Unlike commercial or trade publishers, whose business model is based on book volume (selling as many books as possible from a limited number of authors), author mills’ business model is based on author volume (selling a limited number of books from as many authors as possible). The most famous example of an author mill is PublishAmerica, but there are others, such as VDM Verlag Dr. Mueller, an academic author mill.
According to the biographical note on Ursula K. Le Guin’s website, she has published twenty-one novels, eleven volumes of short stories, three collections of essays, twelve books for children, six volumes of poetry and four of translation, and has received many awards: Hugo, Nebula, National Book Award, PEN-Malamud, etc. What the site doesn’t say is […]
FirstWorldWar.com has a deep archive of WWI pictures, which are clearly labeled and sorted. Whether you are doing a historical fantasy, steampunk, or staging a war in your science-fictional world, this will prove fascinating reading.
Date: November 23, 2009 Time: 7:00 PM – 11:00 PM Location: Planet Hollywood, 1540 Broadway, New York, NY 10036 The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America will host its annual reception for the publishing industry in a new location this year. Planet Hollywood, located at 45th and Broadway in Times Square, should provide a […]
A gentle reminder that the SFWA business meeting will be at World Fantasy Convention this year on October 31st from 8:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. We’ll be covering, among other things, the draft of the new bylaws which will be sent to the membership by the end of the month. We’re also doing something new […]
This is a followup to my post on Thomas Nelson’s new self-publishing division, West Bow Press–specifically, on Nelson’s plans to pay referral fees to agents and others who refer writers to West Bow.
As reported today in the Wall Street Journal, Thomas Nelson, a major independent Christian publisher, is adding a self-publishing line to its business.
Here are eight words you never want to hear from a publisher that is considering your manuscript for publication:
“How many books are you planning to order?”
As I close in on the end of my current writing project, the issue of self-promotion is much on my mind. I don’t mind admitting that it’s a prospect I contemplate with dread. I’m one of those I-just-want-to-sit-in-my-room-with-my-laptop writers who really is not constitutionally suited for a world in which the definition of “author” also includes “huckster” (or, if you want to be a bit more diplomatic about it, “entrepreneur”).
Congratulations to Donald Mead who has upgraded from Associate to Active. Kevin J. Anderson will be editing BLOOD LITE 2 for Pocket Books and Horror Writers Association. Paul Levinson interviews with former SFWA president Robert J. Sawyer.
Journey to lost pasts and possible futures with the Accidental Time Travelers Collective, volume 3. The latest installment in the Accidental Time Travelers Collective series features 12 time-travel short stories by an international group of authors.
John W. Maly holds degrees in law, psychology, and computer engineering and has worked in computer technology litigation for over a decade. A graduate of Stanford University’s Novel Writing program, John is an avid traveler, reader, and writer.
