tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6782713127824478176Tue, 24 Mar 2026 07:57:07 +0000author platformbook promotionIndieAuthor Guideself-publishhow to self-publishbook marketingmistakes self-publishers make#authorfailPODcrisis in publishingAmazonPubletariathow to writeindie authormanuscript formattingwhat's wrong with self-published booksCreateSpaceKindleNext Generation Indie Book Awardsbias against self-publishingbook salesebooks#ebooksIndie Author GuideOvershareWriter's Digestauthor promotionauthor resourcesbrick-and-mortareditingmanuscript templatevirtual book launchweb trollswhy self-publish#Kindle books#TOCAdelaide EinsteinAlexa rankingCreateSpace templateISBNsKindle FireKindle publishingPOD formattingPOD templateSeth HarwoodSubsidy PublisherTwitterVanity PublisherWD self-published books contestaspiring authorauthor blogauthor servicesbook storecharacter drives plotcommunity-buildingcopyrightcritiquesdigital litexperimental litonline writer communitiesplottingpublishingself-pubsocial mediawhy hire a professional editorwriter workshops#GBS#Kindle#WDC09#agentfail#amazon#ereader#googreads#iPad#ifail#piracy#platformchat#queryfail#selfpub70% royaltyAgency 5Amazon PrimeAmazon vs. #MacmillanAndrew KeenAnne CordwainerApple antitrustApril L. HamiltonBarnes and NobleBookExpo AmericaBookish.comBordersBusiness of Getting PublishedChristina KatzCreative CommonsGoogle AlertsGoogle Book SearchGoogle PageRankHarlequin HorizonsHorrorInbox ZeroIndie Author Stem to Stern Workshop CruiseIndie Authors and the Temple of DIYIngramJoel FriedlanderJoshua TallentKindle Reader appKindle book returnsLibrary of CongressLuluLulu vs. CreateSpaceMPAAMeryl K. EvansNew Year's ResolutionO'Reilly TOCPG-13Prime Lending LibraryPrint on DemandRed RoomSEOScott SiglerScribdSeth GodinSmashwordsThe Book DesignerThe Dark KnightThe IndieAuthor GuideTo Hell And (Hopefully) BackTools of ChangeTwitter contestVault UVault UniversityWeb 2.0West Bow Pressaggregator sitesarchetypesauthor meltdownsauthor royaltiesauthor taxesauthor websiteauthors behaving badlybook advancebook appsbook pitchbook reviewsbook storesbookstorebrandingbuy indiecatharsischeap #ebookscommunity buildingcomparing publishersconferencescontestcopingcreating Stylesday jobsdeath of the midlistePodsebook gotchasebook piracyebook pricingepublishingfree excerptfreebiesfreelancingfrustrated writerfull color ebooksgenre fictiongoals in authorshipgraphics in Kindle bookhackershow to choose a publisherhow to get publishedhow to promotehow to publishindieindie author call to actionindie author revolutionindie author success strategiesindie booksellersintellectual property theftinteractive booksinternet trollsjudging fictionmainstream mediamainstream publishingmainstream vs. self-publishingmaking a living as a writermalwaremanuscript headers and footersmanuscript layoutmanuscript notesmerchandisingmidlistmoviesmyths about self-publishingonline aggregationonline libelonline privacyonline securitypiracyplot vs. characterpress kitpress releaseprofessional servicesprofit from self-published booksprofit from self-publishingpublicationpublication rightspublishing industry standardspublishing technologyreader communitiesreadersresponding to bad reviewsreviewsrevisingripoffsroyalty income reportingrules of writingself-publishing optionssocial authoringsocial media noveltaxes on royaltiestech skills for authorsthe writing lifetipstips and trickstools for self-publishersvalue addedvoicewaiting for successweb presenceweb skills for authorswebinarwebinarswebsite designwebsite developmentwhat writers earnwhy writewriter conferenceswriter resourceswriter's voicewritingwriting articleswriting as therapywriting gigsFollow my adventures in both self-publishing and traditional, trade publishing.http://aprillhamilton.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.com (Unknown)Blogger136125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6782713127824478176.post-7922831559272351463Fri, 20 Mar 2015 17:00:00 +00002015-03-20T10:21:14.764-07:00It happens again and again: authors, both indie and mainstream-published, crying foul over piracy of their work. They grab their virtual torches and pitchforks and take to social media to spread the word and their righteous indignation over this or that file sharing site offering their ebooks for free download. Imagine my surprise then, when I found at least a few of those same authors paying tohttp://aprillhamilton.blogspot.com/2015/03/authors-dont-scream-piracy-then-turn.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6782713127824478176.post-7434737525092877410Thu, 18 Dec 2014 20:30:00 +00002014-12-18T12:54:34.952-08:00RE: The Interview, here's a comment I posted in reply to Chuck Wendig's blog post Art Held Hostage: Why Sony Not Releasing “The Interview” Is Scary. This is my response to those who say Sony's decision to pull the Seth Rogen / James Franco comedy film The Interview, in which two hapless celebrity interviewers get an interview with Kim Jong Un and are pressed into service by the U.S. government tohttp://aprillhamilton.blogspot.com/2014/12/artists-and-personal-responsibility-or.