Using Kindle Scout as Part of a Book Launch Campaign

by┬áK.B. Jensen Amazon calls┬áKindle Scout┬áreader-powered publishing. Some have called it ÔÇ£the American IdolÔÇØ for books. I prefer to think of it as a literary lottery for book lovers. Readers vote on their favorite unpublished titles based on excerpts uploaded to the site by authors, and in return receive free copies of the books they voted […]

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Why Do Books Have Blank Pages?

Why Do Books Have Blank Pages? Jake Rossen Despite seeming incongruous, a page in a book without words is something we encounter so often we rarely stop to think about it. Pick up virtually any hardcover or paperback title and youÔÇÖre bound to see at least one or two blank pages in the front, back, […]

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A better kind of discoverability: An interview with the creators of Backlist

A better kind of discoverability: An interview with the creators of Backlist by Mark Krotov In publishing, you often hear about ÔÇ£discoverability,ÔÇØ a rather long word that refers to a bookÔÇÖs opportunity to be discovered by readers. There is, of course, no better machine for discoverability than the physical bookstoreÔÇöat a bookstore, a reader can […]

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Are paper books really disappearing?

Are paper books really disappearing? If the printed word becomes a thing of the past, it may affect how we think. By Rachel Nuwer – from BBC.com When Peter James published his novel Host on two floppy disks in 1993, he was ill-prepared for the ÔÇ£venomous backlashÔÇØ that would follow. Journalists and fellow writers berated […]

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Top 10 tips to find the right book publicist for you

by Helen Lewis – Founder of Literally PR helenlewis@literallypr.com┬á ┬á ┬áwww.literallypr.com ┬á ┬á@literallypr ┬á ┬á@theauthorschool ┬áExtracts from Helen Lewis’s presentation at the AuthorCraft event at the Institute of Directors in February Seek word of mouth recommendations. If you donÔÇÖt know any authors to chat to directly, join a Facebook forum or a writers group and […]

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The Psychology of What Makes a Great Story

The Psychology of What Makes a Great Story ÔÇ£The great writerÔÇÖs gift to a reader is to make him a better writer.ÔÇØ By Maria Popova ÔÇ£Stories,ÔÇØ Neil Gaiman asserted in his wonderful lecture on what makes stories last, ÔÇ£are genuinely symbiotic organisms that we live with, that allow human beings to advance.ÔÇØ But what is […]

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