Category: International news
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Smashwords launches presales option
In the US, Smashwords has developed a new tool for indie authors to create, manage and merchandise ebook sales, reports Publishers Weekly. Smashwords Presales will allow authors and publishers to let readers buy an ebook before its public on-sale date, as well as acting as a tool for authors and publishers to get in touch…
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US self-publishing stats rise
In the US, self-publishing grew at a rate of 40% in 2018, with more than one million books self-published for the second year in a row, according to a report published by Bowker. More than 1.6 million self-published print and ebooks with registered ISBNs were published in the US in 2018, up from just over…
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Self-published books in the US grew by 40% in 2018
Self-publishing in the US grew by 40% in 2018, according to a report published by Bowker. In total 1.68 million print and ebooks were self-published in 2018, up from 1.19 million in 2017. According to the report, self-published print books were up by 45% for 2018, while Bowker data shows that self-published ebooks decreased by 0.82%,…
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Wattpad introduces new monetised program; reports rise in user base
Self-publishing platform Wattpad has announced a new monetisation program amid a 23% rise in its user base, reports Publishing Perspectives. In July, over 130 authors were participating in the Paid Stories program, which remains invitation-only. Contributors are judged on their ‘storytelling capability, writing quality, originality [and] personality’, as well as other factors such as their…
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Amazon self-published authors suspended ‘without sufficient explanation of wrongdoing’
In the US, self-published authors have claimed Amazon removed their ebooks from sale without sufficient explanation of wrongdoing, reports Yahoo Finance. Amazon has reportedly been cracking down on authors who abuse the Kindle Direct Publishing Select program, which offers authors enrolment in Kindle Unlimited and the Kindle Owners’ Lending Library in exchange for exclusivity with…
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DC Public Library to add self-published authors’ ebooks to their collection
In the US, the District of Columbia (DC) Public Library is looking to add ebooks written by local authors to its online collection, reports NBC News. Electronic resources librarian April DeRome said she hopes the library can add 10-20 new titles from the submissions, which will be reviewed by library employees with ‘a wide range…
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Self-publishing marketplace Reedsy launches new marketing platform for authors
In the UK, self-publishing marketplace Reedsy has launched a new marketing platform for authors, Reedsy Discovery, reports Forbes. The book review portal will alert readers to new books its expert reviewers have recommended each week. Users will also have access to curated digital bookshelves, preview chapters, a weekly newsletter of top books across genres, and…
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More than 1000 authors earned over US$100K in 2018 says Amazon
Amazon has reported that authors earned more than US$260 million (A$359m) from the Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) Select Global Fund in 2018, totalling more than US$840m (A$1.16bn) since the launch of Kindle Unlimited. Amazon said, ‘hundreds of thousands of authors have self-published millions of books through KDP since launching the service in 2007’. It added that ‘thousands’ of authors…
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EU agrees on copyright directive
The European Parliament, the Council of the EU and the European Commission have made an agreement on the Directive on Copyright in the Digital Single Market, which modernises copyright law for the first time in 18 years. The parliament had adopted the directive in September 2018, which makes online platforms and aggregators liable for copyright infringements where only a small part…