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6782713127824478176.post-2930997176941451643Fri, 04 Apr 2014 00:31:00 +00002014-04-03T17:31:35.897-07:00If you've been promoting your brand and books on Facebook via a Fan Page*, then stories like The Free-Marketing Gravy Train Is Over on Facebook (from Time Magazine's site) may have you in a tizzy. Don't be. Those articles are either intimating, or stating outright, that this is some kind of plot on Facebook's part to force Fan Page owners to either pay to "boost" their posts or pay for ads in http://aprillhamilton.blogspot.com/2014/04/facebook-fan-page-reach-no-its-not-all.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6782713127824478176.post-7940862348385817226Sat, 18 Jan 2014 17:39:00 +00002014-01-18T09:42:04.331-08:00archetypesgenre fictionHorrorIn a recent email exchange, a friend expressed surprise that Horror is one of my favorite genres in fiction. Here's how I explained why: - - - - - I have an odd fascination with archetypal good vs. evil (or, God vs. Satan) stories. I guess it's because, even though I don't really believe in good and evil in the Biblical or religious sense, others' unwavering belief in them seems like the http://aprillhamilton.blogspot.com/2014/01/why-i-like-horror.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6782713127824478176.post-2624277530450678852Thu, 09 Jan 2014 22:08:00 +00002014-01-10T07:21:05.738-08:00author servicesripoffsHere are two new questions authors need to add to their vetting process when considering hiring out for costly author courses, services and how-to books: Do you have an affiliate program for this product or service I'm considering, and if so, how much of the sales price will be paid to the affiliate advertiser? Imagine that the answers to those questions are, "Yes, I do have an affiliate http://aprillhamilton.blogspot.com/2014/01/how-to-sell-your-integrity-470-at-time.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6782713127824478176.post-3322339081029721560Mon, 30 Dec 2013 21:35:00 +00002013-12-30T13:36:02.107-08:00#authorfailauthor promotionhow to writewhy hire a professional editorI originally posted this open letter to Stephen King on my Facebook page, but it generated such a lively and sometimes heated discussion that I've decided to share it here. Let me preface what you're about to read by saying I've been a big fan of Stephen King going all the way back to Carrie. Granted, I was only 8 years old when that first book was published, but I started in on King at the age http://aprillhamilton.blogspot.com/2013/12/on-breaking-up-with-author-open-letter.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6782713127824478176.post-7224657322712115796Tue, 10 Dec 2013 03:18:00 +00002013-12-09T19:18:27.946-08:00Alexa rankingauthor blogauthor platformbook marketingGoogle PageRankweb presenceAs many of you already know, my Publetariat site was offline entirely for close to two months in the early part of this year, and then it was back online but laying more or less fallow for several more months while my work continued behind the scenes to ensure the site was secure and functioning properly. Now that I've got it up and running again, with new material being posted there five days http://aprillhamilton.blogspot.com/2013/12/dont-be-too-quick-to-shut-down-that.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6782713127824478176.post-6717441844833062311Sat, 28 Sep 2013 06:19:00 +00002013-09-29T19:05:03.977-07:00#amazon#googreadsauthors behaving badlybook reviewsAs part of a recent policy update, Goodreads implemented the following change: **Delete content focused on author behavior. We have had a policy of removing reviews that were created primarily to talk about author behavior from the community book page. Once removed, these reviews would remain on the member’s profile. Starting today, we will now delete these entirely from the site. We will also http://aprillhamilton.blogspot.com/2013/09/goodreads-review-policy-changes.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6782713127824478176.post-180946095019356827Mon, 15 Jul 2013 06:20:00 +00002013-07-14T23:32:33.407-07:00As many regular readers of this blog and visitors to my Publetariat site already know, in 2010 my life more or less imploded. I blogged about it at the time, and based on the encouragement of family, friends and readers, I decided that eventually, when the dust settled, I'd write and publish a memoir about that horrible time and my recovery. Here it is, at last: Here's http://aprillhamilton.blogspot.com/2013/07/my-new-memoir.