Writing and Publishing News

This is a guest blog by freelance writer and SPAWNews editor, Sandra Murphy. Bouchercon is one of the largest mystery conventions held each year. For 2011, its location was St. Louis. It was my first time to attend. Four days, ninety-two panel discussions and interviews, after-hours activities that included bowling for charity, an auction, a [...]

We’re experiencing a power outage here in our neighborhood. Power has been out for 7 hours already and word is, they are still a long way from fixing the problem. We’ve plugged our frig and this mini-computer into an outlet from our neighbors to the south. (They are on a different supply arm than we [...]

Do you consider yourself a professional writer? Are you writing articles/stories for money? Do you have one of more books to promote? Are you offering editorial or some other service to writers/authors? Or are you in the process of writing and publishing your first book? Most likely, you work out of your home. You’ve created [...]

Did you read where Books a Million is opening 41 new bookstores—mostly in old Borders’ buildings. This is encouraging for those of us who still love holding the print book in our hands and for publishers who haven’t, yet, figured out how to promote books outside of the traditional bookstore. I notice that most of [...]

I just found out that my book, Promote Your Book, is on the Barnes and Noble Nook. AND, it has risen in rank at Amazon to a respectable spot, this morning. Do you keep an eye on the Internet to learn who’s talking about your book, where it’s listed for sale, where your articles are [...]

How nice it is to hear from a customer who is using one of your books. I received such an email yesterday. The author said that it was five years ago when she won a copy of The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book in a drawing and that she has read [...]

Do you watch your book’s positioning at Amazon? I have started doing this more often since my latest book came out. I go to Amazon sometimes several times a day—sometimes a few times a week—to see where my book, Promote Your Book, fits into the scheme of Amazon things. Yesterday it was over a million [...]

People often ask me, “What’s the best publishing option?” I respond by saying, “It depends on you and it depends on your project.” Authors also ask, “What’s the best way to promote a book?” And my answer is the same, “It depends on you and it depends on your book.” I’ve written many, many blog [...]

What’s your favorite book promotion activity? What book promotion activity seems to be most effective for your particular book? If your answers to these two questions match, you’re probably enjoying the process of book promotion. If not, it would behoove you to find a way to make it more pleasant and lucrative. Some authors go [...]

It can happen. In fact, for some authors, it happens much too soon. They get their book on Amazon, have a book launch party, arrange for a signing or two, get a few friends to post reviews or announcements in their newsletters and then disappointment sets in. Book sales aren’t anywhere near what you expected, [...]