Amazon deleting reviews!

Quote from the article:

"As part of its sweeping deletion of thousands of indie book reviews, Amazon has censored several reviews written by me and reviews posted on my independently published books. As an author, of course, I’m dismayed by the disappearance of positive reviews and consequent degradation of ratings on my own books."


http://selfpublishingadvice.org/blog/amazon-censoring-indie-author-reviews/

Smashwords: Apple iBookstore Expands Global Reach of Smashword...

Smashwords: Apple iBookstore Expands Global Reach of Smashword...: This week Apple expanded the reach of the iBookstore to 18 new countries, bringing the total reach of the iBookstore to 50 countries. Ov...

Smashwords: Barnes & Noble Opens U.K. Ebook Store Supported by...

Smashwords: Barnes & Noble Opens U.K. Ebook Store Supported by...: Barnes and Noble launched their U.K. ebook store ( www.nook.co.uk ) yesterday, bringing with them over 114,000 Smashwords titles.  B&N's m...

Need free publicity for your book?

On behalf of Clive West and my fellow indie authors I post this:New writers wanted at Any Subject Books Any Subject Books Ltd is always lookingto recruit talented new writers with a voice that's crying out to be heard. Setup by two experienced commercial authors, Clive and Damaris West, who weredisillusioned by the non-commercial and offhand way most publishers treatauthors, the company is gradually building a base of skilled storytellers whohave something to say and know how to say it. If this describes you, they'd bepleased to hear from you. There are no fees to authors who get paid half of theroyalties received from the book distributors. Any Subject Books Ltd takes therest to cover their not insignificant costs in marketing and publishing the bookswhich is all done at their risk. As anyone who's done it will tell you,marketing books is hard work and, without constant effort and an injection ofcash, most books will drop out of the rankings and not sell a copy from oneyear's end to the next. That's where Any Subject Books comes in. With full-timestaff and a commitment to ethical marketing, your book will be given everyopportunity of becoming a bestseller. Not that you need to write a blockbuster,though. Any Subject Books will consider any standalone story of 10,000 wordsand over or even single short stories of 5,000 words and more for inclusion inan anthology. Any Subject Ltd is a British Limited company with a registeredoffice in Coventry. Don't let the writer in you go unheard. Read our plainEnglish website and see the simple submission process. We're looking forward tohearing from you. Any Subject Books (link to http://www.anysubject.com/writers-wanted) Please also include this graphic andlink to http://www.anysubject.com

Kobo Offers Higher Royalties on Self-Published Titles Released This Fall - GalleyCat

Kobo Offers Higher Royalties on Self-Published Titles Released This Fall - GalleyCat: Kobo is offering a bonus for self-published authors that use its Kobo Writing Life platform, giving them an additional 10 percent in royalties on applicable titles published during a designated period this fall.

Revolution Turned Down Publisher to Crowd Fund New Broken Sword Game | GamePolitics

Revolution Turned Down Publisher to Crowd Fund New Broken Sword Game | GamePolitics:
 According to Edge, Revolution Software turned down a publishing deal with the industry's "biggest third-party publisher" for its latest game, Broken Sword: The Serpent's Curse, in favor of trying to crowd fund it via Kickstarter.

PC News: Broken Sword - The Serpent's Curse hits Kickstarter - ComputerAndVideoGames.com

PC News: Broken Sword - The Serpent's Curse hits Kickstarter - ComputerAndVideoGames.com: Broken Sword - The Serpent's Curse is the title and will be the latest in the long-running, much loved point-and-click adventure series.

THQ and Virgin have handled publishing for previous installments, but its Kickstarter push to raise $400,000 will allow Revolution to publish independently - and with $130,100 after just a day, it appears well on its way.

Twitter founders launch two new websites, Medium and Branch | Technology | guardian.co.uk

Twitter founders launch two new websites, Medium and Branch | Technology | guardian.co.uk: They inspired a boom in self-publishing with Blogger, then turned the world to 140 characters with Twitter. Now Ev Williams and Biz Stone have launched two new websites – Medium and Branch – in what they hope will prompt an "evolutionary leap" in online sharing.

Williams and Stone are still directors of Twitter, but are involved in the new ventures through their San Francisco-based incubator fund, The Obvious Corporation.

Hollywood Gets Hot for Fanfic: Who Will Write the Next 'Fifty Shades'? - The Hollywood Reporter

Hollywood Gets Hot for Fanfic: Who Will Write the Next 'Fifty Shades'? - The Hollywood Reporter: Call it the Fifty Shades effect. The hottest genre in the book world is self-published fan fiction -- original stories based on existing characters, typically traded online for free. Thanks to the steamy E.L. James trilogy, which began as Twilight fanfic before becoming a successful e-book and now a 20 million-selling worldwide sensation, publishers are racing to secure the next hot titles.

Another 'Fifty Shades'-like Self-Published Ebook Scores Major Publishing Deal - The Hollywood Reporter

Another 'Fifty Shades'-like Self-Published Ebook Scores Major Publishing Deal - The Hollywood Reporter: In the wake of Fifty Shades of Grey's phenomenal journey from self-published fan fiction to a twenty-million copy selling hit, major publishers --and film studios--have eagerly snapped up self-published erotica and romance hits.

BookLovers: 'On the Island' is a juicy read | SouthCoastToday.com

BookLovers: 'On the Island' is a juicy read | SouthCoastToday.com: "If you haven't heard of this book yet, you soon will — The New York Times and USA Today bestseller is currently sweeping the nation and the Web, especially the book blogosphere, and has recently been optioned for film by MGM."

