Good news for independent authors: the self-publishing platform IngramSpark has ceased to charge book setup fees. The change in policy came into effect on May 1st. This means that authors can now upload their new books free of charge, as long as they meet standard requirements. In addition, authors can also revise their books for free within the first 60 days of publication. IngramSpark has always been a popular choice for self-published authors due to its wide distribution network and print-on-demand services. For authors not resident in the US or the UK, it is often the only option for combined publishing and distribution. But the fees have been a hurdle for some authors looking to publish their work, with many authors waiting for the one or two times per year that IS offered coupon codes for free setup. The removal of the setup and revision fee is a welcome helping hand for indie authors looking to publish their work on a tight budget. According to IngramSpark's official announc...

This month's theme at Blood Red Pencil is independence, very appropriate for July because this is the month it's celebrated every year in the United States. Independence, however, has a far broader application than one country declaring its liberation from another. Take writing, for instance. Like other art forms, it promotes solitude. With some exceptions we work independent of others, turning our imaginations and creativity loose and letting them lead us wherever our characters go to tell us their stories. Those characters become our closest companions while we all share space in our heads. How do we view and deal with flesh and blood professionals who are equally vital to our stories? Consider the following fiction scenario depicting some of this editor's experiences with writers over the last 25+ years: Writer : I can't  believe I let my critique group talk me into hiring an editor. They all said my story was unique, so why do I need somebody to edit it? E...

If you want readers to find your self-published work, you need to know about Metadata. Wondering what metadata is? It’s keywords that drive searches. When someone is searching for your book, say on Google, they enter phrases or words. It could be your name or book title, but it could also be something like “sci-fi historical romance.” If you know your audience, you can determine what your meta tagwords are. Carla King, the author of an article, “ A Self-Publisher’s Guide to Metadata for Books ,” takes you through providing the metadata for your book. The article, though written three years ago, is still relevant. She covers these topics: Identifying Your Keywords Provide Metadata for Your Book on Bowker Metadata in Documents and Other Media Metadata on Reseller Sites Metadata on Social Media Sites The Future of Metadata It’s a very interesting article – worth reading and saving for future reference. Using metadata points readers to your book. How many of you use me...

After ten years of writing, polishing, submitting, and collecting rejections, I was thrilled to finally meet a small press publisher, Lee Emory of Treble Heart Books , who liked my work and believed in me enough to publish my first two books. Even though self-publishing no longer carries the stigma it once had and is becoming wildly popular with the ease of computer programs and publishing sites such as CreateSpace, etc., I still wanted to be able to say, “Yes, I have a PUBLISHER.” The small press accounts for $30 billion in annual book sales according to Writer Magazine’s “The Writer’s Guide to Getting Published”, and fills niche publishing markets, such as poetry, memoirs, gift books, even “westerns,” which the large publishing houses keep saying are “dead.” (If you believe that, take a look at the book lists from Women Writing the West and Western Writers of America .) Advantages of working with a small publisher : • Often, it is somewhat easier for new authors to break in, ...

…is fear itself. Franklin Delano Roosevelt uttered those immortal words in his 1933 Inaugural Address. While they then applied to his country in the throes of the Great Depression, they can have numerous other applications, among them to writers who have been intimidated by the iron hand of traditional publishing. Under the wings of that old and revered industry, unknown authors were transformed into household names, and best sellers sprang forth from mediocre works—with the help of competent editors. Then as now, however, these were the exceptions; most hopeful writers who submitted manuscripts received form letters rejecting their work. A privileged few got personalized responses, and a tiny minority went on to be published. Writers pour heart and soul into their work, only to have their hopes crushed by rejection after rejection. The keynote speaker at a seminar I attended a few years ago suggested that we toughen up; he said, "Our books are not our babies." Really? ...

A couple of days ago, I visited a creative-writing class at Montana State University Billings , invited by an instructor who is kind of enough to have me come up once a semester to meet with her students. The instructor, Sue Hart (so complete a repository of knowledge about literature of the West that she ought to be a national treasure), told me that this class, in particular, was lively and engaged on the topic of writing. She wasn't kidding. In a rollicking 90 minutes, we covered a huge range of subjects related to writing and publishing. Of those, two stood out as particularly salient in this time when those who aim for traditional publishing are facing intense competition and those who lean toward independent publishing confront a huge marketing challenge. To protect the innocent, I'll identify the question and not the questioner: Since a publisher provides editors, how much do I have to worry about grammar and punctuation? An honest question deserves an honest answer: You...