Resource List of book #coverdesigner #editor #proofreaders

Dan Poynter has compiled an amazing list of resources. Worth a look. I have my own list in the self-publishing basics section.

#bookbloggers and #bookreviewers are Worth Their Weight in Gold

I often get asked how I managed to get (and stay) in the #1 position in Eastern Drama on Amazon. I owe the success of Tell A Thousand Lies to reviews by tireless (and under-appreciated!) book bloggers and reviewers. In this context I thought I should mention that Anuradha Goyal is probably India’s most prolific book blogger (and no, she hasn’t reviewed my book).

Class Action Suit Against Penguin’s Self-Publishing Arm

This from Courthouse News Service:

“Penguin Group’s self-publishing branch, Author Solutions, cheats writers of royalties and charges them to correct typos in manuscripts that the company itself inserted, three unhappy authors claim in a federal class action.”

For the entire post, click here.

Thanks to The Passive Guy for this tip.

Literary Agents in the Brave New World of #selfpublishing

In a blistering post David Gaughran takes on a newly formed ‘self-publishing’ company (if you want to know why I use the quotes, check out my self-publishing basics. I’m going to be updating that post in a couple minutes) and the literary agents backing it.

Whether you’re a published author, or are considering it, this post is a ‘must read.’

Click here for the post.

 

#amazon beta-testing #ebook #cover Generator

If you’re planning to self-publish an ebook, and don’t have the skills, you’re in luck. Amazon’s experimenting with an automated ebook cover generator (on the lines of CreateSpace’s cover generator. And it’ll be free.) About time, I say.

The Digital Reader has more details on this.

Input on book cover

My 11-year old son, Sunaad Gurajada, designed this cover for a book of stories his sister wrote when she was 6 (she’s 8 now). I’m looking for comments.

 

Literary #agents Reinventing Themselves

With so many (inexpensive) options available to authors who are not traditionally published (and even those who are), literary agents are having to reinvent themselves. An interesting post from The Passive Voice.

Add #SendToKindle Button on Your Site

From MediaBistro:
Readers often encounter news articles, blog posts and other content on the web that they want to read but don’t have time to do so immediately. The Send to Kindle Button lets people easily send that content to their Kindle so they can it read later. Just send once and read everywhere on any Kindle device or free reading app. No more hunting around for that website or blog that caught your eye – just open your Kindle and all the content you sent is right there. The Send to Kindle Button is also great for readers who want to collect content from the web to use in work projects, school assignments, or hobbies.

Click here for the link to generate the button on Amazon.

Click here for the article in MediaBistro.

 

Fiction First: Writing a Stunning Debut Novel

This video is from the recently concluded The Hindu Lit for Life 2013. Authors Jerry Pinto and Nilanjana Roy converse about the first book being the first love.

Publishing #contracts and #royalties in the Big Bad World

Jane Friedman has great advice on Writers Unboxed for authors in this brave new world of electronic publishing. Click here for the post.