It doesn’t pay to try to game the system Let’s begin with a full disclosure: I don’t have any special inside knowledge about Amazon. What I’m going to share here is based on what I see in the industry, the stories I hear from other authors and indie publishers, and simple common sense. Amazon [...]
Taylor Swift is about to become the highest-profile self-published author in the world. Recently Swift announced plans to release a commemorative book about her record-breaking Eras Tour on Black Friday (Nov. 29, 2024). The book will be sold exclusively at Target. It’s not only a great deal for Target, but it lets Swift retain [...]
Why might you want to self-publish a previously published book? There are many reasons: Your content needs updating and/or expanding. Your cover is dull, dated, or just needs freshening up to attract readers. You want to change the title. You published with a traditional or pay-to-publish company but you’re not happy with their performance [...]
The primary responsibilities of ghostwriters are simple and clear. We are to produce the manuscripts our clients want under the terms of our contracts. But there are times when the process can get a little blurry and we need to go beyond just writing. President Joe Biden’s ghostwriter is currently taking a lot of [...]
A disclaimer is a statement that denies something, especially responsibility. Disclaimers are a way to say, “Don’t sue me.” You see them in all kinds of places (on websites, on television shows and movies, at entrances to facilities, in contracts, and in books), serving as a warning to users. Disclaimers in books are usually [...]
For people who are visually impaired but still prefer to read rather than listen to audiobooks, large print books are a great option. You may want to consider a large print version of your book if your audience includes: Low-vision readers Middle-aged and senior readers who are developing presbyopia Students of all ages who [...]
You want to get your message out, but publishing a book can be expensive. Should you go into debt to do it? It is, of course, your choice, but my advice is: No. Many publishing companies (partnership publishing, pay-to-publish, hybrid publishers) now offer financing to “help” authors get their books published. Sometimes this is [...]
Should you write a book about your business? This guest post by Savannah Cordova, a writer with Reedsy, will help you decide. One of the most oft-given pieces of advice for business owners is that they should write a book about their business. Such a book can serve many purposes: establishing or reinforcing one’s expertise [...]
There are a lot of reasons to publish on Medium.com. For authors, a big reason is to promote themselves and their books. Below is an edited transcript of a presentation I gave to Orlando Word Weavers on how to promote your book on Medium and get paid for it. Most of the attendees were [...]
If you have old books, keep them—don’t throw them away Language is constantly evolving. Words that were in common use years ago are forbidden now. Words that were insults years ago are acceptable now. And definitions are changing. For example, when I was growing up, calling someone “queer” was a slur. It was a [...]
