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*** Advance Copies of New Edition for Subscribers Only *** Advance copies of the upcoming 2005 edition of our book will be available exclusively to subscribers starting next month, with public release to follow in January. As an additional gesture of appreciation to newsletter subscribers, those who place advance orders will get a BIG discount, well below the public price. To reserve a copy, e-mail order@u-publish.com by November 15. ================================================================ *** "Google Print" to Challenge Amazon *** A promising announcement from the Internet's leading portal may provide authors and publishers with a better option than Amazon: https://print.google.com/publisher/faq Remember that Google's IPO in August has generated huge amounts of cash to develop new services, in addition to its already superior traffic and solid technical resources. ================================================================ *** POD Controversy Continues *** The October 1 issue of co-author Dan Poynter's e-zine covered major changes in POD book distribution, picked up by Publishers Weekly: Ingram, the largest POD book distributor, announced it would stop keeping even one or two copies of most POD titles on hand. As a result, retailers would show slow delivery, and less availability, going into the crucial holiday season just ahead. Fortunately, Ingram's POD printer, LightningSource, has announced that it will provide the minimum book or two needed to ease the problem, during a transition period into early 2005: https://www.lightningsource.com/ingramstockstrategy.htm In theory, the concept of printing books only after they are ordered by consumers remains an exciting model for the future of publishing. Here at U-Publish.com we have seen many real- life demonstrations that LSI can dependably ship paperbacks to retailers within a day or two of receiving orders. The remaining challenge is for Ingram and LSI to convince major retailers to report realistic delivery times to consumers, without delays and surcharges that can cripple sales. We will be watching the response of retailers closely during the transition period, and will report developments in future issues of this newsletter. ================================================================ *** Free Newsletter on Writing Tightly *** "Our service goes beyond mere corrections of grammar or style," says a recent e-mail. "We offer caring and enthusiastic writing support -- we want you to succeed. Check out our new contests and Write Tight Tips, our free newsletter for writers." FMI: http://www.writetightnow.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. ================================================================ *** Call for Book Summaries and Author Bios *** Authors, publishers and publicists interested in promoting books can contact Janet Coleman at TalkNBooks@aol.com. ================================================================ *** Forum for Publishers *** Open discussion of any and all issues affecting publishers. Publisher's Forum was started in 1997, in response to a need for an uncensored venue where publishers could discuss issues of importance to them and their industry: http://www.pub-forum.net Tip courtesy of Jim Barnes, Independent Publisher Online http://www.independentpublisher.com ================================================================ *** "Best Books 2004" Awards *** Deadline extended but all books must be delivered by 10/20/04! For details about prizes, categories, fees: http://www.pubinsider.com/_wsn/page11.html ================================================================ *** Stephen King's e-Book #1 *** Stephen King's novel "The Dark Tower" captured the top spot on the September e-Book Bestseller List, knocking runaway bestseller "The Da Vinci Code" off its perch, according to the Open e-Book Forum's September e-Book Bestseller List: http://www.openebook.org ================================================================