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6782713127824478176.post-6596997625024374392Mon, 20 May 2013 22:21:00 +00002013-11-17T16:32:42.710-08:00#ebooks#Kindle booksauthor servicesI just posted this in response to a service provider who commented on my earlier post, Ebook Madness: Don't Confuse Ebook Conversion With Ebook Formatting! In his comment on that post, this gentleman said he only charges $40-50 for the typical formatting AND conversion job, and asked if he's not charging enough. My answer was an emphatic YES, and I'm reprinting the full response here http://aprillhamilton.blogspot.com/2013/05/why-you-should-be-paying-more-than-50.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6782713127824478176.post-3841131152666779465Mon, 22 Apr 2013 22:26:00 +00002013-04-22T15:28:46.102-07:00Amazonintellectual property theftKindle book returnsmistakes self-publishers makepiracyRecently some indie author friends have become so outraged by ebook returns that they're trying to organize and bring pressure to bear against Amazon to eliminate its 7-day return policy on Kindle books. There are other vendors who allow returns as well, and I'm sure this same group will be targeting those vendors in due time. The main reason why this group of authors is so upset is that http://aprillhamilton.blogspot.com/2013/04/amazons-ebook-returns-policy-is-good.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6782713127824478176.post-585555923294933279Sat, 20 Apr 2013 00:29:00 +00002013-04-19T17:29:23.381-07:00I still have a blog post in me about this incident, but I'm not quite ready to write it yet. In the meantime, here's the update: Writer and web developer Shawn E. Bell has very generously volunteered his time to resurrect Publetariat for all of us. Shawn also offers author services for indie authors and small imprints; please consider him if you need help with your books. I also wish to http://aprillhamilton.blogspot.com/2013/04/publetariat-update.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6782713127824478176.post-8645089516504909191Wed, 17 Apr 2013 03:41:00 +00002013-04-16T20:41:00.780-07:00author resourcescommunity-buildinghackersmalwarePubletariatI will write a more in-depth follow-up as soon as I can calm down enough to do so, but for now, I'll just reprint what's supposed to be displaying for anyone who visits Publetariat.com right now. It isn't displaying as I write this, because the site is so trashed that nothing works there anymore. ------------------------- As regular site visitors already know, Publetariat has been repeatedly http://aprillhamilton.blogspot.com/2013/04/hackers-1-publetariat-0-we-all-lose.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6782713127824478176.post-1325389070847518136Sun, 17 Mar 2013 04:34:00 +00002013-03-16T21:34:50.870-07:00I have been VERY vocal in my criticism of the many mainstream publishing outfits who've decided to form new, vanity publishing imprints in partnership with Author Services, Inc. (also known as "ASI" and "Author House", among many other aliases). This begs the question: if those vanity partnerships are so wrong, what should publishers be doing instead? I have the answer, and it's pretty http://aprillhamilton.blogspot.com/2013/03/big-publishers-forming-imprints-with.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6782713127824478176.post-4177167272009469885Fri, 08 Mar 2013 20:38:00 +00002013-03-08T12:38:15.094-08:00Today I received a follow-up email from a different S&S staffer. It reads: Hi April, Veda forwarded your e-mail to me. I manage Archway Publishing for S&S, and would appreciate the opportunity to speak with you about the service. There are a lot of options available to self-publishing authors today, and we believe Archway delivers real value. Please let me know if you'd be http://aprillhamilton.blogspot.com/2013/03/simon-schuster-archway-update.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6782713127824478176.post-6894412994589909371Wed, 06 Mar 2013 23:49:00 +00002013-03-08T21:34:58.888-08:00...to refer people like you to their new vanity imprint, Archway, which they formed in partnership with AuthorHouse (aka "ASI") late last year. A couple of days ago, I received the following, kind of astonishingly brazen email from a Simon and Schuster staffer: ------------------------------------------------- Simon & Schuster recently launched Archway Publishing as a new type of http://aprillhamilton.blogspot.com/2013/03/simon-schuster-is-trying-to-bribe.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6782713127824478176.post-1065359669945934251Mon, 25 Feb 2013 00:37:00 +00002013-02-24T16:41:48.294-08:00Many authors have been taking advantage of the Amazon KDP Free Book promo option ever since KDP Select was rolled out, and many a bookish website and blog has sprung up specifically around promotion of free Kindle books. All of that may be about to change, thanks to an Amazon Associates agreement revision that's set to take effect March 1 of this year: March 1, 2013 version The following http://aprillhamilton.blogspot.com/2013/02/the-free-kindle-book-ride-may-be-over.