Trad Pub Is Dead

Trad Pub Is Dead

AAA video game designer Mark Kern recently took to Twitter seeking publishing advice, and luckily for him Galaxy's Edge co-author Nick Cole answered. That was quite an enlightening barrage of truth bombs Nick dropped there. I'm also sure he's earned another satisfied customer. Sadly, a nasty case of tradpub Stockholm syndrome…
Purged Amazon Reviews: Case Closed?

Purged Amazon Reviews: Case Closed?

Castalia House Lead Editor Vox Day passes along a possible solution to The Case of the Purged Amazon Reviews. Specifically, he quotes author Amanda Green's theory based on her review of Amazon's terms of service. 2. Are authors allowed to review other authors’ books?Yes. Authors are welcome to submit Customer…
Amazon Review Purge

Amazon Review Purge

Has the epidemic of social media censorship that's seen big tech firms like YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter persecute users for their politics infected Amazon? A recent purge of book reviews may be a warning sign that the English-speaking world's biggest online retailer is interfering with its users in subtler but still…
The Can that Laughs

The Can that Laughs

In a turn worthy of a coke-fueled Stephen King novel, reports have surfaced of Amazon's Alexa digital assistant exhibiting eerie behavior. Amazon is trying to stop its Amazon Echos, powered by the Alexa voice-activated assistant, from suddenly laughing. The online retail giant told to tech news publication The Verge on…
Nick Cole and the New Pulp Age

Nick Cole and the New Pulp Age

This past Saturday marked author Nick Cole's triumphant return to Geek Gab. It's a take-no-prisoners episode in which Daddy Warpig and Dorrinal get Nick to spill all of his secrets for making Galaxy's Edge a smash indie success. My takeaways from the episode: Publishers are screwed. Not just the Big…
Movin’ on Up

Movin’ on Up

Previously, a perceptive reader alerted us to the troubling phenomenon of Amazon ghettos. With the recent launch of The Ophian Rising, I tried to employ the strategy defined by Galaxy's Edge authors Nick Cole and Jason Anspach in an attempt to avoid falling into the ghetto and perhaps to get my…
The Ophian Rising Is Here!

The Ophian Rising Is Here!

The cycle is complete. What an astonishing journey we've taken together: from the launch of my first novel to the Hugos, from Larry Correia's BOOK BOMB! to the Dragon Awards, it's been an honor to ride this out-of-control rocket car with you! The genesis of the Soul Cycle goes back…
Amazon Ghettos

Amazon Ghettos

Following my recent posts about how the fundamental realities of publishing have changed in the new Amazon/indie-dominated landscape, a reader passed along a number of eye-opening revelations about how authors and publishers are unintentionally consigning their books to "Amazon Ghettos". The Amazon sleuth explains: Amazon’s algorithm is set up to…
Indie Pub Eras

Indie Pub Eras

The world of indie publishing is a dynamic market that has undergone dramatic change in a remarkably short time. To better understand this rapidly evolving industry, it behooves us to take a look back at the stages of indie pub's development. Pre-Kindle Before Amazon's introduction of the Kindle eReader, traditional…
Space Opera vs. Mil-SF

Space Opera vs. Mil-SF

Picking up form yesterday's post about picking the right science fiction niche, Injustice Gamer Alfred Genesson names some successful indie authors who are peeling off readers from underserved or poorly served fandoms: Brian brings up Galaxy's Edge, which is an interesting study as it's by Nick Cole and Jason Anspach,…