Return of the Amazon Zombie Memes

Return of the Amazon Zombie Memes

Legacy publishers just refuse to let those zombie memes die! Whether it's claiming that Amazon is a monopoly or that all eBook sales are declining, champions of the publishing status quo keep regurgitating patent falsehoods no matter how many times they're refuted. You really can't blame them. How else can…
December 24, 2015
How to Write an Effective Amazon Book Description

How to Write an Effective Amazon Book Description

Over the past week or so, my friends and colleagues have been helping me to refine the product description for Souldancer. I'm glad for the help, because as I've said here before, a good product description is one of the most vital elements of successful indie publishing. Like all aspects of…
December 4, 20152 Comments
Not Seeing the Forest for the Dead Trees: Amazon Numbers Show Readers Going Indie

Not Seeing the Forest for the Dead Trees: Amazon Numbers Show Readers Going Indie

Back in September, The New York Times reported that eBook sales have "slowed sharply". Now, there are signs that some e-book adopters are returning to print, or becoming hybrid readers, who juggle devices and paper. E-book sales fell by 10 percent in the first five months of this year, according to the…
November 11, 2015

Guest Post: You Have to Spend Money to Make Money

Reader anonme's comment on my recent posts deserves a platform, so I'm lending it mine. Take it away, anonme. You've actually covered all three points so I'm kind of surprised they weren't in the original post. I know we have talked about these points at least twice here in the…
October 22, 20152 Comments
Non-Negotiables of Indie Publishing

Non-Negotiables of Indie Publishing

Yesterday I posted a list of questions that authors should ask themselves before deciding to self-publish. Mr. Jeff Duntemann, one of my sources for that post, left a salient comment that nicely segues into the topic at hand. Here's Jeff. You have to be willing to put some of your…
October 21, 20154 Comments
How to Know if You’re Ready to Self Publish

How to Know if You’re Ready to Self Publish

Today, new technology has blessed authors with unprecedented advantages. But these blessings pose serious questions, and as always, wrong answers may invite curses. Foremost among the career-defining questions that aspiring authors must answer is this: should you self-publish? Industry professionals far wiser than I am have given sound reasons why,…
October 20, 20152 Comments

Podcast Madness

This weekend, I podcasted harder than I ever have before--appearing on not one, but two Google Hangouts. First up, Daddy Warpig, Dorrinal, and I finally discussed the long overdue topic of pen and paper RPGs on Geek Gab. Old school dungeon master DW instructed first-time GM Dorrinal in the finer…
October 5, 20152 Comments
Indie Publishing Q&A

Indie Publishing Q&A

We've got a big Superversive SF live stream coming up on Sunday afternoon. The topic of the day is whether we are currently living in the golden age of publishing. The answer largely depends on whether you see indie publishing's rise to dominance as a good thing or a bad…
October 1, 2015
The Long-Awaited Liberation of Rachel Griffin

The Long-Awaited Liberation of Rachel Griffin

It is with great enthusiasm that I report that my esteemed editor, L. Jagi Lamplighter, has regained all rights to her work from her former publisher, Tor Books. Jagi has stated that her rights reversion has been in the works for over a year. It had nothing to do with…
September 22, 2015