Self-published writers

'I can wholeheartedly say that indie publishing is one of the best things I have ever done'

Last week Jemma Hatt was announced as the first ever winner of the Selfies Awards for children's fiction, for her novel The Adventurers and the Cursed Castle. We asked her about her writing, her inspirations, and why she decided to self-publish...

The number of books self-published in the U.S. saw more rapid growth in 2018, jumping 40% over 2017, according to Bowker's annual survey of the self-publishing market. In its report, "Self-Publishing in the United States, 2013-2018: Print and E-books," the total number of print and e-books that were self-published in 2018 was 1.68 million, up from 1.19 million in 2017.

"I decided to have a book of poems published at my own expense." It was 1909, a year before William Carlos Williams would open his pediatric practice in his hometown of Rutherford, New Jersey. A friend of his father owned a local print shop, so Williams paid for Poems, his 22-page chapbook, to be produced. Epigraphs from Shakespeare and Keats led the earnest little book.  Read more

For many indie authors, book marketing has become synonymous with social media activity. The effectiveness of marketing a book depends on likes, comments, retweets, and pins-all methods of interacting with content in the online social world.  Read more

It's a courageous thing, indeed, to complete a manuscript and make the decision to publish it independently.

Finishing a book is a monumental accomplishment, and for some authors, deciding to self-publish is not simple. But before an author submits files to her chosen publishing platform, she should first get comfortable in her new role as Director of The Book's Digital Strategy.  Read more