The Information Age may have changed the landscape of publishing, but writers still rely on one age-old tool to push their craft: word of mouth. UK columnist Robert McCrum calls it the “holy grail of publishing.” J.K. Rowling and Dan Brown both owe much of their success not to brilliant PR or cutting-edge marketing, but to casual conversation between book-loving friends. Word of mouth has taken on a new form since the advent of the Internet and social networking, of course. Whereas Victor Gollancz, in the early days of his eponymous publishing firm, had to pay others to read his books and get word around, the likes of Amanda Hocking merely have ...

The United States has seen a terrible slump in almost all sectors of the economy in the 1980s. During this decade, the national debt ballooned, many industries folded and unemployment rate was at an all time high. Many families, especially from the poor and middle class, had difficulties making ends meet. This could be seen as the worst time in the US economy since the Great Depression.Now, Americans are once again facing the brunt of yet another economic turmoil, what with the looming global financial crisis.Set in the 1980’s, the Xlibris self-published book, ‘Another Sort of Life’ is where John Calvert shares the pains of being “down on one’s luck” as he ...

Self publishing offers writers specially not very famous ones; such as myself a chance to get their work published by using their own money, which in essence comes down to somebody paying a publisher to publish his or her book. This creating a situation in which the publisher is left with little if any choice weather or not to publish the books they are paid to do so regardless of their quality of perhaps lack of which. All of this being in sharp contrast to before where, it was the publisher who decided which books got published or not and not always based on any real criteria, other then personal taste or ...

Self published author Peter Roche de Coppens has dedicated his life to studying the holistic and the spiritual and has this time ventured into a more refined study of the human consciousness when he wrote the book True and Great Love Stories.Each story is unique, exceptional and brings forth the romantic in each and every one of us. This Xlibris release appeals to everyone who has been in love, lost a love and is still in search for that One Great Love.De Coppens’ storytelling skills managed to heighten our levels of consciousness for the spiritual and emotional consecration of our being. His book acts as a mirror for readers, showing them what ...

In spite of growing evidence that self-publishing is poised to replace (or at least match) traditional publishing in the future, many conventionally published authors (and those striving to become such) still view self-publishing with contempt. They feel self-publishing companies and those authors who choose to use them are "cheating" somehow. After all, getting a book published traditionally has always been "hard work." Those who have done it (or long to) perhaps feel as if self-published authors are not paying their dues.But are self-publishing writers really "cheating," or are they simply taking advantage of widespread changes taking place throughout the entertainment and business worlds?Why Should the Book Publishing Industry Be Any Different Than ...