Tip of the Month:
If you need books for re-sale during the holidays, allow extra
time for printing, and extra time for shipping. The period from
November 15 to December 15 is traditionally the busiest time of
the year for printers, rushing books to market for the holidays.
Likewise, shippers like UPS and *especially* the USPS often get
swamped with holiday shipments, slowing delivery times.
In the dark economic climate of late 2008, the holiday crunch
may be less serious -- we are getting sad reports that printers
are starving for work and shipping out orders promptly. Just
the same, it's wise to allow an extra week or two during this
traditionally busy season.
Lead Story: An ATM for Books?
In-bookstore printing of books continues to advance with the
release of a new "edition" of the Espresso Book Machine 2.0,
according to an excellent article by Wade Hemsworth:
http://www.thespec.com/News/Local/article/465769
The 2.0 machine is cheaper, faster and smaller than earlier
versions.
Imagine a bookstore where 100,000 book titles are "on file" in
digital form, but not on the shelves. At your request, any
one of them can be printed in a matter of minutes, at a
reasonable price. This includes rare and hard to find old
books rarely stocked by conventional stores.
Imagine a bookstore where no book is out-of-print or
out-of-stock, a store where readers can get more than just
trendy new bestsellers.
Imagine having YOUR book on file, allowing you to print
single copies as needed -- for about six cents per page,
no shipping charges, and delivery in minutes.
It's all getting closer. Stay tuned to "The Savvy Self-
Publisher" for updates.
Monday, December 1, 2008
Additional Stories for December 2008 - January 2009
U-Publish.com Featured
In September, "The Writer's Edge" Blog featured U-Publish.com as
an antidote to doldrums from the weakening world economy:
http://writersedgeinfo.blogspot.com/2008/11/your-dream-can-come-true.html
From a recent press release:
"Survey after survey shows American broadband quality and access
falling perilously behind countries in Europe and Asia. Getting
everyone connected to an open Internet should be a national
priority." FMI:
http://internetforeveryone.org
Love Your Librarian
In November, Dan Snow had a question about upcoming appointments
in Washington. On a whim, he decided to try the "Ask a Librarian"
link at the Library of Congress:
http://www.loc.gov/rr/askalib/
A day later, he received a detailed response from Reference
Specialist Judith Gray. It was not a form letter; it was not
a useless cut-and-paste reply, or a set of instructions to
look for answers somewhere else. It was a real answer from
a real person. How rare these days, and how refreshing! How
good to see public funds delivering real benefits to real
taxpayers! Hats off to librarians everywhere ...
Amazon Reader Reviews:
OK, we've all heard the rumors about authors who write glowing
reviews of their own books at Amazon.
The following link will direct you to a long chain of discussion
about an alleged case like this, which is somehow both humorous
and sad at the same time:
http://www.u-publish.com/links.htm
Please note: we have not read the book(s) in question, nor any of
the reviews. We are not taking sides.
Instead, our point is to illustrate that reader reviews are simply
not reliable sources of literary criticism. Amazon does post
real reviews by professional reviewers, such as Jim Cox of the
Midwest Book Review, who regularly reviews self-published books.
Please read our book for more tips on getting real book reviews
and other media coverage, which are more credible (and free!)
sources of exposure for your book.
Please feel free to forward copies of this newsletter to your
fellow authors and publishers. This is a fre@ resource that is
available to anyone in the book world upon request. We don't
accept paid advertising, endorse or guarantee products or
services, nor accept fees for mentioning them without full
disclosure. See http://www.u-publish.com/monthly.htm to join.
Reader Survey
Danny O. Snow will present a panel titled "The Convergence of
Print and Digital Content" at the 2009 Publishing Business
Conference, March 23-25 at the New York Marriott.
Snow wants input from subscribers to this newsletter who sell
their books in both printed AND digital form:
-- If you sell e-Books, what is the best outlet for them?
Your own Web site or Blog? A third-party service provider?
A mainstream online bookseller?
-- Do you use the e-Book (or a preview) as a sales tool for
the tree-Book? If so, where and how?
-- What is the best way to use a 'Blog or social networking
sites like MySpace and Facebook to promote books?
-- Where do most readers read your e-Books? On a desktop or
laptop computer? Palm pilot or other PDA? A dedicated device
like the Kindle or e-Reader? An iPhone or other G3 device?
Please send comments to
newsdesk@u-publish.com with the phrase
"Reader Survey" in the subject line. Those who respond will
get a free pass to the panel, and a transcript.
Ad: Prove Your Market Before Printing in Bulk
Special services for U-Publish.com visitors help you prove the
market for your book BEFORE you invest in bulk printing:
http://www.u-publish.com/special.htm
Don't get stuck with a garage full of unsold books! Test your
book's public appeal at little or no cost before placing big
print orders.
Our newsletter links:
Read excerpts online:
http://www.u-publish.com/monthly.htm
Get full issue by e-mail:
http://www.u-publish.com/enroll.htm
Please Vote for Our Site!
Please help get U-Publish.com back in the top 101 sites for
writers by sending a message to
writersdig@fwpubs.com with
"101 Best Websites" in the subject line. Thanks!
