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Self-Publishing Comes of Age |
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Tuesday, 13 November 2007 |
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Excerpted from Publisher's Weekly-October 15, 2007 "Self-publishing has become an effective method for certain books and authors to use to go to market, especially as an alternative to dealing with the feast-or-famine philosophy that underpins almost all traditional publishing." "[Self-publishing], once so aggressively cordoned off by other participants in the industry, has over the past half decade turned into a booming market, drawing both smart entrepreneurial investment and top editorial and management talent." "Self-publishing has knocked some high-profile titles out of the park, thus elevating the industry's profile and reputation.…[but] contemporary self-publishing can actually work, even without home runs. While there's no guarantee of success…today's market provides a different picture because of the internet, which has radically reengineered the way content can connect with consumers." "If authors develop large enough platforms, publishers will seek them out—or be much more willing to talk with their agent. After self-publishing nine books that have racked up sales of 900,000 copies, Matthew Kelly signed with Fireside Books for a revised edition of The Rhythm of Life: Living Every Day with Passion and Purpose (Nov.). The 31-year-old Australian has already brought his message—"Who you become is infinitely more important than what you do or what you have"—to people in 50 countries, and he established a foundation that donates his books to schools, more than 50,000 this year alone. |
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US Book Reading Habits |
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Wednesday, 19 September 2007 |
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Three in Four Adults Read At Least One Book Last Year
September 07, 2007 Book Business Magazine
An Associated Press-Ipsos poll recently revealed that three in four adults (73 percent) read at least one book last year. The study consisted of phone interviews with more than 1,000 adults across the United States over a three-day period in August.
Of those who did engage with the written word in 2006, 41 percent read about one to five books, while 27 percent reported reading 15 or more. Religious texts and popular fiction were the most popular choices among the readers.
Women and people aged 50 and up read more than their male and younger counterparts, while people from the West and Midwest were more likely to have read at least one book than those in other parts of the country. Democrats and liberals read slightly more books than Republicans and conservatives. |
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HP Underwrites Self-Published Book |
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Sunday, 16 September 2007 |
Self-Published Katrina Book Gets Boost From HP, Helps Local Kids
By Lynn Andriani -- Publishers Weekly, 8/31/2007
As many reports on the second anniversary of Hurricane Katrina highlight how little has been done in the way of recovery to the Gulf Coast, one new book is a bright spot. Letters From Katrina: Stories of Hope & Inspiration is not only a self-publishing success story, but also a philanthropic one. Hewlett Packard has underwritten a 30,000-copy first printing of the book, and author Mark Hoog will donate all of the book’s proceeds to the Katrina Endowment to provide scholarships for Mississippi children. |
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"Million Little Pieces" Author Gets New Book Deal |
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Friday, 14 September 2007 |
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Wall Street Journal: James Frey's First Novel Gives Him a Second Chance
By JEFFREY A. TRACHTENBERG
September 13, 2007; Page B1
A controversial memoirist is writing a new chapter in his life -- and this time he's saying upfront that it's fiction.Author James Frey, disgraced in a literary scandal and shunned by the publishing industry last year, is being given a second chance, as a major publisher has agreed to publish his debut novel. |
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BizWeek Branding Advice: Write a Book |
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Tuesday, 11 September 2007 |
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In its late-August issue, Business Week writes under the headline "Creating Brand You" advice on using a book as a branding tool. "The goal is to have your work become part of the popular lexicon." |
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Publishing News & Notes