Events & Resources

Where to go to find out more? Whether you need help with a specific issue, or want to attend a workshop, we can direct you to the events and resources that provide the best guidance.

We Have Questions!

by Laura Dawson
Bowker | Tue May 6, 2014

At SelfPublishedAuthor.com, we want to know why you're publishing your own work! What do you write about? What has been your biggest workflow hurdle? Do you network with other authors, and if so, where?

Download our questionnaire, fill it out, email it to selfpublishedauthor@bowker.com, and we'll post your responses right here on SelfPublishedAuthor.com! Share your self-publishing story with us!

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Tax Time!

by Laura Dawson
Bowker | Sun Apr 13, 2014

Did you know that if you are a professional author, your professional activities can be tax deductible?

The following factors, although not all inclusive, may help you to determine whether your activity is an activity engaged in for profit or a hobby:

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Survey Says!

by Laura Dawson
Bowker | Wed Apr 9, 2014

DCL & Bowker are interested in your digital publishing plans for 2014! As the demand increases for materials of all types to be available on mobile devices, publishers and authors are challenged with providing a quality eBook experience while managing costs and standards.

We'd be delighted if you'd answer the survey we've created, just to explore what we might be able to do for you. Enter to win a $100 American Express Gift Card!

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Assuming the Risk for Your Own eBook - A DCL Webinar and White Paper

by Laura Dawson
Bowker | Tue Feb 18, 2014

On Tuesday, February 18, Bowker and DCL co-presented a webinar called Assuming the Risk for Your Own eBook. The white paper that accompanies this webinar is available here, or at the DCL website here.

Topics covered included:

Types of editorial processes - developmental, fact-checking, copy-editing
Designing your eBook - for different devices and platforms
Marketing best practices - courtesy of Sandra Poirier-Diaz of Smith Publicity
Distributing your ebook to different vendors

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Looking For Clues In A New Market

by Laura Dawson
Bowker | Mon Feb 17, 2014

In the world of self-publishing, one critical component that's been missing has been reliable data about how self-published books are selling. Last week, the self-published author Hugh Howey released some data on 7,000 ebooks on the Amazon bestseller list, from the mystery/thriller, romance, and science fiction genres. He posts his report here:

The other eye-popper here is that indie authors are outselling the Big Five. That’s the entire Big Five. Combined. Indie and small-press books account for half of the e-book sales in the most popular and bestselling genres on Amazon.

Philip Jones, editor of The Bookseller's Futurebook blog, provides the following caution here:

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Word Count. Ready? Set. Go!

by Laura Shabott
Bowker | Tue Feb 4, 2014

A wonderful example of a word count marathon is November’s National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). I plunged in this past go-a-round and produced 50,024 words in 30 days. The title of the work-in-progress is FISH, a story about love, loss, betrayal and redemption set in the beautiful but cruel seaside resort Provincetown. Would this budding novel have even happened without the pressure cooker of 1667 words a day? No.

The experts say that 500 to 1500 is an average daily word count for novelists and authors. A person who is starting from scratch is at zero. How do you go from nothing to a sizable output of writing a day? Here are some tips:

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Publishers Weekly On Self-Publishing In 2014

by Laura Dawson
Bowker | Fri Jan 31, 2014

Publishers Weekly just ran a piece surveying the self-publishing landscape for 2014, in which they note that authors are seeing that writing is only the beginning of the publishing process.

"It’s almost been a giddy feeling about all the new opportunities, but I think we’ve reached a slightly more mature period,” says Beat Barblan, director of identifier services for Bowker. “We are seeing more authors who say they want to be an author beyond just a hobby, and recognize that they have to be much more entrepreneurial.”

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Bowker Self Publishing Report: 2012

by Laura Dawson
Bowker | Tue Nov 12, 2013

A new analysis of U.S. ISBN data by ProQuest affiliate Bowker reveals that the number of self-published titles in 2012 jumped to more than 391,000, up 59 percent over 2011 and 422 percent over 2007. Ebooks continue to gain on print, comprising 40 percent of the ISBNs that were self-published in 2012, up from just 11 percent in 2007.

“The most successful self-publishers don’t view themselves as writers only, but as business owners,” said Beat Barblan, Bowker Director of Identifier Services. “They invest in their businesses, hiring experts to fill skill gaps and that’s building a thriving new service infrastructure in publishing.”

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It's Conference Season

by Laura Dawson
Bowker | Tue Oct 1, 2013

Porter Anderson has a great roundup of the latest publishing conferences at Ether for Authors.

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Authors Guild Head Has ALS

by Laura Dawson
Bowker | Fri Sep 20, 2013

Paul Aiken, who has long helmed the Authors Guild, announced today that he has ALS, or Lou Gehrig's disease. Through treatment of allergies, he discovered his ALS symptoms lessened with steroid injections. He is embarking on that experimental treatment and posting updates about it at n=2.com.

Aiken said he expects skepticism about the remission of his symptoms and will begin posting pertinent medical records...on Monday to help answer questions. He admits he has no way of knowing whether his remission will continue or whether he has some odd strain of ALS, so his treatment might not apply to others. He's hoping to use the blog to help find out.

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