Ebooks: Newspapers should capitalize on their archives (The Guardian) Bookstore browsing vital for publishing, research finds (The Bookseller) Are African writers and readers ready for the e-book revolution? (The Creative Penn) Short Books + Fast Books (and Diet) = Indie Success (Publishing Perspectives) Kindle Daily Deals: Timequake by Kurt Vonnegut (and 3 others)...

I'm a bit behind on reading Rusch's blog on the business of being a writer, but one of her recent articles on binge reading (which also touched on Hydra) was excellent food for thought. Note that her article didn't cover Hydra's recent changes in its royalty and payment structure, but that doesn't mean it isn't worth reading, both as readers and as writers. Rusch discusses reader habits, and how there's no such things as "too many books" for a popular author. She also talks about why traditional publishers limit the number of books an author can release in a year. (Hint, it's...

  JONATHAN MABERRY is a New York Times best-selling and multiple Bram Stoker Award-winning horror and thriller author, comic book writer, magazine feature writer, playwright, content creator and writing teacher/lecturer. His books have been sold to more than a dozen countries. Besides writing fiction in multiple genres, he's also written many non-fiction books as well. He's always ready to explore new methods of reaching readers. In the interview that follows, Jonathan sits down with David Weir to discuss the secrets to his success. David Weir: You've had an unusually diverse background as a writer of both fiction and non-fiction. What are, for you,...

Got the following email from Amy Edelman at IndieReader: To mark its 24th consecutive “List Where Indies Count”, the only best seller list to track self published titles, IndieReader (www.indiereader.com) has revamped its page design. The most noticeable changes include larger book images, more prominent buy links and a longer description of each title.  IndieReader’s list is updated weekly and includes the top selling indie titles—in all formats—as determined by sources including Amazon, The New York Times, B&N.com and USA Today. Unlike The New York Times and USA Today bestseller lists, IR’s list does not include books that have...

Last month, Tracey Edwards self-published to the Amazon Kindle Store a nonfiction book about the stock market. She's previously published nonfiction titles through a traditional publisher, but as this is her first time going the DIY Kindle route, she's documenting the experience on her blog. Her July numbers are modest, but she's happy with them so far: Well the month has just finished and while 5 Simple Rules has only been up since the 8th July I thought I’d report on my progress so far. As of today I have sold 10 copies. 10 copies that I’m actually pretty thrilled with given it’s my...

Over at XinXii (it's sort of a German Smashwords with a little bit of Scribd thrown in), self-publisher and book designer Joel Friedlander has published an optimistic look at today's marketplace. He thinks it's a golden age, and he lists eight reasons why. You can check out the full article at XinXii for details, but here are his reasons. What do you think of them? The playing field is leveling. Access to tools and professionals is easier than ever. Social media makes effective marketing affordable. Digital publishing eliminates production risk. Industry prejudices against ebooks and self-publishing are waning. The definition of a "book" is not only changing,...