So I read via Foner Books that Publisher’s Weekly wants to charge $149 for us self-published writers to get a read. Not a review, mind you, just a read. If we’re lucky we’ll get a review. I’ve already ranted about how PW just doesn’t “get” us self-publishers. But now, sadly, PW wants to make a … Read more
Yesterday, The Tourist Trail was featured on Kindle Nation. Kindle Nation is a newsletter/web site published by Steve Windwalker, who is an expert on the Kindle ecosystem — from self-publishing to pricing to sales numbers. If you’re an author or reader, his newsletters are a must read. Anyway, I woke up this morning and my … Read more
The Tourist Trail is available on the Kindle, on the iPad, and, at last, in paperback (from Amazon and from me). Now the hard work begins. I don’t mean to trivialize the writing of this book. Four years went into it and countless drafts. But for the self-published, self-promotion is a steep uphill climb. It’s … Read more
A starred PW review is, for authors, a coveted thing. Most readers could care less, but book buyers and librarians pay very close attention to the starred review. As for The Tourist Trail, there will be no starred review. There will be no review in fact, because as a matter of policy Publishers Weekly does not … Read more
The Tourist Trail isn’t even in print (yet) and already it has received six very nice reviews. I feel so fortunate for the Kindle — and, more important, the Kindle community. These folks are passionate readers — not to mention fast readers. And let me state right off that none of these reviews were coerced … Read more
I’m happy to say that the first batch of print copies are being produced right now. I expect to have them available for sale from my web site no later than July 26th. The book will also be available by request from any bookstore. Amazon, Borders, etc. will also carry the book, though I expect … Read more
As Kindle author, I love to read about fellow Kindle authors. Fortunately, author David Wisehart has created a web site dedicated to Kindle authors. He recently asked me a few questions about my book, what inspired it, and how I’m going about promoting it. Here’s the interview.
The Tourist Trail is available on the Kindle (and iPad) for $2.99. Clearly, I’m not giving up the day job anytime soon. Of course, if (when) I sell a million copies, even $2.99 isn’t such a bad price. But I’m not quite there yet. So why did I settle on this price? I landed on … Read more
Amazon has gone from offering authors and publishers 35% royalties to 70% royalties. Why the sudden act of generosity you ask? Perhaps it has something to do with the competition. Apple’s iPad offers a 70% royalty rate by default. And Google’s upcoming Editons Program is said to offer a 63% royalty (I’m not sure how they … Read more
How do you get your first eBook review? Below you see the “home” page of The Tourist Trail in the Apple iBookstore. It looks a tad lonely without any ratings or reviews. But how do you reach out and ask the people who purchased the book to review it? Both Apple and Amazon keep customer … Read more
When someone else publishes your book you have a buffer between you and your insecurities. You can doubt your book from morning ’til night but still go to sleep knowing that “at least someone else thinks the book is worth publishing.” But when you self-publish, it’s just you and your insecurities. Most days, I hold … Read more
I’m happy to report that The Tourist Trail is now available on Apple’s iBookstore — which means you can purchase through the iPad and iPhone. That’s the good news. The bad news is that the only way you can find this book is if you search for it by name. To put it mildly, the … Read more