Happy Monday, boys and girls!
I am starting something new here on Ruminating in the Desert. Monday, as it turns out, tends to be a very busy day in the blogging world. It also happens to be a very busy day for me, one in which it’s difficult to come up with my own material. Instead of moping about this, I’ve thought of something better.
Today is the first installment of the Monday Messenger. It’s a weekly service where I bring you the best and most relevant blog content from around the World Wide Web, all of which will pertain to independent authors and the process of writing and marketing their work.
Below are five stories that have come across the wire (also known as Twitter). Enjoy!
“Jealousy” Versus “Envy”
Grammar Girl
Grammar Girl, that bastion of proper English word usage and syntax, debates the difference between jealousy and envy. Before you say “those words are the same thing!” I suggest hopping over to GG’s blog. You’d be surprised by the difference.
Traveling Tips and Doo-Dads for Writers
Savor the Storm (August McLaughlin’s Blog)
If you’re at all like me, you understand that traveling stirs your senses, gives you inspiration from which to write. Whether you’re on Route 66, or on Miami Beach, or in the MGM Grand in Vegas, there’s always an opportunity to write and to write comfortably. August McLaughlin shares with us five strategies and gadgets for writers to keep in mind when traveling.
(As a bonus, check out the guest post on August’s blog by Steena Holmes, Addicted to Self-Publishing and Chocolate)
What’s the best way to start a conversation?
Jack Durish
If you’re an indie author and you’re not on Twitter, what the heck are you waiting for?!
Mr. Durish gives us a sampling of his strategies as he attempts to stand out in the crowd that is Twitterdom. One such strategy suggests titling each blog post with a question.
Hmm. Interesting.
Self-Publishers Beware – Analysis of the way some publishing enablers are preying on unwary writers
ePublish a Book
Despite the gob of haphazardly formatted text (which is probably the result of copying and pasting), ePub’s exposé on Trafford Publishing (with the help of Hasting Press) is a cautionary tale of how easy it is for indie authors to be suckered into paying a boat load of money, all in the name of the emotion of selling books.
Why do writers fall for these scams? Because, when you have nowhere to turn to for help, it’s always easy to go with a company that promises that you’ll sell thousands, if not millions, of books. It goes without saying, but if a company that promises to help you market and promote your book uses the phrase “best-seller” for its most expensive package, you should run away from said company.
Self-Publishing Statistics:Women fare better than men at making money from self-publishing
ePublish a Book
Speaking of money, ePub also posted the findings of a recent Taleist survey, which suggest a lot more than the fact that women make more money than men in the self-publishing world.
The survey of 1007 independent authors found that, among other things, only 29% of indie authors paid for proofreading/editing services in 2011…wow. That explains quite a bit, I’m afraid.
Lastly, without stealing too much of ePub’s thunder, authors who used what ePub terms as “the most effective single tactic” for getting reviews (submitting their work to Amazon’s top reviewers) generated 32% more revenue than those who didn’t in 2011.
(As a bonus, check out ePub’s story on how you could make $200,000 by turning your book into a movie script).
Great links! Thanks for including my post and supporting fellow writers. Makes the literary world go round.
Sure thing! These links come through on Twitter but, sometimes, it’s hard for our fellow writers to filter out some the “noise” we see on there. This will hopefully help spread the word about self-publishing industry trends.
Yes, indeed! Thanks for the useful links and your support! Much appreciated.