You’re reading this on April 1, which I hope has been kind to you so far. For today, no joke, I’ve got some great stuff for you starting with the effects of agency pricing, vendor rants, social media use, ebook formats and some advice from publicists. It’s all good, so enjoy.

Mark Coker on Smashwords
Does Agency Pricing Lead to Higher Book Prices?
“Yesterday I had an hour-long conference call with the DoJ (Department of Justice). My goal was to express why I think it’s critically important that the DoJ not take any actions to weaken or dismantle agency pricing for ebooks.”

Catherine Ryan Howard on Catherine, Caffeinated
Why You Need Some “Self” in Your Self-Publishing
“Using a service like this will, generally, have you paying through the nose for sub-standard work. Instead, you should project-manage the publication of your own book, finding and enlisting professional partners (editors, cover designers) as needed.”

Robert Lee Brewer on My Name Is Not Bob
The Ultimate Guide to Social Media for Writers
“Before you can get started digging into social media sites, you need to know what exists. To help out, here’s a list of the various sites with links to tips on how to optimize your experience.”

Gary Smailes on Bubblecow
A Quick Guide For Self-Publishers Worried About eBook Formats
“The goal of this article is to explain a little about the technical aspects of creating ebooks. It’s not a full-blown technical guide. It has been written to give you just enough information to be dangerous. In other words, this article will help you decide on the next step forward.”

Alan Rinzler on The Book Deal
Book marketing & publicity: Advice from three experts
“A smart marketing consultant can be the secret weapon in an author’s campaign to market and promote a book…. I surveyed three veteran book marketing pros and here’s what they said about the changing world of promotion and publicity.”

Photo by Kevin Dooley