Some months ago I wrote about my initial observations on using Amazon KDP Select. But now with five months of experience under my belt, I thought some may be interested in what my conclusions are. And for those using KDP Select, perhaps to compare experiences. Firstly, it is worth saying that Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) …
There are many reasons to want to write but for me, but making a fortune, achieving fame, being awarded glittering prizes or even just being recognised as a half decent author are not. In fact, and you can believe it or not, I’m not even that concerned about book sales. I write because I want …
After weeks, months or years, you have finally finished the last draft of your book. No doubt you have spent hours upon hours checking grammar, spelling, punctuation, plot errors as well as fixing formatting and style problems. You have probably read your final draft so many times by now that you are sick to death …
My post title may sound like a bit of self-flagellation but a recent post by Stella Deleuze titled ‘Indies, sometimes I just want to slap them!’ caught my immediate attention. It’s of course no secret that self-publishing has been a fantastic development for Indie Authors, but unfortunately there are many writers (I do however use this …
There has probably been no subject related to ebooks more discussed than price. From the beginning of the Kindle, iBook, Nook and Sony ebook revolution, pricing seems to have been the ‘X’ factor. ‘X’ here being the unknown factor. While ebook prices were originally gauged against paperback and hardcover versions, this formula went out the …
There are many reasons writers choose to use a pen name for one or more books. Usually it’s because of a complete change of genre or perhaps the topic matter is too far removed from what their loyal readers expect from authors they have read. If an author is well known for children books, perhaps …
We all know there is a publishing and ebook war going on and as in any war there will be winners and losers as well as casualties along the way. But as an independent author, I don’t want any part of it. I just want to write and hopefully sell some books. Not die on …
One unfortunate aspect about self publishing is that the amount of badly written and poorly edited books that proliferate on Kindle especially, casts a damning shadow over those writers who work hard in preparing high quality texts. The way ahead for self publishing is for more authors to take greater responsibility and show more pride …
The biggest change to have hit the art of writing in the last year or two has been the sudden expectation that by simply publishing a book, readers will rush to part with their money and buy it. Dream on. Writing is an art form that has never been an instant cash cow for authors. …
Like many other authors, I began self publishing with paperbacks following the advent of POD (Print on Demand) publishing. It was a truly wonderful way to take control of your own book publishing and have the choice of selling the books yourself, or making them available to both online retailers and local book stores. There …
If you’re an author, there is no better dream than to have the word ‘bestselling’ affixed to your title. Seeing your name at the top of a bestselling list, be it on Amazon, The New York Times or on Goodreads. The reality is however, that there is only room for one book at any given …
I know a lot of Vandal readers are writers and authors. So I would like to pose a question to you. Is your promotional writing up to standard? The key to successful writing for promotional reasons is the first ten to fifteen words. This is even more important if the text is going to be …
