Lots going on this week, with the end-of-the-year and beginning-of-the-year posts running dry, bloggers are returning to the basics of book making. And while there’s another presidential inauguration going on, we’ll be looking at print, planning for your writing year, taking some advice from social networkers, looking at where self-publishing sits at the moment, and taking a dive into distribution. That makes a pretty good Sunday, yes?

Henry Baum (@henrybaum) on Self-Publishing Review
Print Still Matters
“Digital Book World’s advice that there needs to be more brick and mortar bookstores is a nice idea, but given that people are making purchases online anyway, even after setting foot in a store, means this idea is unsustainable.”

Fraser Cain (@keywordstrategy) on Keyword Strategy
My Universal 2-Step Plan to Succeed on any Social Network
“Creating great content is relatively straightforward, and you have total control over it. But social media seems like a mystery. How can you break through the noise and establish yourself on a social network. How can you build credibility?”

Dean Wesley Smith (@deanwesleysmith) on Dean Wesley Smith
The New World of Publishing: Counting Numbers
“If you think selling 20 books average per month of all your titles across all sites is bad and your average price is $5.99, you really need to have an attitude adjustment. Get a friend to tap you gently on the top of the head until wake you up and realize your sales are just fine and you need to keep writing and get more books out.”

Mick Rooney (@mickrooney7777) on The Independent Publishing Magazine
The Future of Publishing 2020: A Program For Publishers and Self-Publishers (Part 1)
“Aspiring and seasoned authors put off by the constraints of the mainstream publishing industry consistently tell me, day in-day out, that they don’t want to become publishers, they want to be authors, and if they are willing to pay for publishing services, they want them in one place and with one provider”

Catherine Ryan Howard (@cathryanhoward) on Catherine, Caffeinated
Operating Full Distribution
“Kindle may be the dominant player now, but will they always be? Yes, you can download the Kindle app for iPad, but iBooks/iTunes’ slice of the e-book pie grows ever bigger. Isn’t it better to hedge your bets and be ready for the day when Kindle books might not dominate?”

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