Tag: publishing - Page 17 - Kairos

Sad Puppies: Cognitive Dissonance Makes Our Enemies Oblivious

Predictably, my recent post about how advances in media technology are driving the Sad Puppies phenomenon--and the hostile reactions of its detractors--drew hostile reactions from SP's detractors. I argued that new tribes of science fiction fans are forming around movies, video games, and eBooks; leaving the New York publishing establishment ever…

February 14, 20166 Comments

Sad Puppies: Lords Temporal and Spiritual

Last time, we talked about the drastic changes currently underway in sci-fi fandom, and the media that are driving those changes. People with their fingers on the pulse of fandom have observed that SF is becoming more tribalistic. They're right. Due to the dominance of movies, TV shows, video games,…

February 1, 20168 Comments

Fandom Is Dead. Long Live Fandom!

If you change the medium, you change the message. Philosopher of communication Marshall McLuhan argued persuasively that advances in media, regardless of content, can incite dramatic, culture-wide effects. A best selling print book can reach millions of people, but turn that book into a hit movie, and you increase its…

January 28, 2016

How to Set the Price of Your Self-Published Book on Amazon

Most publishers are pricing their eBooks too high. How much is an eBook worth? Several factors must be taken into account when attempting to answer that question, and the answer can change depending on the book. Consider Amazon Amazon reserves their best 70 percent royalty rate for eBooks priced between…

January 13, 20162 Comments

Tor Books: The Wind Does Not Respect a Fool

Kahless the Unforgettable will allow Tor's obstinacy--and recount it as a warning to others, It's been six months since public slanders against Tor Books' readers and authors by company employees Irene Gallo, Moshe Feder, and Patrick Nielsen Hayden incited a boycott against the publisher. How is business at Tor these…

December 31, 20152 Comments

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

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

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

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