'via Blog this'

Smashwords Adds Price Manager & Library Direct - GalleyCat

Smashwords Adds Price Manager & Library Direct - GalleyCat: "Self-publishing site Smashwords has updated its platform adding a new pricing tool and a new library feature.

AppNewser has more: “The “Pricing Manager” feature lets authors and publishers set the retail price of their books within the dashboard of Smashwords. The second new feature is called Library Direct, which enables libraries and consortiums to place large orders with Smashwords and license eBooks in bulk. Smashwords expects these orders to amount to about $30,000 for the set. Authors and publishers will earn 70 percent of the library price, which is higher than the 45 percent earned aggregator partners.”"

'via Blog this'

Urban Fiction Authors Could Be Big Winners In New Publishing Era

Urban Fiction Authors Could Be Big Winners In New Publishing Era: Urban novels aren't often reviewed in major publications like the New York Times, and writers who work in the genre can have trouble interesting big publishing houses in their work. But many authors are gaining exposure by self-publishing instead, with some selling millions of copies and hitting bestseller lists. And as e-books take off, they may be poised to take full advantage — perhaps more so than authors who have relied on more traditional publishing models.

More Money-Wasting "Opportunities" For Writers

More Money-Wasting "Opportunities" For Writers: Following on my last post about how authors can waste money on promotional strategies, here are some more cash-sucking "opportunities."

one day 'Tales of Aradia' will make it to Hollywood but my editor and I are determined to make it there on our terms. We will make it! How do I know you ask? the key to success is two things a little bit of luck and a lot of determination. Its determination that got women the vote. It will be determination that will make Aradia the best of them all.

Smashwords’ CEO Mark Coker on Publishing Milestones | Good E-Reader - ebook Reader and Digital Publishing News

Smashwords’ CEO Mark Coker on Publishing Milestones | Good E-Reader - ebook Reader and Digital Publishing News: "Yes, indie authors are uploading their self-published ebooks to the Smashwords catalog at the rate of millions of words each day. While that’s a heady amount of content, the popularity of the ebook distribution platform still amazes Coker after all this time."

'via Blog this'

Unlocking Kickstarter Secrets: Crowdfunding Tips and Tricks | E-Book by Mario Lurig

Unlocking Kickstarter Secrets: Crowdfunding Tips and Tricks | E-Book by Mario Lurig: "Unlocking Kickstarter Secrets is your guide to creating a successful Kickstarter or Indiegogo project. The e-book offers guidance, tips, and tricks for creating, marketing, and fulfilling your project goals.

Do you want to learn how to determine how much money to raise? What kinds of rewards attract backers? How to use pricing to your advantage? Learn these answers and more with this concise guide to crowdfunding."

'via Blog this'

A Y.A. Book Deal for Mr. Fifty Shades of Grey - Entertainment - The Atlantic Wire

A Y.A. Book Deal for Mr. Fifty Shades of Grey - Entertainment - The Atlantic Wire: Fifty Shades of Grey, the erotic trilogy that's been at the top of best-seller lists for weeks and months, it's all so blurry now, even outpacing sales of Harry Potter, may change publishing forever. For one thing, there's the fact that it started as Twilight fan fiction. For two, it was self-published, only catching the eyes of publishing industry folks once it started selling digital copies like virtual hotcakes. And for three, there's that whole related licensing deal, by which fans will soon be able to buy sheets, fragrance, apparel, and any number of other Fifty Shades-branded accoutrement.

To Land a Publisher, an Author Prints Sample Copies for Stores - WSJ.com

To Land a Publisher, an Author Prints Sample Copies for Stores - WSJ.com: Sometimes an independent bookseller's word can help push an author's manuscript toward publication.

Author Michael Ennis submitted a draft of his novel, "The Malice of Fortune," to New York publishing houses but was rejected. He revised, edited and submitted once more but was rejected again.

Then he got a tip from his agent: Try booksellers first.

Mississauga Blog: Beware vanity press scammers

Mississauga Blog: Beware vanity press scammers: Hardly a week goes by The Mississauga News does not get a self-published book for review.
If you’re thinking of joining this throng, here’s a bit of unsolicited advice: don’t go near that keyboard. (Trust me, you’ll thank me later.)
Now, I’m not suggesting you abandon your dream of becoming the next James Patterson or John Grisham. Or that you don’t have any writing talent.
What I’m imploring is that if you want to try your hand at publishing a book then go the tried-and-true route and submit your manuscript to a traditional publishing house, not a vanity publisher.
The two are like night and day.
Traditional publishers pay you, you don’t pay them.

Publishing Market Shows Steady Title Growth in 2011 Fueled Largely by Self-Publishing Sector - MarketWatch

Publishing Market Shows Steady Title Growth in 2011 Fueled Largely by Self-Publishing Sector - MarketWatch: NEW PROVIDENCE, N.J., June 5, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Bowker, the global leader in bibliographic information, released its annual report on U. S. print book publishing for 2011, compiled from its Books In Print® database. Based on preliminary figures from U.S. publishers, Bowker is projecting that traditional print book output grew six percent in 2011, from 328,259 titles in 2010 to a projected 347,178 in 2011, driven almost exclusively by a strong self-publishing market. This is the most significant expansion in more than four years for America's traditional publishing sector, but removing self-publishing from the equation would show that the market is relatively flat from 2010.