Reminder: News to Use:
The Small Publishers Ass'n of North America (SPAN) has published
a good primer on how you can use Facebook to promote your book:
http://www.spannet.org/article-applequist-facebook.htm
(Ad) You can also join SPAN with a *huge* "new member discount"
courtesy of U-Publish.com. To get the discount, you must apply
using the following link:
http://www.u-publish.com/services.htm
Reminder: Eric Hoffer Book Award
$1500 grand prize, $45 entry fee, many categories. Deadline
January 15, 2009. FMI:
http://www.hofferaward.com
Quotation of the Month:
"Habits in writing as in life are only useful if they are broken
as soon as they cease to be advantageous."
-- W. Somerset Maugham (1874-1965)
In September, "The Writer's Edge" Blog featured U-Publish.com as
an antidote to doldrums from the weakening world economy:
http://writersedgeinfo.blogspot.com/2008/11/your-dream-can-come-true.html
From a recent press release:
"Survey after survey shows American broadband quality and access
falling perilously behind countries in Europe and Asia. Getting
everyone connected to an open Internet should be a national
priority." FMI:
http://internetforeveryone.org
Love Your Librarian
In November, Dan Snow had a question about upcoming appointments
in Washington. On a whim, he decided to try the "Ask a Librarian"
link at the Library of Congress:
http://www.loc.gov/rr/askalib/
A day later, he received a detailed response from Reference
Specialist Judith Gray. It was not a form letter; it was not
a useless cut-and-paste reply, or a set of instructions to
look for answers somewhere else. It was a real answer from
a real person. How rare these days, and how refreshing! How
good to see public funds delivering real benefits to real
taxpayers! Hats off to librarians everywhere ...
Amazon Reader Reviews:
OK, we've all heard the rumors about authors who write glowing
reviews of their own books at Amazon.
The following link will direct you to a long chain of discussion
about an alleged case like this, which is somehow both humorous
and sad at the same time:
http://www.u-publish.com/links.htm
Please note: we have not read the book(s) in question, nor any of
the reviews. We are not taking sides.
Instead, our point is to illustrate that reader reviews are simply
not reliable sources of literary criticism. Amazon does post
real reviews by professional reviewers, such as Jim Cox of the
Midwest Book Review, who regularly reviews self-published books.
Please read our book for more tips on getting real book reviews
and other media coverage, which are more credible (and free!)
sources of exposure for your book.
Please feel free to forward copies of this newsletter to your
fellow authors and publishers. This is a fre@ resource that is
available to anyone in the book world upon request. We don't
accept paid advertising, endorse or guarantee products or
services, nor accept fees for mentioning them without full
disclosure. See http://www.u-publish.com/monthly.htm to join.
Reader Survey
Danny O. Snow will present a panel titled "The Convergence of
Print and Digital Content" at the 2009 Publishing Business
Conference, March 23-25 at the New York Marriott.
Snow wants input from subscribers to this newsletter who sell
their books in both printed AND digital form:
-- If you sell e-Books, what is the best outlet for them?
Your own Web site or Blog? A third-party service provider?
A mainstream online bookseller?
-- Do you use the e-Book (or a preview) as a sales tool for
the tree-Book? If so, where and how?
-- What is the best way to use a 'Blog or social networking
sites like MySpace and Facebook to promote books?
-- Where do most readers read your e-Books? On a desktop or
laptop computer? Palm pilot or other PDA? A dedicated device
like the Kindle or e-Reader? An iPhone or other G3 device?
Please send comments to
newsdesk@u-publish.com with the phrase
"Reader Survey" in the subject line. Those who respond will
get a free pass to the panel, and a transcript.
Ad: Prove Your Market Before Printing in Bulk
Special services for U-Publish.com visitors help you prove the
market for your book BEFORE you invest in bulk printing:
http://www.u-publish.com/special.htm
Don't get stuck with a garage full of unsold books! Test your
book's public appeal at little or no cost before placing big
print orders.
Our newsletter links:
Read excerpts online:
http://www.u-publish.com/monthly.htm
Get full issue by e-mail:
http://www.u-publish.com/enroll.htm
Please Vote for Our Site!
Please help get U-Publish.com back in the top 101 sites for
writers by sending a message to
writersdig@fwpubs.com with
"101 Best Websites" in the subject line. Thanks!
Reminder: News to Use:
The Small Publishers Ass'n of North America (SPAN) has published
a good primer on how you can use Facebook to promote your book:
http://www.spannet.org/article-applequist-facebook.htm
(Ad) You can also join SPAN with a *huge* "new member discount"
courtesy of U-Publish.com. To get the discount, you must apply
using the following link:
http://www.u-publish.com/services.htm
Reminder: Eric Hoffer Book Award
$1500 grand prize, $45 entry fee, many categories. Deadline
January 15, 2009. FMI:
http://www.hofferaward.com
Quotation of the Month:
"Habits in writing as in life are only useful if they are broken
as soon as they cease to be advantageous."
-- W. Somerset Maugham (1874-1965)
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