The Savvy Self-Publisher is a free newsletter sent by e-mail, with tips and tricks to help the streetwise author publish a book quickly and economically -- and to promote it more effectively. It contains success stories of self-publishers in action, and a treasure trove of tools to help you reach more readers.
Below are EXCERPTS from the current issue. Click HERE to get the FULL newsletter by e-mail, free of charge.
Please note: the excerpts below are intentionally formatted very simply, as they appear in our no-nonsense e-mail bulletins. For a more polished presentation, please visit our blog at http://www.u-publish.blogspot.com where you can also post your feedback, or share ideas wih fellow authors and publishers.
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*** THE SAVVY SELF-PUBLISHER: JULY 2006 ***
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*** Happy Independence Day: Self-Publishing IS Independence! ***
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*** Number of New Books Dropped Sharply in 2005 ***
According to R.R. Bowker, the number of new books released in
2005 dropped to 172,000 -- the first decline since 1999:
http://www.bowker.com/press/bowker/2006_0509_bowker.htm
Experts speculate that this may indicate that the boom in POD
publishing, responsible for at least 50,000 new titles annually
in recent years, may have reached its peak.
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*** Young Readers and Young Writers ***
The 2006 "Just for Mom Book Awards" competition is underway,
including two new writing competitions:
-- Writing for young readers: any length or genre published at
Lulu.com by September 1.
-- Material by writers under 18: any length or genre published
at Lulu; parental permission required. Deadline: September 1.
$500 prize. No entry fees: http://www.momschoiceawards.com
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*** Poynter and Snow Win Audio Book Award ***
The audio book of "Writing Nonfiction," written by Dan Poynter
and narrated by Danny O. Snow, was named Audio of the Month for
June 2006 by Audio Book News Service: http://audiocolumn.com
Available on CD and as an MP3 download from Lulu.com, the audio
edition of WNF is a must-have for any writer of nonfiction.
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*** Microsoft to Challenge Google Book Search ***
At Book Expo America in May, Microsoft announced plans to launch
its own online book search platform, "Microsoft Windows Live Book
Search."
While similar to Google Book Search, it will digitize books on
an opt-in basis, versus Google's opt-out policy. Only after the
copyright owner gives permission will Microsoft add a book to its
digital library.
Google has been plagued with complaints from copyright owners who
object to having their material digitized without permission.
Others claim that making even brief "snippets" of books available
online could erode sales of printed books.
Poynter and Snow believe the opposite: in our view, e-Books are
effective advertising for tree-Books. A reader who previews
a book online is MORE likely to buy a printed copy, not LESS.
Stay tuned to U-Publish.com for future reports about the efforts
of Google and Microsoft to create vast digital libraries that
will benefit readers, writers and publishers alike.
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Please feel free to forward copies of this bulletin to your
fellow authors and publishers. This is a free resource that is
available to anyone in the book world upon request. We don't
endorse specific products or services, and we do not accept
advertising. You may subscribe or un-subscribe at any time.
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*** News You Can Use ***
Try the following Google searches, for tools that go beyond
typical search engine results:
Define: [word of your choice]
Weather: [your zip code]
$100 Euro [for currency conversions]
GOOG [stock prices]
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*** Weather Reports for PDAs and Pocket PCs ***
Visit http://mobile.wunderground.com for excellent weather info
that fits the small screen of a handheld device. Works well on
a full size computer too!
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*** Libraries Want Author Appearances ***
See https://cs.ala.org/publicprograms/authorlibrary/liblist.cfm
for a list of more than 700 libraries that sponsor appearances
by authors. Many cover expenses; some pay an honorarium to the
author.
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Comments are welcome at http://u-publish.blogspot.com where you can share your feedback with fellow authors and independent book publishers.
