================================================================
This is a monthly e-mail update for subscribers only, sent from
U-Publish.com, the web site named for the revolutionary guide
to new methods for publishing and promoting books by Dan Poynter
and Danny O. Snow. Get the paperback, now available to order
from all major bookstores & online booksellers. Or order direct
from us at http://www.u-publish.com/order.htm with free shipping.
================================================================
*** Microsoft Announces New DRM Solution
New "digital rights management" (DRM) software from Microsoft
promises to allow writers more ease in preventing unauthorized
copying of documents:
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/146917_msftdrm05.html
At present, the new DRM solution is designed for businesses,
and runs only on Windows systems, not Mac, Linux or others.
If effective, this new rights management system could have a
major impact on electronic books in the future... at least for
those e-Books distributed in Microsoft (only) formats.
================================================================
*** Radio Interview Opportunity
A recent item reads "I'm the executive Producer for a Consumer
oriented national radio show. I'm looking for energetic,
interesting experts to join our well-known host to talk about
consumer life related issues: home care, pet care, car care,
travel, culinary arts (baking/cooking tips), elder care,
genealogical research, organizational skills ... you get the
picture! Authors of new books are welcome to inquire. We're
looking for guests who can help our listeners walk away with
information they can put to use in their everyday lives.
PLEASE SEND ALL QUERIES TO: Leslie@Heloise.com
================================================================
*** 73,000 Independents Now Publishing!
Publishers Marketing Association (PMA) and the Book Industry
Study Group (BISG) originally surveyed America's "53,000
independent, smaller book publishers" in 1997, and have just
released an update that puts the current count at 73,000. The
report finds that the independent publishing industry as a
whole "is more diverse, more entrepreneurial, and more infused
with new ideas and new information than previously thought."
-- Item above courtesy of Jim Barnes
-- http://www.independentpublisher.com
Subscriber Florrie Kichler of Patria Press, a member of the
PMA board of directors, provided an excerpt from the report,
showing that annual sales by midsize and smaller publishers
(those with fewer than 200 titles) now total $29 billion to
$34 billion -- up from $14 billion in 1997!
These statistics confirm our long-standing view that the
traditional publishing industry, dominated by a handful
of multi-national giants, has stagnated in recent years.
Meanwhile, smaller publishers have made gains, thanks to
the energy and creativity of readers like you!
-- Item above courtesy of Florrie Kichler
-- http://www.patriapress.com
================================================================
Please feel free to forward copies of this bulletin to your
fellow authors and publishers. This is a free service 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.
================================================================
*** ABC Launches New Site
The new American Book Cooperative site is now online:
http://www.americanbookcooperative.org
"The mission of the American Book Cooperative is quite simply
to preserve and facilitate the voice of America as spoken by
the independent publisher. We will embrace the novice with
nurturing education and direction, and bolster the distribution
and marketing efforts of our membership."
Dan Snow adds: Independent publishing is a cornerstone of our
democracy, side-by-side with the 1st Amendment of the U.S.
Constitution, guaranteeing freedom of the press, and freedom
of speech for all Americans.
In the words of Dan Poynter: "Independent publishing is an
American tradition. Since the early days of the New World,
the person with the printing press has often been the author,
publisher, printer and bookshop."
Poynter and Snow are proud to serve as advocates for the self-
publishing author and independent publisher, large or small.
We salute our subscribers, who carry on this tradition, so
important to the American way of life.
-- Courtesy of Rita Mills (www.thebookconnection.net)
================================================================
*** Spam Epidemic Grows in Spite of Legislation
Some subscribers have complained that this newsletter may be
"filtered" as junk mail, in spite of the fact our mailing list
is 100% by-request only. Meanwhile, offers for loans, medicines
and "enlargement" of various body parts are flooding their in-
boxes. Our repeated inquiries to Hotmail, Earthlink, Yahoo and
other service providers have been ignored:
http://www.u-publish.com/e-mail.htm
Call your service provider (e-mail is usually unanswered, or
the response is a useless form letter) to complain. They are
punishing the innocent, while the guilty escape.
Ivan Hoffman, J.D., an expert on Internet Law, has published a
related report about the new California anti-spam legislation:
http://www.ivanhoffman.com/antispam.html
================================================================
*** Contests for Juvenile Fiction Writers
BANTAM DOUBLEDAY DELL BOOKS for Young Readers publishes "award-
winning books by distinguished authors and the most promising
new writers." A good way to break in to this market is through
contests: the Marguerite de Angeli Contest and the Delacorte
Press Contest for a First Young Adult Novel. Check them out at
http://www.randomhouse.com/kids
-- Tip courtesy of Rita Mills (www.thebookconnection.net)
================================================================
*** Other Contests
ForeWord Magazine Book of the Year Awards -- Deadline: Jan. 15,
2004 -- Entry fee: $50
https://www.forewordmagazine.com/photos/botya2003.pdf
Writer's Digest International Self-Published Book Awards, Dead-
line: Dec. 15, 2003 -- Entry fee: $100/1st entry; $50/additional:
https://www.writersdigest.com/contests/self_published.asp
================================================================
Inside tip from Poynter & Snow:
ALWAYS READ THE FINE PRINT!
Here's ours:
This is a free e-mail bulletin from U-Publish.com, the web site
named for the book by Dan Poynter and Danny O. Snow.
Bulletins are sent by subscription only. You may subscribe or
unsubscribe at any time. Simply contact us by e-mail at:
newsdesk@u-publish.com
We do not endorse specific products or services, and we do not
accept advertising. We will not sell your name, address or
other personal information to others for any reason at any time.
Our goal is to serve as advocates for the self-publisher or
independent publisher, large or small. We welcome your
participation, feedback, criticism, and suggestions. We learn
from our readers, and value your input.
Please visit http://www.u-publish.com at least once each month,
for periodic updates of interest to writers and publishers.
Please feel free to forward copies of this message to fellow
writers and publishers. This is a free service, available to
to anyone in the book world upon request.
================================================================
E-Mail Tip: If this text appears large and loud...
..please check your e-mail settings and consider changing
them from "HTML" output to "Text Only" settings instead. Some
e-mail software such as Microsoft Outlook may send e-mail
messages in the same format (HTML) as a web page, which
can cause problems for recipients who use other software.
File attachments (especially large ones) also cause problems
for some recipients and should be avoided unless they are
specifically requested by the recipient. Put pictures on
your Web site and include the location (but NOT the picture)
in your e-mail messages. For example, if you want to see
a photo of Poynter and Snow, click the link below:
http://www.u-publish.com/images/poynter4.jpg
Finally, when you type messages, we *strongly* suggest ending
each line by pressing the Enter key, after typing about 60-80
characters, as we are doing here. This allows recipients to
forward your e-mail to others without formatting problems.
If you are sending e-mail to the public, you want all of your
messages to arrive simple and problem-free. The suggestions
above will help you reach more people by e-mail, with fewer
problems.
================================================================