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6782713127824478176.post-6608003209350588490Thu, 07 Feb 2013 04:03:00 +00002013-02-10T12:04:45.517-08:00Many of those who are reading this are facing the harsh reality that author royalties may never be enough to support yourself and your household, or at least the only slightly less harsh reality that while you're waiting for lightning to strike, you've got bills to pay. I am living proof that writing can be a great career skill and a surprising stepping stone; you can make a living with your http://aprillhamilton.blogspot.com/2013/02/let-your-writing-lead-you-where-it-may.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6782713127824478176.post-4994441815803826842Thu, 17 Jan 2013 00:37:00 +00002013-01-16T21:47:08.138-08:00Maybe "scam" is too strong a word, but I'm not sure what else to call it. I'm seeing more and more marketing materials specifically targeted to indie and mainstream authors who are struggling to earn a fulltime living as writers, or finding it impossible to make the transition from day job to fulltime author. Whenever a demographic that contains many disappointed, disillusioned and possibly http://aprillhamilton.blogspot.com/2013/01/new-scams-preying-on-writers-who-are.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6782713127824478176.post-7706790805624643730Mon, 05 Nov 2012 03:23:00 +00002012-11-04T19:23:29.489-08:00As you may have noticed, it's been a LONG time since I've posted here. There are good reasons for that, like the fact that my former house was foreclosed in August and I had to move on short notice, plus some divorce-related challenges that I can't really detail for you here. But I've been thinking about this post for weeks now, and I'm sorry to tell you that it won't come as a welcome insight http://aprillhamilton.blogspot.com/2012/11/indie-author-vs-indie-entrepreneur.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6782713127824478176.post-6748394487700150808Sun, 12 Aug 2012 05:09:00 +00002012-08-11T22:26:14.876-07:00LendInk is dead, yet I am still fielding tweets, Facebook messages, and emails from people who seem to think my blog post, "Congratulations, You Killed LendInk..." was somehow misleading with respect to lend compensation. This is the last I am going to say about it, and it's the same thing I've been saying about it all along. As I said in my update to the blog post, I do not understand why somehttp://aprillhamilton.blogspot.com/2012/08/re-lendink-please-stop-fiddling-rome.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6782713127824478176.post-50109640287441133Tue, 07 Aug 2012 01:48:00 +00002012-08-06T19:04:09.215-07:00Okay, I'm taking off my crankypants now to write a rare post about craft. Let me open by saying this post will contain some gross generalizations, and I know such blanket statements can't possibly cover all situations and will certainly be untrue in many cases. I'm only working with blanket statements here to address a larger topic, so please try to bear with me on them and focus on the larger http://aprillhamilton.blogspot.com/2012/08/do-readers-of-different-genres-have.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6782713127824478176.post-143681526851095857Sat, 04 Aug 2012 00:15:00 +00002012-08-09T11:45:22.091-07:00Fair warning: I am angry, and this is an angry post. When misinformation has the power to kill totally legitimate, above-board small businesses, it's time to stop being nicey-nice and start getting down to brass tacks. When the business in question directly impacts authors' livelihoods, it's time to take action. UPDATED ON 8/6/12 TO ADD: I really don't understand why some people who've read thishttp://aprillhamilton.blogspot.com/2012/08/congratulations-you-killed-lendink-and.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6782713127824478176.post-2560349802513181968Fri, 03 Aug 2012 00:20:00 +00002012-08-02T17:20:20.904-07:00One of the major obstacles facing indie authors and small imprints in commercial publishing is discoverability: getting the word out about their books to prospective buyers. As more and more indies enter the sales arena, each new indie book is being released into a sea of print that's only getting larger every day. While I've always been a strong advocate for the DIY, grass-roots approach to http://aprillhamilton.blogspot.com/2012/08/taking-author-out-of-self-promotion.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6782713127824478176.post-3931275476493117600Sun, 29 Jul 2012 23:51:00 +00002012-07-29T17:30:36.822-07:00When it comes to books like Fifty Shades of Grey, the Twilight series and The DaVinci Code (huge commercial successes that are pretty universally acknowledged as poorly written), outrage among authors who haven't been as successful in finding a monster, dedicated fan base is generally off the scale. I'm not going to reduce this to a simple case of jealousy, though jealousy is certainly a http://aprillhamilton.blogspot.com/2012/07/fifty-shades-of-hypocrisy.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)8