By Shelley Sturgeon

Be sure to check back here tomorrow for our latest edition of e-Book Cover Design Awards where we’ll be featuring another round of e-book covers. This is always an interesting and educational post for indie authors.

And, next Sunday, don’t miss our latest edition of Self-Publishing: Carnival of the Indies, our blog carnival—a collection of up blog posts on self-publishing submitted by the blogs themselves for your reading pleasure . If you’d like to participate in a future editon of our blog carnival and would like to be reminded to submit your articles to our blog carnival, follow us on Twitter–@jfbookman or @carnival_indies, or subscribe to get our monthly submission reminder email here.

Nathan Bransford on Nathan Bransford
The definitive guide to SEO for authors
“What if there was a way to virtually guarantee your book hits all the bestseller lists without being a “big name” author or buying your way onto the lists?”

Nate Hoffelder on The Digital Reader
B&N Now Pitching “Nook First Look” Promo Service to Indie Authors
“Speaking of copying old ideas, Barnes & Noble is ending out emails to indie authors, asking them to participate in a new marketing service called Nook First Look.”

K. Rowe and K. S. Brooks on Indies Unlimited
The Hard Facts on Hardcover Books
“Today, we’re going to focus on six manufacturers — some well-known in Indie book circles, some not so well-known. Some of these suppliers offer print-on-demand (POD) services, some don’t.”

David Gaughran on Let’s Get Digital
The Only Rule Amazon Truly Cares About
“On Monday, I found out that some bug hit a German e-book site causing the reactivation of long-dead listings, including one of mine, putting myself and some other authors in breach of KDP Select’s exclusivity rule.”

Orna Ross on Self Publishing Advice Center
Indie Authors: Are We Ready for Self-Publishing 3.0? Part 1.
“Digital text, books and media are currently being re-imagined in ways that are likely to have a big impact on authors and author earnings, says Orna Ross, Director of the Alliance of Independent Authors. It’s Self-Publishing 3.0 and we need to understand what’s coming if we are to have a say in how it develops and ensure authors don’t lose out.”

Too Good To Miss

WARREN ADLER #WRITEON (OFFICIAL) from Warren Adler on Vimeo.

“Warren Adler is the bestselling author of 50+ novels, hundreds of short stories, plays and essays including The War of the Roses, Private Lies; and Random Hearts (which was also a hit movie). He recently launched Writers of the World, a campaign featuring aspiring and established writers.

This video tells the story of his journey to finding success as a writer and the critical role that reading and libraries played in shaping his own childhood and career path. From impoverished beginnings in Depression-era Brooklyn to launching small entrepreneurial businesses up until he finally got published at the age of 46 after years of rejection, Warren has inspired generations of writers from all walks of life and his story aims to inspire and uplift those pursuing careers in the arts. Warren emphasizes the importance of pursuing dreams with fierce determination and we strongly believe that his universal messages about the power of reading, writing and, most of all, endurance, will resonate deeply with your community.”

Self-Publishing News You Can Use

By Amy Collins

Bookstore Sales Up, Independent eBook Sales Up, Traditional Publishing Revenue Down

According to a recent report from the Association of American Publishers, total revenue for the top 1800 publishers are down 5.1%. Factors point mainly to education, text book and scholarly down trends driving the lowered sales.

However, Publisher’s Weekly reports that bookstore sales are up 6.1% during that same time! Print book sales are up as are audio books, but ebook sales for the top publishers have continued to drop.

Overdrive, Smashwords, and Amazon have all reported, however, that ebook revenues are UP overall. (Perhaps because they can factor in the independent and self-publishing titles that the AAP does not.

Links of Interest

• Book Publishing Annual StatShot Survey Reveals Religious Crossover and Inspirational Books Supported Trade Book Growth in 2016
• Bookstore Sales Up 6.1% In First Half of 2016
• Press Release: Book Sales Down at the Start of 2016, Ebooks Decline

 
Photo: Pixabay