & Founder of novelnook.com)
Hi
I want to publish ateaching book in pdf file format with embedded soundtracks. I am having difficulty in finding a marketing outlet that can handle this – for example amazon kindle can’t handle it. Any ideas very welcome
Ta
Russ
Hello Joel
The link to Indie Author’s blog is broken (http://indiereader.com/blog/)
Cheers
Thanks Colin Dunbar informing For That :-(
Now Don’t Sleep Get up Please
Dear Joel thanks for all your recomendations, well I just published a new great book called Universes within the universe, everybody says the book is brilliant, this my first book, but now I am having some truble in marketing it. I am not an expert on that. If you can help me it would be great
Regards
Paola SAnjinez
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