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As this month comes to an end, I wanted to add some final thoughts about self-publishing, promoting yourself and the entire process.



Wouldn't it be nice if writers could just write their books and someone else could take care of the rest? It doesn't matter if you are a writer with a publishing company or an indie writer - either way, in today's world we all have to do something to get our books out there.



But how much do you have to do, and how much time should you spend… Continue

This topic is a little off the beaten path of self-publishing, but it does tie in, and I'll tell you why.



As indie writers, we're in the business of selling books (among other things). So, I took a poll, and these were my questions:



1. Do you sample before you buy a book?

2. If yes, what are you looking for and what turns you off or makes you decide not to purchase?

3. Does formatting matter, mistakes, errors, etc. and if so, how much?

4. How much of a… Continue

http://www.bgr.com/2011/03/19/ebook-sales-jump-115-in-january/

 

The market just doubled. Did your sales? Mine didn't.

A big part of self-publishing is getting out there and becoming involved, and there are so many ways to do that, but I wanted to list several sites that allow you to interact and get to know your readers. I've already covered some of the sites you should sign up with, but I wanted to focus on writer forums.



If you have an eBook on Amazon Kindle or Barnes & Noble Nook, and chances are you do - you really should pop into their boards and take part. I will say that I see the same… Continue

It's all over when the sun goes down and the ghouls eat the people who didn't read an eBook this week.

 

If you're interested, this is the last day Smashwords will offer my eBook for free. Get it here: http://bit.ly/a9dXSN

 

There are also a ton of other deals right now on eBooks at Smashwords. Check 'em out!

The hallowed holiday ends March 12. So how are things going? Sold any eBooks? Discovered any new authors? Decided yet if you'll write it "e-book," "ebook" or "eBook?"

 

I found a pile of new authors I want to read, many of them exclusively publishing electronically.

 

Which brings to light the other conundrum of this week. I don't own an e-reader. I'm still addicted to print.

 

Isn't there a cheap gateway drug to e-readers out there? I just can't see…

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Break out the Shameless Self-Promotion Hat and Blatant Tooting Horns, International Read an eBook Week is blessedly upon us.

 

I'm celebrating in style. Smashwords is once again hosting a site-wide promotion. Authors opt in their works for special discounts. My eBook of flash fiction happens to be free during this time (get it here).

 

What are you doing? Any special deals?

I recently conducted a little experiment in book marketing, placing an ad on FaceBook promoting the release of my three mystery/medical thriller novels as eBooks. The materials utilized for the experiment were no more than my laptop, a little electricity, a high speed cable Internet connection, and a credit card --- as well as some spare time that I did not have. (Perhaps I should have spent the minutes moving past page 100 of my work–in–progress, a fourth novel…

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Pundits have for the past year danced around those shoveling dirt onto the grave of traditional publishers. Not that publishers will vanish into the hole any time soon. But the emergence of ebooks seems ready to drive the mass of readers to electronic readers.…

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